People who take seriously their vacation time, but don’t have the money to go very far, might find interest in the Illinois Office of Tourism’s new, free travel guide.

It provides information on statewide destinations, attractions and more — fun stuff you can do in Lincoln’s land.

I’ve traveled to almost every county in this state, and I can tell you there’s plenty to do.

The state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Tourism says the 2012 Illinois Travel Guide combines a newsstand magazine look and feel with the practical information.

In addition to statewide listings, the guide’s features bring whimsical information and interesting sites to life, including (and here I use the state’s own description):

- Illinois By The Numbers – Travelers can find out how many grape varietals are grown in vineyards across the state, how many feet the Willis Tower soars above Chicago, and much more.

- Happy Trails – Provides consumers with insights on unique experiences throughout the state. From chocolate to chili, golf to wine, visitors can pick their passion. Add the state’s seven scenic byways, and travelers have even more reasons to get on the road.

- Let’s Eat! – The guides’ food feature captures the quintessential flavors of Illinois. Signature pizzas and award-winning chefs are known far and wide, but Illinois’ farm-to-table offerings may surprise even the most distinguished palate.

- Steps Though Time – Takes readers on an expedition through statewide historic sites, museums, and the era of the open road preserved along Route 66.

- Presidential Paths – Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, offers amazing attractions for history enthusiasts. Along with Abraham Lincoln, three other U.S. presidents have called Illinois home.

The guide breaks down the top attractions by four regional sections, where visitors can find activities and accommodations.

A digital edition and tablet app give travelers more options to plan their trips.

To view, download or order a free copy of the 2012 Illinois Travel guide, visit enjoyillinois.com or call 1-800-2CONNECT to order a copy.

An exceptional dry winter has set up the state to be a bit of a tinderbox, state officials said.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said this week that people should take precautions to prevent wildfires.

You’ll remember that similar conditions led to a massive burn in November at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton. Some 1,500 acres burned over several days.

State and local fire agencies have already been busy this spring dealing with wildfires at state sites, Forest Protection Program Manager Tom Wilson said.

“ We’re encouraging visitors to our state parks, state forests, other state sites and federal and local forest and park land – as well as private landowners – to be extra vigilant this spring in preventing fires because of the unseasonable weather that could contribute to even more fires in the coming weeks,” he said in a release.

Fires in March burned nearly 400 acres at Sand Ridge State Forest in Mason County and dozens of acres of park land at Lincoln Trail State Park in Clark County.

The IDNR Division of Forest Resources says to avoid outdoor burning when winds are above 5 mph or when the relative humidity is below 40 percent;

People should burn in protected areas only with no combustible materials within 10 feet around small fires and 50 feet for larger fires.

Before burning, check the National Weather Service’s fire weather forecast for expected conditions.

People should also avoid welding in areas with dry vegetation or park cars in areas with tall vegetation.

Most of the rest of the precautionary measures are common sense. My advice, if you think you’re doing something that could be hazardous, you probably are.

If you’re keeping track, the final Mega Millions jackpot was actually $656 million, up from the $640 million we all thought we were going to win heading into Friday night.

‘Attention all units, be on the lookout for fast-food burglar, last seen running down road with Big Mac.”

This story just arrived from AP. Couldn’t help but sharing it:

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‘Hamburglar’ strikes at Maine McDonald’s

On the heels of one of the best country songs of the past couple of years comes news that the makers of Red Solo cups are about to hit the big time.

Here’s the dispatch from Associated Press:

MASON, Mich. (AP) — Dart Container Corp. said late Wednesday that it reached an agreement to buy Solo Cup Co., maker of the red plastic cups ubiquitous enough to be immortalized in a country song, for about $315 million in cash.

The deal, which also includes the assumption of about $700 million in debt, is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close by the third quarter, Dart said.

Mason, Mich.-based Dart, which says it is the world’s largest maker of foam cups and makes more than 600 products, said the addition of Solo will broaden its product lineup and the kinds of materials they are made from.

In addition to the red cups, Lake Forest, Ill.-based Solo makes a variety of disposable food and drink containers out of paper, plastic and recycled materials. Solo was founded in 1936 as a paper container company and introduced its signature red plastic cup in the 1970s, according to the company’s website.

Country singer Toby Keith had a hit song last year toasting the cup’s virtues as a mainstay of barbecues, parties and festivals.

The company is currently owned by the family of its founder, Leo Hulseman, along with private equity firm Vestar Capital Partners. Its 2010 sales totaled $1.6 billion, according to a regulatory filing.

