Land O' Lincoln

Stories

16 Stories

November 2008
- Politicos Jockey for Obama's Senate Seat
  
  Time | Nov 5, 08 10:42 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - 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. More »
July 2008
- Obama Found His Identity in Chicago's Gritty South Side
  
  New York Times | Jul 7, 08 7:16 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Between graduating college and starting Harvard Law School, Barack Obama spent three years working as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side. As he learned how to rally and mobilize people to progressive causes, he also developed a greater understanding of his identity as an African American. The New York Times examines that formative period in the candidate's life. More »
May 2008
- 10 Score Later, America Still Loves Lincoln
  
  Newsweek | May 19, 08 4:36 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Honest Abe may be gone, but an industry of books, debates, and a Spielberg biopic are all alive and well. With Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial coming next year, all three White House hopefuls have invoked his name, and the US Mint is issuing pennies to honor states where he lived. "He changed America's views through his verbiage and thoughts," one expert said. More »
March 2008
- Dem Physicist Nails House Seat in Ill. GOP Stronghold
  
  Chicago Tribune | Mar 9, 08 7:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Little-known Democratic physicist Bill Foster beat Illinois Republican Jim Oberweis yesterday in a special election to fill Dennis Hastert's vacated seat in Congress. The Democrat's victory in the GOP suburban stronghold west of Chicago may herald more trouble for Republicans during fall elections, writes the Chicago Tribune. "Voters are ready for a change. They want new leadership in Washington," said Senator Dick Durbin. More »
February 2008
- Pumas Prowl Midwest
  
  Chicago Tribune | Feb 22, 08 7:42 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Pumas, normally prowlers of the Rocky Mountains, are slowly pushing east, ecologists say, which has led to a rash of sightings throughout the Midwest. Wisconsin just had its first confirmed puma sighting in over a century, and since 1990 the big cats have cropped up in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, the Chicago Tribune reports. More »
- College Shooter Kills 5, Self
  
  Chicago Tribune | Feb 14, 08 6:06 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A gunman opened fire in a packed lecture hall at Northern Illinois University today, killing five students before fatally shooting himself, the Chicago Tribune reports. Another 16 people were wounded. Witnesses say the gunman, clad in black, entered the lecture hall without speaking and opened fire. He had a shotgun and two handguns. Police identified him only as a former grad student with no apparent criminal history. More »
- Illinois Win for Obama, McCain
  
  MSNBC | Feb 5, 08 7:09 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Barack Obama is the projected winner in his home state of Illinois. John McCain won the GOP race in the Land of Lincoln. Obama was widely expected to take Illinois by a big margin, MSNBC reports. The state awards 153 Democratic delegates proportionally and 57 Republican delegates in a winner-take-all model, the BBC adds. More »
January 2008
- Elmer Fudd, Have You Tried the Raccoon?
  
  Chicago Tribune | Jan 19, 08 2:54 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Sweet raccoon meat is in vogue in the nation’s heartland, where the masked critters have been selling as fast as some hunters can snag them, the Chicago Tribune says. One Illinois dealer says he’s sold about 2,500 to more than 50 customers in the last 10 weeks. “You have to overcome certain inhibitions,” said one racoon-eater. “But when it’s prepared right, raccoon is really good.” More »
- 'Amazing Kreskin' Offers Help in Peterson Case
  
  Chicago Tribune | Jan 3, 08 9:13 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The man who bills himself as "The Amazing Kreskin" has offered to use his psychic powers to help police find missing Illinois mom Stacy Peterson, the Chicago Tribune reports. The celebrity mentalist said it doesn't take a psychic to know the case needs a breakthrough. Peterson vanished two months ago and her ex-cop husband is suspected of killing her. More »
- Mahony Griffin: Unsung Genius
  
  New York Times | Jan 1, 08 9:38 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - You may never have heard of her, but you have seen her work. Marion Mahony Griffin illustrated much of Frank Lloyd Wright's early work. She also illustrated the work of Walter Burley Griffin, her architect husband. She may have been one of America's greatest architects in her own right, the New York Times reports, overlooked because of her self-effacing nature and the tendency of scholars to pursue "great men" theories of history. More »
December 2007
- Let Retired Chief Illiniwek Rest in Peace
  
  Chicago Tribune | Dec 27, 07 4:20 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The NCAA leaned on the University of Illinois to replace its "hostile and abusive" Native American mascot, Chief Illiniwek, back in February, and the Chief no longer dances on the Illini's fields and courts. But his story is far from over, writes Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune. Chief support groups linger, and some have serious agendas. More »
- Ill. Bans Natural Hallucinogen
  
  Chicago Tribune | Dec 26, 07 10:21 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - An impending ban on a hallucinogenic plant used in religious ceremonies by Mazatec Indians in Mexico has defenders of the herb objecting to the fact that it's about to be illegal in Illinois. Possessing salvia divinorum will be a felony beginning Tuesday. Defenders of the herb insist it offers beneficial effects, such as stress relief and spiritual awakening. More »
November 2007
- Henry Hyde Dies at 83
  
  Chicago Tribune | Nov 29, 07 8:59 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Henry Hyde, the former Illinois congressman who was a powerful conservative voice in the capital for decades, died today at 83. As the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Hyde took the lead in the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton. He was a vocal foe of abortion, sponsoring what came to be known as the Hyde Amendment, which cut off federal funding for the procedure. More »
- Rare Disorder May Have Afflicted Lincoln
  
  Washington Post | Nov 26, 07 2:20 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Abraham Lincoln may have been the first known victim of an exceedingly rare genetic disorder, and the 16th President was probably dying of cancer when he was assassinated, an expert says. The cancer-causing syndrome would account for his height, bumpy lips, and other conditions—but corroborating the theory with DNA testing is another story, the Washington Post reports. More »
June 2007
- $100 Million Here, $100 Million There...
  
  Chicago Tribune | Jun 2, 07 6:38 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - And, as Illinois' late Senator Everett Dirksen once said, you are talking about real money. Tom Siebel, University of Illinois graduate and founder of Siebel Systems, a customer management relationship software firm, pledged $100 million in his will to the U of I. More »
April 2003
- Banning Lincoln?
  
  wifr.com | Apr 9, 03
  
  The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority may ban motorists from using pennies.Executive Director Jack Hartman has ordered a study on discontinuing the practice of accepting the coin that bears the image of the 16th president and favorite Illinois son, Abraham Lincoln.