A government’s only purpose is to protect its citizens. For the most part, our government is pretty successful in this aspect. But in some cases the government is pretty powerless, especially with the issue of drugs. Now you’re asking, “How? The...

The Midwest Museum of Natural History [MMNH] will hold an informational meeting about Monarch butterflies Saturday. The event is from 10:30 a.m. to noon, said Heather Williams, education specialist for MMNH. Monarchs! will feature a presentation about...

Aaron Brooks' column, "The US needs to cut defense spending and condense the military," was out of touch and uninformed. His argument essentially amounted to: "the U.S. spends more money than everyone else; therefore, we should spend less."What Brooks...

President Barack Obama laid out his plan for U.S. intervention in Libya in a speech Monday night. And while I don't think it will be a speech that historians will cherry pick for quotes, I have come to the realization that he has said everything he could...

Last Thursday marked the nine year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks. But what does this mean for Americans? Many citizens assume that with the reduction of troops in Iraq and the few news reports coming out of...

On Wednesday, Staff Sgt. Robert Miller of Wheaton was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for bravery in Afghanistan. His actions two years saved the lives of 22 American and Afghan soldiers. For this week's "In Focus," various Northern Star columnists...

2010 World Cup, I am over you and you are dead to me.We are eight and even 12 years away from the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and I couldn't be more excited and depressed at the same time.FIFA officials are using their time this week to inspect the U.S....

Almost every summer I visit Canada to go camping in Quetico Provincial Park.This past summer, on my way home after the wilderness adventure, we decided to get some authentic Canadian cuisine at a restaurant called Boston Pizza. We got to talking with...