Building permits – Feb. 16 to Feb. 22
Carriage House Plaza LLC received a commercial remodel permit for 2715 W. Monroe St. Contractor is Larry Stocker and the project is valued at $210,000. Westgate SC LLC received a commercial remodel permit for 2851 S. Veterans Parkway. Contractor is RE Crawford Construction LLC and the project is valued at $820,467. Legacy Park Sports LLC…
Beyond shortcuts
In a world where we joke “there’s an app for that” every time we face an inconvenient task, it’s easy to slip into a mindset where technology exists to help us do less thinking. Need a summary? AI can do it. Need ideas? AI can brainstorm. Need the answer to a question your brain should know?…
Jo’s Place
One of my besties has been crowing to me about Jo’s Place in Virden and that I needed to do a review of it. Unfortunately, some timing issues meant that I was unable to do the review with him. Instead, I visited with my wife and mother-in-law – each a critic in their own right.…
Breaking down barriers
Operations in a low-key building located on South Grand Avenue West help people live their lives without limits. The Springfield Center for Independent Living serves people with disabilities, their families and communities in Sangamon, Christian, Logan, Menard and Montgomery counties by breaking down barriers and prejudices and replacing them with positive attitudes. The organization’s philosophy…
Deeds and real property transfers
Transferring ownership of a home is one of the most significant legal transactions the majority of people will ever undertake. In Illinois, real estate transfers are governed by a combination of state statutes, common law principles and local recording practices. Whether you are selling your home, gifting property to a family member, placing property into…
Urban League has ambitious development plans
“At a time when it’s easy to take a step back, the Urban League is stepping up.” Those were the words of Springfield Urban League President and CEO Dr. Marcus Johnson during a Dec. 2 Springfield City Council meeting. Johnson was trying to convince the alderpersons to sell eight city-owned parcels of land on Springfield’s…
Bill to regulate homeowners’ insurance rates could reemerge this session
Illinois lawmakers are poised to make a second attempt at passing a bill that would give state regulators more authority to control the rising cost of homeowners insurance. Gov. JB Pritzker called for the legislation last summer after Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance announced it was raising premiums in Illinois an average 27.2%, citing years of losses in…
The future of affordable housing
One way Illinois is promoting the development of affordable housing is by giving young entrepreneurs a boost. Fifteen up-and-coming affordable housing developers recently completed the second cohort of the Next Generation Capacity Building Initiative, or Next Gen. The program, sponsored by the Illinois Housing Development Authority and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, is designed to…
Springfield is an overlooked gem for short-term rentals
How does a $35,000-a-year profit from a side hustle sound? According to AirDNA, a research firm that analyzes data of short-term rental markets in the U.S., that’s the average profit margin for property owners of Airbnb, and smaller competitors such as Vrbo, in Springfield. That put the city at No. 5 on its latest list…
What’s in store for 2026 homebuyers
The National Association of REALTORS’ economic and real estate summit, held virtually in December, recapped the trends of 2025 and discussed what the coming year has in store for today’s homebuyers. Presenters were NAR’s deputy chief economist Jessica Lautz, who analyzes trends for NAR members and consumers; Nadia Evangelou, NAR’s senior economist and director of…
Q&A with Candace Silas
Candace Silas is a Springfield native who has spent her professional career uplifting and empowering others. In September, she was named the new executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County. Prior to that, she worked at Lincoln Land Community College, serving as director of the Workforce Empowerment Initiative, the Pipeline for the Advancement…
