SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police (ISP) continues to target vehicle theft, hijacking, and related violent crimes using grant funding from the Illinois Secretary of State Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council. ? ISP was awarded a $10 million grant for the first fiscal year, another $677,000 in June 2024, and $637,500 in July 2025. From October through December 2025, ISP missions resulted in the following: Vehicles recovere
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) reintroduced the Credit Card Competition Act , which will increase competition in the credit card market and put an end to the Visa-Mastercard duopoly that is squeezing small businesses—and, ultimately, consumers. President Trump endorsed the legislation early this morning Today, Visa and Mastercard control about 85 percent of the credit card market and refuse to negotiate
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory announced Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, a steady decline in major crimes within the department’s jurisdiction, with an overall 8.5 percent reduction in major offenses in 2025 compared to the previous year. The department reported significant decreases across nearly all crime categories, including a 9.6 percent drop in homicides and a 10.5 percent decline in aggravated assaults. Crimes against persons fell by 6.6 percent.
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Department of Health has ended its search for vervet monkeys reportedly seen in the northern part of the city and is now focusing on enforcing local ordinances that prohibit the ownership of non-human primates. The decision was announced Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, following several resident reports of monkey sightings beginning Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, near a northern city park. Despite deploying Animal Care and Control officers and increasing patrols after additional
PIASA — Maci Timpe, a senior libero for the Southwestern Piasa Birds, concluded her volleyball career in the fall of 2025 after demonstrating consistent improvement throughout the season. Timpe’s development on the court earned her recognition as the Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for the Piasa Birds. Southwestern head girls volleyball coach Derek Dempsey praised Timpe’s growth, noting her enhanced ability to read angles and anticipate plays
EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education learned more about the district’s ridership audit amid conversations about changing the school start times and transitioning to a seven-period day at the high school. Over the past year, community members have advocated for and against changing the start times to accommodate seven class periods in high school students’ schedules. During their work session on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, Interim Superintendent
GODFREY – Two individuals face felonies in Madison County after an alleged burglary and theft from a business in Godfrey. Kevin D. Ingram III, 21, of St. Louis, and Maurice D. Brown Jr., 22, of East St. Louis, were both charged with Class 2 felony counts of burglary and Class 3 felony counts of retail theft over $300. Brown was charged on Jan. 7, 2026, while Ingram was charged the next day on Jan. 8 in two related cases. Both allegedly knowingly entered The Dugout on Godfrey Road on Dec
ALTON — Monica Klockenkemper, a senior runner for Alton High School, concluded her fall 2025 cross country season with notable performances, highlighted by a personal best time of 19:46.1 for three miles at the IHSA 3A Regional meet held at Belleville West. Her time earned her 26th place in the competition. Klockenkemper also competed at the IHSA 3A Sectional meet at Normal Community, finishing with a time of 20:23.7. Earlier in the season, she posted a time of 22:06.7 to place 16th a
ALTON - A 60-year-old woman was injured by dogs while attempting to separate two fighting Chow Chows at her home in the 3800 block of Oscar on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, authorities said. Police received a 911 call at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 13, reporting the attack. Upon arrival, officers found the woman with wounds to her arm and three Chow Chow dogs at the residence. An officer applied a tourniquet to control the bleeding until the fire department arrived. Paramedics treated the woman on scene before
PIASA – Following are the High Honor Roll and Honor Roll lists for Southwestern High School’s first semester of the 2025-2026 academic year: HIGH HONOR ROLL Senior Class of 2026 High Honor Roll List for Semester 1 Jillian Adams, Gage Alexander, Ava Ballard, Bram Beuttel, Annalise Bunt, Taylor Cairns, Alivia Cecchini, Lucy Childress, Hayden Goheen, Madelyn Gordon, Mackenzie Haegele, Courtney Kahl, Wyatt Lahr, Katelyn Lair, Miranda Lenger, Kinley Lucas, Christian Ruyle, Alyssa
SPRINGFIELD – Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville will host their Winter Lecture Series virtually on Webex from January through March. The series begins on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. Logan Pappenfort, Illinois State Museum Director of Tribal Relations, will kickstart the series with his presentation “From Piasa to payiihsaki: Supernatural Symbolism and Misconstrued Tales.” The lecture will deconstruct the various stories surrounding the Piasa and how that narrative
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk has sentenced a former paramedic/firefighter from St. Louis County to 151 months in prison on child sex-related charges. Judge Pitlyk also ordered David S. Becker, 70, to pay $17,000 to victims who have appeared in child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and ordered him to be placed on supervised release for life after his release from prison. In August, jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found Becker guilty of one count of attempted
JERSEYVILLE – Jerseyville residents will soon have a chance to voice their opinions as the city considers new options for residential curbside trash pickup, potentially adding recycling and yard waste collection services. “The City of Jerseyville is exploring options for enhancing waste management services for residents while reducing the cost of service,” according to the city’s website . Since last summer , the city has been exploring the possibility of switching
HIGHLAND - A local woman has written her first children’s book in a series about a friendly Jeep. Bella Spark is a lifelong Madison County resident who recently discovered her love for off-roading in her Jeep. As she has been empowered by the experience, she decided to write a story for kids to teach them about confidence and community. “A lot of people name their cars, which we always sort of have. But in the Jeep world, each Jeep has a name. And I just noticed that Sparky
GODFREY — Nine student musicians from Alton High School and six from Alton Middle School have been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA) All-State Festival, scheduled for January 29-31 in Peoria. The Alton High School students named to the All-State Festival include Wesley LeBrun, percussion, selected for the All-State Honors Band for the third time; Quinn Halliday, trumpet, also in the Honors Band; Makayla Burns, violin, in the All-State Orchestra
BELLEVILLE - CASA of Southwestern Illinois is looking for volunteers to help kids navigate the judicial system. CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, work with kids who have experienced abuse or neglect. Most of these kids are in the foster care system, and CASA volunteers spend time with the kids and speak on their behalf in court to help the judge make decisions in the best interest of the child. The CASA SWI organization is looking for volunteers who will work with these kids and
EAST ST. LOUIS – State Senator Christopher Belt is highlighting the announced $24 million in funding to expand Manufacturing Training Academies at community colleges and strengthen workforce training opportunities for high-demand manufacturing careers. “Giving young people access to skills that translate directly into a job is exactly what we need to be focusing on in 2026,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “Southwestern Illinois College is already proving how community colleges
ST. LOUIS — Four African painted dog pups were born on Dec. 26, 2025, at the Saint Louis Zoo. These are the first births for this species at the Zoo, marking an important contribution to the endangered African painted dog population. Six-year-old mom Chewie and the pups are doing well and bonding in their private, indoor maternity den. It will be several weeks before the family makes their public debut at the age when pups would naturally leave the den with their mother. Seven-year-old
GLEN CARBON - Fifth-grader Lindley Weiss of Cassens Elementary School in Glen Carbon took on a unique role at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships held in St. Louis, serving as a sweeper during the Monday and Tuesday sessions. Weiss, of Glen Carbon, a member of the River’s Edge Figure Skating Club, was selected to be a sweeper with other young skaters aged 8-14. Sweepers collect the stuffed animals and sort gifts thrown on the ice after a skater’s performance during the event. More
Homicide Investigation in the 3700 block of Av De Paris Drive ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO. — St. Louis County Police are investigating a homicide after an adult female was fatally shot Monday night, Jan. 12, 2026, in the 3700 block of Av De Paris Drive. Officers from the North County Precinct responded at 10:21 p.m. Jan. 12, 2026, to reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found the woman with at least one gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. No suspects are currently in
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