Sigh. Again? There? That way? Really? Tornadoes, we have all been reminded yet again, are nature’s most violent storms. (Not the most destructive; earthquakes and hurricanes, which affect vastly more area, wreak the widest devastation.) The Moore twister was one of the worst of the lot, with 200-mph winds.

Kenneth “Tuck” Belton of Springfield didn’t give much thought to tulips while he was growing up in rural Tallula. They were just a sure sign that summer would soon arrive in central Illinois. But his perspective changed in the bitter winter of 1945.

Give credit to Pennsylvania, for example, whose GOP governor, Tom Corbett, recently scored big nincompoop points by explaining why his state ranks 49th in job creation. “Many employers,” the guv grumbled during a radio interview, “say, ‘We’re looking for people, but we can’t find anybody that has passed a drug test.

I look forward to working with local officials to make Springfield the crown jewel of central Illinois… after all, it – not Chicago – is our capital! Sen. Kirk W. Dillard State Sen. Kirk Dillard, a probable candidate for governor, is a Republican from Hinsdale.

Cullerton appeared that Sunday with Gov. Quinn, state Sen. Dan Kotowski and parents of the Newtown, Conn., school massacre victims to tout a ban on high-capacity gun magazines which can hold more than 10 rounds. Cullerton highlighted his anti-gun bonafides during his opening remarks.

Lanphier’s Art Department has been cut for the upcoming school year. With a supplies budget of $900 a year to cover 20 classes by two teachers, maintaining will be diffi cult. With such a limited budget, students and teachers are looking for ways to keep the program alive.

The confusing world of health insurance could get a lot easier for Illinoisans in October, when the federal government opens a public health insurance marketplace here. The state would only get to take control of the marketplace, however, after creating a board to oversee it.

Stemming from a gruesome double murder that saw two men imprisoned for a combined 38 years, the case centered around whether elected officials are different from normal state employees when it comes to paying their onduty legal bills.

He said deleting the term “marriage” allows teens to use their own discretion to decide when sex is appropriate instead of sticking to traditional standards. According to Phelps there is no need to redefine abstinence because teens’ sexual activity is declining.

At 280,000 acres, the expansive beauty of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois can feel both breathtaking and intimidating. In fact, in April of this year, Saline County Central Dispatch assisted 5 Illinois residents who became lost in the dense natural playground – Illinois’ largest publicly owned parcel.

The lure of that wide-open mouth cannot be denied. Once inside the park, the actual cave is easy to find with posted signs and a well-trodden path that follows the Ohio River shoreline. The cave is not wheelchair accessible, and there are stairs to climb at one point, but the hike is short and of moderate difficulty.

Sangamon Auditorium’s upcoming season, starting in September, is a heady mix of surefire crowd-pleasers and boundary pushing one-offs, finding Broadway touring companies rubbing shoulders with classic rockers, country and folk virtuosos, jazz...

Things get off to a promising start. We see everyone’s favorite man-child Alan (Zach Galifianakis) cause havoc on the Los Angeles freeway. Things go horribly awry when he attempts to transport his new pet giraffe under a bridge with a low clearance level at high speeds.

I’d come to Europe with the Concert Choir, crown jewel of the U of I’s undergraduate choral ensembles. Freshmen were rarely accepted into CC; my having joined its exalted ranks was more luck than talent. The previous fall there’d been some conflict; several CC choristers had quit or been thrown out.

Old Southern Moonshine Revival with Blackjack Billy.

Considered some of the best Americana artists touring today, the “Americana Without Borders” music of Vince Herman, Chad Staehly, Jim Lewin, Chris Sheldon and Brian Adams sparkles with rock-n-roll raunchiness, subtle piano nuances, blazing folk splashes and jam-band freedoms, roiling into a creative melting pot of brilliant musicmaking.

Macomb resident and working folk musician Chris Vallillo (sounds like pillow), has spent a lifetime making a living making music. Anyone who’s tried knows what a trying time that can be, and anyone who has even thought about it likely came to the conclusion the attempt was not worth the risk.

Sat, Telling the truth about living and working in America today. $5 Fri. $12.50. Mason City Limits Comedy Club, 114 E. Chestnut, Mason City, 482-5233..

Sunday, June 2, Fantastic Jones Family will perform a free gospel concert at Abundant Faith Christian Center, celebrating 40 years of making music. Siblings Robert L. Jones, Jr., Jerry E. Jones, Clifton O. Jones, Jackie L. Newman and Patricia A.

Dixie Longate of Mobile, Ala., brings Tupperware parties into the 21st century and into a whole new realm of entertainment with an onstage improv and comedy act that really is a Tupperware party. Admission to one of The Legacy Theatre performances will buy you an evening or afternoon full of laughter plus a chance to buy some great plastic products.

Pack your chair or blanket and head to Washington Park for some fabulous sounds ringing out for six nights at the International Carillon Festival. Rain or shine, six of the world’s top carillonneurs from The Netherlands and United States will present concerts nightly.