Depot renovations uncover historic artwork
MATTOON — As work progresses on the Illinois Central Railroad Depot restoration, a long-hidden piece of art is again facing the light of day.

Man dies after collision with dump truck
MARSHALL -- A collision between a passenger car and a dump truck resulted in the death of the car’s driver late Friday morning on U.S. Route 40 in Marshall.

New Coles 911 director hired
CHARLESTON - Roland "Bernie" Buttram has been hired as the new director of Coles County's 911 system and will start the job on Thursdsay.

Judge denies former Charleston real estate broker's request to withdraw guilty plea
URBANA - A federal judge has denied the request from former Charleston real estate broker Robert "Bear" Taylor to withdraw his guilty plea to fraud charges.

Prairie plot in bloom at Douglas-Hart
MATTOON — The prairie plantings around Douglas-Hart Nature Center’s new parking lot are in bloom with vibrant purple and yellow wild flowers.

Cellmate: Man accused in death of boy, 2, said he 'did everybody a favor'
CHARLESTON — A jail cellmate of a man accused of causing the injuries that killed a 2-year-old boy claimed the man said he “did everybody a favor.”

Funding rally for Beacon is Saturday
SULLIVAN — An event Saturday will show how the state’s budget problems could hurt a Moultrie County agency that works with developmentally disabled adults, organizers say.

Four more winners named in Healthy Kids program
A week of healthy habits has paid off for some participants in the Healthy Kids 5-2-1 summer program.

ICC approves oil pipeline through Shelby County
SPRINGFIELD (AP) — A Canadian company’s quest to build a 170-mile oil pipeline underground through Illinois’ midsection, including Shelby County, has won the approval of state regulators.

Illinois regulators sign off on planned pipeline
SPRINGFIELD (AP) — A Canadian company’s quest to build a 170-mile oil pipeline underground through Illinois’ midsection, including Shelby County, has won the approval of state regulators.

Quinn talks over budget issues with women lawmakers
CHICAGO (AP) — Gov. Pat Quinn said Thursday he would outline about $1 billion in cuts to state government operations next week as he continued talking with lawmakers about passing a balanced state budget.

Governor to sign construction bill
SPRINGFIELD — In what could be a sign that a short-term budget deal is in the offing, Gov. Pat Quinn plans to sign a long-awaited statewide construction program into law Monday.

AP sources: Burris won't run for full Senate term
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Roland Burris, whose deep ties to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich seemed to doom his Senate tenure from the start, will not run for a full Senate term in 2010. The move increases Democrats’ chances of holding on to the former Senate seat of President Barack Obama.

Rural buildings to get federal stimulus help
CHICAGO (AP) — Several small communities in Illinois are among those nationwide slated to receive a slice of $66 million in federal stimulus money set aside to upgrade community centers and other public buildings in rural areas.

Nationwide roundup nets more than 35,000 fugitives
CHICAGO (AP) — Police searching for fugitive sex offenders, violent criminals and gang members made more than 35,000 arrests nationwide during an annual monthlong crackdown — the most in the roundup’s 5-year history and nearly double the number from last year — authorities announced Thursday.

4 Ill. cemetery
workers accused
in grisly plot
ALSIP (AP) — Three gravediggers and a cemetery manager unearthed hundreds of corpses from a historic black cemetery south of Chicago, dumping some in a weeded area and double-stacking others in existing graves, in an elaborate scheme to resell the plots, authorities said Thursday. All four were charged with felonies.

Is this cyber war? Possible US responses limited
WASHINGTON (AP) — A lot of people are saying this is cyber war. But if the Internet attack on U.S. Web sites was an assault by North Korea or some other foreign government, what good responses are in America’s arsenal?

GM sale cleared; path opens to exit Chapter 11
DETROIT (AP) — The path is now clear for General Motors Corp. to leave bankruptcy protection in record time as a leaner company that is better equipped to compete in a brutal global auto market.

Experts work to untangle US, Korea cyber attack
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. authorities trying to unravel the widespread cyber attacks against government Web sites in the United States and South Korea this week are facing a lengthy, complex investigation that may never identify a culprit, at least not one they would be willing to reveal.