Trying to master Master Gardening

"I've always thought college was wasted on the young, and that I would be a much better student today than I was when beer and cute guys were competing for my attention."

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Great Pumpkin Fest in Highwood, IL

"The City of Highwood, IL has some really, really big plans for Halloween this year. Highwood intends to make pumpkin carving history with this year's Great Pumpkin Fest. How, you ask?"

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Comer Prep shines as a beacon of optimism

"The bright new charter high school rises next to the scene of a senseless inner-city killing — a 17-year-old girl, chatting with a friend on her cell phone, shot dead in 2008 after two men argued on a CTA bus.

The $20 million school is a legacy of the late Gary Comer, the innovative founder of the Lands’ End clothing empire, who grew up in the Grand Crossing neighborhood and never forgot it."

Click here for more on Comer's caring legacy.

Urgent action needed as Sudan faces countdown to crucial referendum warn aid agencies

"World leaders at today’s Sudan summit must take concrete action to help ensure peace, safety and development for all Sudanese people, five international aid agencies said in an open letter. Failure to act risks a new eruption of violence and threatens the future of Africa’s largest country, with just over 100 days until the referendum to decide whether the south should remain part of Sudan."

For more on this importance summit, click here.

Halloween Party Crafts-Easy-to-Adapt Halloween Crafts for a Bewitching Party

"Lots of children's games and crafts adapt nicely to Halloween with a few set changes. 'Pin the tail on the donkey' can become 'pin the tail on the black cat.' A simple bean bag toss game can become a ghostly game by drawing ghosts on the target board with their open mouths as the scoring goal. Look through craft catalogs and think about how you can adapt the projects to your own needs."

Click here for more on having a great Halloween party.

Green Alternatives To Halloween Candy: Ten Ways to Have a Green Halloween Without Giving Up the Fun

"Halloween candy contributes plastic bags and individual wrappings to landfills after the children have eaten themselves into sugar overload. Choose alternatives that teach or entertain, recycle items you may already have or create items for fun projects. Help children build good habits for tomorrow."

To learn how to ditch the sugar and still have fun, click here.

The arts could be Granite City's cup of tea

"Brenda Whitaker thought it necessary to explain that the sole patrons of the business she operates on the western edge of town were not totally representative of her customer base."

Click here for more on how a steel worker made a dream come true.