CHAMPAIGN – It's hard to escape the perception that the Big Ten is down in basketball.

The exhibition losses by Ohio State and Michigan State resounded throughout the country.

Illini volleyball players Laura BeBruler and Vicki Brown on Monday were named honorable mention All-Big Ten and DeBruler was named to one of the six spots on the league's All-Freshman team. Sophomore libero Ashley Edinger was

the Illini's Sportsmanship Award recipient.

SAVOY – The village board is scheduled to vote Wednesday on an annexation agreement with the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District.

The annexation agreement offers a phased approach for the MTD's annexation of Savoy south of Curtis Road over the next 25 years. And if it's given the OK, the agreement will bring resolution to what has become one of the village's most debated issues – for residents and trustees alike.

Now we see why they're called legislative special sessions (at least under Gov. Rod Blagojevich): lawmakers show up in Springfield, do nothing and get paid for their expenses. They're special for someone.

And taxpayers get stuck with the bill. It's at more than $840,000 so far this year, with at least one more special session – on Wednesday – ordered by the governor. It wouldn't be so bad if legislators were accomplishing something – a new tax structure, political reform, passage of a capital improvements program, education funding revisions. They're all on the to-do list. But so far this year the 42 days of special sessions have yielded nothing.