EDWARDSVILLE — Several members of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office were honored for their service and bravery at the 33rd annual SILEC/SIPCA Awards Banquet held recently. The event recognized law enforcement personnel for their dedication and professionalism in serving the community. Among the honorees from the Madison County Sheriff's Office were Telecommunicator Katie Ferguson, who received the Telecommunicator Award, and Patrol Deputies Joshua Bogle and Zachary Sellers,
WOOD RIVER/GRANITE CITY – Local authorities have charged two men from Wood River and Granite City in separate felony cases of domestic battery. William K. Kampmann III, 37, of Wood River, was charged on Jan. 23, 2026 with one count each of aggravated domestic battery (a Class 2 felony) and domestic battery (a Class 4 felony). On Jan. 21, 2026, Kampmann allegedly committed an act of domestic battery against a household or family member, knowingly causing the victim bodily harm. Charging
COLLINSVILLE - Renfro Elementary educational assistant Jennifer Cox was recognized today as January 2026 Kahok Educator of the Month. The award was presented by Renfro Principal Dr. Laura Bauer and local Benjamin F. Edwards financial advisor Jason Rehg. In her nomination of Ms. Cox, Dr. Bauer wrote: "Jennifer Cox deserves to be Kahok Educator of the Month because: She is an educational assistant who has the most amazing work ethic. She is a special education assistant who pushes int
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) pressed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins on his haphazard plans to restructure the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which comes at a time when the VA is facing a severe staffing shortage as a direct result of the Trump Administration betraying our Veterans and removing 40,000 dedicated civil servants from the agency. During the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)
CHICAGO, IL — Today, Governor Pritzker joined members of the philanthropic community, reproductive health leaders, and state leaders to announce the creation of the Prairie State Access Fund, a new initiative in partnership with the Michael Reese Health Trust to sustain and strengthen the reproductive health ecosystem across Illinois to ensure continued access for both residents of Illinois and those from across the country seeking abortion care. “The Trump Administration is leading
FERGUSON, Mo. — Detectives from the St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Crimes Against Persons are investigating a homicide that occurred Friday afternoon, Jan. 31, 2026, in the 1700 block of Windward Court in Ferguson. Officers from the Ferguson Police Department responded shortly before 4 p.m. to reports of shots fired. Upon arrival, they found an adult female suffering from at least one apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The Ferguson Police
SPRINGFIELD – The latest homeless morbidity and mortality report from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) shows that persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) face significant health challenges and are much more likely to face emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and premature death than the public at large. The full report can be found here . An executive summary can be found here . The new report examines data from 2017 to 2023, including death certificates, hospital
LENA — Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced that Savencia Cheese USA (Savencia) will expand its existing production facility in Lena, transferring production know-how from France to Illinois. The company plans to add a new production line as part of its capital investment, which will create 50 new full-time jobs while retaining 125 existing jobs. “For decades, Savencia Cheese has been producing and perfecting
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-01), and Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) Co-Chairs of the Congressional Postal Service Caucus, led eight Members of Congress in a letter to Postmaster General David P. Steiner, demanding that he reverse a new policy in which a postmark will no longer reflect the date that someone originally mailed a letter. As a result of the Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) plan, USPS can no longer
SAINT LOUIS - The local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) will host a vigil to honor Alex Pretti, a man who was killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last weekend. At 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, community members will gather in front of John Cochran VA Hospital in St. Louis. The AFGE organization has organized a nationwide vigil, and St. Louis community members are invited to join the AFGE Local 96 chapter in St. Louis on Sunday.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization and Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07), Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization introduced the Veteran Data Accountability for Third-party Actors Act (DATA) Act during National Data Privacy Week. This bipartisan legislation would prevent third-party vendors that work wit
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) raising serious questions about the operations of TrumpRx, a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform that the Trump Administration expects to launch this month. In their letter, the Senators underscored how new guidance issued by the HHS OIG appears insufficient
ST. LOUIS — Deanne Lane, a longtime news anchor and reporter for KSDK in St. Louis, died at the age of 65 following a stroke earlier this week, former colleagues confirmed. Lane joined KSDK in 1983 and quickly became known as the station’s “Night Beat” reporter, a role in which she covered major national and local news events including the Columbine shooting, the Oklahoma City bombing, Hurricane Katrina and the Kirkwood City Hall shooting. She spent
WOOD RIVER — The Wood River Fire Department responded to a structure fire Friday afternoon, Jan. 30, 2026, in the 300 block of South Tenth Street. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the house, prompting a box-alarm response. Additional crews from Roxana, East Alton, and Edwardsville assisted at the scene. During firefighting efforts, multiple windows were broken. Firefighters were observed on the roof spraying water through a small attic window to contain
O’FALLON, IL. - Salon Ludic and Extension Lounge, an O’Fallon-based small business, is giving back to the community it calls home. Through monthly SLAK Campaigns, Salon Ludic Act of Kindness, small businesses in O’Fallon, and the surrounding area, will be chosen at random as the recipient of a Salon Ludic Act of Kindness. For each monthly Act, Salon Ludic will purchase a $200 gift card from a small business, which will be used for its own customers until the money runs out.
ALTON - James Sehorn and Nathanael Rich are the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club Students of the Month for January 2026. Sehorn is the son of John and Sarah Sehorn. Dedicated to his studies, he has achieved a GPA of 4.74, with many AP and Honors classes. He has always taken the most difficult classes while maintaining a spot on the High Honor Roll. Outside of academics, James has stayed very involved with athletics, playing Varsity Basketball and Baseball since freshman year. As a sophomore, he won
ALTON - Nathanael Rich of Alton High School and James Sehorn of Marquette Catholic High School were honored as Students of the month for January 2026 at a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey at the Gentelin’s on Broadway Restaurant. Rich, a 17-year-old senior at Alton High School, is the son of Joshua and Kelly Rich. He expressed his gratitude to the Rotary Club for the honor and acknowledged their continued support of students and the community. Nathanael also shared appreciation
EDWARDSVILLE/GLEN CARBON - Albert Cassens Elementary School fourth graders are pleased to announce they would thrive in an extreme survival situation. The students recently learned about survival in their “Wit and Wisdom” unit, where they read survival stories and wrote their own personal narrative about weathering a storm. But beyond that, the teachers emphasized the importance of hope and perseverance, noting that you can always count on yourself. “You’re your
EDWARDSVILLE — Scout, a local dog from Edwardsville, is competing in the nationwide America’s Favorite Dog competition, highlighting beloved pets and the communities that support them. The contest, which aims to celebrate the bond between pets and their owners, also benefits a charitable cause. As of Friday afternoon, Jan. 30, 2026, Scout had risen to fifth place in America's Favorite Dog ratings, his owner said. Danielle Schwab, Scout’s owner, said the competition has brought
SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Erica Harriss (56th–Glen Carbon) is pushing for legislative reforms to strengthen accountability and transparency at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), particularly regarding foster youth who go missing while under state supervision. Senate Bill 2869 would require DCFS to consistently track and publicly report information on missing foster youth, allowing lawmakers and the public to better understand the scope of the problem
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