Scott Loftus has one of the biggest animated light displays in central Illinois, and it’s all in his own yard. With about 100,000 lights, the animated display in Sherman is set up so the lights blink in time with a 43-minute, nine-song loop that is synchronized through a computer program.

Marti Boyle can't really pick a favorite ornament or Santa. She tries, but after four decades of collecting, you can imagine the difficulty in settling on just one.

"Christ” is in the word “Christmas” for a reason, Albert Eck says. And in the spirit of emphasizing the meaning behind the celebration of His birth, Eck and his wife, Nancy, have collected nativity sets.

Rock Valley College’s expanded physical education center won’t look particularly green when it opens next year. But if you look closely, you’ll see native vegetation around the site. You’ll see parking spots reserved for energy-efficient vehicles. If you use the showers, you’ll notice the lower flow. And then there will be the things not discernable to the naked eye.

Lower steel prices because of decreased demand are hurting steel producers, but projects in the early stages of construction may save some cash thanks to the cheaper material costs.

Are you one of those people who can't leave work at the office? The laptop's always on your lap and your thumbs always gliding across the Blackberry so you can deal with your job even when you're supposed to be off-duty?

When Juli Shipman looks out the front window of her rural Hillsboro home, she sees a retirement fund and a way to pay for college for her three children. She never envisioned her future would be tied to four-legged animals named Cocopuff and Skippy.

John and Linda Underwood have seen poverty close-up in the 10 years they’ve provided free medical clinics in Haiti.

Edward Fitzpatrick, vice president of retail operations for Fannie May, said the company is opening 11 Midwestern stores this year. The new locations include Springfield and Bloomington-Normal.

The newly opened Talecris Plasma Donor Center has seen more than 800 donors since opening its doors last month, and officials expect traffic to remain steady during the holiday season.

For retailers, a foundering economy can mean trouble — when fewer people are working and consumers are reluctant to spend, stores keep a close eye on their inventory.

Unlike the bleary-eyed salespeople who will man the big-box retailers Black Friday, owners and employees of independent stores plan to be well-rested and ready for the rush of holiday shoppers.

Drive, baby, drive. Time to leave the hybrid at home and fire up the HEMI-powered gas-guzzler for the trip to grandma's house this holiday weekend?

Short sell is the latest buzzword for selling a home for less than what is owed the lender. “It’s an option for people who are trying to avoid foreclosure but can’t stay in a home,” said Bob Campbell, executive director of the Rockford Area Affordable Housing Coalition. “If they don’t have any equity built up in the house and they’ve suffered a job loss, divorce ... it gives them an option to move on without a foreclosure on their credit report.”

Exactly one year after launching the Storyteller's Blends of coffee, Lori McCombs, owners of Leaves & Beans Roasting Co., is calling it quits.