WASHINGTON – The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell last week to its lowest level in more than eight years.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Time is running out to snag the best discount for carnival rides at the Illinois State Fair.

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — An Air Algerie flight carrying 116 people from Burkina Faso to Algeria's capital disappeared from radar early Thursday over northern Mali, the plane's owner and a French government official said.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded the Gaza Strip on Thursday, as Hamas militants stuck to their demand for the lifting of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade amid international efforts to broker a cease-fire.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — State officials say permits for controlled pheasant hunting in Illinois will soon be available.

CRYSTAL LAKE — A vehicle crashed into a Crystal Lake garage, then hit another neighboring home Wednesday night, according to the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – The United States announced signs of progress in cease-fire talks Wednesday, but prospects for a quick end to the fighting were dim as Palestinian families fled fierce battles in southern Gaza and the death toll rose to more than 700 Palestinians and 34 Israelis.

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands – Victims of the Malaysian jetliner shot down over Ukraine returned at last Wednesday to Dutch soil in 40 wooden coffins, solemnly and gently carried to 40 identical hearses, flags at half-staff flapping in the wind.

WASHINGTON – Six years ago the Social Security Administration embarked on an aggressive plan to replace outdated computer systems overwhelmed by a growing flood of disability claims. Nearly $300 million later, the new system is nowhere near ready and agency officials are struggling to salvage a project racked by delays and mismanagement, according to an internal report commissioned by the agency.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – An airline said Thursday it suspected typhoon weather caused one of its planes to crash land on a small Taiwanese island, killing 48 people.

CHICAGO – Former Mayor Richard Daley won't have to testify in Chicago's lawsuit seeking to break the agreement for a Millennium Park restaurant.

CHICAGO – A suburban Chicago man who insisted during two decades in prison that police framed him for a slaying he did not commit walked out of jail Wednesday morning, hours after a jury in his retrial found him not guilty.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has announced a number of changes for the upcoming deer hunting season.

CHICAGO – Chicago plans to install eight new airport noise monitors in neighborhoods near O'Hare International Airport.

CHICAGO – A tire that flew off an SUV bounced across an interstate highway in Chicago and slammed into a car, causing an accident that killed its driver.

PRAIRIE GROVE – The proximity of a proposed natural gas power plant to District 46’s elementary and junior high schools raised a slew of concerns at a specially called school board meeting Wednesday evening.