With Congress supine and the courts packed by Sen. Mitch McConnell, readily consumable news stands as the last guardrail of American democracy.

I was reminded of this during a visit last week to the Macoupin County courthouse in Carlinville. It was, according to legend and the internet, the largest county courthouse outside New York when it opened in 1870, bigger than the state Capitol then...

This artificial, 75-year pre-funding decree is an absurd burden that no other corporation or government agency is forced to carry. Take it away, and voila! The Postal Service is a moneymaker. Since 2014, it has posted operating profits totaling $2.7 billion – a healthy average of $900 million a year.

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA Ready or not, it’s Christmas! Stores have been stocking shelves for months. Television advertising is all ho-ho-ho. A local radio station is cranking out yuletide tunes 24/7. Many towns like Pawnee will welcome Santa before Thanksgiving.

Sen. Bush brought 10 women with her to Springfield and she said four of them went on to win their respective races. Well, maybe three, but Bush is optimistic that Mary Edley-Allen will wind up defeating appointed Rep. Helene Miller Walsh (R-Mundelein). Edley-Allen is ahead by two votes as I write this, with more to count.

The U.S. Supreme Court did not issue its historic ruling requiring all states to issue same-sex marriage licenses until June 26, 2015. Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, a sponsor of the legislation, said public support for same-sex marriage continues to grow.

According to a union publication, workers get a 1 percent raise this year and a 1.75 percent raise next year. “It’s not a bad deal, it’s not a great deal,” says Shannon Duffy, administrative officer for the United Media Guild that began representing SJ-R employees in 2012 and has been trying to get a contract.

Trone’s body was found Sept. 7 in a room at the hotel at 3470 Freedom Drive, barely a mile from his Westchester home. Two men and two women have been charged with first-degree murder. Authorities say that Trone was beaten and strangled.

Books can be just that and, as everyone knows by now, buying local is better. On Saturday, Nov. 24, eleven local area authors will be discussing, signing and selling their books at the Springfield downtown bookstore, Books on the Square, at 427 E. Washington Street from 10:30-2:30.

It’s not hard to create festive party platters and gorgeous cheeseboards that will impress your guests or make you the most popular person at the office potluck. This is how I prefer to entertain whether I’m hosting just a few friends or a large group.

To be a fan of a Chicago professional sports team is to prepare for a life of heartbreak. Cub and Sox fans have each experienced only one World Series victory in the past half-century: Bear fans have championships in 1985 and 1963.

Told via flashback, the film covers the three-and-a-half-week period that began with the senator from Colorado announcing his candidacy. Riding high from an impressive run in 1984, Hart (Hugh Jackman) threw his hat in the ring on April 13, 1987, with his loving wife Lee (Vera Farmiga) and daughter Andrea (Kaitlyn Deaver) by his side.

I’ve been saying it for years, ever since the late 90s when my dear friend Mike Parkes, bartender extraordinaire and proprietor of the original Brewhaus, informed me that the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving Day was officially the biggest bar night of the year.

Mike Burnett and the Blue Suns.

Originating from the river city of Beardstown, this group began as a couple of pals getting together to play some songs at the local pub in 2011.

Downtown Springfield Inc. Holiday Walks.

Avoid the long lines, stress and headaches associated with Black Friday shopping and enjoy a day of family fun during the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s fourth annual “Fun Frosty Friday” event. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov.

These special holiday events feature a crafting and cocoa party prior to a screening of The Polar Express,.

On Saturday, Nov. 24, 11 area authors will be available for book signings and conversation at Books on the Square in Springfield. Featured Illinois authors participating in this event are: Trever J. Bierschbach, Kevin Corley, Robert Grindy, Dan Guillory, Doug King, John Lupton, T.