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ALTON — The Alton Fire Department responded to a fire in the 1200 block of Fairway Drive on Sunday night, April 13, 2025, where a shed was fully engulfed in flames and the fire had spread to a nearby house. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the shed ablaze and portions of the house also affected. A box alarm was activated, prompting the East Alton Fire Department to assist in the response. Firefighters were able to bring the situation under control swiftly. The shed was deemed a total loss, while the house sustained some damage. All occupants of the home, along with their animals, managed to escape safely, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

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April 13 holds a significant place in history, marked by events that have reshaped nations, cultures, and the course of humanity. One of the most notable events in history occurred on April 13, 1743, when Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and a key figure in American history, was born. Jefferson was not only a founding father but also the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, which laid the groundwork for democracy and individual rights in the United States. His vision of a nation built on liberty and justice continues to resonate around the world today. Fast forward to April 13, 1870, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art was officially founded in New York City. This institution has become one of the most prestigious art museums globally, housing a vast collection that spans over 5,000 years of art from various cultures and regions. The Met has played a crucial role in shaping the art world and making art accessible to the public, fostering

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SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today led the Illinois Democratic Delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressing frustration and concern that HHS has slashed critical federal funding for the state’s public health programs and infrastructure. “We write to express our real concern about the Department and Health and Human Services’ (HHS) actions to terminate federal funds for state and local health departments, fire critical public health staff, dismantle health agencies, and close regional offices, including the HHS Region 5 office in Chicago, Illinois. Your decision puts the health and well-being of our people at risk, and will do nothing to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’” the lawmakers wrote. Last month, it was reported that HHS would terminate $11.4 billion in federal funding for state and local health

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SPRINGFIELD – Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, has been detected in Putnam, Marshall, Adams, and Peoria counties, expanding the geographic presence of the disease in free-ranging deer populations in northern Illinois, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced today. Adams County is the first documented case recorded outside of the leading edge of the CWD endemic region. CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects the long-term health of white-tailed deer in Illinois. First documented in Illinois in 2002 near Roscoe, CWD has been detected in 25 counties across northern Illinois and now as far south as Adams County in west-central Illinois. In early February 2025, CWD was detected and confirmed through diagnostic testing in Putnam, Marshall, and Adams counties from routine surveillance of hunter-harvested deer. Peoria County was confirmed in a 2-year-old deer exhibiting clinical signs consistent with CWD infection using the same diagnostic testing procedures

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)—urged Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr. and Commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) General Brunson to build on their efforts to expand cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners by further implementing her Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness Program and strengthening our sealift fleet, which is aging and insufficient in numbers to support our military in the event of a crisis or conflict. Senator Duckworth’s Indo-Pacific Medical Readiness program—a program she championed in last year’s FY2025 NDAA —will help ensure our nation’s servicemembers as well as their families have access to quality patient care throughout the Indo-Pacific region—where they often must travel long distances to receive care. In her remarks, Duckworth asked

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed budget reconciliation instructions by 216-214. The budget directs the Energy and Commerce Committee, on which Rep. Kelly sits, to cut Medicaid by $880 billion. “The Republican budget betrays the American people. Republicans voted to slash Medicaid by $880 billion — the largest cut in history — which jeopardizes over 300,000 of my constituents’ healthcare. That’s almost half of the people living in the Second District. As grocery prices skyrocket, Republicans voted to cut food assistance by $230 billion, which would leave almost 190,000 of my constituents without reliable meals. “Even more atrocious, Republicans passed this budget to make way for a $4.5 trillion tax cut for their billionaire friends. The top 0.1% would receive an average annual tax cut of $314,266 — compared to a few hundred dollars for working families.

