Henry Louis Gates, famed critic, educator, scholar, writer and editor spoke Thursday night on the life and work of W.E.B. DuBois and how DuBois' life directly affected Gates' own. Gates, who graduated summa cum lade from Yale in 1973, has received Ph.D.'s from Harvard and Cambridge as well as the distinct honor of being named one of Time magazine's 25 most influential people.… Post the First Comment

Think again before spraying to get rid of that smell in the apartment or residence hall. Recently, the National Resources Defense Council conducted a study testing 14 air fresheners off of the shelf at Walgreen's, including those labeled "all-natural" or "unscented.… Post the First Comment

For years, sleep researchers have been telling the general populace that a lack of sleep can be extremely hazardous for your health. But due to a recent study, UK researchers are now reporting that too much sleep at night, as well as too little sleep, could potentially double your risk of death.… 2 Comments

Community members gave their opinions on a redevelopment plan for the Main Street corridor at a series of meetings beginning last November. The main street corridor runs from I-55 in the north to Veterans Parkway in the south. "It is actually a pretty comprehensive plan that covers the entire corridor of about seven miles," Paul Russell, executive director of McLean County Regional Planning Commission, said.… Post the First Comment

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Dozens of city workers remained at site of a landslide Thursday to monitor the area for signs of fresh slippage, even as most of the evacuated residents were being allowed home. Police Sgt. Jim Schorr said about 50 officers were at the slide, which destroyed at least two homes in the upscale La Jolla neighborhood Wednesday and damaged several others.… Post the First Comment

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - A cargo plane crashed in a residential neighborhood near the main airport in Congo's capital on Thursday, plowing into homes and killing at least 19 people, officials said. Several destroyed houses near a market in Kinshasa's Kingasani neighborhood were ablaze, and smoke filled the sky, according to an Associated Press reporter on the scene.… Post the First Comment

CARLETONVILLE, South Africa (AP) - More than 2,000 trapped gold miners in South Africa were rescued in a dramatic all-night operation, and efforts gathered speed Thursday to bring hundreds more to the surface. There were no casualties when a pressurized air pipe snapped at the mine near Johannesburg and tumbled down a shaft Wednesday, causing extensive damage to an elevator and stranding more than 3,000 miners more than a mile underground.… Post the First Comment

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A jury on Thursday began deliberating the case of woman who said she was forced to strip in a McDonald's back office at the behest of a caller posing as a police officer. Louise Ogborn, 21, is suing the fast-food giant, accusing it of failing to warn her and other employees about the hoaxer, who had already struck other McDonald's stores and other fast-food restaurants across the country.… Post the First Comment