Bill Coyne wrote a story a long time a go in the southtown economist
about my great grandmother Margaret Conway/ She may have even been
known as the candy lady. I am unable to get a copy from my elderly
aunt who told me she has a copy of it. How do I access the archives?
Bill Coyne was a neighbor and family friend of my father's family.

Southtown Economist appears to have changed to the Daily Southtown in 1993.

The online archive is only 7 days:
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/geninfo/archive.html
If you get in touch - information at:
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/geninfo/about.html

then I guess they might be able to help - guess it depends how "long
ago" you mean. Best of luck.

The Oak Lawn Public Library near Chicago owns the "Southtown
Economist" (on microfilm) from 1924-1993.  Typically you can request
an article be photocopied from your local library through interlibrary
loan.  But it sounds like you do not have an exact date or title for
the article.  Unfortunately the Southtown Economist has no index (I
know from experience) so aside from plowing through each paper around
the time you think it may have appeared, there seems no other option. 
The library will most likely be unwilling to do that massive amount of
research for you.

Here is the website and contact info for the library:

http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/

If you can discover the date of the article you may be able to find
the article more easily.  Hope this helps!

Bowler-ga