BELLEVILLE - College students and community members can come together for a Take Back the Night walk. On Thursday, April 30, 2026, Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) in Belleville will host the annual demonstration and resource fair, which aims to raise awareness about sexual assault prevention and resources during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The walk starts at 7 p.m. on SWIC’s Quad and will progress throughout campus, followed by a few speakers in the theater. “It’s
MASCOUTAH - Joshua Veath, a fifth-grade teacher at Mascoutah Elementary School, has been named one of 30 finalists statewide for the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, selected from nearly 600 nominations in Illinois, according to Mascoutah School District 19. The district said Veath, who teaches math, science and social studies in Mascoutah, was recognized for the impact he is making in the classroom. Mascoutah School District 19 congratulated him in a post identifying
JERSEYVILLE – A man and woman from Jerseyville face felony charges in two separate cases of domestic battery filed in Madison County. Robert W. Reed, 44, of Jerseyville, was charged on Feb. 17, 2026, with a Class 2 felony count of aggravated domestic battery and a Class 4 felony count of his second or subsequent offense of domestic battery. Reed allegedly intentionally committed an act of domestic battery against a household or family member on Feb. 13, 2026, without legal justification.
EAST ST. LOUIS - Meonshai Houston, a fourth-grade English Language Arts and social studies teacher at Annette Harris Officer Elementary School in East St. Louis, has been named one of 30 finalists for the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, selected from nearly 600 nominations statewide. The East St. Louis School District 189 said Houston was recognized for the impact she is making in the classroom at the East St. Louis school. “Congratulations, Mrs. Houston! Your dedication
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
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