Election 2008: What’s At Stake?

Oil isn’t America’s only black gold. And with the emerald glow as every candidate claims to be greener than the next, the jury is still out on the long-term future of the country’s most prevalent fossil fuel: coal.
In coal-producing Illinois, coal’s role in the environment and economy promises to play a critical role. A prototype [...]

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Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, whose department includes Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, announced last week that the government would begin mailing “no match” letters to employers suspected of hiring illegal immigrants. These letters would notify employers that some of their employees were using Social Security numbers that did not match names in the Social [...]

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By Lauren Williamson, Medill
Galena, IL–My goal tonight was to not throw up. I have what is probably an inordinate anxiety about food poisoning, which has been exacerbated by this summer’s heavily documented outbreak of salmonella and always intensifies when I need to choose a restaurant in an unfamiliar place.
As I took one wet step after [...]

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(Photos by Lauren Williamson)
A small, hand-painted sign along the side of IL-78 points the way to Nora, Ill.
By Lauren Williamson, Medill
“Go up the road that way, then turn this way when you get to the grocery store, and once you make it around the corner, you’ll go between the pickup truck and the bushes. And [...]

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