Herald & Review

Decatur council faces property tax discussion

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:00:00 GMT

The Decatur City Council is expected to act on a plan from City Manager Ryan McCrady to fund employee pensions and other obligations without raising the city's property tax rate.

H&R Pet of the Week joining police force

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Sharee, one of the recent Herald & Review's Pet of the Week stars, posed nicely for the camera as her photograph was taken by Irene Peterson of the Humane Society of Decatur and Macon County.

Two accused of stealing Salvation Army kettle

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:00 GMT

CARBONDALE (AP) - Two women are accused of stealing a Salvation Army donation kettle from outside a southern Illinois Walmart.

Bailout program projected costs reduced

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration plans to cut its estimate of the projected costs of the government bailout program by more than $200 billion and is looking at using part of the savings to f

Whitey Herzog elected to baseball Hall of Fame

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:25:00 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey are the newest members of baseball's Hall of Fame.

Decatur a key spot for state political candidates

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:20:00 GMT

Decatur has been a campaign stop for many campaigning for statewide office in 2010, but the reasons why depend on which side of the aisle you're on.

Administration releases new H1N1 ads

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) - Pushing Americans to receive swine flu vaccinations, the Obama administration today released a new slate of television and radio ads to counter an illness that already has infected m

Workshop on openness is closed to the public

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is conducting a workshop on government openness for federal employees behind closed doors today, a private training session for freedom-of-information offici

Work to cure landmark's 'cancer'

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Ninety-four years is a long time to wait for a face lift.

Crash course: Cerro Gordo High School students hope displays make point hit home

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

CERRO GORDO - Draped over the windshield of a child-size Jeep and covered with fake blood, Dillon Keller was the "driver" in a distracted-driving fatality display at Cerro Gordo High School

Decatur women reunited after break of more than 50 years

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - What Abraham Lincoln called the "mystic chords of memory" don't always play in tune.

County building reshuffling set

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - The south half of the fourth floor of the Macon County Office Building, vacant for several months after the departure of Decatur Township offices, soon will have new occupants.

Decatur arts center draws holiday shoppers

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - The fine art of Christmas shopping gets a lot more interesting when it's art that's on sale.

Council to decide on spending proposal: Plan could avoid 15% tax hike

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - The Decatur City Council is scheduled to vote on whether to accept a plan that keeps the city's portion of the property tax rate flat by cutting into public library funds, raising the price

Ron Ingram, longtime reporter, dies: Newsman killed in carbon monoxide accident at home

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Ron Ingram, a familiar name to generations of Herald & Review readers, died early Sunday morning from complications of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by an accident in his home.

Opinion splits along gender lines over bathroom decency

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:00:00 GMT

Dear Abby: I'm writing about the letter you printed from "Right or Wrong in Wisconsin" (Nov. 9). My co-workers and I had a field day with the issue of the father shaving while his 12-year-ol

This year, why not put a few books under the tree?

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Hyper young Santa waiters, spinning dreidels and the special sounds of Kwanzaa await parents looking to freshen the holidays with new books for their kids this year.

Booked for Christmas

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Hyper young Santa waiters, spinning dreidels and the special sounds of Kwanzaa await parents looking to freshen the holidays with new books for their kids this year.

Longtime reporter Ron Ingram dies at age 62

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:30:00 GMT

DECATUR - Ron Ingram, a familiar name to thousands of Herald & Review readers, did early Sunday morning from complications of carbon monoxide poisoning. Ingram, 62, had been a reporter at the

Lieutenant governor's job attracts bevy of candidates following Quinn's rise to governor

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD - With former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's ouster last year, current Gov. Pat Quinn went from a lieutenant governor with a handful of low-profile duties to leader of the fifth most populous stat

Mahomet Valley Water Authority hires legal help to oppose chemical waste in Clinton Landfill

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

CLINTON - The Mahomet Valley Water Authority has hired a Chicago law firm to oppose Peoria Disposal Co.'s efforts to win federal permission to store chemical waste at the Clinton Landfill.

AIDS Day event puts emphasis on education

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Marking World AIDS Day, the one day a year set aside to recognize the global HIV/AIDS crisis, a few area residents with close personal connections to the disease recently sought to encourage

Young Park Singers bring Christmas cheer to seniors

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Bell ringer William Cole took it in stride when 10 teenagers jumped out of a van and ran toward his kettle.

One year after Blagojevich arrest, little has changed in state government

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD - Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest on federal corruption charges.

New Vision Church hosts holiday shopping event for students

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Trisha Burries has been unemployed the past year and also had cervical cancer.

