A caravan of Will County politicians cruised into the sunrise toward the state line Saturday morning. They were headed to knock on doors in an attempt to sway undecided voters in today's tight Indiana primary. For the most part, party leaders say, Democratic political machines in Will County back Sen. Barack Obama over rival Sen. Hillary Clinton because of the Obama¹s Land of Lincoln roots. Illinois Democrats, like Wheatland Township¹s Nick Palmer, who is deputy chief of staff for Will County Executive Larry Walsh, have brushed shoulders with Obama for years.

CREST HILL -- Legislators have found a way to keep Stateville Correctional Center open. “The word is out that Stateville is not going to be closed,” said state Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, D-Joliet. “I am proud that we have been able to accomplish this.” While Wilhelmi offered no details, an official announcement is scheduled for Monday morning.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- They lined up shoulder to shoulder inside the gray high-rise downtown, their politics as diverse as their backgrounds. An ex-felon who needs health insurance, followed by a high school student seeking empowerment, followed by a Marine Corps veteran who wants to prevent his country from crumbling. Like hundreds of others, their quests led them to the Wake County voter services office this month to register as Democrats for the first time. The line of newcomers that snaked across the checkered tile floor was emblematic of those that have formed across the country this year: black voters, young voters, lifelong Republicans switching parties -- all registering in record numbers, and all aligning as Democrats. Elections Director Cherie Poucher waited for them behind a counter with a jar of pens and a 10-inch stack of registration forms. She had hired 10 people from a temp agency to help handle the rush on this final day of North Carolina voter registration. Now, as she watched four more people file through the door, Poucher wished she had hired more.