Ladybugs are seen on cars in Chatham, Ill., Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. Around much of the country,legions of Asian lady beetles are making their seasonal appearance.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 Photo: /REUTERS A farmer piles up corn in front of her house in Changzhi, China.

First-year Ben Parks celebrates with nine friends at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Sept.

When Shane Reynolds, Chatham, Ill., freshman, returns from a weekend trip to New York City, he will have a special something to display in his dorm room.

On the curving wall behind Abraham Lincoln's marble sarcophagus are the words attributed to Secretary of War Edward Stanton: 'Now he belongs to the ages.' Poet and critic Helen Vendler has observed that an epitaph is a form of lyric that must, among other traits, "assert a final judgment." Ah, but whose? Composing the words to adorn one's ...

Ben Parks and the rest of the 'Nerds in Disguise' hope to win a Moonman Award at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

The annual Capital City Century event, Sept. 13 this year, is expected to attract 600 riders.

University of Kansas freshman Shane Reynolds of Chatham, Ill., is vying for a chance to walk the red carpet at the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards.

Former University of Nevada All-American diver Candice Minette earned a pair of top five finishes at the AT&T National Diving Championships over the weekend.

Second annual Hardee's 'Making It Happen' tour kicks off in five Midwest and Southern states; Hardee's adds more tour stops and will award more than $25,000 to local charities, individuals.

Lost to the ages were the names of the very poor until Carolyn Cooper of Chatham, Ill., decided to research her family tree.

Second annual Hardee's 'Making It Happen' tour kicks off in five Midwest and Southern states; Hardee's adds more tour stops and will award more than $25,000 to local charities, individuals.

Question: My 21-year-old daughter makes $80,000 a year working at a large firm. She has very low expenses, so I'd like to see her sock away a huge amount of money.

Pay poor tax of $15. The directive no longer applies solely to Monopoly players - it's also happening to Illinois' unemployed workers.

The dog days have arrived in Chatham. The village board of the central Illinois community has taken up problem dog leavings, and the town's police are targeting an errant bulldog.

I received an e-mail last week from Jacob Shane, better known to central Illinois music fans as Jake Shane, the young blues picker who represented the Illinois Central Blues Club at the 2007 International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

Bud Light and WTAX want to give you the Ultimate All-Star Giveaway that includes the trip of a lifetime to the MLB All-Star Game, Home Run Derby and more in St.

Bud Light and WTAX want to give you the Ultimate All-Star Giveaway that includes the trip of a lifetime to the MLB All-Star Game, Home Run Derby and more in St.

Two-dozen activists parked Segways in the back of the courtroom where U.S. District Judge George Presnell is considering whether to approve the settlement between Disney and three visitors who were prohibited from bringing the vehicles into the theme parks.

If ever there was any doubt that during the past few years, Indian American kids have come to virtually own the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee competition, it was erased with a vengeance on Thursday morning when of the 11 championship finalists, seven or more than 60 percent were Indian Americans, belonging to a minority population that is ...