This week’s cover story on the slow but steady implementation of legalized video gaming brings to mind Gov. Adlai Stevenson’s war on slot machines more than 60 years ago.

This upcoming Nov. 6 election is important because voters will help decide who gets the nation’s top job while they pick winners for congressional and state legislative seats, some local offices and ballot initiatives.

Elites in Washington, on Wall Street and in the corporate suites have taken exquisite care of themselves.

In the years since the city council repealed the residency requirement in 2000, a disturbing trend has developed – large numbers of city workers are moving out of the city limits. Of the 1,508 current city employees, 533, or 35 percent, now live outside of the city, including half our firefighters.

Expelled state Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) is leading his only opponent by 38 points and is close to the 50 percent he’ll need to reclaim his seat. According to a poll of 556 likely voters conducted Sept. 12 by We Ask America, Smith is crushing third party candidate Lance Tyson 48-9.

All told, the treasurer oversees $1.6 billion in unclaimed assets. Davlin’s heirs are owed more than $100 that came from Health Care Service Corp. Obama is due between $10 and $100 from Aetna. Ryan is in line for less than $10 in McDonalds dividends. Jordan is due money from ADT Security he apparently overpaid for services, and from the Walt Disney Co.

Countless cars whiz through the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Lawrence Avenue every morning and evening, each driver urgently heading to the next stage of the day. At that infamous intersection, yellow lights are often seen as signals to speed up, and red lights are interpreted as negotiable.

Under Milhiser’s watch, at least two county employees have been charged with crimes. Robert Redpath, a guard at the county jail, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery charges and resigned earlier this year after beating an inmate.

If education is a path to success, getting students to show up is a step in the right direction. That’s why Springfield Public Schools and the Faith Coalition for the Common Good are rolling out separate but related programs aimed at improving school attendance.

The Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court last week found that an executive order issued in 2005 by former governor Rod Blagojevich can’t be enforced to make pharmacists fill prescriptions for an emergency contraceptive known as the “morning after pill.

The Illinois Pollution Control Board last week granted Ameren Energy Resources – a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation – a variance that allows the power plant operator to put off compliance with a particular set of pollution rules for five years.

The going has been slow since lawmakers more than three years ago approved video gambling outside casinos. Only last spring did the state gaming board start accepting applications from businesses, fraternal organizations and veterans groups for licenses to have video gambling on their premises.

When Barbara Burkhardt, an associate professor of English at the University of Illinois Springfield, published her biography of William Maxwell in 2005, reviewers were justifiably enthusiastic. Maxwell, who spent his early years in Lincoln, Ill.

“Hi, honey,” my grandmother said. “Do you want to come with me out to King’s Daughters this afternoon?” “Sure!” I replied. “When are we going?” It was an exchange we had countless times throughout my childhood. Though it might seem strange that a young child would be so enthusiastic about a trip to a retirement home, I really enjoyed those outings.

The film eschews the normal structure of the cop procedural. It focuses on officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena), partners who have a sense of loyalty toward one another that’s the only thing that separates them from the animals on the street.

In this day and age of ubiquitous blues, finding a genuine and pertinent purveyor of the genre can be trying.

A Fancy Prairie native and Athens High School graduate, Eva got her start in show business with a family band, singing with her sisters. As the emotive vocalist developed into a rhythm guitar player and composer, her path veered toward that of the performing songwriter.

Dates, times and locations are subject to change, so we suggest calling before attending an event..

Legacy Theatre opens its doors Sept. 28 for A HA! Theatre’s production of Sordid Lives..

Dates, times and locations are subject to last-minute changes, so we suggest calling before attending events..

Featured tractor this year is the John Deere. Rick Trahan, The Black Smith Express, will give presentations on the history of this fine machine. And a 1949 John Deere A will be raffled off.

through Nov. 29. Prairie House Custom Frames, 2833 S. Sixth St, 217-523-4415. Artrageous First Friday.

Families wanting to take their younguns out of town this weekend can experience the world of alpacas at Alpaca Farm Days at Alpacas of Indian Point Hills in Menard County. Your kids can see an alpaca up close and pet one if they want.

month) include entertainment and more. Downtown Springfield, Inc. 3 W. Old State Capitol Plaza, 544-1723. Slow Food Springfield Winery Tour.

The acclaimed courtroom drama Twelve Angry Men.