When Shirley Eckholm of Gurnee was a kid, her father played trumpet in a big band in New York City in the 1940s. They lived in the city's theater district, about a block-and-a-half from Times Square. Not wanting to be cooped up in a tiny apartment all day, Eckholm, who was 11 years old at the time, started hanging outside with her autograph book, waiting for stars to walk out of theaters.

Lake Villa

Army Spec. Robert Coffman , son of Rist and Patricia Coffman of Antioch, has returned to Alaska after being deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Coffman is assigned to the 725th Brigade Support Battalion, a subordinate unit of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division at Fort Richardson, Anchorage. He is a 2004 graduate of Antioch Community High School.