Posted 12:25 a.m. Tues., 02.09.10 - William H. Freivogel has spent most of his life in Kirkwood. He attended Kirkwood schools; he has lived there as a child and as an adult. And he has covered, as a reporter, some of Kirkwood's most momentous events, including the killings at City Hall nearly two years ago. In this essay, he writes about his growing awareness and understanding of how race has shaped his home community.

Posted 9:08 p.m. Sun., 02.07.10 - Perception often collides with facts when it comes to race. That is especially true in the intertwined story of Kirkwood's redevelopment of Meacham Park and Charles Lee "Cookie" Thornton's deadly assault on City Hall Feb. 7, 2008. The Beacon has tried to separate myth from reality by finding the facts that relate to the claims that Kirkwood officials cheated Thornton and Meacham Park in the redevelopment. Second of a series.

Posted 3:30 p.m. Sat., 02.06.10 -The founder of North County for Obama was lauded by the president as an inspiration, and her friends say their efforts in support of health-care reform will be redoubled with her death. She was co-owner of a small business and active in several causes, including clean energy, organic farming, the environment, sustainable mass transit and economic reform

Updated 1:49 p.m. Fri., 02.05.10 - Two days after Illinois' primary election, Comptroller Dan Hynes conceded victory to incumbent Pat Quinn in the governor's race, but the crazy world of Illinois politics still has a cliffhanger in the mix: The Republican primary election for governor remains close, with Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard separated by only a few hundred votes. And the Democrats' lieutenant governor pick has problems of his own.

Dillard won't concede GOP race for governor. | WLS; Durbin wants Dems' candidate for lt. gov. to withdraw. | Chicago Sun-Times; Quinn's running mate rebuffs suggestion he should step down. | Chicago Tribune

Posted 3:48 p.m. Wed., 02.03.10 - On Tuesday, voters said that U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (right), a moderate Republican, will face Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (left), a Democrat, in November. Those voters' voices are expected to be drowned out by national political party operatives and cash that will pour into Illinois seek to snare the Senate seat once held by Barack Obama.

Posted 1:45 p.m. Fri., 01.29.10 - A workshop featuring representatives from the media, government, health care and business was designed to foster understanding, communication and cooperation among sometimes contentious stakeholders, ahead of a disaster so that they can avoid making a bad situation even worse. The exercise showed there's still some work to be done.

Posted 10:24 a.m. Fri., 01.29.10 - Jean Fahey Eberle, who meticulously chronicled the unique beauty of many St. Louis neighborhoods along with the lives of the people who inhabited them, died Tuesday at her home in Shrewsbury following a long illness. She was 85. For more than 30 years, Mrs. Eberle had written books that traced the ebb and flow of some of St. Louis' oldest and most storied communities. In doing so, she sought the help and guidance of the the people who lived there.

Posted 1:20 p.m. Fri., 01.29.10 - It's one of those things that African Americans don't often talk about -- colorism, or the preference for lighter-skinned individuals. Historically, African Americans with lighter skin had better access to education and even better jobs. This form of prejudice isn't unique to America. In India, Bollywood stars tend to be lighter complected, and a whole skin whitening industry has sprung up.