Local businesses and not-for-profit organizations spoke at the July Citizens Club of Springfield meeting titled “The Adams Street Fire: Reflecting on the Past; Developing a Vision for the Future.” They shared what is known and unknown about the start of the fire, how area businesses were affected and the future of Adams Street.

Paul Couston is the co-founder of Ascent Integrated Tech, which enhances firefighter safety by providing critical information about team location, health and environment during firefighting. He spoke with Director of Innovate Springfield Ben Hage for the series titled "Founders, Failures & Fun." He shared what it's like at a startup company, how to pitch to investors and how to meet customers' needs. For more about Innovate Springfield visit: https://www.uis.edu/innovation

Illinois Women in Leadership (IWIL) will host its annual symposium on Sept. 25. IWIL members Jen Bettis and Sarah Brewer spoke to Community Voices about the organization and what is slated for the symposium.For more information visit: https://www.iwil.biz/

The field of Medical Laboratory Science is facing a critical staffing shortage in the Springfield area community. Dr. Andrea Jensen, Program Director and Assistant Professor of Medical Laboratory Science program at UIS, spoke to Community Voices about the new bridge program at UIS created to address this shortage.

Ben Hage, Innovate Springfield director, shares the new iSPI speaker series that will bring innovators to the capital to discuss their experiences and to network. The series; Founders, Failures, and Fun will also result in a podcast series in partnership with NPR Illinois.

Advocates say the controversial project is necessary to meet renewable energy needs

Dena and Carina Gilley help Springfield area residents and businesses with sustainable organization and decluttering through Gilley’s Organizing. They spoke to Community Voices about their process, their mother-daughter dynamic and the impact of clutter on stress.

Former U.S. Steel plant will host ‘quantum campus’ development

The Crafted Stag Supply is a new store offering men’s clothing and accessories, but unlike other clothing stores, it also offers other services like freshly brewed coffee and a hot shave. Owner Grant Hammer spoke to Community Voices about the Crafted Stag Supply and explained it’s a man cave where customers can not only enjoy the products offered, but also the experience of shopping.For more information visit: https://craftedstagsupply.com/

The Citizens Club of Springfield held a presentation in April titled “Artificial intelligence: How AI Impacts Our Community.” The discussion was moderated by Rob Kerr, Executive Director of Innovation and Opportunity at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), and featured Dr. Neetu Singh, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems at UIS, and Josh Smith, Software Engineer and Computer Science Faculty Member at UIS. They discussed what AI is, how AI is trained, bias in AI and the future of education.