SPRINGFIELD – Nearly $40,000 in grants for 24 schoolyard habitat projects throughout Illinois have been awarded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Conservation Foundation for the 2026 application period. The Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant Program supports the development or enhancement of wildlife habitat on school grounds and other public spaces. Funding is provided through donations to the Illinois Conservation Foundation and program sponsor
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today spoke with leaders and members of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) to discuss their efforts to ensure higher education remains accessible and affordable as the Trump Administration attempts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and the programs that support students in attending college. The Senators also discussed job training programs provided at
SPRINGFIELD – 1099-G tax forms are now available for claimants who received unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in 2025, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today. Claimants who collected UI benefits last year will need the 1099-G tax form to complete their state and federal tax returns. Also called ‘Form 1099-G, Certain Government Payments,’ this form is necessary for individuals who received state or UI benefits. Claimants who opted to receive
CHICAGO – Illinois is helping to ensure that all students have access to higher education with One Click College Admit Month! Activities throughout the month are part of an ongoing campaign to increase awareness of and participation in Illinois’ new, simple and quick direct college admissions program. Last summer, the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), in collaboration with the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC),
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced the inclusion of $7 million for the Open Textbook Pilot Program in the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Fiscal Year 2026 bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. Since 2018 when Durbin helped create the Open Textbook Pilot Program, he has secured $61 million in total federal funding to support college students across the country in accessing
ALTON - The Wedge Innovation Center has several exciting events planned for Entrepreneurship Week. The Congressionally-recognized week celebrates the work of entrepreneurs and aims to help business owners learn and connect with resources. At The Wedge, there will be featured speakers and events from Tuesday, Feb. 17 through Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. “Entrepreneurship Week launched in 2006. It’s a Congressionally-recognized thing that really is by design to boost the entrepreneurial
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at a Judiciary Subcommittee hearing entitled “Arctic Frost Accountability: Oversight of Telecommunications Carriers’ Responses to Jack Smith’s Witch Hunt.” Instead of allowing Jack Smith to testify, Senate Judiciary Republicans are proceeding with a wasteful series of eight subcommittee hearings to relitigate the 2020 presidential
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a Mt. Vernon, Illinois man was sentenced to 48 years in prison for disseminating 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. Dustin Phillips, 34, was sentenced today by Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Jerry E
CHICAGO — Attorney General Kwame Raoul co-led a coalition of attorneys general in filing a comment letter opposing a U.S. Department of Education proposal to remove certain reporting requirements that help the department uncover significant disproportionality in the identification and placement of children in special education programming and in the discipline of children, based on race and ethnicity. “Data and research have shown for decades that students are disproportionately
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) today reintroduced the bicameral American Business for American Companies Act, legislation that would extend the year-to-year government wide ban on federal contracts for inverted corporations by moving it out of the annual appropriations process and into permanent law. Corporate inversions allow U.S. companies to shift their corporate citizenship
CHICAGO – In recognition of Safer Internet Day on Feb. 10, Attorney General Kwame Raoul encouraged families, educators and other professionals working with children to talk to children about ways to protect themselves from exploitation online and what to do if they end up in an unsafe online situation. “On Safer Internet Day and every day, families and educators can help children learn how to use technology responsibly,” Raoul said. “New technology, such as artificial
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Mary Miller said she met with Secretary Linda McMahon on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, to talk about “the future of education in America,” framing the discussion around shifting education authority away from Washington and toward parents and states. “It was a pleasure welcoming Secretary Linda McMahon to my office today to discuss the future of education in America,” Miller wrote in a social media post. Miller, a former teacher,
ALTON – OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center is now offering a CT cardiac calcium scoring test. This non-invasive test, conducted through OSF Saint Anthony’s Imaging Services helps doctors gain a clearer picture of a patient’s overall heart health. Patients with one or more risk factors are encouraged to undergo this test every three to five years if the initial score is zero or very low. Risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension),
O'FALLON, IL. - The O’Fallon Police Department recently held its 2025 awards banquet to recognize the dedication, service, and professionalism of its team, honoring employees for career milestones and presenting commendations for work ranging from DUI enforcement to investigations. At the banquet, the department recognized retirement and service milestones, issued letters of appreciation, and presented major awards, including Officer of the Year and Civilians of the Year. Major
ALTON - Local entrepreneurs and project leaders had the chance to share more about their work in downtown Alton. On Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, community members gathered at The Wedge Innovation Center for Alton Main Street’s quarterly “What’s Up Downtown” meeting. Business owners and stakeholders shared information about their organizations and projects. Scot Heathman, CEO of The Wedge , shared information about Entrepreneurship Week, planned for Feb. 17–20,
A kiss at an airport isn’t just a private moment that happened to be public—it’s a message. Even if no one says a word, the couple is quietly telling the world, “This person matters to me.” Public affection can look small: holding hands in a grocery store aisle, a quick hug outside a school, a partner brushing lint off someone’s jacket. Yet people do it across ages, cultures, and settings. The reasons are not only romantic. Public affection helps humans signal
On February 11, 1979, crowds in Tehran celebrated the collapse of Iran’s monarchy and the victory of a revolution that quickly reshaped the country’s government, laws, and foreign relationships. The Iranian Revolution mattered immediately because it ended a centuries-old royal system and replaced it with a new political order led by religious authorities, changing how power was organized inside Iran. It also mattered beyond Iran’s borders, because it altered the balance of influence
This morning starts off clear and chilly with temperatures around 30 degrees. The air feels cold as north-northwest winds gently breeze at about 7 mph with gusts up to 15 mph. By afternoon, expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 49 degrees. Evening turns partly cloudy with mild winds shifting to the east at around 5 mph. Overnight lows will dip back to about 30 degrees under partly cloudy skies. Tomorrow's forecast calls for intermittent clouds with some sun breaking through. Temperatures
ROSEWOOD HEIGHTS - Tuesday in Rosewood Heights, firefighters working a grass fire on West Woodland reported that a driver refused to turn around at a road shutdown and instead drove through residents’ yards to get around the scene. The Rosewood Heights Fire Department described the incident in a reminder posted to its Facebook page, alongside video from the department. “Emergency workers shut down roads so we can safely operate at the scene, hoping not to have to worry about being
PIASA - Mikayla Means, a wrestler for Southwestern, placed third at the regional on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, and will advance to sectionals. The regional this past Saturday was held at Jacksonville ISD. Means finished third at 235 pounds, winning her final bout over Sophia Brown of Shelbyville by medical forfeit. Southwestern's wrestling coaching staff and head coach Shain Bates said Means’ performance came while she was “the only girl in the lineup,” adding that “being
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