At approximately 1 a.m. July 15, the Chicago area said goodbye to WKQX, more commonly known as Q101. At the end of this month, it's to convert to an all-news format. Whether that signals a demise in radio-broadcast rock music is probably premature to say, but it's clear that consumers have more options than ever for listening to music – especially in their cars. A Ford Focus, for example, has the capacity to play AM/FM radio, satellite radio, Internet radio, CDs and mp3 devices. With so many choices, we wondered if people in Plainfield still tune into stations on their AM/FM radio. Brian …

To survive tough economic times businesses have to find ways to adapt. And for some fast-food companies, including Burger King and Sonic, that means adding wine and beer to the menu at some of their menus, according to a USA Today article. Although new to the United States, serving alcohol at fast-food joints is not uncommon in Europe. British newspaer The Independent reports fast-food chains have been selling beer in European stores since the 1970s. But Linda McAley, 39, of Crestwood, said bringing alcohol into a fast-food restaurant is an invitation for trouble. “It’s fast food, not a dine-…

Eyes around the world have been focused on Norway since this weekend. On July 22, Anders Behring Breivik carried out a terrorist attack in the Scandinavian country. According to Reuters, Breivik’s two separate attacks killed 76 people. Newspapers, radio and television stations and the Internet have carried the story to every corner of the globe. But on Wednesday afternoon Tony Harris, 18, of Plainfield, said he had not heard about the news. When informed of the events, Harris said he wasn’t concerned about a similar attack happening in the United States. “I don’t know what you’re asking about…

Summer vacations are can range from relaxing at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas to camping in a tent at Yellowstone National Park. According to a TripAdvisor survey, 83 percent of responding American families plan to take a summer vacation in 2011. With so many families hitting the road, we wonder where people in Plainfield are heading to this summer. Melissa Garcia, 26, of Joliet said she is taking a summer vacation next week with her family. “We’re going to the Dells,” Garcia said. “We have a vacation house up there and go every year.” While many Americans are going on a summer …

Friday will bring about the end of an era.The space shuttle Atlantis will make its last journey into space, NASA’s last manned mission for the foreseeable future. The agency is retiring the shuttle program. NASA said it will look to private companies for the future of low Earth orbit missions to space. The agency expects these rockets to be ready by 2015, but others believe it might take longer. NASA said it will focus on developing technologies to get man to an asteroid and Mars.Linda Malczyk, of Gilberts, Ill., not far from Carpentersville, said she was OK with the shuttle missions coming …

You name it, and there’s most likely a festival celebrating it. From Plainfield’s Midwest Brewer's Fest in August to the Taste of Chicago this week, it seems like there’s a festival every weekend during the summer. This weekend alone, Naperville, Lisle and Chicago will all host summer celebrations. Plainfield isn’t a stranger to summer festivals either. Beside the beer fest in August, the village also hosts Plainfield Fest in July and Plainfield River Days in September. Plainfield residents Myrna and Jerry McCarthy said they used to hit a number of festivals, but now the limit …

Americans spend more time per day using apps on their mobile phone than surfing the Internet from a computer, a recent study from Flurry concluded. Earlier in the month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization, classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans. This classification includes cell phones. The agency classifies objects into five groups. Group 1 is composed of 107 items known to be carcinogenic to humans. Group 2A contains 59 objects that are probably carcinogenic to humans. Items in Group 2B, like …

Social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter can be powerful tools. Revolutionist across Northern Africa and the Middle East are using social media sites to fuel opposition to autocratic governments. But while such sites can create new governments, they can also do damage. Case in point: U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-New York). On June 1, conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted a lewd photo that he said he downloaded from Weiner’s Twitter account. At first Weiner denied sending the photo, but later admitted that he had lied as more photos became public. He has since taken a …

Since the beginning of the year, the Plainfield Police Department has conducted monthly campaigns to catch drivers who break train crossing laws, including one today to be done in conjunction with Canadian National Railway and Union-Pacific. Over that period of time, more than 50 people have received for such infractions as stopping a vehicle on the tracks,  stopping too close to the tracks and disobeying activated railroad signs. Lesley Neubaum, 28, of Plainfield, said she thinks the increase in police enforcement is a positive effort to improve public safety and awareness. “I think it’s …

Illinois has nine riverboat casinos, with a 10th to be completed this summer in Des Plaines. But the state may be increasing gambling yet again. The Illinois House and Senate have both passed bills allowing slot machines to be installed at racetracks and at Chicago's two major airports, authorizing riverboat casinos to move to land-based operations, and approving a casino in Chicago. Kristie Vogel, 38, of Plainfield, said she was OK with a casino in Chicago. She is from Iowa and grew up near a casino, and didn't see any negative changes to her area because of it. But Vogel said the revenue …

