It’s in the stars It’s official — there’s no love lost between JUDY BAAR TOPINKA and ROD BLAGOJEVICH. Astrologically speaking, Blago, a Sagittarius, and Topinka, a ]]> One way to measure the difference between the candidates for Illinois’ 99th House District is paperwork. Let me explain: When Republican state Rep. Raymond Poe, R-99th District, visited the off]]> Fax check Judy Baar Topinka leads the pack for the Republican nomination for governor. She’s also the only Republican who holds statewide office. Lately, it seems, Topinka&#]]> AN ISSUE IN 2007? Now that spring has arrived, Capt. Deon Oliver, head of the Salvation Army in Springfield, says that, unfortunately, folks have moved on and forgotten about homeless]]> It has to be tough for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama — who’s been asked repeatedly whether he’s considering a run for president or would accept an invitation to be a vice presidential candi]]> With less than eight weeks to go before the November general election, Green Party gubernatorial long shot Rich Whitney has 6 percent support among likely voters, a Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll release]]> Bean Counting Last July, U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean was one of 15 Democrats who voted in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. After CAFTA passed by two votes, some la]]> DEMOCRACY IN ACTION MICHAEL ZIRI can now enjoy his summer. At last week’s meeting of the Capital Township — whose borders overlap those of the city of Springfield — ]]> One year ago this week, Hurricane Katrina nearly wiped out New Orleans, one of the oldest, most culturally rich, poorest, and, indeed, important cities in America. In the weeks leading up to the anni]]> ILLINI NOISE Illinois lawmakers want entities that regulate intercollegiate sports to stay out of schools’ beeswax in terms of athletic nicknames, mascots, and logos. Earlier th]]> Untitled Document For the past week, Democrats have been beating their chests, declaring that their reclamation of Congress, as well as the majority of governorships around the n]]> COMIN’ OUT HARD Not a full day after locking up the Democratic nomination for governor, Gov. Rod Blagojevich came out swinging, unveiling ads attacking his opponent, GOP hopeful]]> PARTY TIME If Springfield’s election-night parties are at all indicative of how energetically followers will stump for their political parties, it’s a good thing Gov. Rod ]]> Before embarking on a five-nation tour of Africa last week, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama expressed concern about the perception that he could deliver to the continent, as he told the Chicago Tribune, &ldquo]]> A DIFFERENT MARCH MADNESS I asked Christopher Z. Mooney, professor at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Springfield, to point out a few t]]> Israel’s consul general to the Midwest, Barukh Binah, traveled to Springfield earlier this week to discuss the newest war in the Middle East, which started with the capture of two Israeli soldie]]> In a story that barely made a ripple in the press, save for a handful of military publications, the U.S. Army upped its maximum age for recruitment last month from 40 to 42, according to Army Times, t]]>