With the civil union bill needing only Pat Quinn's signature to become law, today will go down as a high water mark for civil rights in Illinois history. It's a good first step, but nowhere near the destination. more ›

This year, Sufjan Stevens solidified his status as an indie critic’s darling with Illinois, the second album in his Sisyphean “50 States” project. While Illinois did plenty of name-dropping, it left the history of the state largely unexplored. Operating on a smaller scale, recording artist Stace England focused on just one Illinois town: Cairo (pronounced kay-row) to create an album that’s more accessible and just as satisfying as his indie rock counterpart. England spent five... more ›