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Welcome to Hotel Springfield
Proponents have secured $7.65 million in tax increment financing money from a city where hotels come cheap and downtown development isn’t easy.

‘Focused deterrence’ reduces gun crime
How did we apply focused deterrence strategy in Peoria, and what happened? The team – the mayor, police chief, sheriff, state’s attorney, U.S. attorney and community leaders – chose to try not only prosecution after gun violence but also focused deterrence before.

Talking taxation
But in an age when the wealthy are receiving massive federal tax breaks and corporations are regularly handed taxpayer-financed gifts at the state and local levels, arguing against a smallish break for families earning $40,000 a year is political nonsense and also plays right into Pritzker’s hand.

LETTERS
INSPECTION PROCESS FLAWED The March 7 story, “Inspect this,” by Bruce Rushton, exposes several problems with landlords and the city’s housing inspection process. Michael Gant represents both sides: He is a landlord and an inspector. As a landlord, he owns nine properties, and has had 100 citations for violations, but zero fines.

BAM!
Deputy David Howse was northbound on Sixth Street in downtown Springfield shortly before 2 a.m. last Friday, en route to an alarm call at the 1000 block of North MacArthur Boulevard, when he t-boned a sedan that was driving on Capitol Avenue. The sedan’s driver had the green light.

Fulgenzi faces opponents in Ward 4
Ward 4 Alderman John Fulgenzi is used to having competition when it comes to politics and business. The alderman, who’s seeking a second term on the city council, has two opponents who have both unsuccessfully run for elected office: John Thomas as a write-in mayoral candidate and Angel Sides for the 13 th Congressional District.

PROTECTION FOR RENTERS
Despite the tenant’s financial struggles, she remained in good standing with the landlord, said state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan, during a subcommittee meeting. The eviction was due to the landlord’s property going into foreclosure, not the type of tenant the woman had been.

Mayoral clash
During a March 12 press conference called to unveil his plan for battling crime, Edwards endorsed red-light cameras, a red-flag issue in other cities where motorists complain that cameras are more about enhancing revenue than improving safety. Four days later, in an interview with Illinois Times,.

Magic mushrooms
When I travel to a new city I always seek out the local farmers markets. My obsession is fueled by my fond memories of selling vegetables on the Old State Capitol Plaza with my grandfather-inlaw during my summers off from college during the early 70s. If traveling by car, I’ve been known to drive back home with a trunkful of fresh produce.

Timely, smart Captive State a stunning surprise
Picking up in the year 2026, the citizens of Earth have been under alien rule for nearly a decade. All countries have surrendered to the invaders, who live underground and are rarely seen, with central parts of major cities being walled off, serving as compounds for these powerful creatures.

Marching on...
With the green blaze (and a wee bit of the orange) of St. Patrick’s Day behind us, as well as the first day of spring, don’t you feel the warmth of summer beer gardens in your toes? Let’s not get too excited just yet, but we’re getting close to the thaw.

LIVE MUSIC
Wolf Creek Boys / Illinois Central Conductors / Micah Walk.

BAND SPOTLIGHT | Folk Family Revival
Around since 2010, this Houston-based quartet has taken their mix of a “rootsy stomp of the Southern states with the trippy swoon of the West Coast” across the country and back.

THE CALENDAR
Murder Mystery Dinner: Drew Stroud’s The RatTrap.

HISTORY | The Middle Passage
The Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum (AAHM) will host a grand opening for the exhibit The Middle Passage. The Middle Passage refers to the part of the slave trade where Africans were transported across the Atlantic to the West Indies under dire, crowded conditions.

ART | UIS Visual Arts Gallery walk-through
The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is hosting a curatorial walk-through for its current exhibition, The Magnificently Mundane, a group exhibition that presents works selected from the field of graphic design by designers from throughout the country.