Sangamon County Board members voted 17-10 to approve a $500 million data center project on April 7, just weeks after the board tabled the proposal following hours of constituents’ complaints. Once again, the meeting was moved to the BOS center with hundreds of residents turning out, many holding signs or speaking in opposition to the […]
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County Board could approve data center 15 days after tabling propsal
Pushback from citizens and threats of voting out board members might not prevent the Sangamon County Board from approving a $500 million data center that supporters argue would bring in construction jobs and substantial property tax revenue. The County Board will again have an opportunity to vote on the proposal April 7. It would first […]
A battle for control
At the March 31 Springfield City Council meeting, several members expressed discontent with what they feel is a lack of sufficient city representation for a potential new government authority that would be responsible for managing the construction of a new downtown hotel and expanding the BOS Center. Earlier that day, a bipartisan group of elected […]
UIS union begins strike
Members of the University Professionals of Illinois (UPI) Tenure / Tenure Track union of University of Illinois Springfield officially began a strike April 3 after nearly a year of negotiations with university administration. A rally including a picket line was held beginning at 9:30 a.m. Friday. According to a UIS United Faculty social media post, […]
Sangamon County Board still considering data center proposal
One day after the Sangamon County Board voted March 23 to table a data center proposal, the city of Aurora, about 175 miles northeast of Springfield, enacted some of the nation’s tightest restrictions on future data center developments after years of citizen complaints. The next Sangamon County Board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. […]
A collaborative effort for downtown
City, county and state elected officials are offering bipartisan support for a bill in the Statehouse that would help facilitate an expansion of the BOS Center in downtown Springfield, along with construction of a new hotel. The bill would also create a new governing board to promote business development and tourism in Springfield and Sangamon […]
WICS slated to be sold again
Springfield’s main television station, NewsChannel 20 WICS, will soon be under new ownership for the second time in a little more than a year if the Federal Communications Commission approves a sale from Rincon Broadcasting to Community News Media LLC. In March of last year, Rincon Broadcasting bought WICS as part of a $29.5 million […]
County Board votes to table data center proposal
After almost three hours of constituents mostly deriding the idea of a data center in Sangamon County, the County Board voted 15 to 13 to table the CyrusOne project that would occupy more than 280 acres of farmland. More than 700 residents of Sangamon County, and other counties, attended the Sangamon County Board meeting on […]
Companies could be on the hook for work-related activities before and after shifts start, court rules
Illinois law does not specifically shield companies from having to pay employees for time spent completing required pre- and post-work activities, the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled. Although federal regulations exclude that requirement, the court found Illinois’ wage law does not include any similar provisions. That means employers could be required to compensate employees for […]
Logan County takes its time on data center proposal
A recently approved 60-day moratorium on accepting applications for data centers will help Logan County Board members become better informed and thoroughly review any proposals in the future, a board member told Illinois Times. “We could use some more time. This is new,” said board member Michael DeRoss, a Lincoln resident. “There are people on […]
“Business as usual” at BUNN, for now
When BUNN, in business in Springfield since 1840, announced on March 11 that it had been sold to food service conglomerate Ali Group, the new owner said in its own press release that it would be “business as usual” for its latest acquisition. For BUNN’s roughly 850 Springfield employees, hearing such words was no doubt […]
BUNN bought by Chicago-based conglomerate
Sangamon County’s largest manufacturer was sold today to an out-of-town conglomerate, marking the end of five generations of control by the Bunn family. Bunn is now in the hands of the Ali Group, a Chicago-based foodservice international company that “designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of commercial and institutional foodservice equipment used by […]
