Route 66 100 Year Anniversary Guide

Win Route 66 Drive-in tickets with MOVIE MANIA!

WYMG Gets National Award for "Christmas Wish"

Upcoming Events

Saturday, June 20th- Little Miracles 5k/3k
June 22nd-28th- Memorial Health Championship Presented by LRS

Lifestyle

3 hours ago in Business, IL State News, Lifestyle, Local

Are home prices going up in Springfield, Illinois in 2026?

Aerial view of a suburban residential neighborhood with well-kept lawns, two-story houses, and a curved street.

Redfin Real Estate compiled data on how home prices are changing in 2026 in Springfield, IL.

3 hours ago in Business, Food Scene, History, IL State News, Lifestyle, Local, Route 66 100th Anniversary Guide

Long before McDonald’s, Maid Rite pioneered the American drive-thru

Maid Rite has long been a staple along historic Route 66 in Springfield.

"The original way — mustard, chopped onion, chopped pickles, scoop of ground beef ... 1-2-3-4 this is what the Maid-Rite is. You made that in all of 15 seconds — I do 15 in a minute," said Owner Sam Quasi.

21 hours ago in IL State News, Lifestyle, Local

Lawmakers approve bill to regulate e-bikes, scooters

Speed limits and age restrictions part of new limits.

1 day ago in Lifestyle

Why your co-worker might be listening to music tuned to 432 hertz

Music recorded in 432 hertz (cycles per second) is taking off on social media platforms and music streaming services, where users can find an increasing number of tracks and playlists employing the alternate tuning, everything from meditation soundscapes to reggae songs recorded by Ziggy Marley.

1 day ago in Entertainment, Lifestyle, Local, Sports

Summer Baseball is back

Summertime Baseball is back! Jamie Toole Chief Storyteller of The Springfield Lucky Horseshoes stopped by The WTAX Morning NewsWatch

2 days ago in Lifestyle

Independent bookstores are multiplying, although many people still think they’re dying out

Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, is used to strangers expressing sympathy when they learn what she does for a living. "It's all so funny," she says. "When I tell them I run the trade association for independent stores, they'll say, 'It's just so sad that they're disappearing.'

National News

1 hour ago in National

Pam Bondi faces a closed-door questioning from House lawmakers over the Epstein files

Fresh

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before House lawmakers investigating Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse cases, a long-awaited appearance that brings fresh scrutiny of the Trump administration's botched release of the Epstein case files.

18 hours ago in National

A large fire has erupted at an apartment complex in Dallas

Firefighters battled a large fire that erupted Thursday at an apartment complex in Dallas, where debris from one collapsed building lay heaped on the ground while flames and black smoke billowed into the sky. Neighbors reported hearing a loud boom like an explosion.

1 day ago in National

Justice Department opens investigation into E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of assault: AP source

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist who has said Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store 30 years ago, lied during the course of civil litigation against the Republican president, according to a person familiar with the matter.

7 days ago in National

FDA staff blindsided by move allowing more e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto US market

Senior officials in the Food and Drug Administration's tobacco center were blindsided by a recent decision that opens the door to allowing more unauthorized electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto the U.S. market, The Associated Press has learned.

1 week ago in National

What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries as Trump’s endorsement is put to the test

Is there a future in politics for Republicans who cross President Donald Trump? The signs this year suggest no, and Trump has convinced his voters to defeat his adversaries again and again.

2 weeks ago in National, Trending

Prosecutors to retry Alex Murdaugh in deaths of wife and son after high court overturned convictions

Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and life sentence for the deaths of his wife and son were overturned Wednesday by the South Carolina Supreme Court because the court clerk at his trial suggested he was guilty. But the disgraced lawyer won't be leaving prison anytime soon.

Sports

19 hours ago in Sports

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice continues serving jail sentence as team begins voluntary offseason workouts

While most of the Kansas City Chiefs participated in voluntary workouts this week, wide receiver Rashee Rice was back in Texas, serving his 30-day jail sentence after violating the terms of his probation for his role in a car crash that left multiple people injured.

19 hours ago in Sports, Trending

MLB owners have proposed a salary cap for the first time since baseball’s 1994-95 strike

Major League Baseball owners made their long-expected salary cap proposal to the players' association on Thursday, a system the union has vowed never to accept, setting the sides on course for a confrontation that threatens the 2027 season and perhaps beyond.

1 day ago in Sports

Baseball players ask for expanded free agency, salary arbitration rights, almost doubling minimum

Baseball players fired the opening salvo Wednesday in what is expected to be long and contentious labor negotiations, asking for expanded free agency and salary arbitration rights along with almost doubling the major league minimum and increasing the money high-revenue teams share with the less-wealthy clubs.

1 day ago in Sports

Hurricanes beat the Canadiens 4-0 to move within a victory of the Stanley Cup Final

Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven scored in a 2:47 span late in the first period and the Carolina Hurricanes moved within a victory of the Stanley Cup Final, beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 on Wednesday night.

2 days ago in Sports

Iga Swiatek improves career record at French Open to 42-3 as she reaches 3rd round

Iga Swiatek has improved her career record at the French Open to 42-3. The four-time champion eliminated 35th-ranked Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round on Wednesday.

2 days ago in Sports, Trending

The Blue Wave from tiny Curaçao is making World Cup history

Before the tournament even begins, Curaçao has already crafted a story like none other in World Cup history. A tiny island country — autonomous territory, if you prefer — of about 156,000 residents in the Caribbean is now the smallest, both in terms of population and land mass, to make it to soccer's biggest stage.

Entertainment

21 hours ago in Entertainment, Local, Music

‘Mamma Mia!’ takes the stage at The Muni

Performances the next two weekends at The Muni.

1 day ago in Entertainment, Lifestyle, Local, Sports

Summer Baseball is back

Summertime Baseball is back! Jamie Toole Chief Storyteller of The Springfield Lucky Horseshoes stopped by The WTAX Morning NewsWatch

2 days ago in Entertainment, Trending

Matthew Perry’s assistant gets more than 3 years in prison for central role in his ketamine death

Matthew Perry's live-in personal assistant, who had a central role in the "Friends" star's descent into ketamine addiction and injected him with the fatal dose of the drug, was sentenced Wednesday to three years and five months in prison.

2 days ago in Entertainment, IL State News, Lifestyle, Local, Music, National

Thank you for being a friend: ‘Golden Girls’ to perform in Springfield

The Springfield show is, so far, the only Illinois stop as part of a fall tour starting September 30 and continuing through November 28.

2 days ago in Entertainment, Music

The Chicks announce intimate ‘Taking the Long Way’ 20th Anniversary Tour. ‘This is our lives’

Call it a comeback, a crossover moment, or both. Twenty years ago, The Chicks released their blockbuster 2006 album "Taking the Long Way" — their first full-length after the country music industry turned their backs on them — and one of the biggest of their career.