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JERSEYVILLE – Residents of Jerseyville and the JEM Fire Protection District are asked to hold off on burning until 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. The U.S. National Weather Service Saint Louis Missouri announced on the afternoon of Feb. 17 that any fire started north of I-70 could experience “erratic fire behavior” due to a combination of low humidity and gusty southwest winds, especially in dry grassy areas and agricultural fields with dry crop debris. According to

ALTON - As parishioners filed into St. Mary’s Catholic Church for their Ash Wednesday Mass, Father Nathan Marzonie, OMV, reflected on what the church means to the community. On Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, community members gathered at St. Mary’s at several times during the day to worship and receive ashes ahead of the Lenten season. Fr. Marzonie noted that Lent is also known as “the season of grace,” and he encourages people to reflect on their faith. “I really

FERGUSON - A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Shannon O’Brien, a 28-year-old woman who was found with at least one apparent gunshot injury in Ferguson, Mo., St. Louis County police said on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. O'Brien was a graduate of Edwardsville High School and has family in the Edwardsville area. O’Brien was identified Feb. 2, 2026, as the woman killed in the shooting, police said. She lived in the 4300 block of De Tonty Street in

If you’re at a doctor’s appointment and the provider says “spine disorder,” you might stop in your tracks. But you don’t have to, says Sohail Syed, MD , an OSF HealthCare neurosurgeon. He says to think of spine problems as a spectrum. “You can be a little outside normal, and it’s not going to be a major problem. You’re probably never going to know. Or you can be in the in-between. You have some symptoms, but it’s not that bad. Maybe we don’

GILLESPIE - Two Gillespie High School seniors interested in veterinary medicine toured the Animal Medical Center of Litchfield recently, speaking with clinic staff about careers in the field, according to a message from Jordan Bartok, the school district’s Gear Up district coordinator. Ava Segarra and Ceanna Bearden (shown left to right above) visited the clinic in Litchfield, where they “were able to tour the clinic and spend time talking with one of the doctors,”

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in Miot, et al. v. Trump in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, opposing the Trump administration’s effort to overturn a lower court’s decision to postpone the termination of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation while litigation on the termination continues. “Ending the vital protections provided by TPS would risk

SPRINGFIELD – A bipartisan poll conducted in January shows that 72% of Illinoisans strongly support the idea of paying college students as they complete the mandatory student teaching portion of their education. A poll of 1,000 Illinoisans conducted by Normington Petts and Associates and Next Generation Strategies in late January asked: “As you may know, student teaching is often a full-time position, yet many student teachers do not get paid for their work. Do you favor or oppose

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul lead a coalition of 20 attorneys general, in submitting comment letters opposing two proposed rules by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would prevent hospitals and medical providers from providing, and youth from receiving, essential transgender healthcare by threatening to withhold funds through the Medicare and Medicaid programs. “These proposed

Protein isn't the only nutrient having its moment. Fiber wants a piece of the pie, too. Due to overall health benefits and the increased concern of gastrointestinal cancers in younger people, #fibermaxxing is one of the latest health trends to hit social media. “Protein has a competitor right now, and I’m not mad about it,” says Jeanna Brouwer, oncology registered dietitian with OSF Cancer Support Services. “Fibermaxxing is when people are going above and beyond past

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space and Innovation—released the following statement after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its final report on the tragic DCA mid-air collision in January of last year: “Many of the findings in this report on the DCA mid-air collision point to issues that have persisted for years—and they are issues I’ve been sounding

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 23 states, filed a motion asking the District Court of Massachusetts to enforce its December order that prohibited the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from terminating the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program (BRIC) and directed the agency to promptly take all steps necessary to reverse the termination. For the past 30 years, the BRIC program has provided communities across the nation

BELLEVILLE - Belleville East High School senior Aubrey Heins has been named one of four students nationwide in the National Art Education Association’s Rising Star Secondary Recognition Program for future art educators, and will be recognized at the organization’s 2026 national convention in Chicago. The 2026 NAEA National Convention , featuring the Rising Star Secondary Recognition Program, will be held in Chicago from March 5-7, 2026. The program recognizes up to 50 active National

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Pritzker today announced that the State of Illinois has erased over $1.1 billion in medical debt for more than half a million Illinoisans through the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program. The announcement comes ahead of Governor Pritzker’s State of the State and proposed budget address tomorrow, previewing a focus on improving affordability. With rising costs and devastating impacts from Trump’s Budget Bill on healthcare accessibility, Governor Pritzker’s

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias called actions by President Donald Trump “vindictive” and “illegal” after the White House announced it would attempt to cut grant funding designed to make Illinois roads safer. Giannoulias also noted that the additional restrictions the Trump Administration has placed on CDL issuances to non-domiciled citizens nationwide are causing significant disruptions in the state’s trucking industry, supply

SPRINGFIELD – In preparation for the launch of its new Control & Compliance Portal, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) is encouraging licensees to register their ILogin account by Feb. 18, 2026. Today is the first day of the scheduled blackout period, but licensees will be able to resume all licensing and compliance activities once the new portal goes live. The ILCC Portal is a major milestone in the agency’s ongoing efforts to modernize services, enhance regulatory transparency,

ALTON - The Alton Community Unit School District #11 Board of Education recognized several students in the Alton High School music program. During the Board’s regular meeting on Feb. 17, 2026, Choir Director Leah Galbraith and Assistant Band Director Chuck Willard introduced several students who received honors through the Illinois Music Education Association. These students performed at the ILMEA All-State festival in late January. “ILMEA All-State is the highest level of

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Divine on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, sentenced Kirk Hall to 90 months in prison and fined him $3,000 for his role in a 2023 carjacking of a 72-year-old at a St. Louis County apartment complex. Hall, now 25, pleaded guilty in November to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. According to the case information, Hall was one of two men who stole a BMW X5 on July 7, 2023. Shortly before 1 a.m.

DELHI - Delhi, Illinois, student Alyssa Smith, an 11th grader at the Illinois Math and Science Academy, has launched a GoFundMe seeking $6,000 after being nominated to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum: Medicine and Health Care at Yale University. The program is an eight-day program focused on experiential medical education. The fundraiser, organized by Pam Smith of Jerseyville, is intended to cover tuition, travel, and related program fees, with the first payment due March 15, 2026.

EDWARDSVILLE – HSHS Medical Group is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Judy Abu-Brown to the team at HSHS Medical Group Multispecialty Care-Edwardsville at 1188 South State Route 157, Edwardsville. She is a board-certified family physician dedicated to providing high-quality, comprehensive care to patients of all ages in the Edwardsville community and is accepting new appointments. Dr. Abu-Brown specializes in preventive care, chronic disease management, women’s healt

ALTON - Alton Middle School will welcome a new athletic director/dean of students for the 2026–2027 school year. During the regular meeting of the Alton Community Unit School District #11 Board of Education on Feb. 17, 2026, the Board unanimously approved the appointment of Jalen Williams to the role. Williams noted his excitement to step into the position. “My goal is to help every student become the best version of themselves, both in the classroom and through athletics,”