BUNKER HILL - Austin McClusky of Bunker Hill, Illinois, his fiancée, and their three children lost their home and belongings in a house fire on March 6, 2026 , prompting a fundraising campaign organized by Kristin Dailey to help the family find temporary housing and replace essential items. “Austin McClusky, his fiancée, and their three children are facing an unimaginable challenge after a devastating house fire in Bunker Hill, Illinois, on March 6th,” Dailey said
EDWARDSVILLE - A local high school student has enjoyed a meteoric rise as an entrepreneur. JD Vacca, 17, started Metro East Auto Spa last year. The car detailing service is taking off, and Vacca is proud of his hard work. It’s challenging to be an entrepreneur and a high school student, but that balance is a big part of his accomplishments. “I just like how I’m kind of fully in charge of my success,” Vacca said. “Everything is based on me. It can be hard sometimes
JERSEYVILLE — Students from Jersey Community High School brought home top marks and three “Best of the Day” awards after competing in the Illinois High School Association Solo and Ensemble contest this past weekend, according to Jersey Community Unit School District No. 100. The district said JCHS Fine Arts had 24 total entries at the event, including 14 instrumental and 10 vocal. JCHS received four Excellent ratings and 23 Superior ratings. The district said Jersey also earne
ALTON - Alton Fire Department Chief Jesse L. Jemison Jr. marked 33 years with the department on March 3, 2026, a milestone the department recognized in a statement shared by the Alton Fire Department, the City of Alton, Illinois, and Alton Firefighters Local 1255. Jemison began his career on March 3, 1993. The department said he “has grown through the ranks, gaining experience, perspective, and a deep understanding of the fire service along the way,” and that he has taken on “increasing
JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — Former St. Louis lawyer and former Missouri House Speaker John J. Diehl Jr. was sentenced Monday in federal court in St. Louis to 21 months in prison and fined $50,000 after pleading guilty to wire fraud for misusing $379,900 in federal COVID-19 relief loans intended to help small businesses during the pandemic. U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk imposed the sentence. Diehl, 60, has already repaid the loan money. Diehl applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan,
SPRINGFIELD, IL — Today, U.S. Representatives Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Mike Bost (IL-15), Wesley Bell (MO-01), and Ann Wagner (MO-02) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the boundaries of Gateway Arch National Park. Specifically, the legislation would expand the park’s authorized boundary to allow the National Park Service to extend the park into Malcolm Martin Park and neighboring vacant parcels in East St. Louis, Illinois. “Since arriving in Congress, fighting
SPRINGFIELD, IL, - Madison County has been issued a final property assessment equalization factor of 1.0000, according to David Harris, director of the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR). The property assessment equalization factor, often called the "multiplier," is the method used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties, as required by law. This equalization is particularly important because some of the state's 6,600 local taxing districts overlap into two or more counties
BELLEVILLE - A familiar face and trusted leader will step into the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer at Caritas Family Solutions. Erin Hamilton, who has been working for the nonprofit for three years as the Executive Director of People and Culture, is looking forward to making an impact in the role. “When I think about Caritas, we’re changing the world one person at a time,” Hamilton said. “We’re improving lives and communities. It’s
EDWARDSVILLE - Acting Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan gave an update on the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 transportation study. During the district’s regular meeting of the Board of Education, Duncan explained that the district is working on an analysis of their transportation system. The district hopes to ensure the buses are operating as efficiently as possible. “The goal of the analysis is to improve the efficiency of our transportation system,” he
A bowl of cereal looks simple, but it’s the end of a long chain of choices that changed human life more than almost any invention. Farming didn’t just put food on the table. It reshaped where people lived, how they worked, what they believed, and who held power. If you want to understand cities, money, laws, and even many of our daily routines, you can trace a line back to fields, animals, and stored grain. The big trade: freedom for reliability Before farming, most people lived
On March 10, 1876, a simple sentence spoken into a new machine signaled a major shift in how people could connect across distance. In a Boston boardinghouse, inventor Alexander Graham Bell used his experimental telephone to call his assistant, Thomas Watson, saying, “Mr. Watson—come here—I want to see you.” It mattered immediately because it proved that the human voice could be sent clearly over a wire, not just clicks or coded signals. Over time, that breakthrough helped
ALTON - Alton police are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred early Tuesday on the property of the Alton Housing Authority in Alton, Illinois, after officers responded to a 911 call reporting gunshots in the 700 block of Oakwood Estates. The Alton Police Department said it received the call at about 4:19 a.m. March 10, 2026. While officers were responding, dispatchers received additional information that a male subject had been shot. Officers arrived and rendered aid to the victim
EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County Community Development is accepting applications for a scholarship program designed to assist local students planning to attend college, trade school or other training programs during the upcoming academic year. Through funding provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program will award three scholarships valued at $5,000 each for the 2026-2027 school year. The awards will be distributed
ALTON - The second annual Alton Art Expo is accepting applications now. Scheduled for Sept. 26–27, 2026, at The Old Bakery Beer Company, the Alton Art Expo invites artists from across the region to display and sell their art. This year’s expo is dedicated to artist Tai Davis. Donations will be given to Centerstone in honor of Suicide Prevention Month. It’s a topic that’s close to the heart of organizer Charles Mooneyham. “The only reason why I’m alive
O'FALLON, IL. - The family of Debra K. Farmer, a longtime volunteer with the LaVerna Evans PTO, has donated to the LaVerna Evans Elementary School library in O’Fallon, Illinois, the school’s PTO said. The donation was made in her honor following her death on Dec. 5, 2025. The LaVerna Evans PTO said it was “incredibly grateful to the Farmer family for their generous donation to our school library in her honor.” The school is located at 802 Dartmouth Drive in O’Fallon
CHICAGO – The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and global education company Kaplan today announced that Illinois’ first-in-the-nation free test preparation program – the Prepare for Illinois’ Future Program – will continue through the end of the academic school year. Additionally, Governor JB Pritzker has proposed to fund the program through the FY27 budget for another year as part of his Affordability Agenda and commitment to strengthening
BRADLEY – Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced that global biotherapeutics leader CSL will invest nearly $1.5 billion to construct a new manufacturing facility at the company’s Kankakee campus, creating 300 new full-time jobs while retaining more than 1,200 existing positions. CSL’s investment marks one of the largest life sciences investments in Illinois history, reinforcing the state's leadership while
ST. LOUIS – The City of St. Louis today announced the launch of a new online building permit portal designed to modernize the application process, reduce approval times and significantly limit the need for in-person visits to City Hall. “The development community and everyday citizens have been demanding a simple, easy and 21st century way to apply for building permits. To end 70 years of population decline and make it possible for all St. Louisans displaced by last year’s
ALTON/O’FALLON - O’Fallon Township High School students can receive on-site instrument repairs thanks to local Alton business Halpin Music. OTHS recently won a 2026 Advocacy in Action Award from Music for All, recognized in the Community Involvement category for their partnership with Halpin. Mark Landon, owner of Halpin, explained that the business works with OTHS to repair students’ instruments on-site using their mobile repair shop. He believes this model is a great choic
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday, March 9, 2026, sentenced a Romanian national to 21 months in prison and ordered him to repay the almost $200,000 he stole from a nationwide retailer via “sleight-of-hand” schemes. Bobi Covaciu, 39, tricked store cashiers in at least 22 states into believing that he had paid the full amount of cash for a purchase. Covaciu counted out cash matching the purchase price and then took the cash back from cashiers and
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