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WASHINGTO, D.C. – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), who are both members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today introduced the Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act . The legislation would ensure school food personnel receive essential information about food allergies as part of their existing annual trainings, so that they are better equipped to prevent, recognize, and respond to allergic food reactions. Food allergies are a growing public health concern. Over the past two decades, the number of children with food allergies in the U.S. has more than doubled. Now, eight percent of children, about two students per classroom, have food allergies, and more than 16 percent of them will have an allergic reaction while at school. Further, 20 percent of all epinephrine shots administered in schools are given to children who have undiagnosed food allergies—which makes it even more important

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined their Senate colleagues to introduce two bills, the American Family Act and the Tax Cut for Workers Act , aimed at expanding tax credits for American families. “As costs have risen, wages haven’t kept up. And now Republicans want to give tax cuts to billionaires. What we need to do instead is give workers and families more tools to help make ends meet,” said Durbin. “The American Family Act and the Tax Cut for Workers Act would put money back into the pockets of hardworking Americans so they can afford to put food on the table, keep their lights on, and access high-quality child care.” “When Democrats expanded the Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan, we lifted millions of children out of poverty with the stroke of a pen, bringing child poverty rates to the lowest recorded levels in our history,” Duckworth said.

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CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison led a coalition of 23 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in continued opposition to President Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to remove Gwynne Wilcox from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Dismissing Wilcox would leave just two members remaining on the five-member board, which cannot act without a quorum of at least three members. Wilcox filed the case, Wilcox v. Trump, to challenge President Trump’s Jan. 27, 2025 attempt to dismiss her from the NLRB in the middle of her five-year term, in violation of a federal statute that allows the president to remove board members from office only for specific reasons, such as misconduct. A federal district judge ruled that Trump’s attempt to fire Wilcox was unlawful and that she remains a member of the board. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling. In their brief, Raoul and the coalition urge the court to affirm

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Fareway Stores CEO Reynolds Cramer and President Garrett Piklapp to discuss the Senator’s bipartisan legislation, the Credit Card Competition Act , which would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market that is currently dominated by the Visa-Mastercard duopoly. Companies like Fareway would benefit from the Credit Card Competition Act, which, if enacted, would save merchants and consumers an estimated $17 billion each year. During the meeting, they also discussed the chaos around President Trump’s tariffs and how they are expected to increase costs of everyday goods, including groceries and food. Yesterday, President Trump announced he was temporarily dropping tariffs to 10 percent for 90 days for most countries. However, the President’s chaos has caused the markets to swing in the last few days. In the week after President Trump’s tariff announcement,

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in reintroducing the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, bicameral legislation to guarantee the right of public sector employees to organize, act concertedly and bargain collectively in states that currently do not afford these basic protections. This comes at a critical time, after President Trump’s recent executive order ended collective bargaining for more than one million federal workers. “Our public sector workers deserve the same right to organize as private sector workers, work in a safe job that pays a livable wage and be able to save for a secure retirement,” said Duckworth. “As Donald Trump works to hollow out the backbone of our public sector, I’m proud to help Senator Hirono and my colleagues introduce this legislation that would protect these hardworking Americans by finally enshrining

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)—joined her fellow Democratic SFRC colleagues, including U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), in sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the State Department’s recently announced plans to restructure the Department and fold USAID into the Department of State. In their letter, the SFRC Democrats emphasize that the State Department’s proposal for USAID is an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers, and that broader efforts to restructure, including the closure of U.S. embassies and consulates, are illegal without Congressional action and would be an unjustified seismic shift in the U.S foreign policy enterprise. “The proposal, if implemented, and action taken to date to gut USAID, are clearly an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers,” the Senators

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt advanced a measure that would eliminate the licensing requirements for hair braiders in Illinois. “It is common sense to eliminate unnecessary licensing requirements for hair braiders,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “Illinois is one of the few states that imposes these stiff requirements, and it’s time we get out of the way and allow individuals to practice their craft and earn a living without unnecessary barriers." Currently, hair braiders are required to obtain licensure under the Barber, Cosmetology, Esthetics, Hair Braiding, and Nail Technology Act of 1985. Aspiring hair braiders must complete 300 hours of training at a cosmetology school, which can cost over $5,000. Illinois is one of only 14 states that have these licensing requirements. Senate Bill 2348 would eliminate the need for hair braiders to get licensed with the state. Hair braiding businesses would still have to obtain a normal business license an

