Illinois

LGBTQA+ nonprofit newspaper opens brick-and-mortar location in Springfield

Published

2 years ago

May 7, 2024

LGBTQA+ nonprofit newspaper opens brick-and-mortar location in Springfield

The Illinois Eagle, a LGBTQA+ nonprofit online newspaper, has opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Springfield.

Editor and publisher of the Illinois Eagle Tom Wray said it was time to expand the news organization to its own solid location and stop cluttering his living space with the news.

“Literally it was the past few years in the backroom of my house,” Wray said. “Either the house I rented, or the house I own now. It’s getting to the point I simply don’t have the room in my house anymore. I also needed the separation of working from my home; I already have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and have to work at concentrating.”The new location for the online newspaper is the historic 1133 W. Governor St. which was previously the House + Garden reSource gallery home decor until owner Greg Pierceall relocated to 1220 W. Governor St. last year.

The building was originally built to be Springfield’s west-side Community Bakery over 100 years ago and now houses Stella Coffee and Tea to the left of the newspaper and Junk in the Trunk vintage to its right.

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Wray is sub-leasing the building from Stella Coffee and Tea next door and still has lots of work to do but overall, the step forward for the paper is a major one.

“We haven’t had a grand opening or anything like that yet – a few friends have come in and said ‘ooh I love this look’ (in regards to the walls),” Wray said. “It’s literally patchy spackle and bare walls. They say it’s got a nice kind of vibe but I don’t want that vibe.”

Wray, 49, has over 31 years of journalism experience in Indiana and Illinois; he went to Franklin college Indiana, graduating with a bachelors of journalism and theater in 1995.

After graduating from college, Wray worked at a newspaper in Kokomo where the Ryan White case took place. White was a 13-year-old boy who was diagnosed with AIDS after a blood transfusion in 1984 and faced AIDS-related discrimination from his community. Congress passed the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act in August 1990 after his death.

“When you’re a gay man in Indiana in the ‘90s and working in Kokomo … I had to actually interview the radio host who was one of the people who was (vocal against White) the most,” Wray said. “Some of the staff knew I was gay, I never told the editor – he found out. Then started to be a pattern of being … pushed out. I went from having a section to having a page and a half.”

According to Wray, it got to a point where he took the first job he could and moved to Chicago and fell in love with Illinois. After 23 years in the windy city where he started the Illinois Eagle, Wray needed a change of pace and decided to move to Springfield during the pandemic, as an accepting city he could fall in love with all over again.

To fund the newsrooms, Wray is applying for national grants like Press Forward, which strengthens communities by reinvigorating locally owned news outlets through donors.

A grand opening is scheduled to take place during Springfield’s PrideFest later this month.

Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for the State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@gannett.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted

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Illinois

Vanderbilt vs Illinois predictions, picks, odds for NCAA Tournament Second Round

Published

4 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Vanderbilt vs Illinois predictions, picks, odds for NCAA Tournament Second Round

The Second Round of the women’s 2026 NCAA Tournament continues Monday with a slate featuring No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 7 Illinois on the eight-game schedule.

Here is the latest on Monday’s March Madness matchup, including expert picks from reporters across the USA TODAY Sports Network.

USA TODAY Sports has a team of journalists covering the women’s NCAA Tournament to keep you up to date with every point scored, rebound grabbed and game won in the 68-team tournament.

USA TODAY Studio IX : Check out our women’s sports hub for in-depth analysis, commentary and more

Join the USA TODAY $1 million Bracket Challenge

No. 2 Vanderbilt vs No. 7 Illinois prediction

Heather Burns: Vanderbilt
Mitchell Northam: Vanderbilt
Nancy Armour: Vanderbilt
Cydney Henderson: Vanderbilt
Meghan Hall: Vanderbilt

No. 2 Vanderbilt vs No. 7 Illinois odds

Opening Moneyline: Vanderbilt (-1000)
Opening Spread: Vanderbilt (-13.5)
Opening Total: 153.5

How to Watch Vanderbilt vs Illinois on Monday

No. 2 Vanderbilt takes on No. 7 Illinois at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville on March 23 at 7:00 p.m. (ET). The game is airing on ESPN2.

Stream March Madness on Fubo

2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament full schedule

March 18-19: First Four
March 20-21: First Round
March 22-23: Second Round
March 27-28: Sweet 16
March 29-30: Elite 8
April 3: Final Four
April 5: National Championship

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Illinois

Illinois Secretary of State’s Office warns of ‘new surge’ in scam texts

Published

16 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Illinois Secretary of State’s Office warns of ‘new surge’ in scam texts

The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office is warning residents of a “new surge” in scam texts claiming to be from the DMV and demanding money.

According to a press release from Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, residents are receiving text messages falsely claiming to either be from his office or a DMV, threatening suspension of license and vehicle registration if “fines” are not paid.

The messages often include links that can be used to steal residents’ information, and Giannoulias’ office is reminding residents to use vigilance and caution when receiving such messages.

“These text messages look legitimate and are designed to frighten people into acting quickly before they have time to think,” Giannoulias said. “Our office will never send a text message demanding payment or threatening to suspend someone’s license. If you receive a message like this, remember it’s a scam – plain and simple. Do not click the link and please report the message to scamalert@ilsos.gov.”

According to his office, the messages often reference fake regulations or deadlines, and cite an upcoming enforcement date to add an air of urgency to the texts.

“These schemes are designed to create panic and trick individuals into surrendering money or personal information,” the Secretary of State’s Office said.

If a motorist receives a text, they are urged:

-NEVER to click a link

-Do not reply

-Do not provide personal information

-Forward the message to the SOS’ scam alert email.

The only legitimate text messages the Secretary of State’s Office sends are to remind motorists of upcoming appointments at DMV facilities.

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