ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO. — On Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Michael Cornell Jr., 39, of the 9500 block of West Avenue in St. Louis, with multiple offenses including four counts of statutory sodomy in the second degree, three counts of sodomy or attempted sodomy in the first degree, one count of first-degree harassment, and one count of possession of child pornography. Cornell is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond with no
GLEN CARBON – Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois (GSofSI) is proud to announce that Sarah Grace Brenner of Shiloh, Illinois, has been awarded Girl Scouts’ Medal of Honor – a lifesaving award she received for demonstrating heroism while saving a life. October 27, 2025, started as a normal day in the Brenner household. The children went to school, and father Michael was working upstairs in his office, wearing noise canceling headphones as he always does. Mother Lindsay was completing
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), author of the historic bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Law, today sought to block $125 million in Republican cuts to lead service line replacement projects by redirecting a portion of Trump’s exorbitant $2 billion U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) slush fund that the agency has shown time and again it does not deserve and cannot be trusted with. “ICE isn’t making our communities
GRANITE CITY – QuestBridge has announced the results of the 2025 QuestBridge National College Match, recognizing senior Melody Hang of Granite City High School as one of this year’s Match Scholarship Recipients. Hang was selected from a competitive pool of high-achieving high school seniors from low-income backgrounds nationwide and earned a full four-year scholarship through QuestBridge’s partnership with 55 of the nation’s top colleges. Her selection reflects both he
CASEYVILLE — A Caseyville police officer attempted to stop a vehicle for reckless driving on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, but the driver fled at high speed into Collinsville before crashing and fleeing on foot, authorities said. The vehicle struck a curb in Collinsville and became disabled on the side of a hill. The driver, identified as Hunter A. L. Smith, 21, was apprehended a short distance from the crash site, according to a news release from the Caseyville Police Department. Smith was
JERSEY COUNTY - The Dr. Silas Hamilton Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution recently donated a braille American flag to the Jersey County Public Library for public display. The Braille American flag donation reflects the chapter’s ongoing commitment to education and accessibility in the community. The flag will be available for public viewing at the Jersey County Public Library. The donation, made by the local chapter of NSDAR, took place in Jerseyville,
ALTON - A local woman is calling attention to Alton through a one-woman protest outside of City Hall. Dorothy Moss began her daily protests outside of City Hall on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. She took a break on Wednesday but was back at it on Thursday, Jan. 15, with neon green signs and a message for the mayor and anyone who might want to join her. “I love Alton, and I know Alton can do better,” Moss said. “I’ve got to at least try. I don’t know if it’s goin
CHICAGO – To support its ongoing investigations, today the Illinois Accountability Commission (IAC) announced a new submission process where individuals who witnessed or experienced potential misconduct by federal agents during Operation Midway Blitz can submit video or narrative information to the Commission. This pilot process will expand the IAC’s outreach efforts by engaging people who cannot attend a hearing but would like to create a public record that can be used to demand
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today reintroduced legislation that would ensure prison disaster plans protect the health, safety and rights of incarcerated individuals during emergencies. The Correctional Facility Disaster Preparedness Act would require the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to submit annual damage reports after disasters, require the National Institute of Correction (NIC) to hold field hearings on how to better incorporate considerations
CHICAGO — As Illinois enters the new year, the state is already achieving record-breaking wins for working families. Thanks to Governor JB Pritzker’s tireless efforts, Illinois is investing in job opportunities and career success for everyone. New rankings from Site Selection Magazine put Illinois #1 in the Midwest, and #3 in the nation for workforce development. This is a direct result of Gov. Pritzker and his administration’s relentless commitment to delivering good-payin
EDWARDSVILLE — Illinois’ two regional library systems are hosting a virtual event on Jan. 20, 2026, aimed at strengthening school libraries amid ongoing budget and staffing challenges. The Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS) and the Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) will bring together school library educators, administrators, district leaders, and school board members to discuss how libraries can better support student achievement. The School Library Education Exchang
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The following student has been named to the Saint Mary's College Dean's List for the Fall 2025 semester: Jerseyville, Ill. - Addison Pranger To earn this academic honor at Saint Mary's, a student must achieve a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.6 on a 4.0 scale, have a minimum of 12 graded credit hours, no incompletes, and no grades lower than a C. About Saint Mary's College Saint Mary's College, located in Notre Dame, IN, is recognized as both a visionary
TROY, Ill. — Rose Street, between Wayland Avenue and Barnsback Street, will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, for emergency sewer main replacements, the City of Troy announced this week. The repair is expected to be completed within one day. The work will take place adjacent to addresses including 605, 607, and 609 South Main Street, as well as 606, 608, and 610 Shebourne Avenue. Residents who normally park on Rose Street are advised to use alternate parking on the day of the repair.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined his Senate Democratic colleagues in marking the sixteenth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision, which opened the floodgates for dark money in our politics. Durbin began by reflecting on the campaign finance landscape during his first Congressional run in 1982. “In 1982, I decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives for
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, President Donald J. Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act in the Oval Office alongside U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., USDA National Nutrition Advisor Dr. Ben Carson, dairy farmers, moms, and bipartisan members of Congress to restore access to whole milk in schools and strengthen support for American dairy producers. This legislation advances the Trump Administration’s
CHICAGO — This week, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) received notice from the Trump Administration that funding for five critical behavioral health and suicide prevention programs, totaling over $5.94 million and affecting hundreds of people and providers, has been cut. “The Trump Administration cutting these life-saving behavioral health programs is nothing short o
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced that three of her priorities to strengthen the United States Postal Service (USPS) passed the House of Representatives as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) report. The language, which Budzinski secured alongside Representatives Jack Bergman (MI-01), Jared Golden (ME-02), Harriet Hageman (WY-AL), and Chris Pappas (NH-01), would address top issues impacting mail delivery fo
SPRINGFIELD – During this Radon Action Month, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) and the American Lung Association in Illinois encourage families and schools to talk about radon and its dangerous effects. One way to spur the conversation is to ask school-age students to enter artwork into the statewide awareness poster and video contests. “Radon is an invisible threat that poses a very real danger to our communities. As the second
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University awarded degrees to 1,751 graduates this fall. Graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies were held Dec. 19-20 at Hilton Coliseum. The following graduate is from the Riverbend region: Edwardsville, Illinois: Mitchell Henry Steinkuehler, Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, B.S., Cum Laude (Iowa State University)
PONTIAC — Today, Governor JB Pritzker attended the ribbon cutting for five brand-new IONNA electric vehicle (EV) charging station sites, or “rechargeries,” across Illinois, totaling nearly 40 live charging bays. Illinois continues to deliver a strong environment for private investment in EV infrastructure by expanding access to reliable, convenient charging for drivers. “Whether you’re headed out on a long-range road trip, taking the kids to school, or on the job
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