Feature | Thursday, August 11,2005

Monkey shines in Rockford

They're going ape for Nelson!

You probably had a sock monkey at some point during your childhood, but did you know that the wiry stuffed toy originated in Rockford, Ill.? The story begins with John Nel

News | Thursday, July 21,2005

The green bad boy

By Cindy Ladage

A surly old-timer named Deere disrupted a carefully choreographed square dance last month at the Montgomery County Fair — and the audience was thrilled. The interrup

Feature | Thursday, June 2,2005

Back to Earth

By Cindy Ladage

Until the last decade or so, most of us had a relative who lived on a farm. Many of our genealogical roots are sunk deep into the land. This connection to the soil has become

Feature | Thursday, June 2,2005

Tinker's toys

By Cindy Ladage

Looking for a day trip that offers history, a love story with a boy-gets-girl ending, and a self-made man who makes good — along with some Lincoln lore? The Tinker Swis

Kitchen Witch | Thursday, April 21,2005

Chocolate Abe

By Cindy Ladage

Marla Brotherton already was well known for her specialty chocolates when she and her husband, Greg, opened In Good Taste, their candy shop in Taylorville. But the coupleR

Feature | Thursday, June 3,2004

Door county

By Cindy Ladage

Once the school doors close, summer travel fever strikes with a vengeance and travelers such as my family hit the road. Although it's a bit of a drive -- four or five hours north of Chicago --

Feature | Thursday, June 3,2004

Regional oddities

By Cindy Ladage

Gas prices are through the roof, and you're not inclined to zip across the country to take in the sights. Luckily, there are plenty of unique places to visit within an hour's drive of the capit

Guest Opinion | Thursday, August 28,2003

A neat trade

The lost art of window washing

By Cindy Ladage

For the last 12 years, Mike Chase has been cleaning the windows of the Great Western Railroad Depot, where Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd, and their children bid farewell to Springfield before head

Earth Talk | Thursday, May 8,2003

Still making the case for ethanol

By Cindy Ladage

For years ethanol has been touted as a homegrown solution to satisfy America's unquenchable thirst for oil. It's made from renewable sources--any substance with sufficient amounts of sugar, or materia

Books | Tuesday, May 6,2003

The big story

Former newsman finally tells his favorite tale

By Cindy Ladage

Sometimes real-life stories are so big they seem to be fiction. That's what strikes you while reading Taylor Pensoneau's latest book, Brother's Notorious, The Sheltons: Southern Illinois' Ledendary Ga