Dart, which was founded in 1960 and remains family owned and operated, said it plans to continue offering products under the Solo brand, including the red cups. The two companies will operate independently until the deal closes, Dart said.

Goldman, Sachs & Co. acted as lead financial adviser to Solo. Ernst & Young Corporate Finance Inc. advised Dart.

The reality show that has been Rod Blagojevich is now behind bars. “The Apprentice” now has entered the world of “Survivor.”

The 11 to 12 years it takes for him to re-emerge will make him a humbler man, no doubt, but will it make him less of a politician? My guess is he’ll be stirring conversation — maybe even leading it — inside Federal Correctional Institution Englewood in suburban Denver.

Not one to go gentle into the night, and followed by a phalanx of helicopters and cameras as he took his last steps of freedom, the man who was once governor of the fifth-most populous state in the nation is now another statistic. Inmate No. 40892-424, if you’re keeping score.

He pleaded his innocence to the end, using his family as crutch on the eve of his incarceration, which personally made me want to gag. Bad enough he got a 14-year sentence for corruption – the most of any governor ever – but he had to parade his kids for the cameras in a last bit of sympathy-seeking publicity.

And where did he get those yahoos, shown cheering him on outside his home Wednesday night? Is his legal team really that big?

Prison will be no picnic. Even though he’s fortunate enough to get a low-security facility, he’s going to be just another Joe among 1,000 housed there. He’ll be cleaning johns, washing laundry, serving up soup — whatever he’s told to do  — at 12 cents an hour.

That’s quite a fall for a guy who got fat off the taxpayers for far too long.

I stopped believing anything Rod said about three years ago.  The wiretaps told the true reality story, and Inmate 40892 etc. is going to have to live with the consequences the rest of his life.

A lot of young people are struggling to find work, and one of their best aids in the search is common sense.

I was impressed recently with an email I received outlining updates to a longstanding book by Ron McGowan, author of the international bestseller, “How to Find WORK in the 21st Century.”

The book is in use at more than 400 colleges and universities worldwide.

McGowan gives the kind of tips I would give young people were they to ask me.

The first on his list is to clean up your online presence, meaning any stuff that you’ve posted to something like Facebook that can be used to view you negatively.

“The first thing employers will do is to see what they can find out about you on the Internet. Are you ready for that? They may look at your Facebook page during the interview. Are you ready for that?”

The second tip: Look for work, not a job.

“Don’t scare off employers by communicating that you’re looking for a job and all the traditional benefits that go with it. Make it easy for them to hire you by making it clear that you are happy to accept part-time, temporary, or contract work. If you are equipped to work from home, tell them that, too. It may appeal to them,” McGowan says.

The third tip: Ditch the resume.

“Everybody is using a resume. In your initial contact with employers, make yourself stand out in a positive way with more creative tools that are marketing oriented and focused on the employer’s needs. It’s OK to have a resume to take to the interview. But, first, you have to get there.

Tip No. 4: Think.

“Put yourself in the shoes of any employer you plan to contact. Why would they be interested in you? What exactly do you have to offer them? Show them in your first contact with them that you know about them, the type of work they do and the industry they’re in. Never send out lots of resumes in a shotgun fashion.”

Tip 5: Anticipate the question, “Why should we hire you?”

“Assume you’ll be asked this question during the interview and be ready to answer it. Focus on the key points you made in the material you sent to them. Those are what got you the interview,” McGowan says.

Here’s a tip I love: Bite your tongue.

“Talking too much in the interview is among the biggest mistakes graduates make according to employers and recruiters. The more prepared you are for the interview, the less inclined you’ll be to ramble on.”

Here’s another: Do your homework.

“There’s a wealth of information available on the employer’s web site. Amazingly, many graduates never take the time to thoroughly analyze this information and be ready to answer questions about it in the interview. It will also help if you can talk about some of the key issues going on in their industry.”

McGowan also suggests that you create your own job.

“Instead of waiting for someone to offer you a job, consider what millions of graduates around the world have been doing for years; i.e. operate as a freelancer. The following will give you an overview of the world of freelancing:

-    http://www.elance.com http://www.odesk.com

- http://www.vworker.com

Finally, you may get some business ideas at:

- http://www.springwise.com

You’ll find more on McGowan at http://www.howtofindwork.ca

The 2012 edition will soon be released in print and ebook form.

Alton has a unique connection to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and were it not for former colleague Walt Sharp, I would have overlooked it.

Sharp, The Telegraph’s longtime managing editor, now living and working in Texas, wrote me after I posted an item recently about how the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield launched an exhibit featuring a fully signed and restored copy of the Congressional resolution for a 13th Amendment. The amendment was the official act that abolished slavery in the United States. The exhibit debuted this month.

