COTTAGE HILLS - Community members gathered at Community Hope Center in Cottage Hills to learn about the new proposed site of the Hope House, a 48-bed homeless shelter operated by The Salvation Army. On Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, leaders with Community Hope Center and The Salvation Army introduced the Hope House project and answered questions about the proposed shelter, to be built on Community Hope Center property at 1201 Hope Center Lane in Cottage Hills. They noted that the Hope House wil
TROY, Ill. — Ashley Whittington, who teaches sixth through 10th grade at the Center for Educational Opportunities in Troy, IL., is one of 30 finalists for the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. She was selected from nearly 600 nominations statewide. Whittington has taught for 11 years and uses what the release described as a cyclical approach to instruction in her alternative school setting, where structure and engagement “matter as much as content.” In a
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, charged Jesse St. John, 28, with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 19-year-old Steffon Marmon, authorities said. St. John, of the 300 block of Henquin Drive in St. Louis, Mo., 63135, is being held on a $750,000 cash-only bond with no 10% option, according to the prosecutor’s office. Police were called to a disturbance and, upon arriving, encountered the
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Crimes Against Persons detectives are investigating a homicide in the 6600 block of Sacramento Drive in the City of Northwoods that resulted in the death of an adult male. On Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 12:20 p.m., police officers from the City of Northwoods Police Department and the North County Police Cooperative responded to a call for service for a shooting in the 6600 block of Sacramento Drive.
ROXANA - Midwest Members Credit Union is proud to sponsor the “Shell of the Month” program at Roxana High School. Students from each grade level are selected each month by members of RHS faculty. Each student is awarded a certificate and a Subway gift card. The Seniors selected each month will have the opportunity to compete for a “Shell of the Year” scholarship at the end of the school year. January's Shell of the Month winners are: Senior- Isaiah Carll & Natasha Little
CHICAGO — Tonight, Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement after President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address: “After spending the last year wreaking havoc on American communities, Donald Trump once again spewed lies and attempted to gaslight the American people. “We endured two hours of baseless claims, shameless propaganda, and the ramblings of a wannabe dictator outlining his plans to steal American elections. Illinois will keep standing for th
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) reacted to last week’s Supreme Court ruling to strike down most—70 percent—of the tariffs enacted by President Trump. “Tariffs can be useful when used strategically, but President Trump exceeded these authorities, as clearly defined by Congress, and the Supreme Court, by a vote of 6-3, told him as much. He defied basic economic sense,” Durbin said. “Just ask
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Co-Chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, along with U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), released the following statement on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: “On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin believed that
ST. LOUIS — Washington University Police Chief Angela Coonce said after a thorough investigation, they do not believe reports of an armed person on the university’s Danforth Campus were credible after the campus briefly went into a shelter-in-place on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Coonce added that Washington University Police will continue to investigate and “pursue charges against anyone who is found responsible for the false reports that caused the shelter-in-place.” On
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At today’s joint Senate (SVAC) and House (HVAC) Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing with Veterans Service Organization (VSOs), combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called out the Trump Administration for once again attacking our Veterans and failing to consult Congress or VSOs before they ushered in an interim final rule that effectively disincentivizes our nation’s heroes from both seeking earned coverage for service-connected disabilities
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today reintroduced the Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act. As the Trump Administration continues to play political games by denying critical assistance for Democratic-led states, the Senators’ bill would reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) disaster declaration process to make it more transparent and equitable to small and rural communities in larger states
COLLINSVILLE – Collinsville High School senior Melanie Gutierrez was selected to receive a 2026 Racial Harmony Award from the Center for Racial Harmony. The award was presented on February 22, 2026. The Center for Racial Harmony is located in Belleville, Illinois. The organization is dedicated to promoting understanding, cooperation and communication among all races and ethnic groups. Each year, they recognize students who have gone above and beyond to promote goodwill and respect. Ms.
CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker announced a transformative public-private partnership to restore and redevelop the historic Hotel Florence and key buildings within the Pullman State Historic Site on Chicago’s South Side — leveraging $21 million in state capital funds to unlock more than $83 million in private investment for a total project value exceeding $100 million. “Pullman is a treasured piece of Illinois’ story, and with this public-private partnership,
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, provided new whistleblower disclosures to support the investigation into FBI Director Kash Patel’s excessive use of FBI aircraft for personal travel. These disclosures were provided after Patel was spotted celebrating with the U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team shortly after their win over Canada in the gold medal game. In a follow-up letter to the Government Accountability
ALTON – While national projections indicate a 9% increase for inpatient days (i.e. length of stay) for the next 10 years, along with a long-term trend of a 5% decline in inpatient admission volumes for hospitals, OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center and OSF Medical Group continue to see patient volumes increase in outpatient services and office visits respectively - and not just from 2024 to 2025, but also since 2022. “The year-over-year increases in our outpatient
ROLLA, Mo. - Over 1,000 students received degrees from Missouri University of Science and Technology during commencement ceremonies held at Missouri S&T on Friday, Dec. 19, and Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. HOMETOWN, STATE; ZIPCODE - NAME, DEGREE, HONORS (if listed): Alton, Illinois 62002 - Reiley Clark, Architectural Engineering, BS, Magna Cum Laude 62002 - Reiley Clark, Civil Engineering, BS, Magna Cum Laude Edwardsville, Illinois 62025 - Matthew Reid, Computer Engineering, BS Glen
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s (D-IL) State of the Union guest, Jeremy Schumacher of Carbondale, Illinois, delivered powerful testimony about how the Trump Administration’s devastating health care cuts—combined with the rising costs of groceries and other everyday necessities—have made it nearly impossible for his family to make ends meet. Mr. Schumacher, the primary source of income for his household, saw his health insurance deductible
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator and Ranking Member of the Senate’s Aviation Subcommittee Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today issued the following statement after Speaker Mike Johnson and 131 House Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to defeat the bipartisan Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act, which already passed the Senate with unanimous support last December and would have implemented critical safety enhancements to prevent
EAST ST. LOUIS - The Center for Racial Harmony honored K-12 students for “outstanding character traits” during its annual “The Gathering” youth recognition program this past weekend. At the event, Dunbar Elementary School fourth-grader Chaya Reynolds from the East St. Louis School District 189 was recognized. “The Gathering” is a youth recognition program that honors students who “consistently demonstrate outstanding character traits”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL-15) and Senator Ted Budd (R-NC), led several of their Republican colleagues in introducing the bicameral Stop Illegal Alien Cops Act today. The legislation is aimed at prohibiting illegal aliens who work as armed law enforcement officers from possessing firearms or ammunition provided to them by a government entity, such as a police department. This bill aligns with existing federal law that already prohibits illegal aliens from possessing
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