Answer Man
Answer Man: Abend's Malt Shop a fixture in Belleville years ago
Q. On the wall inside the White Cottage on Lebanon Avenue is a black-and-white picture of Abend's Malt Shop in Belleville. Nobody I ask remembers this shop or where it was located. Please help, because it is really starting to bug me!
Answer Man
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: What's behind Islam's Sunni-Shiite split?
Q. In so many stories about the Middle East (Iraq, etc.), we read about the hostility between two factions of Islam -- the Sunni and the Shiites. Can you please explain when their monumental split occurred and why there is so much animosity between the two?
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: What's the earliest date for a baseball team to clinch a playoff berth?
This appears to be another incredible start for the St. Louis Cardinals. Although it is inevitable that they will lose a few more games this season, can you tell me the earliest date in the season that any team has clinched a playoff berth? -- Rick Carpenter, of McKendree University
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: Beautiful bridge stars in some famous films
On a recent "Wheel of Fortune," they showed a Crestor ad that had a beautiful bridge in the background. Where is that bridge located? -- G.W., of Belleville
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: What does the term 'Latin' America mean?
Please explain why we call the countries south of the United States "Latin" America? I was reminded of this when the media began hailing Francis as the first Latin American pope. What does Latin have to do with South America or Mexico? -- F.B., of New Athens
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: House was given away back in '35
Q. I remember back at the end of World War II there was a small, white house built in the middle of the Belleville Public Square where the fountain is now. What can you tell me about it?
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: Update on bridge by SWIC
Q. I miss not being able to use the bicycle path that takes you across Green Mount Road to Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville. When can we expect that new bridge to be finished? And, when (if ever) will they extend the trail from the college to the Shiloh-Scott station?
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: Where can I buy farm-fresh eggs in this area?
Q. Please tell me where I can buy farm-fresh eggs in this area. They seem to taste so much better than store-bought.
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: The business of transferring mortgages
Q. Recently we were notified that our current mortgage holder will "transfer the servicing" of our account to another firm. This is the fifth time this has happened in 10 years! Several of the companies have been well-known and several we've never heard of. What are they doing and why?
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: Train whistles go by the rules
Q. Can you tell me why or when the signal of two longs, a short and a long blast became the standard warning of a train approaching a crossing? Do two short blasts indicate forward movement?
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ANSWER MAN
Answer Man: Fair and foul in baseball
A. Please help me understand this: Are baseball catchers in fair or foul territory when they catch? And where is a batted ball foul or fair around home plate?


