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ST. CLAIR COUNTY - A 35-year-old Collinsville woman died Tuesday morning, Nov. 18, 2025, in a four-vehicle crash in a construction zone on Interstate 64 in O’Fallon, the St. Clair County Coroner's Office said. Courtney Brannon was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred around 8 a.m. Tuesday in the eastbound lanes of I-64 near mile marker 14, close to the U.S. 50 exit, according to St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye and Illinois State Police. Brannon was driving a Ford

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced legislation, the FSMA Fee Technical Corrections Act , to make it easier for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct food safety inspections and recalls by collecting fees from food manufacturers and importers in order to better support the agency’s efforts to prevent foodborne illnesses. In 2010, Durbin led Congress in passing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to expand FDA’s mission

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Ranking Member of the Aviation Subcommittee—and U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) introduced two bipartisan bills aimed to help strengthen aviation safety and support our aviation workforce by fostering transparency surrounding medication guidelines, improving access to mental health care and protecting job security for our nation’s

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is accepting public comment through Jan. 31, 2026, about the abandoned mine lands reclamation projects that have been selected for work through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). IDNR’s Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Division has applied for $75.7 million for land and water reclamation work at 44 abandoned mine sites throughout Illinois to reclaim in the next five years. IDNR will continue to be eligible

JERSEYVILLE - Orchardist Charles Godar’s Jerseyville cooper shop suffered catastrophic fire damage on the night of November 16, 1925. For the past few months, there had been multiple break-in attempts, and Godar had replaced broken padlocks several times. No one connected with the cooper shop was there when the fire began, and authorities believed it was arson: “it was supposed that either by accident or design the person responsible for the repeated removals of padlocks caused

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in leading 24 Senate colleagues to introduce the Anti-Cash Grab Act, legislation that will repeal a provision — quietly added into the Senate government funding bill by U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) at the last minute — that allows Senators to collect

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education entered into interagency agreements with the U.S. Departments of Labor, State, Health and Human Services, and the Interior as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. Under the agreements, six Department of Education offices would be transferred to agencies unrelated to educating the United States’ youth and young

EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville- SIUE sits atop all NCAA Division I athletic programs for Graduation Success Rates (GSR), ranking #1 nationally among public institutions in the annual report released by the NCAA on Wednesday. In the metric that tracks academic success among Division I student-athletes, SIUE is tied for first among public institutions and tied for 17th nationally. The GSR for SIUE student-athletes in the cohort is 97 overall. Seven SIUE programs earned

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At today’s Republican-led Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called out her Republican colleagues for holding this highly partisan hearing in attempt to distract the American people from the pain Republicans continue to cause for millions of families by refusing to help stop ACA premiums from skyrocketing at the end of the year. To underscore the urgency of the looming health care crisis Republicans are trying to evade, Duckwort

GRANITE CITY – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that repairs on eastbound Interstate 270 between Illinois 3 and Riverview Drive in Missouri will require lane closures starting, weather permitting, at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21. One lane will remain open. All lanes are expected to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 24. Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this lane closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing

EDWARDSVILLE — A 43-year-old Edwardsville man was arrested Tuesday in connection with an investigation into the distribution and possession of child pornography, authorities said. Merl Lamoreaux was taken into custody following an inquiry that began Aug. 18, 2025, after the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) provided information to the Edwardsville Police Department. The investigation led to multiple charges filed by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s

ALTON - Community leaders came together to celebrate the resurfacing of eight tennis courts at Gordon Moore Park. On Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, elected officials and community members gathered at the tennis courts for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the courts’ restoration. Those in attendance noted that the courts serve as a space for Marquette Catholic High School and Alton High School tennis players to compete, as well as the site of many tournaments including the Bud Simpson

ALTON — The Alton All-Stars Basketball Association is expanding its reach this fall 2025, offering local youth the opportunity to compete on Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball teams. Founded and developed by John Smith, the program has grown to include more than 50 players, starting in first grade through the grade school level. Practices take place at the Catholic Children’s Home Gym, a facility made available through the support of Rodney Smith, who has allowed the teams

GODFREY - Students at Evangelical School once again came together to prepare and share a Thanksgiving feast. On Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, the kids gathered in the Evangelical gym to eat together as a school community. Principal Amanda Macias noted that the event requires “a lot of hands on deck,” but encourages students’ collaboration and builds the school’s positive culture. “Everybody loves Thanksgiving,” Macias said. “There are quite a few kids

ALTON — Jim Wigger, the founder of the Great River Road Run, a Thanksgiving weekend tradition in Alton that has lasted 66 years, is being remembered by friends and community members for his lasting impact on local running and youth athletics. The annual race, which began in 1957, was started by Wigger and has become a staple event for runners in the area. Russ Colona, the Great River Road Race director and legendary East Alton-Wood River cross country and track and field coach, and longtim

ALTON — Jim Wigger, the legendary Alton High School track and cross country coach , died recently at the age of 94. Arrangements are pending at Gent Funeral Home in Alton. Former athletes and community members plan to honor Wigger’s legacy with a silent lap around the Jim Wigger Track at Jim Wigger Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, from 3 to 4 p.m. The public is invited to join the event, which begins at 3 p.m. at the stadium entrance on State Street. Participants are encouraged

GRAFTON - Two men were airlifted for emergency treatment on Nov. 9, 2025, after a propane tank exploded inside a duck blind near Grafton, leaving one with severe burns and the other recovering at home. Seth Allen and another man named Caleb were injured when the propane tank explosion caused a fire inside the duck blind. Both were transported by air to a hospital in St. Louis for urgent medical care. Caleb is now recovering at home with his injuries. Allen, however, sustained third-degree burn

COLLINSVILLE — Collinsville High School math teacher Bill Gottschalk recently took part in an online discussion activity hosted by the New York Times Learning Network , marking his fifth time participating in the program. The event featured a graph illustrating the average number of children born to women in select countries and regions between 1960 and 2020. Gottschalk was selected for the opportunity due to his active involvement with the American Statistical Association’s K-12

SPRINGFIELD - Please be advised that effective November 19, 2025, the Illinois Office of the Secretary of State (ILSOS) will begin offering Mobile Identification Cards, “Mobile IDs,” which will allow Illinois driver’s license and state identification card holders to present their Illinois driver’s licenses and state identification cards digitally via the digital wallet incorporated into the Apple iPhone or Apple Watch. Under Illinois law, a Mobile ID is an acceptable

EDWARDSVILLE - The Madison County Board voted to deny special use permits for three solar projects and approve one project. During their regular meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, the Board discussed four different solar projects and their potential impact on the county. Several members of the public also commented on the projects, with many urging the Board to deny them. “We have worked a lifetime to improve our investments in our land and homes. We don’t want out-of-state