By Marni Pyke Of the Daily Herald Trains brought Abraham Lincoln’s body home to Illinois, transported southern blacks escaping Jim Crow laws to Chicago, and now carry a labor force […]

By Justin Conn Of the Decatur Herald & Review A.E. “Gene” Staley’s successful corn manufacturing company in Decatur was already producing starch, glucose, sugar and syrup in 1919 when it […]

By George Eaton In summer 1814, skirmishes between the United States and British-backed warriors under the leadership of Black Hawk flared up and down river from Rock Island. Since 1803 […]

By Phil Luciano Of the Journal Star She lost her own family, so she adopted a new one, a huge one, lifting up the cause of labor while rising to […]

By Chuck Sweeny Of the Rockford Register Star First, let’s get his name straight. It was Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak. In English, he was Black Hawk, war chief of the Sac and Fox […]

By Sam Wheeler Today, Aug. 26, the Illinois Bicentennial Commission is sponsoring special events throughout the state to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Illinois’s first constitution. Motorcycle enthusiasts, for instance, […]

By Chuck Sweeny Rockford Register Star Many Illinoisans don’t realize it, but our state is a center of aerospace and aviation technology. Illinois’ aerospace cluster is centered around the northern […]

Editor’s note: This article is a compilation of multiple stories written by former (Springfield) State Journal-Register reporter Pete Sherman for the special section “Outrage: The events and aftermath of the […]

By Steve Tarter Of the Journal Star of Peoria FDR used the radio, JFK scored on TV and Donald Trump espouses on Twitter. But the first president to make effective […]

  Illinois Bicentennial Officials and Commissioners announced on Aug. 2 the preliminary details of Illinois’ 200th birthday celebration to be held at the United Center on Dec. 3, 2018. The event […]