Burris denied seat in US Senate to succeed Obama

Jan 06, 2009 - By LAURIE KELLMAN and ANN SANNER, Associated Press Writers Laurie Kellman And Ann Sanner, Associated Press Writers 28 mins ago WASHINGTON – Roland Burris announced Tuesday he was rejected for Barack Obama's Senate seat, in a bizarre rainy-day scene on the Capitol grounds as lawmakers awaited the gaveling of the 111th Congress into session. Standing amid a huge throng of reporters and television cameras in a cold and steady rain, Burris, 71, declared that he had been informed that "my credentials are not in order and will not be accepted." The former Illinois attorney general said he was "not seeking to have any type of confrontation" over taking the seat that he was appointed to by embattled Gov. - 5 Comments

Blaskos pick to replace Obama in the Senate sought death for innocent man

Jan 01, 2009 - Burris sought death for innocent man By BEN PROTESS-- PROPUBLICA | 1/1/09 2:47 PM EST Text Size: Roland Burris is no stranger to controversy after continuing to prosecute the wrong man for a high-profile murder. Photo: AP Former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris, embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pick to replace Barack Obama in the Senate, is no stranger to controversy. - 7 Comments

IL impeachment panel may end without FBI tapes

Jan 07, 2009 - By Mike Robinson - Associated Press Writer Tues. Jan 6, 2009 CHICAGO - Members of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's impeachment panel say they will move forward despite the possibility that they might not get to hear federal wiretaps of the governor's conversations with aides and others. - 4 Comments

UPDATE 1-Illinois man charged in plot to bomb federal offices

Sep 24, 2009 - And this is from right around my hometown. Very freaky. :( ~~~~~~~~~ UPDATE 1-Illinois man charged in plot to bomb federal offices Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:41pm EDT (Updates with court hearing) WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - An Illinois man was ordered held on Thursday on charges he tried to blow up a federal building in the state capital, a case unrelated to the New York terrorism plot. - 10 Comments

Do You Live in a Healthy or an Unhealthy State?

Nov 17, 2009 -   If you want to be healthy, live in Vermont—or at least act like you do. It is the healthiest state in the country, according to a new report from the nonprofit United Health Foundation. The annual ranking looks at 22 indicators of health, including everything from how many children receive recommended vaccinations, to obesity and smoking rates, to cancer deaths. - 5 Comments

Uncivil War: Conservatives to challenge a dozen GOP candidates ( and my grow yet)

Nov 14, 2009 - Uncivil War: Conservatives to challenge a dozen GOP candidates In what could be a nightmare scenario for Republican Party officials, conservative activists are gearing up to challenge leading GOP candidates in more than a dozen key House and Senate races in 2010. Conservatives and tea party activists had already set their sights on some of the GOP’s top Senate recruits — a list that includes Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida, former Rep. - 2 Comments

Illinois Shaped Corn Flake for sale on eBay

Mar 17, 2008 - Illinois-shaped corn flake for sale Sounds a little flaky, but someone has offered more than $50 on eBay for a piece of breakfast cereal that is touted as a lookalike to the state of Illinois. Two sisters listed "The Great Illinois Corn Flake" on the online auction site, promising it has undergone no alterations. Emily McIntire, a 15-year-old sophomore in high school from Chesapeake, Va., said she was grabbing fistfuls of cereal on her way to class when she found the flake. - 5 Comments

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah

Nov 09, 2009 - WEST ALLIS, Wis. – Sarah Palin rallied thousands of abortion opponents Friday night with a a stark warning that the same philosophy that allows abortion rights could soon be invoked to allow the government to cut off health care for the elderly or children with special needs. Speaking to a fund-raising banquet of Wisconsin Right to Life, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee asserted that if policy-makers don’t believe a child in the womb is valuable, then “perhaps the same mind-set applies to other persons.” “What may they feel about an elderly person who doesn’t have a whole lot of productive years left,” Palin asked an audience of about 5,000 who paid $30 each to hear her speak in an airplane hangar-like exhibition hall at the Wisconsin state fairgrounds just outside of Milwaukee. - 9 Comments

13-year-old boy accused of robbing Illinois bank

Apr 17, 2009 - PEORIA, Illinois (Reuters Life!) - A 13-year-old boy who police say was caught red-handed a block away was accused on Tuesday of robbing a bank in Peoria. The unidentified boy was charged with felony armed robbery in juvenile court, accused of threatening a teller with a gun and demanding cash. He was found hiding in a nearby garage about 30 minutes after Monday's robbery, stained red from a dye pack that had been placed in the bag of money. - 7 Comments