ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER DAVID BRIGGS Pope John Paul II is drawing a sharp line separating the Catholic Church from modern morality, claiming in a new encyclical that certain acts are always evil and endanger the salvation of the church's 900 million followers....

It was only two weeks ago that autumn officially started, but cool temperatures and early frosts have ushered in the colors of fall with changing leaves and warm jackets. The average high and low temperatures in Rockford last month were 67.8 and 48.9...

NIU is asking the State of Illinois to provide about $2 million for more repair work to university roads next year. NIU students, staff and faculty members already have found hardship while trying to navigate Lucinda Avenue this year, and could find even...

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER TOM STRONG WASHINGTON (AP)—Illinois' congressional clout suffered another blow Monday with Rep. Bob Michel's decision to retire after his current term. Retirement, redistricting and rejection by voters sidelined seven lawmakers...

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER CHRISTOPHER CONNELL WASHINGTON (AP)—Hillary Rodham Clinton's soothing testimony about health reform didn't lay to rest all the concerns of lawmakers about whether the White House prescription will really cure America's health...

Despite the lowest enrollment in 20 years, NIU's acceptance rate of incoming freshmen appears to be climbing. U.S. News and World Report's seventh edition of "America's Best Colleges" ranked NIU's academic reputation as 170 out of 204 universities placing...

Long touchdown scores. Jarring hits. Forced turnovers. Great catches. Broken records. Milestones reached. There was even a helicopter and fireworks. If you missed the NIU-Southern Illinois match on Saturday, you missed all this and much more. Oh, by the...

In an effort to facilitate students' desires to study in their chosen fields, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is encouraging its departments to drop limited admissions requirements. "The departments need to look carefully at their limited admission...

A former gang member is coming to NIU to share his experiences with the university community. Luis Rodriguez, a Latino poet and former Los Angeles gang member, will be appearing at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 in the Heritage Room of the Holmes Student...

Comiskey Park has been a busy place lately. Fireworks on the field, firearms in the stands and now a crumbling infrastructure have combined to make the South Side stadium a hotbed of activity. These activities all have occurred miles away from NIU. But...

A heated debate and vote lead to a Student Association endorsement for an increase in the student-to-student grant program fee at the SA Senate meeting Sunday night. The fee is fully refundable. The vote came after a debate focused more on the fact that...

Underage students on campus better watch out: NIU is cracking down on minors drinking alcohol. The NIU Judicial Office has strengthened its rules on underage drinking, said Larry Bolles, director of the office. At the beginning of each year, he said there...