Pantagraph (Bloomington-Normal, Ill.) Nov 29, 08 3:40 AM CST
(Newser)
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Reindeer have found yet another way to give of themselves for our holiday benefit. An Illinois zoo is selling Christmas tree ornaments fashioned from the creatures' droppings, the Bloomington-Normal Pantagraph reports. The small droppings are dried, painted, and incorporated into whimsical designs. The $5 gifts have been dubbed “magical reindeer gem ornaments” by the Miller Park Zoo.
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200 Ill. teens played the stunts-for-cash game
Chicago Sun-Times Nov 25, 08 12:36 PM CST
(Newser)
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An Illinois grand jury is investigating a scavenger hunt that left a 17-year-old in critical condition after he jumped from a Dodge Durango moving at 25mph. As many as 200 teenagers were apparently competing for cash by performing stunts and videotaping them last Friday. Erik Nava's team was winning the game, the Chicago Sun-Times reports, which also included pelting the elderly with muffins and getting kicked in the groin.
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Police unsure how
body went unnoticed
for 8 days
Chicago Tribune Nov 24, 08 11:50 AM CST
(Newser)
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An Illinois Institute of Technology student mysteriously turned up dead in a storage room of his fraternity house yesterday, after being considered missing for 8 days, the Chicago Tribune reports. Benjamin Collen’s death has been ruled an accident—the 19-year-old sophomore died of asphyxia after inhaling carbon dioxide from a canister. But it’s unclear how his body went unnoticed for so long.
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ANALYSIS
Jackson Jr. among possibilities as Illinois guv looks to fill spot
Time Nov 5, 08 10:42 AM CST
(Newser)
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Now that Barack Obama is officially headed for the Oval Office, Illinois’ political class has turned its attention to his Senate replacement, Time reports. The choice rests with unpopular Democratic governor Rod Blagojevich, who is no doubt looking for a pick that will save his own political skin. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr has been frequently mentioned.
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Durbin faces re-election Tuesday for third term
CNN Nov 2, 08 10:27 AM CST
(Newser)
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Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin’s daughter died yesterday from a congenital heart condition, CNN reports. “Chris Durbin, 40, fought a heroic lifelong battle with heart disease,” said a spokesman. Durbin, who worked at the Department of Agriculture for 16 years, leaves behind a husband and a son. Her father, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, is seeking re-election Tuesday to a third term.
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Unable to listen for 20 hours, defendant opts to pay fine
Springfield News-Sun Oct 9, 08 2:58 PM CDT
(Newser)
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An Illinois municipal court offered to reduce a 24-year-old’s fine for a noise violation if he listened to 20 hours of classical music, but he lasted just 15 minutes, the Springfield News-Sun reports. "I didn't have the time," says the college basketball player, denying that the symphony struck a wrong chord. He was fined $150 for bumping loud rap on his Impala’s stereo.
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ANALYSIS
Legislation Republican is criticizing meant to protect kindergartners from pedophiles
McClatchy Newspapers Sep 10, 08 11:49 AM CDT
(Newser)
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John McCain’s new campaign ad accusing Barack Obama of voting to teach kindergarten kids the explicit details of sex, is “deliberately misleading,” Margaret Talev notes for McClatchy. While in the Illinois legislature, Obama voted in favor “age-appropriate” sex ed—which for young kids would primarily consist of being able to recognize inappropriate adult affection.
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Bowling bans, anti-monster ordinances still on books in land of Lincoln
CBS2 Chicago Sep 7, 08 9:21 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Sure, every state has some bizarre laws on the books, but Illinois might take the cake for the oddest. Some highlights from WBBM-TV's compilation of the most perplexing: In Chicago, it is illegal to eat in a burning building. In Eureka, a man with a mustache is prohibited from kissing women. Evanston: No bowling allowed.
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Illinois bill would make typing while crossing street a misdemeanor
Chicago Tribune Jul 29, 08 2:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Though walking and texting is commonplace for many Americas, experts and politicians are considering whether the increased risk of walking into a mailbox—or oncoming traffic—is worth the convenience. A bill to make the practice illegal is working through the Illinois legislature, the Chicago Tribune reports, with advocates citing a growing number of injuries—and deaths—associated with ped-texting.
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Appearance in campaign ad costly for Ill. senate colleague
Politico Jul 18, 08 1:25 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Kirk Dillard is a lot like many Obama supporters. He came to respect and admire Obama, and he appeared in an early primary ad saying so. But the Illinois legislator also happens to be a Republican—and a delegate for John McCain. Now that Obama is the nominee, Dillard’s GOP colleagues have gotten hostile, Politico reports.
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Locals suspicious of religious conversion
Chicago Tribune Jul 18, 08 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser)
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An Illinois man has declared his home a church, knocking $80K off his property taxes in the bargain, the Chicago Tribune reports. George Michael says he got an online pastor's degree and transformed his $3 million lakefront estate into a house of worship so his disabled wife and daughter could attend Armenian services without traveling. But many locals are angered over the loss of tax revenue, and not convinced of the, shall we say, purity of his religious motives.
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Conglomerate to merge operations from Denver, Milwaukee
Chicago Tribune Jul 16, 08 2:25 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Chicago will be home to the new corporate headquarters of beer conglomerate MillerCoors, the Tribune reports. The Windy City edged out Dallas to serve as a neutral location for the nerve center of Denver-based Molson Coors and Milwaukee-based Miller. Chicago attracted MillerCoors because it has "access to an attractive base of talent, transportation and business resources," company president Tom Long said.
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ANALYSIS
Poker pegs Obama as deep thinker; McCain's flash evident in craps
Time Jul 3, 08 1:16 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The presidential contenders are both gambling men, and long ago picked poisons—flashy craps for McCain, backroom poker for Obama—that reflect strikingly different competitive natures. McCain, whom aides recently had to drag from the tables, loves the “thrill seeker’s” game, Time notes: He heartily plays for thousands at a time—fitting what one ex-aide called a passion to “take a chance, play against the odds.”
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Nicholas Sheley recognized in a bar
Associated Press Jul 2, 08 9:04 AM CDT
(Newser)
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An exhaustive, two-state manhunt for an ex-convict suspected in eight grisly slayings ended with the man quietly arrested last night outside a bar known as a police hangout. Police knew from a number of witness reports that Nicholas T. Sheley, 28, was in the area, said the police chief in the St. Louis suburb of Festus, Mo. "He was desperate and he gave up without a fight. He's had a rough two days."
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