Springfield Park District executive director Michael Stratton is under scrutiny for taking more than $2,000 in apparently unauthorized advances on salary, according to multiple sources. Meanwhile, a park district board member says he will resign in the wake of an unpublicized meeting of the board on the matter that was held Monday behind closed doors.

U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock says he hasn’t decided whether to run for governor next year, but the Republican from Peoria is sounding and behaving like a candidate.Consider a press availability sessio

If Abraham Lincoln were alive, would he need Head and Shoulders?The answer could settle whether a hat on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum actually belonged to Abe.The hat

With eyes wide open, I traveled to the District of Columbia during inauguration weekend hoping to experience what our country has to offer. I never was patriotic or felt like I could identify with oth

Video gambling was illegal in Springfield when Mayor Mike Houston took office in the spring of 2011 and vowed to fix the city’s crumbling streets, sidewalks and sewers without raising taxes.Vide

Having grown up in a family of lawyers, attorney John Thies of Urbana understands the need for respect and integrity in the judicial system. “The approach I learned from my father and grandfathe

You may recall Alonso D. Travis, even if you never knew his name.He was the guy who hit you up for money on downtown sidewalks and store parking lots along Jefferson Street and on North Grand Avenue.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 3, 1986, Richard Harshbarger grabbed his .38 caliber revolver and a homemade bat, climbed into his Dodge Rampage truck, and departed from his home in Pana. His young

Illinois is poised to tap into a rich vein of money by allowing an oil and gas drilling method known as “fracking,” but environmental concerns and disagreement over state taxes are keeping

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is considering legal action against a Carlinville coal mine for violating pollution laws.Testing in the spring of 2011 revealed excessive levels of mangane