Decatur housing market shows gains in price, sell time

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - The overall housing market in the Decatur area resembles the way Winston Churchill once described the democratic political system: the worst available, except for all the others.

Plants can add to holiday decor

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:00:00 GMT

Most trees have now shed their leaves except for some of the oaks and pears, which still give us some good fall color. Lawns are still green, but don't expect that to last much longer, as colder tempe

Orchids become easy to grow, affordable

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - An unlikely international superstar is emerging in full bloom, offering a newly affordable home luxury in an era of tight money.

Little testers put toys, games through their paces

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - No matter what we tell ourselves about slowing down to enjoy the family and fellowship of the season, the pressure of the holidays has a tendency to creep in. Whether it's the slim chance of

Toy experts have their say

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Eric D. Mayhew sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to rape, marijuana possession

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Eric D. Mayhew, 26, was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison on his guilty plea to raping a 16-year-old girl and six years on his guilty plea to possession of 1.3 grams of cocaine wit

Michigan man pleads guilty to cocaine possession, sentenced to 16 years in prison

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - A 33-year-old Michigan man, who may be in this country illegally, was sentenced to 16 years in prison Thursday after entering a guilty plea to possessing 553.8 grams of cocaine with intent t

Fun adds up at Mount Zion Probability Fair

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

MOUNT ZION - When Vickie Marshall first thought of the idea of the Probability Fair, she went to McGaughey School's then-Principal Nancy Cooper.

Court clerk Sue Hale retires after 30 years

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Perhaps only longtime court clerk Sue Hale could get away with sitting in Associate Macon County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Little's seat in the courtroom.

ADM gets $24.8 million to build biofuel plant in Decatur

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - The U.S. Department of Energy announced plans Friday to help Archer Daniels Midland Co. develop and construct a nearly $36 million facility in Decatur that will convert biomass into renewabl

All the trimmings: Shops abound with decorating goodies

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Jamie Lugari was pushing her shopping cart down the aisles of Menards, filling it with decorative items. She got a couple of ice tree sculptures to put in her front yard and a small lighted

McCrady offers plan to avert tax increase, including job cuts

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - City Manager Ryan McCrady announced Friday he will present the Decatur City Council with a plan to fund employee pensions and other obligations without raising the city's property tax rate.

Herald & Review Web site offers link to soldiers' greetings from overseas

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Donna Johnson of Mount Zion was channel surfing on television, looking to find information about the weather when she heard a voice that made her stop.

Former Decatur teacher Scott M. Brown sentenced to four years in prison for child porn

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Former Decatur School District teacher and coach Scott M. Brown has led an exemplary life, a federal judge said Friday, but that did not dissuade him from sentencing Brown to four years in p

Brent Vest pleads guilty to murdering wife; sentencing hearing Feb. 1

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - Brent A. Vest, 31, of Decatur pleaded guilty Friday to one count of first-degree murder in the Nov. 18, 2008, bludgeoning and stabbing death of his 29-year-old wife, Christina M. Vest.

Angels in the nursery

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:00:00 GMT

This time of year, we are assailed by images of the holidays. Reindeer adorn the bakery. Christmas lights drip over the gas station cash register. Our bills come stamped with a jolly Santa: "Plea

Banquet experience offers food for thought

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

There was not a dry eye in the sanctuary after Tara Read shared her revelation on the last night of the Great Banquet at Lampstand Presbyterian Church.

Volunteers help put the 'great' in the Great Banquet

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - The last of this year's Great Banquets concluded two weeks ago.

Decorating for the Christmas season can be done cheaply and safely

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - A dizzying array of Christmas decorations are available in stores this year, with items to match all budgets.

No other carp bodies found in Illinois fish kill

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:00:00 GMT

LOCKPORT - The tally's still one dead Asian carp.

Great Banquets assist attendees' spiritual journeys

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - The last of this year's Great Banquets concluded two weeks ago.

Water Authority opposes plan to store chemical waste in Clinton Landfill

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:00:00 GMT

CLINTON - The Mahomet Valley Water Authority has hired a Chicago law firm to oppose Peoria Disposal Co.'s efforts to win federal permission to store chemical waste at Clinton Landfill.

Christmas decorations' popularity outstrips economics

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Jamie Lugari was pushing her shopping cart along the aisles of Menards and filling it with items. She got a couple of ice tree sculptures to put in her front yard and small lighted tree to sit out on

Let it shine, for less

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - A dizzying array of Christmas decorations are available in stores this year, with items to match all budgets.

City manager presents plan to keep Decatur tax rate steady

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:00:00 GMT

DECATUR - City Manager Ryan McCrady announced Friday he will present the city council with a plan to fund employee pensions and other obligations without raising the city's property tax rate.