“Did you know that the document has a strong Alton connection?” Walt wrote. “One of the members of Congress who signed the document – and, indeed, the co-author of the amendment — was U.S. Sen. Lyman Trumbull, who lived in a house on Henry Street that I believe is still one of the jewels of the Middletown Historic District.

“Trumbull and Lincoln were never close and in fact sometimes at odds, but on this great thing they agreed,” Sharp wrote.

I probably knew that at some point, but history is like sands of an hourglass: When you focus so much on the present it’s easy to lose sight of what’s slipped past.

I went to Charlotte Stetson’s book on Alton history for a refresher course. Sure enough, the details were there:

“(The Trumbull house) was designated a national historic landmark by the National Park Service in 1975. The home was built prior to 1837 and was occupied by Trumbull from 1855 to 1873.

“Trumbull played a major role in the abolition of slavery, writing the 13th Amendment. … He also wrote the Freeman’s Bureau Act of 1865 which sent educators south to teach the freed slaves,” Stetson wrote.

My thanks to both Walt and Char for prompting me to expand on my previous post.

The vellum document at the center of the exhibit, 20 by 16 inches, bears Lincoln’s original signature plus those of Vice President Hannibal Hamlin and 139 members of Congress who voted for the resolution. There are 15 remaining original copies of the Resolution for a 13th Amendment signed by Lincoln. Only eight of these also include the congressional signatures, including Illinois’ copy, and only three of these eight also have Lincoln’s note “Approved, February 1, 1865” on it.”

The exhibit runs through May 31.

I have about 36 years of valentine’s experience, between dating and marriage, so I’ve  learned a little about what works with a sweetheart.

And what doesn’t work.

For instance, when she asks you how she looks, you always answer in the positive. “Honey,  you look positively … radiant.”

Never answer such a question with a pause. … She’ll nail you every time. And don’t try to  apologize. Just slink away like the insensitive lout that you are.

You learn these things, of course, through trial and error.

Here are 10 things you should not do on Valentine’s Day. For that matter, they’re not good ideas on the other 364 days of the year either.

1.    If she says, “I love you,” while you’re watching TV, do not hunt around for the  remote and hit the pause button before you respond.

2.    Never, ever criticize her meals. You’ll be more likely to get her to cook the meals  you really like and less likely to wear them.

3.    Never let a beautiful girl distract you. It can be a killer when she spots you  craning your neck to keep watching as a babe walks by.

4.    Never buy her a card and forget to sign it. For that matter don’t buy her the same  card twice, regardless of the quantity discount you get from Hallmark.

5.    If she asks you to go shopping with her, do it. Often, she’ll buy you something.  (And refusing to go along will only cause you to swear when you see the credit card bill the following month.)

6.    If she asks you to make up the bed, do it. Do NOT do what you did to your mother  and say, “But I’m just going to sleep in it again!”

7.    If she asks you to take out the trash, do not wait until it is an overflowing,  execrable mess. You’ll get an exothermic reaction. Trust me, fellas. Look up “exothermic.”

8.    If she asks you to do the laundry, do it. But don’t throw her good, red sweater  in with her good white blouses. See No. 7.

9.    If she’s trying to diet, do not ask if she wants to go to Hardee’s for a  Thickburger.

10.    And — particularly on Valentine’s Day — if she has a suggestion for a date, do not tell her you have to clean the workshop. Unlike you, that workshop will last ’til another day.

(And, before I forget, Happy Valentine’s Day to my sweetheart of a wife, without whom I am  just another hack advice columnist.)

I harbor no grudge against either team in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

As far as I’m concerned, as long as there is plenty to snack on Sunday night, either team deserves to win. Simply making it this far is a testament to talent and character. Any team that makes it into the 21st week of an NFL season gets bragging rights. When you include a normal pre-season training camp (and remember this season’s was cut short), most of these players have gone through half a year of bone crunching.

Still, I’d be less than honest if I failed to say that the underdog always has some appeal. In this case, that would be the New York Giants. Despite the fact that the Giants beat New England in Week 9 (as well as in the 2008 Super Bowl), the team is still cast as No. 2 in this game.

The Giants, a team with terrific defense and average offense, vs. the Patriots, a team with stellar offense and little defense: This is either going to be a train wreck or the greatest match since the Rams and the Titans in 2000.

And ma in her kerchief and I in my cap will both settle in for a long winter’s snack. And a final evening of bone crunching.