Author: joeward7

Mary Hansen
NPR Illinois

A recreational marijuana lounge is coming to downtown Springfield. The City Council on Tuesday granted one of the first permits to open an establishment specifically for the consumption of marijuana. It also allows on-site consumption at the dispensary.

HCI Alternatives, which will soon go by the name Illinois Supply and Provisions, plans to open the lounge next to its current dispensary on Adams Street. It would accommodate an estimated 150 people.

While most aldermen supported the permit, Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin raised concerns about

Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register

A resolution supporting the retirements of City Water, Light and Power’s three oldest coal-fired power plants has emerged and is expected to be debated at two meetings next week.

Under the terms, Dallman Units 31 and 32 — the oldest and least productive — would be shut down no later than Dec. 31. Dallman Unit 33, which represents about 32 percent of the utility’s total net generation, would be retired no later than Feb. 28, 2022. Dallman Unit 4, the utility’s newest plant, is expected to remain open.

Such an outcome would largely mirror the recommendations CWLP received

Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register

Though adult-use cannabis is now legal in Illinois, places to legally consume the much-buzzed about product are currently in short supply. But that could soon change as the Springfield City Council on Tuesday night approved a downtown pot shop’s request to allow on-site consumption in a lounge area connected to their retail operation.

The 9-1 vote appears to make Springfield the first city in Illinois to grant approval for controlled legal public consumption. As a result, HCI Alternatives (to be known as Illinois Supply & Provisions starting Jan. 27), 628 E. Adams Street, now has the right to host on-site consumption at

Illinois Times

We have an unusual President. He tweets, talks, and acts impulsively, incessantly. He has a public record of abusing truth, personal relationships, and wealth. He now stands impeached for corrupting US foreign policy and obstructing Congress.

His 3 years in office involve non-stop revolving doors at the National Security Council, the Departments of Defense and State, the White House, and many other Federal agencies.

He mocks historical allies, while expressing comfort with leaders of historical adversaries Russia and N. Korea.

Last week,

Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register

Members of the Springfield City Council offered their initial thoughts to Mayor Jim Langfelder’s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget Wednesday evening as they kicked off the first of four budget hearings to be held this month.

Budget director Bill McCarty led off the meeting with an overview of the $130.1 million proposal. Later, representatives from the City Council, mayor’s office, clerk’s office and treasurer’s office testified about their departments’ proposed budgets.

Though council members said they were still studying the proposed

Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register

Despite some aldermen hoping to slow the process down, the Springfield City Council voted Tuesday to approve extending City Water, Light and Power’s coal contract with longtime provider Arch Coal Sales Company through 2025.

Under the proposed terms, coal prices would be reduced from the current rate of $35.90 per ton to $35.75 per ton in 2021, which would be followed with an annual increase of 1.5 percent, topping out at $37.94 per ton in 2025. Arch-owned Viper Mine, near Williamsville, has supplied the city’s coal since 1983.

CWLP was not seeking a change in supplier and thus did not put out a request-for-proposal. However, it

Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register

For a third consecutive year, the Springfield City Council approved a property tax levy that will likely fail to cover the city’s annual contribution to its fire and police pension systems. The pension costs are expected to exceed property taxes by about $1.5 million, according to city budget director Bill McCarty.

The levy rate is equal to .9385 per $100 of equalized assessed value, unchanged from the past few decades. While city officials expect to reap an additional 1.5 percent due to growth in property values and additional development, it will not

Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register

It took a bit of pestering from neighbors, but it appears that plans for a new ORKIN location in an existing office building at 6351 S. Sixth Street Frontage Road have hit the rocks.

A petition filed on behalf of the pest control company requesting either a use variance or a zoning change from S-2, community shopping and office district, to B-2, general business service district, failed to receive enough support at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

It failed on a 6-5 roll, with Mayor Jim Langfelder joining Alds.

Bruce Rushton
The Illinois Times

A Springfield architect’s proposal to put a homeless center on the northern edge of downtown has drawn praise from a city official tasked with providing services to the homeless.

“I will tell you, it’s a great idea,” Juan Huerta, city community relations director, said after architect John Shafer unveiled his plan at an Inner City Older Neighborhoods event on Monday. “I like the location because it’s close to the Washington Street Mission. It’s close to the St. John’s Breadline. It’s close to Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital, too.”

The homeless center would be located in three buildings near the intersection of

Brenden Moore
The State Journal-Register

The Springfield City Council approved a zoning map Tuesday evening setting the parameters for the sale and cultivation of recreational cannabis within city limits. The move comes less than two months before recreational marijuana becomes legal across Illinois and more than two months after the council first set the process in motion.

Though some objections were raised throughout the process by citizens and a handful of city officials concerned about the possible negative impacts from marijuana, permitting recreational dispensaries and