Upping the ante

Jennifer Watkins faces jail

Jennifer Watkins, the erstwhile Ashland resident who won’t let her five-year-old daughter visit with the child’s paternal grandparents, may soon become a felon.Whether criminal charges wil

Feds want document back

State hangs on to a page of Lincoln history

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency has balked at a demand from the National Archives to return a page torn from a ship’s log so that the damaged document can be restored to its original c

The cost of fracking

What are the risks of tapping Illinois’ trapped oil and natural gas?

Nearly a mile below the surface of southern Illinois, a vast reserve of oil and natural gas sits locked in thick shale rock. While Illinois has a long history of tapping into its enormous fossil fuel

Shortchanging Illinois children is a choice

Although times are difficult for social services in Illinois, a statewide advocacy group thinks that it is still possible to positively affect the lives of children. Voices for Illinois Children, a no

Man featured in 2006 story wanted for Mattoon killing

O’Dell wanted for murder

Once a poster boy for drug treatment and reform, Thomas O’Dell is now wanted for the killing of a Mattoon bartender on March 18.Authorities in Coles County on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant fo

Park board campaigns short on substance

Candidates refrain from taking positions on issues

Candidates for public office are prone to saying lots of things.“The park district needs to be run like a business, not a political organization.”That’s what Leslie Sgro said way bac

Group pressing school board candidates on CCPA closure

A group of Springfield parents and educators is hoping to prevent the closure of a popular middle school, despite two unfavorable votes by the Springfield School Board. Their main tactic? Elect a diff

Red flags aplenty

Park board warned on money issues

Buyer beware

State warned before purchase of Lincoln relics

An appraiser hired to verify the value of a $23 million purchase of Abraham Lincoln artifacts, including a stovepipe hat, noted concerns about the authenticity of the hat and two other artifacts befor

Lobbying for local food

Consumers, farmers and other citizens traveled from across the state to Springfield last week to lobby for local food reforms. As a part of Local Food Awareness Day, the group wanted to spread the wor