If we look good, we feel good. More and more, we’re turning to plastic surgery to help us get there.

Caleb Richard happily licked a lollipop after his first eye exam this afternoon, proof that the process wasn’t really all that scary.

Had the state widened Illinois 173 through Machesney Park in 2003 when Gov. Rod Blagojevich visited the region and announced the project, the work would have cost an estimated $40.29 million.

The economy’s turmoil takes a different toll on service agencies, which rely these days on patrons who are already strapped for cash. Here’s how some are doing it.
 

The number of defense contracts won by Rock River Valley companies inched upward in 2007, although the amount of money tied to the contracts dipped, according to data just released by a Web site that tracks U.S. Department of Defense spending.

Members of the Rock River Valley business community gathered before and after hours in August.

Newspaper employees gathered today to say goodbye to retiring Rockford Register Star Publisher Fritz Jacobi.

INSIDE
Gallery of Jacobi's retirement party
Photo highlights of Jacobi's Register Star career

An industrial lubricant company relocating to a defunct factory will bring $360 million in annual economic activity along with it, according to a university study.

Expect to see longer lines at dollar stores and discount retailers for back-to-school shopping this year. That’s what shoppers are telling big retail consulting firms such as Deloitte and the National Retail Federation, groups that each year interview consumers about their spending habits during peak times like holidays.