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Life has gotten bleeping crazy for political columnist Rich Miller
Years ago, when I was new in town and causing trouble, Rich Miller phoned me, out of the blue, and invited me to lunch. As I recall, he gave me something like 15 minutes notice to show up at a downtown restaurant.

Too many payday loan shops drive businesses away
Alderman Debbie Cimarossa, working in conjunction with the MacArthur Boulevard Business Association (MBBA), last fall introduced an ordinance to the city council that would have required payday lenders to be located at least 1,500 feet (approximately three blocks) apart.

Governor’s healthcare record a mixed Blag
Gov. Rod Blagojevich responded to the Illinois House of Representatives’ decision to impeach him last week in Chicago, flanked by eight individuals that the governor said have been helped by his administration’s healthcare policies.

LOCAL BOOK BEST
Indeed, the odds stacked against such a scenario seem monumental. For starters, what are the chances that a former welfare mother, like Manley, can actually summon the time and talent to write a great book? For another, the book she wrote is a...

YES WE CAN! YES! YES! YES!
If you’re still moping about not getting tix to the presidential festivities next week, the Illinois Historical Society has something that’ll perk you right up. Kansas City artist Rick Lynn.

Will gravel pits do the job?
“There’s a lot of lingering questions,” Wehrmann says. “It’s not simply, ‘I’ve got a bathtub full of water and we can just pump it.

Gifts of life from Springfield to the world
So seemingly humdrum are the operations of Mission Outreach that one of the most difficult tasks for chief executive officer Bruce Compton is creating promotional materials. “Beyond taking a picture of some guy’s back while he’s loading a truck,” little can really capture the significance of the work going on at the facility, he says.

NEWSQUIRKS
When Jeffrey P. Cannon, 20, arrived at Washington’s Dulles International Airport from Ireland, customs officers detained him because a check of the passenger list turned up an outstanding DUI warrant. Officers searched his luggage and found “a large amount of tea bags,” Border Patrol official Steve Sapp told the Washington Post.

Real Estate Foreclosures
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE 7TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT SANGAMON COUNTY - SPRING- FIELD, ILLINOIS U.S. Bank, N.A., PLAINTIFF Vs. Kenneth C. Reed Jr. a/k/a Kenneth C. Reed a/k/a Kenneth Carl Reed; et. al.