While summer allows those in the Chicago area to finally get out and explore the outside world after a long winter in the house, it's also the season in which movie blockbusters draw them back indoors. This year movie fans will be treated to comedies, action flicks, series finales, prequels, kid films, comic book movies and what might be labeled the just plain odd. Among the movies expected to make a splash this summer: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Hangover Part II, Kung Fu Panda 2, X-Men: First Class, Cowboys & Aliens, Cars 2, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II…

Rod Blagojevich’s retrial for corruption charges began on April 20, but the real fireworks kicked off May 2 with opening statements from federal prosecutors and defense attorneys. Since then, multiple witnesses have been called to testify, audio tapes of the former governor have been played and a request from Blagojevich’s lawyers for a mistrial was denied. While the courtroom has hosted plenty of action, the second trial hasn’t seemed to garner the same level interest from the public or media as when Blagojevich first went on trial in 2010. We hit the streets of downtown Plainfield to ask …

On Saturday night, political comedy reigns supreme on one program: NBC’s Saturday Night Live. But last Saturday night comedy jumped to cable - C-SPAN to be accurate. That’s when President Obama and Seth Meyers, of SNL, addressed the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Many people and organizations, like Matt Damon, NPR and Michele Bachmann, were part of the joke. But the main target of the night was Donald Trump.  While Trump has been the butt of many jokes, poll numbers over the past month have him listed as one of the top Republican candidates in the 2012 presidential election. But Sharon …

TV at 3 a.m. is usually full of infomercials, music videos and maybe an episode of Law & Order. But Friday morning will be different. Major networks, including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and E! will be providing coverage of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding before the sun rises. Every form of media, from television and radio to magazines, newspapers and blogs, has covered the days leading up to Friday’s royal wedding. But not everyone in Plainfield has caught the bug. “I don’t care. What relevance does it have to us?” said Don Doubek, 41, of Plainfield. “You’re talking about a monarchy …

Improving the food children eat at school has been a topic of discussion for years. Popular culture, from Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me to Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, has examined the question. But some public schools in Illinois are now taking action. The Chicago Tribune reported Little Village Academy, a public school on the city's West Side, has banned students from brining sack lunches to school unless there is a medical reason for them to do so. The school believes the lunch offered in the cafeteria is more nutritious what most kids are bringing from home. We caught up with Audrey …

A full tank of gas has become a far more valuable commodity in the past month. According to the Energy Information Agency, the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the Midwest this week costs more than $3.80. But IllinoisGasPrices.com, a user-based community that updates gas prices, said only one station remained under $4-per-gallon in Plainfield as of Wednesday night. The rising cost of fuel has been a hit to some people’s wallets. Heather Gustatson, 28, of Oak Forest, said her job requires her to drive. While she’s trying to find ways to reduce her fuel expenses, she said it’s been …

Some traditions in baseball never change. The stretch is still sung during the middle of the seventh, hot dogs are a main food group at the ballpark, and fans never speak about a perfect game till it’s completed. But former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine is suggesting one change to the game - take out the chewing tobacco. Before the start of the season, Valentine wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times. He talked about former player Tony Gwynn’s struggle with cancer, smokeless tobacco's allure and how organizations like the National Hockey League have banned the substance. Ron …

 Illinois voters will head to the polls electing municipal leaders, school board members and other local officials on Tuesday April 5. Although local politicians can have a large impact in their communities, participation in local elections can be light. In 2009, Michael Collins became Plainfield’s new village president by winning 1,645 of 3,218 votes cast. Plainfield has a population of 39,581, according to the 2010 United States Census. Amanda Chakravarty, 35, of Plainfield said voting has been on her mind, but she hasn’t heard a lot about the election. “I’ve thought about voting, but I …

If Illinois was a country, it would rank as the 12th-largest location for nuclear power reactors in the world, according to Bloomberg, the financial news and information services media company.   Exelon Corp. operates the state's six nuclear power stations in the state, with a total of 11 active nuclear reactors. Plainfield is located less than 30 miles from two of them – the Dresden Generating Station in Morris and Braidwood Generating Station in Braceville.  The awareness of these plants has become greater in light of the nuclear power plant in Japan that was severely damaged in a March 12 …

Illinois lawmakers are pitching creative ways to solve the state’s budget deficit. Among them, a proposal to end the indoor smoking bans for some locations. The thinking is that lifting the prohibition, which went into effect more than three years ago in order to protect people from second-hand smoke, would entice people back to places where smoking once was allowed. The money they would spend would increase taxes paid to the state. There are several proposals out there, many of which only affect Illinois gaming locations. One bill, HB1310 sponsored by state Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Crete), …