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Ameren Illinois Crews Replace Power Pole After Vehicle Collision Outage

1 day 11 hours ago
ROXANA/WOOD RIVER - About 440 customers in Wood River and Roxana lost power Friday evening, April 17, 2026, after a vehicle struck a power pole near Illinois Routes 111 and 143, prompting crews to de-energize the lines to make the area safe before repairs began. The outage occurred around 5:05 p.m. Friday, according to Brian Bretsch, a public relations manager. “To make the area safe to begin restoring power, crews had to de-energize the power lines,” Bretsch said in an email. H

Tourism Funds Approved For Jersey County Fair Concert, Other Events

1 day 11 hours ago
JERSEYVILLE – Chris Cagle will headline a concert at the Jersey County Fair this year with tourism funding secured for other county-wide events in 2026. On April 16, 2026, Jersey County Board members approved requests for tourism grant funds from multiple organizations for various events coming up this year, including: A $5,000 grant application from Pere Marquette State Park for the 37th annual Two Rivers Fishing Fair A $5,000 grant application from the Jersey County Fair Board

Golden Corral Alton Announces Permanent Closure

1 day 12 hours ago
ALTON - Golden Corral in Alton, Illinois, will close permanently on April 30, 2026, according to a notice posted on the restaurant’s door, ending what some customers described as a long-standing routine. In the sign addressed to customers, the restaurant said it is giving a two-week notice and encouraged guests to visit before the closing date. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the difficult news that the restaurant will be closing permanently on Thursday, April 30, 2026,”

Illinois Senate Unanimously Passes Giannoulias E-Bike Bill

1 day 14 hours ago
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Senators today approved a sweeping statewide safety initiative spearheaded by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias to address the growing dangers posed by unregulated high-speed e-bikes, e-motos and other powerful electric transportation devices operating on streets, bike lanes and sidewalks across the state. “As these devices become faster, heavier and more powerful, our laws must keep pace to protect riders and the public,” Giannoulias said. “This

Illinois State Police Honors 30 New Telecommunicators, 9 Recent Promotions

1 day 14 hours ago
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police (ISP) held its first annual Telecommunicators Graduation and Promotion Ceremony today, administering the ISP Telecommunicators (TC) Oath to 30 graduates and recognizing the recent promotions of an additional nine TCs. “Telecommunicators are the calming voice on the line when people need emergency help the most,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP provides extensive training, from Trooper to telecommunicator, to ensure we provid

Durbin, Wicker, Shaheen, Bipartisan Group Of Senators Host Ukrainian Prime Minister

1 day 14 hours ago
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), both Co-Chairs of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with a bipartisan group of Senators, today hosted Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko. Her visit comes as Russia’s war on Ukraine enters its fifth year with little sign of resolution. During the meeting, the group discussed the importance

Attorney General Raoul Defends Temporary Protected Status For Somali Nationals

1 day 14 hours ago
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 16 attorneys general, today opposed the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) unlawful and baseless attempt to strip Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation. Raoul and the coalition filed an amicus brief inAfrican Communities Together v. Noem in support of a challenge to the Trump administration’s termination of the TPS designation. The brief highlights the humanitarian and economic har

Granite City Sex Offender Charged With Registration Failure

1 day 14 hours ago
GRANITE CITY – A sex offender from Granite City faces multiple felonies after allegedly failing to register and being in possession of methamphetamine on the same day. Stephen M. Jackson, 33, of the 1700 block of Bremen Avenue in Granite City, was charged on April 16, 2026 with unlawful possession of methamphetamine (a Class 2 felony) and unlawful failure to register as a sex offender (a Class 3 felony). On Feb. 13, 2026, Jackson allegedly failed to register annually with the law enforcement