Family, friends, and members of the ISU community gathered Wednesday evening to remember the life of David Hirsch, who died last Wednesday after being struck by a train near campus. The event took place on the Quad in front of the Old Main bell with a candlelight vigil held at 5:45 p.… Post the First Comment

The Student Education Association is sponsoring a college affordability rally on Nov. 2 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the activity room at the Bowling and Billiards Center. "The rally is a part of a nationwide campaign to try and make college accessible for anyone who is qualified to attend college regardless of their ability to pay," Drinie Clairardin, representative of the Illinois Education Association, said.… Post the First Comment

The Student Government Association will launch their new Web site, sga.ilstu.edu, November 1. While SGA has had a Web site in the past, Dave Horstein, student body president, said, "Our new site is much easier to navigate and provides a visual depiction of the work we do for students.… Post the First Comment

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A pair of fugitives from a Kansas prison and a female former guard accused of helping them flee were captured in New Mexico early Wednesday. The guard apparently had a relationship with one of the men. The two inmates, Steven A. Ford and Jesse L.… Post the First Comment

CHICAGO (AP) - Former Gov. George Ryan's request to remain free on bond while he asks the U.S. Supreme Court to take his case was denied by a federal appeals court Wednesday, meaning he likely will have to go to prison next week. Ryan, 73, still had a faint chance of getting his bond extended by the Supreme Court and was expected to make that request quickly.… Post the First Comment

To try and deepen its relationship with Facebook and become its exclusive third-party advertising platform party, Microsoft Corp. invested $240 million into the social network for a 1.6 percent stake. "We are pleased to take our Microsoft partnership to the next level," Owen Van Natta, chief revenue officer of Facebook, said.… Post the First Comment

Carlos Parodi, professor of politics and government, moderated a panel of five students who shared their experiences from a recent study abroad program to Lima, Perú. The panelists were a part of 15 students Parodi took to Lima for one month in May. "Racial discrimination in Perú is between the indigenous people and the whites," Nadejda Sledneva, panelist and politics and government graduate student, said.… Post the First Comment

The School of Music will present a unique concert experience featuring the Chamber Orchestra collaborating with Illinois State Dance Theater Thursday night at 8 p.m. The event will be held in the Center for Performing Arts Concert Hall. Tickets are $6 for the general public, $5 for faculty and staff, $4 for students and senior citizens and there will be no charge for children 6 and under.… Post the First Comment

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) - Floodwaters and mudslides spawned by Tropical Storm Noel killed at least 60 people in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica, officials said Wednesday, raising the death toll as the storm regained force over water and curved toward Florida and the Bahamas.… Post the First Comment

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal regulators on Wednesday approved a rule that would ban exclusive agreements that cable television operators have with apartment buildings, opening up competition for other video providers that could eventually lead to lower prices.… Post the First Comment

MOSCOW (AP) - A powerful bomb ripped through a bus in central Russia Wednesday morning, killing eight people and wounding at least 53 in what one official called a terror attack. Investigators were trying to determine whether the explosive device was carried by a passenger or had been planted somewhere on the bus in the city of Togliatti, according to Russian news agencies.… Post the First Comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) -Bewildered travelers faced 30-minute waits for taxis Wednesday as drivers began a 24-hour Halloween strike to protest the mayor's decision to require meters. At Union Station, the line for taxis reached several dozen people as morning trains from New York City and other points arrived.… Post the First Comment