Comment On Palfrey Ends Cuba-florida Swim Amid Tricky Current

Illinois transportation officials say they're gearing up for busy roadways this Memorial Day weekend and have a plan to reduce congestion. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Thursday that non-emergency roadwork will be suspended to improve traffic flow at the unofficial start of summer. Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider says the move helps ensure safety with the increase of motorists expected on the roads. The suspension starts 3 p.m.

The forecast for summer travel, 2013: Partly sunny. Airlines, hotels and campgrounds are commanding higher rates and seeing more customers than a few summers ago, and luxury hotels are selling out.

Whether they were sailing, fighting, or farming, people have always needed to know which way the wind blows. But weather vanes have been used for far more than just a forecast.

Philadelphia is a city that struggles with certain disadvantages. It is not easy being stuck midway between the nation's financial and political capitals. It doesn't regularly produce winning sports teams. We don't have enough corporate giants headquartered here, or enough of the philanthropists who trail in their wake.

It's hard to miss the enormous 20-foot (6-meter)-wide American flag on the side of Richard Ormbrek's home.