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HIGHLAND – A man from Highland faces seven felony counts of child pornography after possessing and distributing the material through online platforms. Beau D. Imming, 21, of Highland, was charged on April 8, 2025 with seven counts of child pornography. The five charges of dissemination were classified as Class X felonies, while the two charges of possession were classified as Class 2 felonies. Charging documents state that from Sept. 21 to Dec. 8, 2024, Imming used Snapchat and Microsoft Bing to disseminate images and videos depicting child pornography involving prepubescent toddlers and infants. The investigation unfolded on Dec. 26, 2024, after the Madison County Sheriff’s Office received several cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), according to a petition to deny Imming’s pretrial release. “26 of the cybertips were connected to matching internet protocol (IP) addresses,” the petition states. “These

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O'FALLON - This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis (MCS), a task force established in 1965 that plays a crucial role in investigating homicides and other violent crimes in the region. The MCS comprises nearly 600 investigators from 120 agencies throughout the St. Louis area, allowing for a collaborative approach to addressing serious criminal cases. The O'Fallon Police Department noted this week that several members of its department are actively involved in the MCS, serving in various capacities, including investigators, supervisors, and board members. This partnership enhances the department's ability to respond to and solve violent crimes, drawing on a wealth of resources and expertise from across the region. "The anniversary serves as a reminder of the ongoing commitment of law enforcement agencies to work together in pursuit of justice and public safety," the O'Fallon Police Department said this week. "The MCS not only supports individual

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Graduate School has presented its 2025-26 Hoppe Research Professor Award to Kevin R. Tucker, PhD, associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Chemistry. “I’m honored to receive this year’s Hoppe Professor Award,” said Tucker . “Many of the previous recipients are the best at SIUE in their scholarly pursuits, and it’s humbling to join that group. This award is a meaningful investment in not just me, but also in the students that I mentor and support as we develop methods for analysis in environmental samples.” Tucker, who started at SIUE as an assistant professor in 2016, noted his significant contributions through the years. “My work, most notably in the area of mass spectrometry method development, has covered fields ranging from bioconcentration of pharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystems to investigating the effects of testosterone i

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JERSEYVILLE – The City of Jerseyville has ambitious plans for its parks, both in the works and on its wish list. Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Hermans and other c ity officials announced s everal ongoing and possible future park improvement projects at a “workshop” meeting held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. No formal action was taken at the meeting, which was for discussion purposes only. C hanges Made, Coming To Wock Lake H ighlighted during the meeting were the upgrades made to Wock Lake in recent years, including the replacement of a pedestrian bridge along the walking path that circles the site. However, Hermans noted the narrow strip of land bending toward the center of the lake is now becoming unsafe for visitors. “The horseshoe landmass there in the middle used to be wide enough to get out there and mow and maintain, but … it’s too narrow to maintain safely,”

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BELLEVILLE - The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department has initiated an investigation into the death of a 38-year-old male detainee who was found unresponsive in a holding cell. The Illinois State Police are conducting the investigation at the request of the Sheriff's Department. The incident occurred at approximately 3:12 a.m. Friday, April 11, 2025, when correctional officers discovered the individual unresponsive. CPR was administered by jail nursing staff and correctional officers until emergency medical services arrived on the scene at 3:20 a.m. The detainee was pronounced dead at 4:12 a.m. Authorities have stated that the individual had been extradited from a neighboring county due to an outstanding warrant related to a 2024 felony charge for possession of methamphetamines. While the investigation is ongoing, officials indicated that foul play is not suspected. In accordance with protocol, the Illinois State Police will oversee the investigation, and the incident has

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CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 17 states on Thursday in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to restore access to critical U.S. Department of Education (department) funds that support programs for students across the state, including low-income and unhoused students, and provide funding for other essential school services to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students. Raoul and the coalition’s lawsuit comes after the department notified states on March 28 that it was unilaterally ending access to hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which the department had previously determined the states could access through March 2026. The department’s sudden change in position and arbitrary termination of states’ access to these funds will cause serious harm to students throughout the country. Illinois alone will lose access to over $77 million in essential

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ALTON – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that the outer lane of westbound Illinois 140 at the intersection of Fosterburg Road will close beginning, weather permitting, Monday, April 14, 2025. The lane closure is part of an ongoing improvement project that will add new turn lanes to the Fosterburg Road intersection. The entire project is expected to be completed by November. Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to choose alternate routes during this time. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone.

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