WOOD RIVER – Wood River City Councilman Jeremy Plank’s vote to appoint himself to the city’s Library Board will be allowed to stand. City Attorney Kathryn Warren said at this week’s City Council meeting that after reviewing the City Code and relevant case law and state statutes, she found no rule preventing a sitting councilman from voting to approve his own appointment to the Library Board. The City Code also allows one member of the council to sit on the Library Boar
ALTON - Riverbend residents came together for a conversation about homelessness and the needs of unhoused community members. On Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, community leaders, representatives from nonprofits, and people experiencing homelessness met at First Presbyterian Church in Alton for two listening sessions with Chief Christine Haley. As Chief Homelessness Officer with the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness, Haley is holding listening sessions across the state to inform Home
GLEN CARBON – Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois invites cookie lovers across the area to celebrate National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend, taking place February 20–22. National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend is an annual event where Girl Scouts nationwide promote their sales and flex their entrepreneurial spirit through the iconic Girl Scout Cookie Program®. Every purchase makes a difference in the lives of young entrepreneurs as they find their way in the world and discover endless
EDWARDSVILLE - A former Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 teacher is asking community members to support her at the upcoming Board of Education meeting after she says she was unfairly targeted by the district. Last year, Jade Hinnen made headlines for a TikTok campaign that encouraged people across the country to donate to District #7’s school lunch debt. After receiving permission from the district to fundraise using social media, she raised over $13,000, which paid off
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Mary Miller criticized Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s State of the State address, saying it was “nothing more than a rehearsed fantasy detached from the reality Illinois families face every day." Miller, an Illinois Republican, said Pritzker’s address failed to reflect what she described as “record-high taxes, unsafe communities, and a government plagued by waste and fraud.” Miller added that Gov. Pritzker “refuses
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt’s legislation that would require service providing companies to give consumers a two-hour service window for appointments advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee. “People shouldn’t have to stay home from work all day waiting around for the cable guy to show up.” said Belt (D-Swansea). “This is about basic respect for families who have to balance jobs, child care and everything in between.”
ALTON — Marquette Catholic High School students, faculty and staff gathered Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church to observe Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the Lenten season as participants came forward to receive ashes. The observance brought the school community together “in reverence,” Principal Tim Harmon said, calling the ashes “a simple yet powerful reminder of our call to prayer and fasting." “As a Catholic hig
SPRINGFIELD - State Representative Kevin Schmidt (R-Millstadt) released the following statement after Governor JB Pritzker delivered his annual State of the State and Budget Address to the General Assembly today. “A budget address is another reflection of Governor Pritzker’s commitment to Illinois - more taxes, more fees, and more mandates,” said Schmidt. “The taxpayers of Illinois deserve a truly balanced budget that does not include tax hikes, wasteful spending, o
EDWARDSVILLE/GRANITE CITY - The Madison County Board chose to postpone the vote that would decide whether Arena Libra Solar can build a commercial solar energy facility in Nameoki Township near Granite City. During the Board’s regular meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, the Board was asked to grant a Special Use Permit to Arena Libra Solar, LLC, to develop a commercial solar energy facility on property zoned as an Agricultural District. The Zoning Board of Appeals recommended this
A lot of people say they want “alone time”—until they actually get it. The moment the house goes quiet, the phone stops buzzing, and there’s no one to talk to, something shifts. The silence can feel less like peace and more like a spotlight. For many of us, being alone doesn’t just mean being by ourselves. It can feel like being unprotected, unseen, or even unwanted. That reaction isn’t a personal flaw. It’s a mix of biology, learning, and culture. Understandin
On February 19, 1942, the United States government issued Executive Order 9066, a wartime directive that led to the forced removal and incarceration of around 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry—most of them U.S. citizens—from the West Coast. It mattered immediately because it reshaped daily life for entire communities almost overnight, based largely on ancestry rather than individual evidence of wrongdoing. It still matters today because it remains a widely studied example of how
This morning begins with dense fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, creating hazardous driving conditions. Temperatures start cool near 34 degrees but will quickly rise as the day progresses. By afternoon, expect mostly cloudy skies with a high around 65 degrees. A gusty thunderstorm may roll through the area with a 33% chance of storms, bringing heavy rain, hail, and damaging winds. Winds will be out of the south at 10 to 12 mph, gusting near 30 mph. As evening sets in, the skies
SPRINGFIELD, IL. – Governor JB Pritzker delivered his annual Budget/State of the State Address Wednesday to a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly. Governor Pritzker’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Budget is a record-high $56 billion, nearly a billion dollars more than last year’s enacted budget. Pritzker’s spending plan relies on $728 million in new revenue, including new taxes on social media platforms and higher gaming taxes. Assistant Republican Leader
SPRINGFIELD, IL - Illinois Governor JB Pritzker presented his annual Budget Address and State of the State to the General Assembly today. State Representative Amy Elik (R-Alton), House Republicans’ Deputy Budgeteer, issued the following statement after the governor’s budget proposal: “The Governor’s budget proposes another increase in state spending, making this another record amount, financed by more targeted taxes and fees. The speech today was short on details
ST. LOUIS - A Belleville man admitted in federal court on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, to choking and assaulting a woman on the grounds of Gateway Arch National Park, according to a plea agreement detailing an incident that began during an argument in Belleville, Illinois, and ended on a service road in St. Louis. Darrion Lamont Evans, 20, of Belleville, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of assault by strangulation and two counts of interstate domestic violence. In
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) released the following statement after Governor Pritzker’s State of the State and Budget Address: “As a working parent in a family of five, I know affordability is not a slogan. It is about whether families can pay their bills, plan for the future, and feel secure in their homes. The same is true for seniors living on fixed incomes. Right now, too many Illinoisans are watching property taxes, utility bills,
WOOD RIVER – Wood River will soon be home to a new hub for esports and film production. At their Feb. 17, 2026 meeting , City Council members voted unanimously to authorize the sale of city-owned surplus real estate to WR Farm Investments LLC, the company behind the purchase and development of Hollywood River Studios . Also approved was a redevelopment agreement for a related TIF project between the city and WR Farm Investments LLC. The company has agreed to pay $1 million to purchase
Belt reacts to FY 27 budget proposal SPRINGFIELD – After hearing the governor’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2027, State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) released the following statement: “Even though the federal government has put funding for many Illinois programs on the chopping block, Illinois families and small businesses cannot afford any new taxes. Democrats and Republicans have to work together over the next several months to pass a balanced budget, because
SPRINGFIELD – Today, Governor JB Pritzker unveiled his eighth balanced budget proposal — a fiscally responsible plan centered on making Illinois more affordable for working families while protecting the state’s long-term financial stability. At a time when families are facing higher costs driven by national economic uncertainty, the FY27 budget prioritizes affordability without raising taxes on working people. The Governor’s budget builds on seven years of restored
ST. LOUIS — Boeing said Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, it is relocating its Defense, Space & Security business back to the St. Louis area, a move the aerospace and defense contractor framed as a way to place leadership closer to a major production hub. The business, known as BDS, was previously headquartered in Berkeley, a St. Louis suburb, from 1997 to January 2017, when it relocated to Arlington, Virginia. Boeing’s statement did not say when the move would be
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