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As we’ve discussed before, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas really does not like the “actual malice” standard required to make a defamation claim against a public figure, as laid out in the extremely important NY Times v. Sullivan case. The actual malice standard confuses many people, because it’s not actually about malice. The standard is […]

The United States Steel Corporation announced a plan Tuesday that would lead to repurposing a steel mill in the Metro East. Union members say the plan could mean nearly 1,000 jobs lost at the Granite City Works plant.

SPRINGFIELD —Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez has announced plans to retire at the end of June, 2022. Perez has served over 7 years as Illinois State Fire Marshal and over 37 years in the public safety field. Before beginning his career in the fire service, Perez worked for two years as a patrol officer in the Kane County Sheriff’s Department. He then joined the Aurora Fire Department where he served 27 years and became certified as a paramedic, an arson investigator, and rose to the rank of Assistant Chief. “Matt Perez has been an outstanding Fire Marshal for all of Illinois, serving through administrations on both sides of the aisle and championing districts urban and rural alike,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “His decades in service offer an example in excellence for public servants across government, and while I’m sad to see him leave, his mark on the Fire Marshal’s office will long outlast his time in office thanks to his leadership

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If there’s a gauntlet to be thrown, count on Jane Dueker to hurl it down.

Statistics don’t have faces.   While statistics about the number of homeless veterans in the United States are staggering, they do not show the people

The post In the Faces of Patriotism: The Homeless Veterans Project appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

ALTON - Get ready for a fireworks road trip to southwest Illinois with local communities ready to light up the night skies with a variety of fireworks shows starting Saturday, July 2 and running through Monday, July 4. Several communities in the Great Rivers & Routes region of southwest Illinois from Troy to Carlinville, Alton to Grafton are celebrating the long Independence Day weekend with celebrations that cap off with evening fireworks shows. Fireworks take center stage in Edwardsville , Carlinville, Girard, Gillespie, Greenfield, Brighton, and Grafton on Saturday, July 2. The Carlinville light show takes place at the Macoupin County Fairgrounds with gates opening at 8:30 p.m. Fireworks begin at dusk. Admission is free. Enjoy entertainment and food and drink specials at Grafton businesses and when the sun goes down, enjoy the fireworks lighting up the skies near Lighthouse Park at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers along the Grafton Riverfront.

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WOOD RIVER - Thanks to the foresight of the leadership for Wood River Township and their consultant Good Energy LP, its residents located in the unincorporated areas of the township are protected from the increasing costs of electric supply. Along with several other local communities and other townships, Wood River Township Supervisor, Mike Babcock, joined the municipal aggregation program nearly 10 years ago. The program has been successful over the years by saving residents money on their electric bills. However, it’s never been more successful than it is now. With the current volatility in the energy market, prices have skyrocketed. If not for the aggregation, the residents would have no choice but to receive their power supply from Ameren. In May, Ameren filed its latest rate increase with the Illinois Commerce Commission, since that time they have had to readjust those rates upward two additional times to the current rate. Rates starting in June will be .10628 per kilowatt

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SPRINGFIELD – “Summertime, and the living is easy …” so goes the classic song, but if it is even slightly warm outside, and with the loud celebrations the season brings, pets are at risk if not given the proper foresight and protection for their human caretakers, making summer not so easy for our furry friends. The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA) wants pet owners to understand what they can do to help protect their pets during the good ‘ol summertime. “When it’s hot out, pet owners can be proactive with proper planning and care so that their dogs, cats, and other pets can be properly cared for when it’s really hot outside,” says Dr. Devon Hague, President, ISVMA Board of Directors. “And let’s not forget to help shield our pets from the potential shock that holidays, like Independence Day, can present where there could be crowds of strangers, potentially harmful foods (for animals) served at picnics,

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According to the latest numbers from the BLS, here are the cities where pay has increased the most over the past year: Both the biggest and smallest pay increases seem to be scattered pretty equally around the country, so no interesting conclusions about this spring to mind. I will say that only in the yellow ...continue reading "Map of the day: Here are the cities where pay has increased the most"

The quirk of Missouri Right to Life’s PAC issuing its endorsements for state legislative races just before the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its landmark Dobbs decision highlighted what some saw as flaws in MRL’s endorsement process.

(THE CONVERSATION) - Corporate America – once known for carefully avoiding public stances on hot button issues – has, in recent years, become increasingly outspoken on a host of thorny topics, from gay rights to the war in Ukraine . That makes its relative silence in the face of the end of federal abortion rights all the more deafening. Over two-thirds of companies in the Fortune 500 are publicly committed to supporting LGBTQ rights, and many were early backers of marriage equality before the public embraced it. In the weeks after Vladimir Putin sent his armies into Ukraine, hundreds of companies suspended or ceased operations in Russia in an unprecedented reaction to geopolitical aggression. And in the aftermath of the passage of a 2021 Georgia law seen as curtailing voting rights, dozens of companies spoke forcefully against the legislation. But so far, only three dozen or so companies have taken a public stance on the Supreme Court’s decision t

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) in a joint statement on the announcement that an agreement was reached and Turkey will drop its hold on Finland and Sweden’s application to join the transatlantic Alliance. Durbin and the Senators are currently at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid to discuss congressional support for the transatlantic relationship, as well as continued Russian aggression and interference in western democracies. The Senators previously stopped in Sweden to meet with heads of state and partake in other important bilateral meetings with the respective nations’ administration officials. “It is important that all NATO Allies work together to accelerate Finland and Sweden’s accession into NATO, which is why we are very encouraged that an agreement

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WEST ALTON, IL – The US Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project Office, will temporarily close Riverlands Way and Maple Island Access Area in West Alton for the Fourth of July Weekend. Riverlands Way will be closed beginning the evening of July 1 st at 7:00 pm until 7:00 am the following morning of July 2 nd . The road will close again at 7:00 pm the evening of July 2 nd until 7:00 am the following morning of July 3 rd . The road will close again at 10:00 pm the evening of July 3 rd until 7:00 am the following morning of July 4 th , at which time normal access will resume. Maple Island Access Area will be closed beginning the evening of July 1 st at 7:00 pm until 7:00 am the following morning of July 2 nd . The road will close again at 7:00 pm the evening of July 2 nd until 7:00 am the following morning of July 3 rd . The road will close again at 7:00 pm the evening of July 3 rd until 7:00 am the following morning of July 4 th , at which time normal access will resume.

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John F. Wood announced in a prepared statement that he's beginning the effort to get on the November general election ballot for retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt’s seat.

“I am not looking to be a spoiler. I’m in this race to win it,” Wood told the Post-Dispatch.

Take a load off and take in the views on a relaxing daytime cruise that shows St. Louis from the river that built it. Narrated

The post St. Louis Riverfront Cruise appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones will sign the new city budget on Wednesday. It's a $1.2 billion plan and it includes a three percent raise for city workers and $1 million for paid family leave. This is the first time since 2019 that the aldermen have approved the budget. The new fiscal year starts [...]

WASHINGTON (AP) — During Brett Kavanaugh’s 2018 Supreme Court confirmation hearings, then-California Sen. Kamala Harris asked the judge if he thought women’s privacy rights extended to choosing to have an …

Homicide investigations are underway after two men were shot and killed overnight in two separate shootings in north St. Louis County.