Springfield unlikely to be split again among members of Congress

Since the 2000 Census, the city of Springfield has been represented by three different members of the U.S. House, but that could change now that the first results of the 2010 Census are in.

Illinois has 19 House members, but the state will lose one representative in Congress starting with the 2012 election cycle because its population has not grown as fast as those of other states.

Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Illinois Springfield, believes it’s unlikely that Springfield will again be divided into three districts after redistricting is complete.

One of those districts is the oddly shaped 17th Congressional District, now represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, although Republican Bobby Schilling takes over in January.

The 17th District snakes around the western edge of the state from the Quad Cities area, picks up Galesburg, Macomb and Quincy and then cuts across Central Illinois to pick up parts of Decatur and Springfield.

“What happened a decade ago basically was an incumbent protection map,” Redfield said. “The only way to get enough Democrats into (former U.S. Rep.) Lane Evans’ district was to do this crazy map picking up the east side of Springfield and the more African American areas in Decatur. This time, you don’t have to protect an incumbent Democrat.”

Redfield's comments were featured in a December 22, 2010, article in The State Journal-Register.

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Census set to show Illinois losing one U.S. House seat

With the expectation that Illinois will lose one of its congressional seats, the state's politicians are poised to begin their once-a-decade finagling over drawing the state's political boundaries based on new census data.

On Tuesday, Census Bureau officials plan to release initial population estimates for the nation. A continuing population shift from the north to the south and west means Illinois is likely to lose one of its 19 seats in the House, and the clout that goes with it.

So-called redistricting is a tedious and politically charged process that protects strongholds, affects influence in Washington and makes or breaks political careers. The task over the next few months is analyzing population data while considering geography, race and political interests so legislators can re-divide the state's population into nearly equal pockets.

"Redistricting is the most political activity that occurs in a decade," said Chris Mooney, a political science professor at the University of Illinois in Springfield. "It's almost purely about who gets what and who wins what seat."

Mooney's comments were featured in a December 21, 2010, Associated Press article.

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Singing for a world record

It was a performance that literally was record-setting Saturday night at the Sangamon Auditorium.

Performing with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra for their annual "Holiday At The Pops" just days after her 100th birthday, Pauline "Polly" Roesch set a Guinness world record for the oldest person to make a singing debut with a symphony orchestra.

The paperwork to make Polly's record official in the Guinness Book of World Records has already been submitted. All that was needed to make it complete, was video proof that she performed with the orchestra.

One of her biggest followers? Her 103 year old sister, Esta.

The story was featured by WICS-TV 20 in a December 19, 2010, report.

Watch the story on News Channel 20's website