Free Republic

A student advisory referendum calling on the University of Illinois to divest from companies linked to human-rights violations failed, 56.8 to 43.2 percent. The ballot question referenced human-rights violations of the Palestinian people along with those of "all peoples," though campaign organizers say they weren't singling out Israel. UI senior Muhammad Yousuf of UIUC Divest, which sponsored the campaign, said Friday he was pleased the referendum got as many votes as it did.

Alexander Giannoulias (D) 41 11% Mark Kirk (R) 229 63% LeAlan Jones (G) 4 1% Mike Labno (L) 90 25%

In a crushing defeat for gun control advocates, the Illinois Supreme Court dismissed two lawsuits against the firearms industry Thursday, prompting the father of 19-year-old shooting victim Andrew Young to say the justices "will have some of that blood on their hands now." The high court tossed out a $433 million lawsuit that Chicago and Cook County brought, as well as a lawsuit families of gun victims filed against firearms makers, distributors and suburban dealers. Steve Young, whose son Andrew was killed in 1996 by a gang member who got a gun through a middleman, said he was astounded. "After...