rankings

Pick a county, any county. In the State of Illinois, you've got 102 of them to choose from, but according to a new study, 25 of them are better than the other 77. Our own Winnebago County finds itself in the top 25.

Rockford has drawn a lot of different labels over the years, some good and some bad, but one thing we've never been known for in our area is being snobby (not that we care what the little people think).

Every year, U.S. News & World Report releases their report on the 150 Best Places to Live in the United States, and this year, 4 Illinois cities in various parts of the state are among the top places, based on affordability and relatively clean air.

While two Illinois cities are ranked in the top ten best places for St. Patrick's Day fun, 3 other Illinois municipalities also make the list for being a great place to be Irish for a day.

Let's face it, some states are better behaved than other states. However, if you've been thinking of Illinois as some sort of bastion of righteousness, you're wrong...and more than likely new around here.

Although we've seen Rockford receive poor grades on a variety of things over the years, it still sucks to see our city show up on yet another list of the country's most dangerous places.

With my kids in their mid and upper 20s, my wife and I have found it's increasingly difficult to get them interested in Halloween costumes, and the costumes we loved seeing on them when they were little "just don't fit anymore," according to them.

Rockford has drawn a lot of different labels over the years, some good and some bad, but one thing we've never been known for in our area is being snobby (not that we care what the little people think).

As I've mentioned before, we're huge fans of Guy Fieri and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in my house, often leaving it on in the background as "comfort television." But, did you know that Guy and "Triple-D" have visited 40 Illinois restaurants?

So you've stayed at places like Motel 6, The Red Roof Inn, Days Inn, Holiday Inn, Comfort Inn, and/or any similar lodging with the words "motel" or "inn" attached. Feel like an upgrade?