AAN News

James Bengfort Joins Illinois Times as Advertising Director

Bengfort has served as associate publisher of Urban Tulsa Weekly since 2005. (FULL STORY)
Illinois Times  |  08-31-2012  2:30 pm  |  Press Releases

Illinois Times Publisher Sharon Whalen Announces Departure

Editor Fletcher Farrar will take on publishing duties once again. (FULL STORY)
Illinois Times  |  05-04-2012  5:30 pm  |  Industry News

Illinois Times Wins 5 State Press Awardsnew

Illinois Times took home five awards Friday during the Illinois Press Association's annual convention.
Illinois Press Association  |  06-13-2011  4:28 pm  |  Honors & Achievements

Ten AAN Members That Bucked the Trends and Grew in '08new

In the old days, when the media reported on problems in the newspaper industry, alternative newspapers weren't included. But alt-weeklies are immune no longer: In 2008, many AAN papers faced some of the same issues afflicting their mainstream brethren in the print media. However, you can still find alt-weeklies that had a pretty good year in 2008. That's just what AAN's editor Jon Whiten did, and he reports on 10 papers that increased revenue in a story published by Editor & Publisher.
Editor & Publisher  |  01-28-2009  1:42 pm  |  Industry News

Illinois Times Unveils Redesign

The Springfield, Ill., alt-weekly last week debuted a new-look paper with larger pages and stich-and-trim binding. Times publisher Sharon Whalen says Topaz Design consulted on the project, but the Times design staff had a major hand in the redesign as well.
AAN News  |  12-15-2008  10:49 am  |  Industry News

Illinois Times Takes Home 11 State Press Awards

The Springfield, Ill., alt-weekly fared well in the Illinois Press Association's 2008 Best of the Press contest, with 11 total awards. Of those, four were first-place finishes, in the Business Reporting, Feature Writing, Special Section, and Sports Feature categories. (FULL STORY)
Illinois Times Press Release  |  10-14-2008  8:34 am  |  Press Releases

Illinois Times Editor Stepping Down

In an email, Roland Klose says he's leaving the paper in mid-August. Klose joined the Illinois Times in 2003, after a four-year stint at Riverfront Times. Prior to that, he had reporting and editing assignments at outlets including The Commercial Appeal of Memphis and The Tampa Tribune. "I've been doing journalism since the days of Jimmy Carter," Klose says. "I'm looking forward to a break, then diving into some projects I've put off for a long time."
AAN News  |  06-24-2008  9:11 am  |  Industry News

Discrimination Case Triggered by Alt-Weekly Finally Sees Trialnew

Four years after the AAN-member paper Illinois Times challenged an official police account of how a black officer responded to an incident involving rape, the case will finally go to court, reports the The State-Journal Register. Dusty Rhodes' series about the case in the Springfield, Ill. alt-weekly sparked public outrage and led a number of African-American cops to step forward in a group lawsuit against the city alleging racial discrimination. The so-called "black officers case" goes back to Halloween night, 2001, when a 35-year-old rookie cop named Renatta Frazier responded to a call at the apartment of the daughter of another police officer. Frazier was originally criticized for not doing enough to stop the assault, but the Illinois Times later showed that she was never in a position to do so.
The State-Journal Register  |  01-24-2007  4:29 pm  |  Industry News

Green Candidate's Socialist Roots Exposed in Illinois Timesnew

A letter to the editor A letter to the editor of the state capital's alt-weekly outed the Green Party candidate for governor of Illinois as a one-time prominent leader of the Socialist Party. Rich Whitney, 51, later fessed up, telling the Daily Herald that he was serving as editor of the party's national newspaper when he resigned in 1993 due to ideological infighting. "I was a Socialist because in my political evolution, I've always cared about working people," Whitney says.
Daily Herald  |  11-07-2006  4:11 pm  |  Industry News

Alt-Weekly's Early Report Resonates in Racism Fraynew

A federal racial discrimination lawsuit by six officers against the Springfield Police Department casts new light on a 2002 Illinois Times report. The Springfield Journal-Register credits the alternative weekly article with debunking a departmental investigation of Renatta Frazier, an African-American officer, who later filed a discrimination suit. Before the article by Times staff writer Dusty Rhodes ran, local press had circulated SPD's official version of events for several months.
The State Journal-Register  |  10-10-2006  8:24 am  |  Industry News

Illinois Times Scoop Weighs on Discrimination Settlement

The settlement of a racial discrimination lawsuit lodged by police officer Rickey Davis against the city of Springfield could hinge on a recent Illinois Times article, The State Journal-Register reports. Under the settlement, which awaits city approval, Davis would continue to receive his full salary until he retires on Aug. 1, 2007. But a city alderman is holding it up, citing a Times article on a leaked Illinois State Police report alleging that Davis and other officers violated unspecified departmental procedures.
10-02-2006  2:20 pm  |  Industry News

Illinois Times Story May Prompt Investigation Into Discharge -- Or Not

The case of Marty Dwyer, a gay man who was discharged from the Air National Guard under questionable circumstances, was first reported in Illinois Times' April 13 cover story. Other media outlets later picked it up, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich last week told the Associated Press that he had asked the state attorney general to investigate Dwyer's discharge. However, the attorney general's office denied receiving the request. Dwyer told the AP, "I think the governor’s office is paying lip service to me."
05-15-2006  10:46 am  |  Industry News

Rene Spencer Saller: Music Criticism Without the Testosterone

Rene Spencer Saller began writing music reviews for a fanzine when she was in her mid teens and has since made her way in a field that seems to be dominated by "white guys." She can admire a band and still take it to task for its misogyny. Her award-winning column, Sound Patrol, appears in Illinois Times. This is the 26th in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners. (FULL STORY)
Wells Dunbar  |  12-14-2005  12:39 pm  |  Association News

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