One year after boosting the speed limit for big-rig trucks on Illinois interstate highways to 65 mph - the same as passenger vehicles - a new proposal would allow all drivers to legally push their speedometers to 70 outside of the Chicago area.

I do not think I am a man whose belief structure is easily broken, but I will say that if my cult leader, for instance, told me that my path to eternal salvation lie in the purposeful ingestion of snail mucus, I would absolutely, positively, think about finding a new false idol in an entirely different poorly lit one-bedroom apartment.

When the Illini failed to earn an NCAA berth and accepted their first NIT bid since 1996, Illinois already began working on next season. Seeded No. 1 in one of four eight-team brackets but playing on the road because of a scheduling conflict at Assembly Hall, the Illini (19-14) play at Stony Brook (22-9) Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPNU) in a first-round NIT game.

The Illini left empty-handed when the NCAA tournament berths were released Sunday. Illinois became one of three major-conference bubble teams left out of the field while Minnesota was one of three bubble surprises.

The Illini came up empty-handed when the NCAA tournament field was released Sunday. The Gophers, who reached the Big Ten Tournament title game Sunday, grabbed one of the last available spots in the NCAAs as a No. 11 seed.

Losing the battle to hold his head up after an 88-81 double-overtime loss to top-seeded Ohio State on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals at Conseco Fieldhouse, Illinois forward Mike Davis faced a difficult 24 hours between the final horn and the NCAA tournament selection show Sunday.

In a game filled with plenty of yapping from both teams, Big Ten player of the year Evan Turner backed it up in top-seeded Ohio State's 88-81 double-overtime victory over fifth-seeded Illinois in the Big Ten semifinals Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Illinois House members Friday denounced a Department on Aging office lease as a waste of money but failed to muster the votes needed to launch an investigation.

A House criminal law committee Friday approved without opposition House Bill 5835 to make it a crime to use a hate symbol to intimidate or harass someone. The measure now heads to the full House.

At first there was the "Cash for Clunkers" program, followed by its "Clunkers the Sequel" extension. Then came a "Cash for Appliances" spinoff. And who could forget the 2009 first-time homebuyer tax credit and its blockbuster follow-up for 2010, open to both new buyers and folks looking to trade up in the real estate department? Should it now come as any surprise that Uncle Sam is planning to go deeper in debt to keep the franchise running?

Home inspectors can help flag potential problems.

Discussing health issues is usually a topic delicately danced around when, in reality, it's better to dive right in and be nosy, says Dr. Alfred George Jr., a geneticist and director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Genomics. The more details - who, what, when - that you know about your family's medical history, the better off your future generations will be.

Chris Britt's editorial cartoon on the new Illinois speed limit and Toyota Priuses.

Authorities have apprehended an alleged attempted murderer who cut off an ankle monitoring bracelet and triggered a nationwide alert Thursday afternoon. Aaron “Garth” Baecker, 63, was indicted Jan. 25 by a Tazewell County grand jury for the attempted first-degree murder of his wife and aggravated domestic battery.

The Department on Aging move from state-owned buildings to rented space will go forward despite complaints from lawmakers that it is a waste of money during the state's budget crisis.