T here must have been scores of kids who, like Clayton Penrose-Whitmore, found themselves enjoying a snack in the Ethnic Village at the Illinois State Fair, just as a group of Suzuki vio]]> Untitled Document A white cloud envelops Larry Beckom as he sits shirtless, his head bowed, in the sauna of a Springfield fitness club. It’s 7:30 a.m. on a Monday. One of]]> The U.S. Constitution guarantees a criminal defendant the right to a speedy trial. In Illinois, the law defines "speedy" as 120 days from the day the defendant is charged. For almost a year,]]> During its half-century as a cross-country highway, Route 66 was the road taken frequently by migrants. In 1933 and '34, a half-million people drove it to Chicago to see Sally Rand and the Worl]]> Bill Thomas may make his living on the cutting edge of computer technology, but he treasures small-town life. Most of the staff of his Atlanta, Ill.-based company, Teleologic Learning, live in ]]> Since vibrations first tickled our vocal cords, mankind has been a compulsive communicator. From petroglyphs to DVDs, from Dead Sea scrolls to skywriting, we've left no expressive stone unturned in ou]]> As a 13-year-old goalie for the Springfield Kings, Barry Friedman's job was to turn people away and deflect their shots. He did it well enough to win a college scholarship. Now, as owner of three of t]]> Beardstown and surrounding communities in west-central Illinois have taken on a surreal international air of late. A community of African immigrants has quietly been building in the area for the past ]]> Oddest LandmarkHilton Hotel 700 E. Adams, 789-1530 1. Deviating from what is ordinary, usual or expected; strange or peculiar. In defining the word "odd," the American Heritage Dictionary could ha]]> BEST BAKERY Panera Bread 3101 W. White Oaks Dr., 217-726-5070; 3019 S. Dirksen Parkway, 217-529-6200 It's hard to dispute the popularity of Panera Bread. Nearly any time of day, a line of peo]]> llinois. It is a land of more than corn. From the gritty sprawl of Chicagoland to the silent forests of the Shawnee National Forest to the rolling western plains, Illinois encompasses 55,000 sq]]> After a frustrating early morning of turkey hunting in late April, John and his father-in-law gave up and decided to return to their Jacksonville homes. They wouldn’t ]]> Julie Rea has told this story hundreds of times. But no matter how many times she tells it, the story never makes sense. She was asleep in her own bed when she heard a child scream. This child sound]]> Ernie Edwards, longtime proprietor of the Pig Hip Restaurant in Broadwell, is one of Route 66's most gifted and proficient storytellers. With 54 years in business and a dozen years of retirement]]> It will soon be time for fifth graders’ families to sign up for middle school band, and families who have arranged for their own instruments, whether by renting or purchasing, will h]]> 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]]> T his year Springfield's Harvard Park neighborhood celebrates the centennial of its annexation to the city. The neighborhood's roots reach back to one of Springfield's oldes]]> Untitled Document Part of the intrigue of the Underground Railroad is its mystery — we’ll never know the whole story. Its activists tried to keep their w]]>