Untitled Document Will Durst makes his living skewering politicians and showcasing the folly and hypocrisy that are rife in party politics. He does so prolifically through a wide]]> Untitled Document The Inner City Mission first opened in 1984, in a house on North Fifth Street, the result of an ambitious plan by eight Springfield area churches to provide for]]> To pursue advanced business courses at Lincoln High School, freshman Pat O’Neill first needed to complete the marketing requirement. He signed up and was put in a class with mainly older student]]> "Hughie Craig?" asks a patron of the Ramsey Cafe. "Nah, I haven't seen him." Dressed like every other semi-retired farmer in central Illinois--snap-front workshirt, white undershirt, and a seed corn]]> Untitled Document As director of the state’s Partners for Hope program, Frederick Nettles plays a key role in disbursing taxpayer money to faith-based groups. As pas]]> For a farmer’s son from the tiny southern Illinois town of Cobden, Charles Joseph Wilkins’ success in academics, business, and politics is phenomenal]]> Untitled Document If somehow we could only work Santa into this story By JACQUELINE JACKSON I was in a school hallway, collecting work that had to be done t]]> 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,]]> Don Durbin wistfully recalls his early years on the family farm. He stalks through the tall, windswept grasses and points to areas where his children once brushed ponies and petted hogs. ]]> When I signed up for a meditation course at the Illinois Vipassana Meditation Center, I was hardly expecting a peaceful, relaxing vacation. It would be meditation all day, ev]]> It was six years ago this week that Rep. Larry McKeon, the first and only openly gay state lawmaker in Illinois, outed the homosexual siblings of three Republican legislators. McKeon lashe]]> The South African Boer goat quietly invaded the United States via Texas about 15 years ago – and has been nibbling its way north ever since. Developed by Dutch farmers]]> Untitled Document “You have to understand, I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” says Joshua “Illinois” Shapiro, “and for 25 years there were no]]> One consistent truth in the music business: In spite of the heartfelt aspiration and keen ambition felt by the people who trudge it, the path to making music for a living is litt]]> During heavy summer storms, central Illinois has been showered, at least metaphorically, with more than its share of cats and dogs. But once, in what must have been the most ]]> Untitled Document In a small city in the Andes Mountains, a father takes his 3-year-old daughter to the doctor. She’s sluggish and behaving strangely. “Something%u0335]]> Marissa DeWeese didn't really mind the congestion at Springfield High School. A member of the marching band, DeWeese thought it was pretty cool once when the band and freshm]]> Untitled Document Tim Davlin rides a Harley. Bruce Strom sings in a barbershop quartet.  Davlin, Springfield’s incumbent mayor and a Democrat, is easygoing and ]]>