From the Springfield, Ill. State Journal-Register — Originally published Tuesday, Jan. 20

In one sense, [Tuesday] marks the culmination of a historic stretch for Springfield: We’ll see the inauguration of a president who honed his political skills here, announced his candidacy for president here and introduced his running mate here.

Viewed another way, the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president is merely the highest point thus far in a continuing timeline that finds Springfield at the center of the national news cycle.

After all, next Monday we’ll see the start of a historic impeachment trial in the Illinois Senate. And a few weeks after that we’ll mark the 200th birthday of the other president who learned politics and started his presidential campaign in this city. Last fall Sen. Dick Durbin said he was hopeful that if Obama became president, he’d be back here for the Lincoln bicentennial.

We can’t think of a time in Springfield’s post-1865 history when this town has found itself at the center of so many national news events in such rapid succession. Despite a dire national economic outlook and a state government that has suffered under six years of gubernatorial mismanagement, the combination of Obama’s ascent and Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s sudden fall has created a palpable sense of renewal for Springfield. …