The Early Voting process ends today throughout Illinois.

I have talked to several people who have gone through the process and most have been pleased.

By voting early, lines will be shorter on the actual day of the election. I think if it gets more people out to vote that we should continue the Early Voting in the future. It’s good we are finally trying to make things easier for voters to get their ballots cast.

We are a busy society and often people have other commitments on Election Day, so in that kind of situation, Early Voting definitely works.

Give me your feedback on Early Voting. Have you enjoyed voting early? Can you describe your personal experience?

I received a note from Suzanne Holbrook at the Alton Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau that although the process has been slow, fall colors are starting to emerge this week.

“I just took the drive along the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway from Alton to Pere Marquette and back,” she said in her e-mail. ” Since Tuesday, the colors have really started to emerge. While we are still not at peak, the drive was not a disappointment, and this should be a good weekend for those wanting to hit the open road and experience fall all around Alton!”

Holbrook said the leaf change in the area is at 40 percent at the moment, but the colors are starting to pop.

“Deep reds, burnt oranges, yellows and a few burgundy leaves are emerging across the landscape,” she said. ” The leaves are changing more each day, but it looks like the peak of the colors will near the end of October. It won’t be long!

I encourage residents or anyone from outside the region to make a trek down the Great River Road and beyond to observe the fall colors. There are not many other experiences that quite match making this type of trip. I also encourage people to visit the apple grower stands on up into to Calhoun County. There is something about those apples that no one else catch match.

For additional information, call the Visitors Center at (618) 465-0491.

I have written numerous times about diabetes and it seems people now recognize me for my 15-year ailment.

For several years I always publicized information people would bring me about fund-raising events or stories of individuals coping with the illness, but never interjected my personal story. Someone finally convinced me I needed to include information about my own dealings with diabetes and I have done that since.

About five or six weeks ago, I stepped up my exercise routine. My wife, Victoria, decided she wanted us to attempt to run the Great River Road 10-mile race in late November.

On one of the longer runs early, I told her I didn’t think I could do it. She encouraged me to finish that day. I completed the run and have been going through the walls of training ever since. We have worked up to about seven miles on our longest run, although we still have a ways to go. I am on the insulin pump for my Type I diabetes and I have had to explore what to do medically to run that long. One of the reasons I haven’t run longer distances is a fear of low blood sugars, which is very dangerous.

After about six weeks of training, I am falling into somewhat of a routine. On the long runs, I have been unhooking my pump, but testing my blood sugar before and after. I have been getting up on the long run days during the week at about 4:50 a.m. to run an hour or 1 hour and 15 minutes. I want to increase my runs another 15-25 minutes before the race, and I think I will be able to finish the 10-miler if I am not injured before the run.

I’m wondering if anyone else has Type I diabetes and has run longer races? What have you done to ensure success? I would appreciate any input.

I will communicate back after the Great River Road Run and talk about my experience.

Tonight’s presidential debate between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain is the most important one of all, in my opinion.

It is a last chance for voters to watch the two on issues and it should be fairly hard hitting. I’m hopeful they will talk about the economy and what they plan to do to offer fixes to the country’s many problems.

I am tired of negative campaigning between the two. The ads with negative interaction seem to be endless.

It would be wise for both candidates to be themselves and stop the rehearsed answers to questions. I don’t think the American public wants rehearsed comments in debates. I think people want them to express their true feelings on issues.

What are your thoughts?

America is immersed in politics once again.

I say this and I do it with a smile. I have been a complainer about Americans not having interest in politics for years, but that doesn’t seem to now be the case.

The vice-presidential debate between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin in St. Louis drew unbelievable interest. I heard more talk around The Telegraph and outside about that than almost anything else in recent months.

For the record, I thought both candidates did a good job during the debate. The two candidates remained cordial, even though they vehemently disagreed with each other on certain points. Both candidates seemed to be informed about their stances. I think that is the way politics should be, but unfortunately, in most cases that isn’t the case.

I hope the momentum of interest from the debate will continue to November and beyond.

We have a lot of things that are going the wrong way in this country at the moment and much needs to be changed. I hope voters continue to be interested and voice their opinion.

What do you think about the debate?