On the downslide from pop stardom, a funny thing happened to John Mellencamp: He became a damned good songwriter and produced a couple of the strongest (and most underrated) rock records of the 1990s. People who wrote off the Indiana-bred singer from his "John Cougar" and "John Cougar Mellencamp" days have missed the development of a high-caliber songwriter and pop craftsman who has never abandoned his heartland roots but has still shown a willingness to stretch.

Republicans have controlled the governor's mansion in Illinois since 1977, and that stranglehold has been a consistent theme in the campaign of Democrat Rod Blagojevich. Blagojevich, a member of the U.

Brad Shellady first saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre when he was about 13 years old, at Milan's Memory Drive-In. You, too, would probably remember where you first saw seemingly dead Grandpa feebly try to crack the skull of some poor young woman with a hammer.

It's the political season, and all sorts of interest groups are trying to assess which candidates are going to do the most for their agendas and constituencies. Quad Cities Interfaith, though, is trying to speak for populations that don't normally get much attention during campaigns.