If youthful enthusiasm, hard work and the support of family and friends is what it takes to run a business, then the next incarnation of Leaves & Beans Roasting Co. should be a whopping success.

With the kick-back-and-stay-awhile feel of a coffee shop, a new McDonald’s restaurant that opened Wednesday in Springfield is the first in town to show off the company’s prototype building design that features clean lines and neutral colors, brought out through the use of stone, wood and glass.

It might seem odd to find a drawer marked for aprons in the kitchen of the area's premier agricultural research laboratory.

Cindy Genrich was far too young when she lost her mom. Just in her mid-30s, a young mother herself, Genrich was heartbroken to see her mother die of lung cancer at age 56. To mask the effects of chemotherapy, her mother wore a wig that simply didn’t pass for real hair. That prompted Genrich, a hairdresser, into action.

Reactions to state parks and historic site closures were not necessarily surprising. And mincing words was not on State Sen. Tim Bivins’ (R-Dixon) agenda.

Rockford resident Gene Fedeli longed as a child to see elaborately decorated presents under his family’s Christmas tree. Fedeli said his Italian-born parents were not raised with the tradition of wrapping gifts.

For some Galesburg-area children, Christmas — and Santa Claus — came early this year. At the Galesburg Noon Lions Club's annual Christmas party Monday night, children of Lions Club members and special needs children from throughout the community were invited to celebrate the holiday at First Presbyterian Church.

With isolated exceptions, Illinois farmers brought in corn and soybean crops well ahead of the first snow. Now they can spend the coming winter watching prices.

Forget about the stock market; it's the goat market that has promise these days.

Making a good name for yourself is tough, but it’s even harder when your reputation is tainted by an association with a company in trouble.

With a rising unemployment rate and families, in general, buried in more debt than ever and new credit harder to come by, few retail experts are predicting a booming holiday shopping season. But the tough economic times could help revive a once-popular shopping option that appeared to be on its way to distinction: layaway.

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.