MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO. — Jacob Mercer, 23, of St. Peters, Mo., has been identified as the person fatally shot by police at a Walgreens on Dorsett Road on Sunday evening, Nov. 30, 2025, after St. Louis County Police authorities say he fired at officers. The incident unfolded around 6 p.m. Sunday at the Walgreens located in the 12500 block of Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights. Officers from the Maryland Heights Police Department responded to a call for service and encountered Mercer, who was
HARDIN - On November 19th 2025, at approximately 2:06 AM, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a Disturbance in Progress occurring in the 400 block of Porcupine Ln., Hardin, Calhoun County, Illinois. Deputies from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and a Deputy from the Pike County Sheriff’s Department immediately responded to the residence and conducted interviews and an investigation. Subsequently, Helois M. Foster, aged 40, of Alton, Illinois, was arrested
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin next week to block nutrition assistance funding for states led by Democrats that have not provided data on fraud in the program, Secretary Brooke Rollins told President Donald Trump at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. USDA sought data from states earlier this year related to their administration of Supplemental […]
HARDIN On August 6th and September 18th 2025, Gena F Wilson, aged 35, of Hamburg, Illinois, was ordered to submit to a Court Authorized Drug analysis. These samples were collected and submitted to the lab for analysis by the Calhoun County Probation Office. The matter was forwarded to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation. Subsequent to an investigation and analysis by the lab, it was confirmed that Wilson had falsified or altered the test. On October 15th 2025,
ALTON - The Hayner Public Library District invites the community to come out to a few unique events this weekend. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, community members can stop by the library at Alton Square Mall for the Local Author Book Fair. Across town at that same time, the Genealogy and Local History Library will host their Holiday Open House. Executive Director Mary Cordes noted that the Local Author Book Fair is a great chance to meet local writers and learn
A former Florissant police officer appeared in federal court on Tuesday and admitted unlawfully searching the cell phones of women for nude photos during traffic stops.
Last week I wrote about how the US Patent and Trademark Office is pushing a rule change that would effectively neuter the inter partes review (IPR) system that reviews already granted patents to make sure they weren’t granted by mistake. Patent tolls and other abusers of the patent system have been screaming about this system […]
There are a lot of music fans who love John Lennon’s classic tune “Imagine,” and apparently Lady Gaga is one of them.The “Bad Romance” singer recently sat down with The…
CHICAGO — Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined state officials, bill sponsors, and public health experts to sign HB 767. The legislation expands and codifies Governor Pritzker’s Executive Order 2025-04 , which empowers the Illinois Department of Public Health to offer transparent, science-based vaccine guidelines through its expert Immunization Advisory Committee (IAC), while also expanding vaccine access. “While RFK Jr. and his QAnon-inspired colleagues spread conspiracy theories
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in opposing the Trump administration’s expansion of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to include sensitive information of U.S.-born citizens who have never interacted with the immigration system or consented to the use of their personal data. In a letter to the Trump administration , Raoul and the coalition argue the expansion of the SAVE program violates the
As storms, floods, fires, and other disruptions hit communities with increasing frequency, the question isn’t if a building will be tested — it’s how well it will perform when it is. Concrete masonry has a long track record of answering that question with strength. The Masonry Institute of St. Louis is hosting a free, in-person […]
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, condemned President Trump’s pardon of the former Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernández. Durbin began by outlining the horrendous conduct of Mr. Hernández, a convicted drug trafficker. “The former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, was prosecuted by the federal government of the United States for
CHICAGO – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 16 attorneys general, submitted comments opposing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) interim final rule that eliminates the automatic extension of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for up to 540 days for eligible workers who filed timely renewal applications. Now, immigrant workers, including refugees, asylees, and others who have already been vetted to work legally in the United States,
As the nation’s health care system grapples with inequities, violence, and social challenges that extend far beyond hospital walls, one national leader in pediatric surgery says the key to progress might not be new technology — but renewed humanity. Dr. Edward M. Barksdale Jr., MD, professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and chief surgical officer for the Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance, delivered the keynote address
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After unanimously passing the Senate in May and passing the House in November, bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to make it easier for parents to safely embark on air travel with breast milk and breastfeeding supplies is now law. Senator Duckworth’s Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening (BABES) Enhancement Act —co-led by U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)—requires th
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a multi-state coalition of seven attorneys general, today sent letters to the six largest buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) providers seeking detailed information regarding their pricing and repayment structures, consumer contracts, user agreements, and disclosures. The inquiry aims to determine if BNPL companies are complying with consumer protection laws and whether their products may be placing Illinois consumers at financial risk. The letters