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Illinois Continues First-In-The-Nation Free Test Prep Program Building on Governor Pritzker's Affordability Agenda

4 months 2 weeks ago
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

Gov. Pritzker Announces $1.5 Billion Investment from Global Biotherapeutics Leader CSL

4 months 2 weeks ago
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

City of St. Louis Launches New Online Building Permit Portal to Modernize and Streamline Approvals

4 months 2 weeks ago
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

O'Fallon Township High School Wins Award for Partnership with Halpin Music

4 months 2 weeks ago
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

Undocumented Romanian Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Fraud of Nearly $200,000 in 22 States

4 months 2 weeks ago
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

Former Missouri House speaker sentenced to prison for COVID relief fraud

4 months 2 weeks ago
A former top Missouri lawmaker has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for misusing pandemic relief funds. Former Republican state House Speaker John Diehl pleaded guilty to wire fraud for using about $380,000 of federal loans on personal expenses instead of his law firm's operating costs.
DAVID A. LIEB

Mary Lincoln Dress Now on Display at Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum  

4 months 3 weeks ago
SPRINGFIELD – One of the few surviving dresses worn by Mary Lincoln is now on display at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, offering visitors their first chance to see the fragile garment in 15 years. Known as the “strawberry dress” for its decorative pattern of berries and leaves, the dress can be seen in the special exhibit “Lincoln: A Life and Legacy that Defined a Nation.” The exhibit gathers the ALPLM’s most treasured artifacts