Sangamon Local Digest

More than 7,300 City Water, Light and Power customers on Springfield’s west side lost electricity for more than an hour Sunday evening, WCMSPI and WAND report. The outage hit customers served by the Old Jacksonville and Durkin substations.

CWLP said a lightning arrestor on a motor-operated switch at the Old Jacksonville Road substation failed after 7 p.m.; the Springfield Fire Department also reported seeing a fire at a transformer. Power came back to Old Jacksonville customers at 7:50 p.m. and to the remaining Durkin customers at 8:25 p.m., per WAND.

The Illinois Department of Transportation says a pavement overlay project on Stevenson Drive from Adloff Lane to the Interstate 55 ramps begins Monday, Oct. 5, and is estimated to be finished by the end of the week.

Lane closures will be needed, so drivers should expect delays, allow extra time, obey work-zone speed limits, and use alternate routes if possible.

Capitol City Now reports Memorial Health’s Mammogram Mondays program offers free screening mammograms on Mondays throughout October for women 40 and older who are uninsured or underinsured, at all five Memorial Health hospitals.

In Springfield, appointments are at the Baylis Building, 747 N. Rutledge St. Call 217-757-4211. The Springfield Memorial Foundation covers eligible costs. Coverage also notes men may receive mammograms when clinically indicated.

A new Illinois Economic Policy Institute and University of Illinois report projects $57 billion in new data-center investment through 2035 would create about 121,000 jobs — mostly temporary construction and spin-off work, with just 2,800 direct permanent positions — plus nearly $300 million a year in property-tax revenue, Capitol News Illinois reports.

The authors estimate added energy demand would raise average residential electric bills by about $12 a month, or $150 a year, in a mid-level scenario. Utility watchdogs and environmental groups are skeptical, and the report’s 10 recommendations echo the POWER Act, which stalled in the spring; advocates hope it moves in the fall veto session.

Homelessness in Illinois fell 6% from 2025 to 2026, but chronic homelessness rose 28%, according to a new Illinois Department of Human Services report marking five years of Gov. JB Pritzker’s Home Illinois plan, Capitol News Illinois reports. The state task force expects to spend almost $620 million in fiscal 2027.

The Central Illinois Continuum of Care saw a 31% increase, which local providers partly attribute to a count that reached more rural areas plus a shortage of affordable housing. The report says Illinois is short about 142,000 homes and notes rents rose 27% from 2019 to 2024.

More than 7,300 City Water, Light and Power customers on Springfield’s west side lost electricity for more than an hour Sunday evening, WCMSPI and WAND report. The outage hit customers served by the Old Jacksonville and Durkin substations.

CWLP said a lightning arrestor on a motor-operated switch at the Old Jacksonville Road substation failed after 7 p.m.; the Springfield Fire Department also reported seeing a fire at a transformer. Power came back to Old Jacksonville customers at 7:50 p.m. and to the remaining Durkin customers at 8:25 p.m., per WAND.

The Illinois Department of Transportation says a pavement overlay project on Stevenson Drive from Adloff Lane to the Interstate 55 ramps begins Monday, Oct. 5, and is estimated to be finished by the end of the week.

Lane closures will be needed, so drivers should expect delays, allow extra time, obey work-zone speed limits, and use alternate routes if possible.

A new Illinois Economic Policy Institute and University of Illinois report projects $57 billion in new data-center investment through 2035 would create about 121,000 jobs — mostly temporary construction and spin-off work, with just 2,800 direct permanent positions — plus nearly $300 million a year in property-tax revenue, Capitol News Illinois reports.

The authors estimate added energy demand would raise average residential electric bills by about $12 a month, or $150 a year, in a mid-level scenario. Utility watchdogs and environmental groups are skeptical, and the report’s 10 recommendations echo the POWER Act, which stalled in the spring; advocates hope it moves in the fall veto session.

Capitol City Now reports Memorial Health’s Mammogram Mondays program offers free screening mammograms on Mondays throughout October for women 40 and older who are uninsured or underinsured, at all five Memorial Health hospitals.

In Springfield, appointments are at the Baylis Building, 747 N. Rutledge St. Call 217-757-4211. The Springfield Memorial Foundation covers eligible costs. Coverage also notes men may receive mammograms when clinically indicated.

Homelessness in Illinois fell 6% from 2025 to 2026, but chronic homelessness rose 28%, according to a new Illinois Department of Human Services report marking five years of Gov. JB Pritzker’s Home Illinois plan, Capitol News Illinois reports. The state task force expects to spend almost $620 million in fiscal 2027.

The Central Illinois Continuum of Care saw a 31% increase, which local providers partly attribute to a count that reached more rural areas plus a shortage of affordable housing. The report says Illinois is short about 142,000 homes and notes rents rose 27% from 2019 to 2024.

City Water, Light and Power is marking Public Power Week Oct. 4–10 (starting today), spotlighting benefits of community-owned utilities, the Springfield Herald reports.

Mayor Misty Buscher and CWLP Chief Utility Engineer Scott Rogers spoke about local control, reliability, and affordable rates. Read the Herald for full quotes and any related IRP notes.

The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department released dashcam footage Friday evening of an off-duty lieutenant striking a pedestrian in a downtown Springfield crosswalk on Sept. 24, Illinois Times reports.

Andrew Henton was turning left from Ninth onto Monroe in a work-issued vehicle when he hit a man walking north in the crosswalk on a green light, according to a county statement. Springfield police investigated and issued a citation; the victim’s name and injury status were not released.

Springfield Business Journal’s Michelle Ownbey told WTAX that downtown dining and retail keep shifting: outdoor food court the Railyard is passing from Tim and Emily Lewis to Brad and Adria Martin of Oakview BBQ as the Lewises prepare a Florida move.

Bus Stop — washed out of Fifth and Monroe by this year’s water-main break — is relocating into the former Bar None space and aiming to open before Halloween. The former Fifth Street Flower Shop will become Kindness + Co., a Christian bookstore that also plans community donations.

The Salvation Army Springfield Family Store in Chatham Square Shopping Center will close Oct. 24, WAND reports. Officials say the shut-down hits thrift retail only and does not end ongoing social programs.

Corps officers say they are exploring a new thrift location; shoppers can use the main Clear Lake Avenue facility in the meantime.

Sangamon County Animal Control & Adoption Center said feline panleukopenia — a highly contagious, potentially life-threatening cat virus — has been identified in the shelter. The virus hits kittens and unvaccinated cats hardest and can spread via litter boxes, bedding, bowls, clothing, and hands.

The shelter asks the public to avoid bringing stray cats in unless absolutely necessary, and to call 217-535-3065 first about healthy-looking strays. Temporary fosters for healthy cats can reduce crowding.

The City of Springfield and City Water, Light and Power marked completion of a federally supported electric vehicle charging project, adding the last ports to a network of about 40 Level 2 chargers at nine city sites.

Coverage notes downtown, UIS, and other public lots among the locations; check local reports for addresses and rates.

NewsChannel 20 reports plans for a permanent memorial to the YNOT crash victims at Chatham Community Park, giving families and neighbors a lasting place to gather and remember.

Check the original report for dedication timelines and how the community can participate.