Giving the governor of Illinois the absolute authority to select the next U.S. senator from our state is only slightly more logical than granting the mayor of Chicago the power to make the first-round draft selection for the Bears.

Just after the election last week, as the market continued to wobble like Ari Gold on mushrooms in the desert, I received a number of e-mails like this:

On my way home from Grant Park late Tuesday night, I passed a long line of hopefuls waiting to get into a nightclub on Erie Street in River North.

Victory! I always said it would be a 70-degree day in November before America would elect a minority president.

Welcome to history. By tomorrow morning, we'll have either the first black president or the first female vice president in American history.

If you believe Sarah Palin is equipped for the national stage, let's talk about fruit flies and the First Amendment.

One week before the first Tuesday in November, I walked over to my local polling place to cast an early ballot.

One year after Stacy Peterson disappeared, Drew Peterson was back in the "Today" studios with Matt Lauer, saying he still believed Stacy has run off with some guy.

Late last Sunday night, I was walking through the main casino floor at the renovated Horseshoe in Hammond, on my way to the poker room to find a buddy.

When Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2007, she devoted most of her acceptance speech to her family.

Friendly readers: Please indulge me as I share a sampling of some of the thousands of e-mails I've received over the last few months on one particular subject.

When you're reaching into the Reference Cabinet, it's probably best to just stay away from the file marked "Hitler."

Nearly every day in this election stretch run, we hear a story about a heckler at a political rally or a "patriot" who exercises his right to free speech by placing some sort of hateful display in his front yard.