Some of the worst disasters in state history have involved coal mining. On Nov. 13, 1909, an underground fire broke out in Mine No. 2 at Cherry, in Bureau County. A total of 259 men were lost, leaving 160 widows and 470 children. Thirty-three of those were born after the fire.

You wouldn’t think that a town that boasts the burial place and the only adult home of a man famed around the world as not only America’s greatest president but America’s greatest citizen, a town furthermore that is just down the road from the reconstructed village where that man spent his young adulthood, would need to promote tourism.

This powerful anti-Big Money sentiment is also part of what has fueled establishmentstunning Bernie and Donnie presidential runs, and it’s why we democracy rebels should shift now from complaining about the plutocratic corruption of our country to stopping it.

LAVISH CAMPAIGN SPENDING I don’t know how many people thoroughly read Bruce Rushton’s excellent, exhaustively detailed, informative and somewhat surprising piece on how our state legislators lavishly spend (and disclose the spending) of their campaign funds (“Lifestyles of the rich and elected,” March 17).

Because the public debate is so wrapped up in partisanship and ideology, it’s been tough for a large segment of the population to wrap its collective mind around what’s really been going on. Many see this fight as the “new, good” Rauner versus the “old, bad” Madigan.

Come on down to the newspaper and get a free lunch, publisher Clarissa Williams urged in a column published March 3 on the paper’s editorial page. Besides eating for free, you can learn how to win $10,000, plus we’ll tell you about a new opportunity to improve your business.

In his March 23 ruling, Madonia wrote that the newspaper didn’t give Rauner sufficient opportunity to comply with the attorney general’s order. Under the law, public bodies have 35 days to decide whether to release records after the attorney general issues a binding opinion.

After six months of being closed to the public, the Illinois State Museum is a step closer to reopening … eventually. On March 25, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources submitted an administrative rule proposal which would allow the museum to institute a $5 admission fee.

In 2014, Christopher Pulley, a Jacksonville man with a history of convictions for drug possession, filed a federal lawsuit against the officers, alleging that Day and Lehr used excessive force while arresting him. The lawsuit stemmed from a drug possession charge Pulley faced in February 2013.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced its January unemployment numbers earlier this month, revealing that the state unemployment rate climbed to 6.3 percent in February from a recent low of 5.4 percent in September 2015. Last week, IDES released the February unemployment rate of 6.

This year’s contest yielded 277 eligible entries (up from 215 in 2015) submitted by 93 photographers in three classes: Professional Adult, Amateur Adult and Youth. Each class was broken into two categories: “Things” and “People and Places.

Adult Amateur – Places/Things 1 – “Barns in the Field” by Melinda Garner 2 – “Lotus in Fall at Horseshoe Lake” by James Long 3 – “Woodpecker” by Lance Armour HM – “Heron in Fog” by James Long HM – “07/04/15” by Seth Adams.

Switching back and forth between four different locations – a military center in Surrey, England, a high-level cabinet meeting in London, a drone command outpost in Las Vegas and a hot zone in Nairobi – the film opens on Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren), who’s about to coordinate a mission that’s been in the works for a long time.

Perfectly cooked risotto requires some time and constant attention. Most restaurant risotto is precooked and cooled, then reheated as needed. Truly great risotto is cooked to order, requiring 20 minutes of constant stirring, and is served immediately..

Rolling down the line from Peoria way comes a central Illinois standard-bearer of modern country with a promise of “going full throttle to bring their high-energy, rockin’ country show to a venue near you” – and that’s just what they’re doing.

Nil8, The Timmys, The Bollweevils, Nervous Passenger.

Some years ago when April Fools’ Day fell on a Thursday, I had me some fun making up a few things for fooling. This year should have been a return to an April-first Thursday, but that sneaky leap year day of Feb. 29 jumped us up a day.

Theatre Centre. $16, $18. hcfta.org. Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S. Sixth St., 523-2787..

See the best, freshest portraits of hometown hero Abraham Lincoln on display during the opening reception for the Illinois Times Capital City Visitor.

See Chicago troubadour Steve Duchrow perform Peddler of Dreams,.

See local men don tights in support of the Springfield Ballet’s Company annual fundraiser for education and outreach programming during one unforgettable performance this Friday, April 1, at 7 p.m. “Men in Tights” is a spoof on the hilarious 1993 musical-adventure-comedy film by Mel Brooks, loosely based off the story of Robin Hood.