HIGHLAND - Highland Community Unit School District No. 5 officials said a reported threat written on a bathroom stall earlier this week has been investigated and addressed. At the same time, district leaders and police urged the public to report safety concerns directly to authorities rather than posting unverified information on social media. Highland Superintendent Mike Sutton said in a message to the school community that “early in the week it was reported that a 2-word
JERSEYVILLE — Jersey Community Unit School District No. 100 recognized its 2026 Illinois State Scholars during a February Board of Education meeting, praising the students for “their hard work, dedication, and academic excellence.” “These outstanding students were recognized at the February Board of Education meeting for their hard work, dedication, and academic excellence,” the district said in a statement. “The Board of Education and the Jersey
EDWARDSVILLE - Chelsey Phipps’ first-grade class at Midway Elementary School in Edwardsville recently marked Chinese New Year with an in-class lesson that introduced students to traditions associated with the holiday, according to a post from Edwardsville School District #7 and Midway Elementary School. The lesson took place in Edwardsville School District #7 at Midway Elementary and was led by Phipps, who “spent five years teaching in China” and shared “firsthand experiences
EAST ST. LOUIS - Illinois State Police Lt. Elbert Jennings served as a guest speaker at a “Know Your Rights” community informational session hosted by the East St. Louis NAACP Branch on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at St. Luke AME Church in East St. Louis. The session was designed to equip East St. Louis residents with knowledge of their civil rights and the legal principles influencing daily life. Jennings, a police officer with the State of Illinois based in Fairview
LITCHFIELD – Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged a Litchfield, Illinois man for allegedly disseminating child sexual abuse material. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online. The Attorney General’s office charged Dean Beasley, 19, in Montgomery County Circuit Court with four counts
A lot of “romantic” clichés started out as practical solutions to very unromantic problems—like bad smells, strict social rules, and the need to prove you were serious without saying a word. Romantic clichés feel timeless because they show up everywhere: movies, songs, greeting cards, and the little scripts people follow on dates. But most of them didn’t appear out of thin air. They were shaped by older customs, old language, and the social pressures of
On February 27, 1933, the German parliament building, the Reichstag, caught fire in Berlin. The blaze did more than damage a landmark. It became a turning point in Germany’s political life, because it was quickly used to justify emergency powers, mass arrests, and tighter limits on civil rights. At the time, many Germans were already unsettled by economic hardship and political violence, and the fire intensified fears about stability and security. It still matters today because it shows
Friday morning starts with chilly but clear skies and sunshine. Early temps hover around 36 degrees but will quickly warm up as the day goes on. By afternoon, expect plenty of sun with highs reaching a pleasant 73 degrees. Southwest winds pick up to 10-20 mph with occasional gusts near 31 mph, so hold onto your hats if you're out and about. Friday evening remains mostly clear, cooling to a low near 36 degrees overnight with light northwest winds. A Red Flag Warning is in effect from noon to 6 p.m.
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a man who stole nearly $300,000 worth of online merchandise from Kohl’s to 87 months in prison. Judge Autrey also ordered Marshall Lampkin, 36, to pay the retailer $301,713 and forfeit the stolen items that have been recovered. According to evidence and testimony at Lampkin’s trial in August, Lampkin carried out his scheme by first using Kohl’s Cash to purchase merchandise in a Kohl’s store,
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) pressed a top U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) leader, Mr. Mark Ditlevson, to assure the American people that the Trump Administration would not station troops near polling places in future elections, which is against the law and against our nation’s fundamental democratic values. When Mr. Ditlevson refused to provide that assurance at his nomination hearing today, Duckworth pressed further asking him what th
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today filed an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of birthright citizenship. Raoul and a multistate coalition filed the brief in support of a legal challenge to President Trump’s unlawful effort to rewrite the Constitution and overturn federal law. On his first day in office in 2025, President Trump issued an executive order purporting to end birthright citizenship for countless children born in the United States to immigrant
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, with a bipartisan group of 11 attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), reached a $100 million multistate settlement with Walmart today over allegations that the company deceived customers and drivers who participated in its Spark Driver (Spark) program. Walmart has paid Illinois drivers more than $1.1 million because of Walmart’s alleged actions. Raoul and the coalition’s settlement resolves allegations that Walmart
EDWARDSVILLE - The League of Women Voters and the NAACP hosted a candidate forum ahead of the primary election on March 17, 2026. Candidates for Illinois’s 15th Congressional District include Ryan Tebrugge (R), Judy Bowlby (R), Randy Raley (D), Jennifer Todd (D), Kyle Nudo (D) and Dr. Paul Davis (D). Incumbent Mary Miller (R) was unable to attend. During the forum on Feb. 25, 2026, each candidate introduced themselves and answered questions. Tebrugge shared that he grew up on a farm
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead author of the Dream Act, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, and U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) today released the following statement after U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 261 Deferred Action for
EDWARDSVILLE - The League of Women Voters and the NAACP hosted a candidate forum ahead of the primary election on March 17, 2026. Candidates for Illinois’s 13th Congressional District — Dylan Blaha (D), Jeff Wilson (R), and Joshua Loyd (R) — introduced themselves and shared information about their platforms. Incumbent Nikki Budzinski (D) was unable to attend. Blaha described himself as “a pro-peace U.S. Army veteran and former cancer research scientist” who live
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today hosted a celebration to commemorate Black History Month and honor leaders in the African American community. The event, held at the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office in the Marine Bank Building in downtown Springfield, was an opportunity to reflect on the great achievements of Black leaders. The eight Downstate Illinois honorees included a Springfield dentist, the CEO and President of the Springfield Urban League,
GRANITE CITY - The Granite City Warriors’ season of significant progress ended Wednesday night, Feb. 25, 2026, with a 42-39 loss to the Collinsville Kahoks in regional play, closing a turnaround year that saw Granite City improve to 16-15 after going 9-23 in 2024-25. The basketball boys are Stillwater Senior Living Male Athletes of the Month for Granite City. “Last year, the year before, we graduated nine seniors, and last year, we were 9-23," he said. "So, we’re happy with
ST. CLAIR COUNTY – The Illinois Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting to discuss a study for the proposed improvements on Illinois 177 in Mascoutah. The meeting will be held: Wednesday, March 18 4-7 p.m. Mascoutah High School 1313 W. Main St., Mascoutah The project involves replacing the existing pavement on Illinois 177 in Mascoutah that was originally constructed in 1921 and last rehabilitated in 2002. The project will also evaluate intersection
ALTON – 1st MidAmerica Credit Union will award five $1,000 scholarships to area high school seniors in May. Applications are available online here . Applications are due Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Over 130 area youth have benefited from the 1st MidAmerica Credit Union scholarships, which were introduced in 2005. Scholarships may be applied to tuition, fees or other educational expenses. Eligibility Requirements Applicant must be a member of 1st MidAmerica, a primary accountholder an
Bob “Spider” Purcell admits he doesn’t move as fast as he used to. But he’s OK with that. At 96, Purcell is more than content getting in his exercise by swimming laps nearly every morning at the YMCA in Ottawa, Illinois. “I'm a slow swimmer,” says the Ottawa resident and retired high school teacher. “I just freestyle for a half hour, and that's it. It keeps me going in the morning, really. I can feel down or not ready to do anything, but I get in that
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