Lauren Leone-Cross
SJ-R Breaking News
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Past articles by Lauren:
Woman injured in Candlewood Apartments fire
Staff WriterAn elderly woman found unresponsive but breathing after a fire broke out in her residence at Springfields Candlewood Apartments was taken by ambulance to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.The womans condition was not immediately known. The fire broke out in the two-story, eight-unit apartment building on Candlewood Drive, just off Chatham Road, about 4:20 p.m. Firefighters entered the building,… → Read More
Woman injured in Candlewood Apartments fire
Staff WriterAn elderly woman found unresponsive but breathing after a fire broke out in her residence at Springfields Candlewood Apartments was taken by ambulance to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.The womans condition was not immediately known. The fire broke out in the two-story, eight-unit apartment building on Candlewood Drive, just off Chatham Road, about 4:20 p.m. Firefighters entered the building,… → Read More
CWLP receives more reports of customers targeted by scam
Someone pretending to be an employee of City Water, Light and Power is calling customers and asking for payment to avoid disconnections, the utility reported Tuesday.Two businesses received such calls this week.In both instances, the person asked customers to make payment by phone or else service would be disconnected. The calls came from a 1-800 number. Other scams reported to the utility last year… → Read More
CWLP receives more reports of customers targeted by scam
Someone pretending to be an employee of City Water, Light and Power is calling customers and asking for payment to avoid disconnections, the utility reported Tuesday.Two businesses received such calls this week.In both instances, the person asked customers to make payment by phone or else service would be disconnected. The calls came from a 1-800 number. Other scams reported to the utility last year… → Read More
Free health screenings, advice offered at Springfield Health Check
Turns out, a lot of people own bicycles, but theyre just not riding them. Thats according to Robert LaBonte, owner of the Bicycle Doctor, 1037 N. Fifth St., which was among the more than 30 businesses and organizations that participated in Springfield Health Checks second annual Healthy Family Kick-Off event at Erins Pavilion in Southwind Park on Saturday.Biking is an easy, healthy hobby to pick… → Read More
Families, artists celebrate with New Year’s Eve tradition
Ruby Platt-Shelton and her two youngest children kicked off their daylong New Years Eve celebration with a hammer and nails. I had the day off, so I figured I could bring my kids along and they could try out some hands-on stuff and have some fun with it, said Platt-Shelton, 51, of Springfield, clutching a piece of wood as her 11-year-old daughter, Heather Shelton, hammered nails into one side.… → Read More
Ex-Bloomington city attorney makes case for job here
Bloomingtons longtime city attorney, Todd Greenburg, made his case at Mondays city council committee of the whole meeting to be Springfields next corporation counsel. Aldermen are expected to vote on Mayor Mike Houstons appointment during their Jan. 7 meeting. If appointed, Greenburg would start on the job Jan. 15.Greenburg, a Danville native and 1977 graduate of Sangamon State University (now… → Read More
Springfield museum pays tribute to Nelson Mandela
Kathryn Harris remembers the closest she ever got to Nelson Mandela. It was standing in a jail cell on Robben Island during a trip to South Africa in 2004 the same cell that held the civil rights activist and former South African president for nearly three decades.It was a transforming moment, said Harris, director of library services for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. It was like… → Read More
Springfield airport cited for weather preparedness
Last months deadly tornado outbreak that killed seven people and damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 homes across Illinois is the most recent reminder that communities should be prepared for such threats.Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport is ready, according to officials from the National Weather Service in Lincoln, who certified the airport as StormReady today during a brief ceremony in Springfield.… → Read More
Apartment fire claims life of city woman
A 77-year-old woman died in a fire in her residence on the 10th floor of the Capitol Plaza Apartments, 1210 E. Washington St., Monday night.Family members of Delores Spencer said at the scene that they believe the fire started in her apartment, and because she has cancer, she was too weak to escape. Fire and rescue personnel were called to the senior apartment high-rise about 5:35 p.m. to find smoke… → Read More
Bill Shea, founder of Springfield’s Route 66 Museum, dies
When visitors walked into William Bill Sheas Route 66 Museum on Peoria Road, he always greeted them with a smile and a question. First thing hed ask is, Whats your name? Where are you from? What line of work are you in? And then hed shake everybodys hand, his son, Bill Shea Jr., said Sunday.Bill Shea, a Springfield native known best as curator of the Route 66 Museum a converted gas… → Read More
UIS alumni: Don’t change Prairie Stars nickname
University of Illinois Springfield alumna Dana Goodrum wore with pride a blue Prairie Stars T-shirt Saturday during back-to-back basketball games at The Recreation and Athletic Center. Shes one of the 510 UIS alumni who have signed an online petition opposing changing the schoolss athletic teams nickname, which dates back to 1977. Goodrum encouraged current students and alumni on Saturday to… → Read More
State agency to study Jacksonville waterway’s flooding issues
JACKSONVILLE The Town Brooks history of flooding and buildup of debris has prevented residents and Jacksonville officials from transforming the area into an outdoor recreation hotspot.However, the city is one step closer to that goal this week after the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Planning and Office of Water Resources agreed to conduct a study that identifies possible… → Read More
Dozens of crashes blamed on slick roads
Local police departments were called to at least 50 car crashes Sunday as drivers navigated slick roads.A dusting of snow on the roads followed by freezing rain made for a busy afternoon for the Springfield Police Department, which handled nearly 40 crashes, some of which resulted in injuries, between 3 and 8 p.m. There were no serious injuries reported in any of the crashes, but Lt. Don Mumaw said… → Read More
Paprocki exorcism marks same-sex marriage bill signing
The head of Springfield’s Catholic Diocese presided in front of several hundred people Wednesday night at the city’s largest Catholic church to perform what he described as an “exorcism in reparation for the sin of same-sex marriage.” Bishop Thomas Paprocki’s ritual at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception began about half an hour after Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill… → Read More
Crash at Fifth, Capitol sends one to hospital
A pregnant woman was taken to the hospital following a two-vehicle collision about 2:30 p.m. today at Fifth Street and Capitol Avenue.   → Read More
Dozens line up to see handwritten copy of Gettysburg Address
John Morris was born and raised in Springfield, where the tourism culture is enveloped by all things Abraham Lincoln. → Read More
Commission recommends merger of some fire protection districts
The Sangamon County Citizens Efficiency Commission is recommending fire protection districts and departments in the county consolidate into four districts, which it says could improve emergency response times. → Read More
Brunt of storm misses Springfield area
The Springfield area dodged a dangerous bullet Sunday, experiencing little damage compared to the destruction found in the town of Washington, where a tornado killed at least one person, flattened several homes and reduced buildings to mere rubble. → Read More
Low temperatures, mold lead to 2-day cancellation for Tri-City schools
BUFFALO — Classes for Tri-City School District students are canceled Tuesday and Wednesday as an ongoing battle with mold prevents officials from turning on the school’s heating systems. → Read More