LEBANON, Ill. – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a Lebanon, Illinois man was sentenced for possessing child sexual abuse material. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online. Tyson Schmitt, 41, was sentenced today by St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Watson after pleading guilty
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs today announced that an estimated 250,000 Illinoisans with a disability are now eligible to open ABLE accounts that allow them to save and invest money to improve quality of life without risking federal benefits. The A chieving a B etter L ife E xperience (ABLE) Act Congress passed in 2014 required that people had to have acquired their disability before their 26th birthday. A change in the law effective this year raised the age limit
ST. LOUIS - U.S. District John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a felon to 13 ½ years in prison for carjacking a woman in St. Louis in 2024. On Jan. 5, 2024, Deionte Grice approached the woman, who had just parked her 2020 Kia Optima in the 5300 block of Devonshire Avenue in St. Louis. Grice pointed a gun at her, demanded her belongings and took her car, phone and purse. Grice later struck a curb as he drove into Forest Park, disabling the vehicle. He abandoned it and got on a MetroBus.
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today secured a court order requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to promptly take steps necessary to reverse the termination of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program (BRIC) and restore billions in funding to communities that rely on it. The decision follows a motion filed by Raoul and a coalition of states to compel FEMA to comply with a previous order issued by the court in December. “I’m
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) marked the committee passage of their bipartisan legislation that would help the United States counter threats from China and address current gaps in NASA’s ability to cooperate with Taiwan’s space efforts, including satellite programs, space exploration initiatives and atmospheric and weather research. After passing the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
EDWARDSVILLE - Glen-Ed Pantry has officially begun site preparation for the construction of its new permanent home, marking a significant milestone in the organization’s capital campaign and its long-term commitment to serving individuals and families facing food insecurity throughout the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7. Following the successful completion of early fundraising goals, the organization has finalized site preparation and infrastructure work, allowing construction
ST. LOUIS — This March, the American Red Cross urges donors to help donors to help the national blood supply recover following a severe shortage and empower their health by making an appointment to give blood or platelets. Donors of all blood types remain critical to keeping momentum up and the blood supply steady headed into spring. Some parts of the nation are still clearing snow, but the threat of severe spring weather?is already growing. Now is the time to book a blood or platelet
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that James Scherer, a 32-year-old Fairview Heights man, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of dissemination of child sexual abuse material, part of Raoul’s ongoing work with federal and local law enforcement to apprehend offenders who download and trade such material online. Scherer was sentenced by St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Jeffery Watson. The two convictions are
BUNKER HILL — Bunker Hill Fire Department Co. 1 responded at 3 p.m. Friday, March 6, 2026, to a reported serious residential structure fire within the city limits of Bunker Hill, where first arriving units encountered heavy smoke and fire coming from the residence. No injuries were reported. The department said it was dispatched to the scene at 3 p.m. and that crews found active fire conditions upon arrival. The cause of the fire was not provided. Bunker Hill Fire Department
BUNKER HILL - Austin McClusky of Bunker Hill, Illinois, his fiancée, and their three children lost their home and belongings in a house fire on March 6, 2026 , prompting a fundraising campaign organized by Kristin Dailey to help the family find temporary housing and replace essential items. “Austin McClusky, his fiancée, and their three children are facing an unimaginable challenge after a devastating house fire in Bunker Hill, Illinois, on March 6th,” Dailey said
EDWARDSVILLE - A local high school student has enjoyed a meteoric rise as an entrepreneur. JD Vacca, 17, started Metro East Auto Spa last year. The car detailing service is taking off, and Vacca is proud of his hard work. It’s challenging to be an entrepreneur and a high school student, but that balance is a big part of his accomplishments. “I just like how I’m kind of fully in charge of my success,” Vacca said. “Everything is based on me. It can be hard sometimes
JERSEYVILLE — Students from Jersey Community High School brought home top marks and three “Best of the Day” awards after competing in the Illinois High School Association Solo and Ensemble contest this past weekend, according to Jersey Community Unit School District No. 100. The district said JCHS Fine Arts had 24 total entries at the event, including 14 instrumental and 10 vocal. JCHS received four Excellent ratings and 23 Superior ratings. The district said Jersey also earne
ALTON - Alton Fire Department Chief Jesse L. Jemison Jr. marked 33 years with the department on March 3, 2026, a milestone the department recognized in a statement shared by the Alton Fire Department, the City of Alton, Illinois, and Alton Firefighters Local 1255. Jemison began his career on March 3, 1993. The department said he “has grown through the ranks, gaining experience, perspective, and a deep understanding of the fire service along the way,” and that he has taken on “increasing
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — Former St. Louis lawyer and former Missouri House Speaker John J. Diehl Jr. was sentenced Monday in federal court in St. Louis to 21 months in prison and fined $50,000 after pleading guilty to wire fraud for misusing $379,900 in federal COVID-19 relief loans intended to help small businesses during the pandemic. U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk imposed the sentence. Diehl, 60, has already repaid the loan money. Diehl applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan,
SPRINGFIELD, IL — Today, U.S. Representatives Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Mike Bost (IL-15), Wesley Bell (MO-01), and Ann Wagner (MO-02) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the boundaries of Gateway Arch National Park. Specifically, the legislation would expand the park’s authorized boundary to allow the National Park Service to extend the park into Malcolm Martin Park and neighboring vacant parcels in East St. Louis, Illinois. “Since arriving in Congress, fighting
SPRINGFIELD, IL, - Madison County has been issued a final property assessment equalization factor of 1.0000, according to David Harris, director of the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR). The property assessment equalization factor, often called the "multiplier," is the method used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties, as required by law. This equalization is particularly important because some of the state's 6,600 local taxing districts overlap into two or more counties
BELLEVILLE - A familiar face and trusted leader will step into the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer at Caritas Family Solutions. Erin Hamilton, who has been working for the nonprofit for three years as the Executive Director of People and Culture, is looking forward to making an impact in the role. “When I think about Caritas, we’re changing the world one person at a time,” Hamilton said. “We’re improving lives and communities. It’s
EDWARDSVILLE - Acting Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan gave an update on the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 transportation study. During the district’s regular meeting of the Board of Education, Duncan explained that the district is working on an analysis of their transportation system. The district hopes to ensure the buses are operating as efficiently as possible. “The goal of the analysis is to improve the efficiency of our transportation system,” he
A bowl of cereal looks simple, but it’s the end of a long chain of choices that changed human life more than almost any invention. Farming didn’t just put food on the table. It reshaped where people lived, how they worked, what they believed, and who held power. If you want to understand cities, money, laws, and even many of our daily routines, you can trace a line back to fields, animals, and stored grain. The big trade: freedom for reliability Before farming, most people lived
On March 10, 1876, a simple sentence spoken into a new machine signaled a major shift in how people could connect across distance. In a Boston boardinghouse, inventor Alexander Graham Bell used his experimental telephone to call his assistant, Thomas Watson, saying, “Mr. Watson—come here—I want to see you.” It mattered immediately because it proved that the human voice could be sent clearly over a wire, not just clicks or coded signals. Over time, that breakthrough helped
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