Author: joeward7

Bernard Schoenburg
The State Journal-Register

A sticker making fun of Springfield Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin is making the rounds, but a local union leader who used language similar to that on the sticker said Friday he has nothing to do with its production or distribution.

McMenamin was highly critical of a Sept. 27 gathering at a downtown Springfield restaurant where a majority of aldermen attended a fundraising event. He wrote in a guest column in The State Journal-Register that at and near the time of that gathering

Crystal Thomas
The State Journal-Register

If the Springfield City Council takes a vote Tuesday on whether to increase the city sales tax, at least five aldermen say they would vote “no,” while two others were undecided, according to a poll taken late last week by The State Journal-Register.

The 0.25-percentage-point increase, which would bring the city’s total sales tax to 8.75 percent, and a telecommunications tax hike from 4 percent to 6 percent — both proposed by Mayor Jim Langfelder — are on the agenda for Tuesday’s city council meeting as aldermen continue to work on finalizing a budget before

Jason Nevel
The State Journal-Register

Tutoring children who live at The Boulevard Townhomes isn’t how former teachers Laurie Farrell, Pat Ryan, Sue Manson, Linda Cox, Sue Hage or Monica Davis envisioned their retirement. But spending two hours on Tuesday afternoons, the teachers said, has helped them rediscover why they fell in love with teaching in the first place — helping kids.

Helping students at Lindsay Elementary

Since the start of this school year, Farrell said, the teachers — four retired from Springfield Public Schools and two from southern Illinois — volunteer their time to tutor 10 to 11 Lindsay Elementary School students each week in the main office of The Boulevard Townhomes, 2715 S. MacArthur Blvd.

The sessions begin with one of the teachers reading a book, followed by a healthy snack. The students then break off by grade level and work with a teacher on their homework, reading or math skills. 

Bruce Rushton
Illinois Times

With a $17 million gap to fill and no appetite for tax increases, the city council in 2010 slashed budgets for the police, fire and public works departments, which together consume the lion’s share of the corporate fund. Cuts in the fire department were deep enough that the city temporarily closed fire stations on a rotating basis.

Since then, the police and fire departments have bounced back, at least in terms of dollars. The police department’s budget has increased by $9 million, or roughly 25 percent, since 2010. The fire department also has recovered, growing by $8.2 million, also roughly 25 percent, during the same time frame, when the city’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, fell by

Crystal Thomas
The State Journal-Register

At the outset of the city of Springfield’s budget presentations last week, budget director Bill McCarty hammered home one principle: “Without tax increases, you can’t cut to $11.5 million without touching police, fire and public works,” McCarty said, naming the city’s three biggest departments and referring to the deficit the city faces.

The statement weighed on aldermen during the city’s budget workshop Monday, as they asked police and fire officials about their spending plans. Police Chief Kenny Winslow presented a budget that was about 1.1 percent lower than last year’s, while Fire Chief Barry Helmerichs submitted a flat budget.

When asked by aldermen about what services they could live without, both chiefs

Crystal Thomas
The State Journal-Register

Restaurant owners flocked to the Springfield City Council chamber Thursday to express their opposition to a 2 percent dine-in tax that had been privately discussed by some aldermen. But before their seats were warm, Ward 1 Ald. Chuck Redpath cleared the air. “Is there any aldermen in here proposing a dine-in tax? Mayor, are you proposing a dine-in tax?” Redpath asked.

No aldermen raised their hands. Mayor Jim Langfelder said no but also said he informed Godfather’s Pizza owner Mike Monseur earlier there was discussion with the aldermen. He added that no dine-in tax ordinance had been

Crystal Thomas
The State Journal-Register

A mixture of cuts, consolidation and tax increases would pull Springfield through the next fiscal year, which starts in March, if aldermen accept Mayor Jim Langfelder’s budget proposal.

Budget director Bill McCarty handed out budget books last week to aldermen, and the city will have its first budget workshop open to the public Thursday.

Because of a possible $11.4 million deficit, increasing pension payments and decreasing sales and income tax revenue, the administration needed to

Crystal Thomas
The State Journal-Register

Moody’s Investors Service issued a report Thursday maintaining the city of Springfield’s and City Water, Light and Power’s water fund’s downgraded credit ratings, though the agency revised both of the ratings’ outlooks from stable to negative.

“The outlook means we believe that if the city keeps going in the same direction, it will get downgraded,” said Moody’s spokesman David Jacobson. A negative outlook could mean a downgrade within

Illinois Times
Bruce Rushton

Developers have made peace over a comprehensive land-use plan for Springfield, but a larger battle may lie ahead.

Concerned that the draft plan would curb development, particularly on the city’s west side, developers convinced the city to postpone a vote on the plan that had been expected in December. The move to stall a vote prompted worries among the plan’s authors and neighborhood activists opposed to sprawl.

“I’m being really honest here: When the developers first

The State Journal-Register

Forty children received presents and lunch at the Dec. 23 party at the Pizza Ranch, where emotional testimonials were heard from parents who have overcome the barriers encountered after release from incarceration.

This opportunity was made possible by our sponsors: The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln; Pizza Ranch; Toys for Tots; Walmart; Target; Monster Pawn; O’Reilly Auto Parts; Aldermen Herman Senor, Ralph Hanauer, Jim Donelan, Andrew Proctor and Joe McMenamin;