John Biemer

Mounds from a once-grand industry jut out from the low-lying cornfields in what old-timers call "bony piles." They are the remnants of 64 coal mines that thrived in 1890 in...

When House Speaker Dennis Hastert made a quick shopping trip last week to the sprawling Westfield Fox Valley mall in Aurora, he remembered the place when it was only farmland....

Before you say "I do"--or better yet, before you even go on that first date--you might consider sitting in on the latest program offered by the University of Illinois Extension:...

For the last nine days, Mike Beary has seen only glimpses of his family. He's running on junk food, has neglected his landscaping business and has been unable to string...

For the decade prior to joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency, , Director Michael Brown was commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association, a Colorado-based group that organizes breeders and...

Motorists across the Chicago area were stunned Wednesday as gasoline prices soared past the $3-a-gallon mark as the ripple effect of Hurricane Katrina, which crippled most of the Gulf of...

If Illinois farmers suffering through a historic drought were counting on higher commodity prices to help bail them out, those dreams all but dried up on Friday. Corn prices fell...

Chicago and DuPage County officials are applauding the inclusion of $140 million for western access to O'Hare International Airport in a recently passed federal transportation bill, but they still need...

Farmer Bob Bleuer stood last week on dry, cracked ground amid cornstalks never likely to bear kernels, fingering tassels on plants as high as his chest. "It should all be...

Concerned about crops failing from drought, Kane and Will County leaders Tuesday issued local disaster declarations, while regional officials warned of heightened fire risks from arid conditions. Will County Executive...