Rich Egger

The West Central Illinois Arts Center in Macomb is trying something a little different. Instead of asking artists to display works, it asked collectors to share a favorite piece.

The show, which opens Friday, June 22, is called “A Few Of Our Favorite Things.” An opening reception will be held 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm on June 22.  The reception is free and open to the public.

Artist Fred Jones, who helped put together the show, said those who contributed pieces were also asked to write a short blurb about the art work.

Rich Egger's guests are author and historian John Hallwas and former Macomb Mayor Bob Anstine. They talk about the city's annual Heritage Days celebration, which takes place Thursday, June 21 - Sunday, June 24.

Heritage Days began during Anstine's administration. He thinks the first one was held in 1981.

“We were looking for an annual activity. We came up with this concept - the city city council, the Chamber of Commerce, and others - and that's when it started,” Anstine said.

There are plenty of streets in need of repair in Macomb and the city council is now looking at options to pay for the work.

Aldermen this week discussed whether to issue bonds.  Sixth Ward Alderman Tim Lobdell said he's debated the idea for a while and now believes it's the city's best solution.

“I hope we see the long-term value in this. You're talking capital projects. They're going to be used in the future. Those people should be paying the interest debt on them in the future as well,” Lobdell said.

A judge in Illinois said electronic messages between city representatives sent during an open meeting should be public record.

The matter went to court when city of Champaign denied a newspaper's request for electronic communications among city council members sent during the board's meetings.

The judge sided with the Champaign News-Gazette, saying the records are public even if they were sent on personal phones and e-mail accounts.

There has been talk about relocating the Police Training Institute to Western Illinois University but it appears those plans have stalled.

The facility would have replaced one in Urbana. The University of Illinois was preparing to close it June 30 because of the operational costs, which it shares with the state.

The U of I questioned the expense of more than $600,000 a year on something that isn't part of the school's academic mission or geared toward students.

The panelists talk about the past, present, and future of investigative journalism.

The starting point is the Watergate investigation.  Sunday, June 17, marks the 40th anniversary of the break-in at the Watergate Hotel, which started an investigation that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. He is the only American president to resign from office.

A series of meetings with farmers will be held to explain the role they can play in a proposed new plant that would create biofuel by extracting oil from the seeds of pennycress.

Galesburg's Entrepreneur, Business and Industry Network is collaborating on the project with Pennycress Energy Company, LLC.

EBI Global Strategies Director Gary Camarano said the company is seeking farmers willing to have the cover crop planted on their land.

The state Supreme Court tossed out the lawsuit filed by Illinois Republicans, who challenged the new map of legislative districts.  The decision was issued Thursday, June 7.

The GOP  said Democrats drew the borders so the district territories would benefit Democratic candidates -- in effect, diluting the Republican vote.

State Democrats charged the lawsuit was too little, too late. The GOP waited until just six weeks before the March primary to file it.

Helena Iles Papaioannou, working for the Papers of Abraham Lincoln Project, found the report of the first doctor to treat Lincoln after he was shot at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. in April, 1865.

The paper by Dr. Charles Leale was in records of the Surgeon General in the National Archives in Washington.

The Papers of Abraham Lincoln Project is dedicated to finding and saving all documents written by or about the 16th president during his lifetime.

Director Daniel Stowell said the report is remarkable because it's straightforward and lacks sentimentality.