Illini ready for magical mystery tour Energetic new coach, enigmatic TB Halsey hold keys to success

RANTOUL, Ill. -- Illinois football is rife with mysteries that arenot easily answered.

Why couldn't Ron Turner find recruiting success coming off a BigTen championship season in 2001? How in the heck did the Illini winthat championship in the first place?

Will Ron Zook's relentless energy turn around a program that hashad only two coaches with winning records in nearly 50 years? Or willhe, too, be worn down?

Alongside these broader questions, one easily could add the enigmaof E.B. Halsey. The talented tailback seems poised for a big yearafter an injury-hampered sophomore season in 2004.

The question with Halsey, though, is how such a seemingly good …

IN THE LIONESS' DEN; Misery

I'll admit to being a tad squeamish when it comes to horror stories.

Having said that, you'll understand when I say that I'm not a fan of any of the numerous novels published by that master of the horror genre, Stephen King. Perhaps that was why I approached my next theater review experience with some trepidation.

See, those increasingly edgy folks over at Stage Coach Theatre decided to stage King's Misery this season, meaning that I was just going to have to swallow my fright, put on a brave face and dive headfirst into the lioness' den.

I convinced myself, though, that by seeing a preview of the show before all of the lighting, costumes and set were in place, I'd …

Michigan State beats Wisconsin on late field goal

Michigan State avoided a major letdown, keeping its hopes alive to play for the Big Ten title.

Brett Swenson kicked a 44-yard field goal with 7 seconds left, lifting the 22nd-ranked Spartans to a 25-24 comeback win over Wisconsin on Saturday.

Michigan State (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) came out flat and seemed to be headed for a 1-5 record in games following its last six wins against Michigan, but took its first lead when the game was on the line.

Wisconsin (4-5, 1-5) hurt its chances of playing in a seventh straight bowl game after leading in the fourth quarter for the seventh time in nine games.

The Badgers led by 11 early in the fourth quarter, …

Remarkable stories from past 35 years

THE Journal has seen some remarkable news stories in the past 35years.

In 1977, the go-ahead was given for the third phase of theredevelopment of the centre of Carmarthen, which saw many oldbuildings demolished, and the pedestrianisation of Red Street wascompleted.

In 1987, severe floods caused widespread damage in the TowyValley. Pensarn was engulfed in flood water -- said to be the worstflooding in the area in living memory. Prince Charles and PrincessDiana …

Democrats to Push Vote on Gonzales

WASHINGTON - Majority Democrats in the Senate are forcing their Republican colleagues on the record about whether embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should keep his job.

No one is predicting that a symbolic resolution expressing no confidence in Gonzales will survive even the test vote Monday. Most Republicans are likely to vote no, dismissing the whole exercise as a ploy to embarrass President Bush.

At a news conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, the last stop on a weeklong visit to Europe, the president reaffirmed his support for Gonzales, a longtime friend and legal adviser.

"They can have their votes of no-confidence but it's not going to make the …

Prosecutors: Stanford competent to stand trial

HOUSTON (AP) — Jailed Texas financier R. Allen Stanford is now competent to be tried next month on charges he bilked investors out of $7 billion in a massive Ponzi scheme, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

The prosecutors' assertion comes ahead of a mental competency hearing on Tuesday, which will be used by a federal judge to determine if Stanford's Jan. 23 trial will go forward.

Stanford's attorneys say his addiction to an anti-anxiety drug, as well as a brain injury he suffered in a jail fight, left him unable to think clearly or help in his own defense. He was declared incompetent to stand trial earlier this year.

The financier spent about eight months this year …

Gadhafi friend acquitted of illegal Tunisia entry

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A Tunisian court has acquitted a Libyan general close to deposed leader Moammar Gadhafi on a charge of illegal entry.

Gen. al-Khoweildi al-Hamidi was stopped at the Tunis airport Thursday trying to fly to Morocco after it was discovered he didn't have an entry stamp.

Al-Hamidi took part in the 1969 coup that brought Gadhafi to power in Libya.

He told the …