The Gates family of Flint, Mich., has countless memories from Cornerstone Music Festival, as they've attended several times over the past decade. But they always get a laugh when telling of the time cows nearly trampled their tent. The Gates family was among thousands who turned out for a weekend of music and Christian camaraderie at the 26th annual Cornerstone Music Festival, which kicked off Monday. Organizers expect between 15,000 to 17,000 to show up through Saturday.

If you’re traveling during the July 4 weekend, chances are you’ll find a lot of bargains. Most travel costs are down from a year ago, some significantly.

The nation’s farmers planted the second-largest corn acreage in more than 60 years this spring and set a record for soybean acreage, based on a federal report that took both forecasters and commodity markets by surprise on Tuesday.

The two rock walls tower 40 feet above the forest floor, daring those in the small clearing below to leave the ground and climb. But the climbers aren't on their own, and that's the point. The course is the new High Elements rope course at Camp Kearney, a free summer camp for disadvantaged kids.

"IDK. My BFF Jill?" may have made for a cute Cingular/AT&T commercial. But in the business world, it leaves some employers wondering if you’re right for the job. In an economy where finding a job is tough, teens may be hurting their chances of getting hired this summer even more by using “text speak” on employment applications.

Along with a range of heavy-duty machines, Caterpillar Inc. also has been busy rolling out a line of simulators that allow one to experience what it's like to operate a motor grader or excavator. The Morton company that's handling the building, marketing and distribution of these simulators is Simformotion, a division of CSE Software.

Beef isn't just what's for dinner. In Illinois, it's about jobs and business. The Washington, D.C.-based American Meat Institute recently released an economical impact study of the nation's meat and poultry industry, noting that the industry contributes $830 billion to the U.S. economy. The total economic output of Illinois' meat industry was third in the country.

Kristy Moore is a resident of Heyworth, just south of Bloomington, who travels the country spreading the word about ethanol - behind the scenes, that is. As director of technical services for the Washington, D.C.-based Renewable Fuels Association, Moore works to make sure ethanol meets exacting specifications as larger quantities of the renewable fuel reach out to new U.S. markets.

Springfield’s two downtown hospitals — which actively compete for patients and the favor of doctors — both have acquired the newest version of a robotic surgical system that hospital officials say will help physicians provide better experiences for patients. Springfield doctors say the da Vinci Surgical Systems now in place at St. John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical Center will lead to benefits such as shorter hospital stays, faster recoveries and less pain after surgery.

The sanctuary, decorated with blue and green ribbons, was filled with family and friends. Tables and chairs were set up in the church basement for the reception and cupcakes, cookies, sodas and three kinds of potato chips awaited the invited guests. The tuxedoed groom stood at the altar, next to the preacher. "The Wedding March" was cued and ready to go. One final detail remained before the ceremony could begin: Somebody needed to tell the bride it was her wedding day.

With vastly smaller deposit reserves, few credit unions invested heavily in higher-risk mortgages or mortgage-backed securities. But that doesn’t mean the economic blowout that has shaken the banking community to its core is not hurting the nonprofit credit union industry. Bad debt is rising for the vast majority of credit unions.

Railroad washouts are common. Accidents because of them aren’t. In the past 10 years, 64 accidents have been caused by washouts and 19 by floods — of nearly 10,000 — on the nation’s mainline rails, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. That’s because railroads are required to take specific safety measures during bad weather, experts say.

When Don Brewer looks back on his life with Grand Funk Railroad, he sees 40 years of incredible highs - and plenty of lows, too. But right now, Brewer says, he's somewhere in the middle.

When consumers toss unused household chemicals and other hazardous items into the garbage, they wind up in municipal landfills, which often are not equipped to handle this kind of waste. But keeping cleaning solutions, insecticides and other items around the house has its dangers. Many household cleaning products, pest-control chemicals and lawn-care chemicals can be replaced with more natural, less toxic methods.

The more popular ethanol has become, the more it rides the nation’s rails. An estimated 70 percent of ethanol produced in the U.S. is delivered by railroad, said Kristy Moore, technical director of the Renewable Fuels Association.