He was left to die in a pool of his own blood “like roadkill.”That’s how Sangamon County Circuit Judge Leo Zappa described the death of Danny Dapron Jr., a 30-year-old cyclist killed]]> 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 ]]> Not so long ago, Jeffrey Parsons was on top of the world.J. Parsons, the west side store that sells everything from socks to shoes to hats to watches to pants to historic documents to gourmet cheese, ]]> A diagnosis with stage three Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 12 led Julius Simmons of Springfield to make a lifetime commitment to health and medical research.While urging a Springfield audience to get]]> As Illinois waits for Gov. Pat Quinn’s decision on the medical marijuana bill, many citizens are wondering how they will be affected if he signs it into law. The Illinois Senate last week approv]]> 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]]> Michale Callahan, the former Illinois State Police lieutenant who sued his superiors in federal court and won, is now asking the Sangamon County Circuit Court to take action against two high]]> Before the miracle of refrigeration, the only way to get an unspoiled beer was to get it nearly straight from the brewery. And if you were a thirsty Springfieldian in the early 1900s, the odds were th]]> Springfield Mayor Mike Houston said he intended to be a one-term mayor when he ran for office two years ago.“My plan is to serve four years and actually deal with problems,” Houston told t]]> 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]]> A state legislator is proposing a monthly Eat Local Buy Illinois Products Day to support local economies and healthier lifestyles. Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Round Lake Beach, proposed legislation to design]]> 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]]>