A man accused of putting out a $10,000 contract to have a Collinsville woman killed may find it difficult to fulfil his own contract with the city of Springfield – to raze 38 dilapidated houses. Sammy J. Shafer Jr. owns S. Shafer Excavating, a company based in Pontoon Beach that does work throughout the Metro […]
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Golden Hour Bake House opening Feb. 8
Golden Hour Bake House will open Feb. 8 at 11 W. Old State Capitol Plaza, and the business will now feature a breakfast and lunch menu in addition to baked goods. In 2023, Alli Donaldson launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund her dream of opening a brick-and-mortar location for her business. She had been […]
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Gabatoni’s reopens for dine-in service
Gabatoni’s is reopening its dining room Jan. 22 after being closed for nearly five years. The business has changed hands and the inside of the building is updated, but the new owner said he has tried to keep most things the same. Bill Pope purchased Gabatoni’s Oct. 16 and filed a building permit with the […]
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Scooter’s Coffee expanding to Chatham
Scooter’s Coffee is expanding into Chatham with plans to build a new location this spring. Franchise owners Marcus and Lauryn McGlasson are Pleasant Plains residents who opened their first Scooter’s location in Taylorville in 2021, followed by a store at 2935 Clear Lake Ave. in December 2022 and a second Springfield location at 1740 Wabash […]
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Jean Bruner Jachino joins United Way
Jean Bruner Jachino has joined United Way of Central Illinois as the new director of strategic partnerships. In this role, she will lead and manage the organization’s fundraising efforts with corporate and business communities, serving as a strategic adviser, expert fundraiser and partnership manager. “Jean’s depth of experience in business development and her passion for […]
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Macy’s to close White Oaks Mall location
Macy’s Inc. announced Jan. 9 it would be closing 66 stores nationwide, including the White Oaks Mall location. It is the only Illinois store slated for closure, although a St. Louis-area location is impacted as the Macy’s in the South County Center is also on the list. Macy’s has been the only department store anchor […]
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Broadgauge owner addresses closure, future plans
Douglas Pope, the person responsible for the award-winning restoration of Broadgauge in Petersburg, said he is hoping to find a new owner to reopen the restaurant and event venue. A Jan. 2 post on the business’ Facebook page said that Broadgauge would close “indefinitely” following three public events already scheduled to take place later this […]
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David Hilst opens American Family Insurance office
Last year was an eventful one for David Hilst, and 2025 appears to be shaping up the same way. After launching Vyper Transportation last March, Hilst has now closed that business and opened an American Family Insurance office at 3460 Wabash Ave., the headquarters for his previous venture. “My premiums for my trucking business went […]
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Nesty’s in Rochester to rebrand as Mexican restaurant
Nesty’s Burger Joint opened a second location in Rochester last year, but now the owners have announced plans to turn it into a Mexican restaurant. In a statement posted on the business’ Facebook page Jan. 2, owners Nestor and Megan Lopez wrote: “During this amazing year as part of the fantastic community of Rochester, we […]
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Myers Building auction postponed
The auction for the Myers Building in downtown Springfield has been postponed, but the goal is still to find a new owner for the building after three generations of family ownership. “We have had a lot of interest in the property, but due to the holidays and some weather-related issues, we decided to reschedule it […]
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UIS Performing Arts Center to close temporarily
Sangamon Auditorium and the UIS Studio Theatre, housed within University of Illinois Springfield’s Public Affairs Center building, will temporarily close starting in June 2025 for an extensive, state-funded, 15-month plumbing improvement project that will address ongoing issues with the facility’s 50-year-old infrastructure. Plans call for the auditorium and theater to reopen following the completion of […]
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Pritzker endorses hemp regulation bill
More than five years after Illinois began issuing permits for legal production of industrial hemp, Gov. JB Pritzker said he now favors legislation to bring the industry under tighter regulation. At a Dec. 13 news conference in Chicago, Pritzker said in the short time since both the state and federal governments legalized hemp production, a […]