ALTON – Alton may be the next community in the Riverbend to retain a local sales tax on groceries after the state’s 1% grocery tax expires in 2026. Appearing on the Alton Committee of the Whole agenda for Monday, June 9, 2025 is a resolution to create an ordinance implementing a 1% sales tax on groceries and a 1% sales tax on grocery “services.” The Illinois General Assembly has granted local municipalities the ability to impose their own local sales taxes on groceries to offset projected revenue losses, since 100% of the expiring grocery tax proceeds went directly to local governments. If the Committee of the Whole approves the resolution on Monday, it goes next to the Alton City Council for final approval on Wednesday, June 11. City officials would then draft an ordinance on the same topic, which would go through the standard approval process and, if approved, be adopted into the Alton City Code of Ordinances . The Alton City Council has until Oct. 1,
As U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown efforts continue, some immigrants are receiving text messages from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asking them to report to local offices for a "case review," - messages some attorneys say may be misleading or deceptive.
GODFREY - You can enjoy live music and master-level barbecue this weekend at the Alton-Wood River Sportsmen’s Club. Located at 3109 Godfrey Road in Godfrey, the Sportsmen’s Club will host their fourth annual Barbeque Cookoff Dinner on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Competitors will get their meat — ribs and wings — at 10 a.m., and judging starts at 5 p.m. All meat will be available for a buffet-style dinner at 6 p.m., followed by music by Exit 52 at 7 p.m. “We kind of like to keep it like your backyard type of guys instead of getting the high-end guys in there,” explained Andrew Simpson, who organized the cookoff. “Everybody cooks a little differently. Some people take more time, some people take less. That 10 a.m. for the meat handout until the 5 p.m. turn-in time is way more than enough time, so it’s pretty relaxed. Pretty much everybody just hangs out and gets their smokers going.” The eight competitors will be at the Sportsmen’s
WASHINGTON — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man wrongly deported to his native El Salvador three months ago, was brought back to the U.S. on Friday and will face federal charges, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said. Abrego Garcia’s case had become a flashpoint in a debate over what due process rights protect immigrants from […]
ST. LOUIS - People across the St. Louis area commemorated the 81st anniversary of D-Day on Friday. "We really tell it through St. Louis voices. So St. Louis people who participated in the liberation and also who were liberated," Helen Turner said. Turner is the Holocaust Museum Director of Education. "D-day really marks the turn [...]
WASHINGTON — Clean energy manufacturers and advocates say they’re perplexed how the repeal of tax credits in President Donald Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” will keep their domestic production lines humming across the United States, particularly in states that elected him to the Oval Office. While some Republicans have labeled the billions in tax credits […]
ST. LOUIS - The Endangered Wolf Center in St. Louis announced that efforts to help six endangered Mexican Wolf Pups born in the state. The Mexican wolf, according to the center, is a keystone species, as less than 300 exist in the wild. In a conservation effort for the species, the center said the pups—which [...]
An investigation is underway after rumors began swirling about New World Screwworm being found in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
Over the past few months, Celina Damian’s phone has been ringing off the hook with one bewildered, anxious question after another: “What kind of loan is this?” “Am I in default?” “Will the government really take my wages?” “Sometimes they just don’t know where to start,” said Damian, California’s student loan servicing ombudsperson. “I’m talking […]
Missouri has begun issuing federal food benefits that could reach 475,000 kids this summer. The first batch of Missouri’s summer food benefits for children was issued on Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services told The Independent Friday. Each eligible child will receive a one-time benefit of $120, loaded onto a card […]
WASHINGTON — The unprecedented increase in immigration starting in 2021 brought extra revenue to states and local governments, but the cost of services for those newly arrived migrants was greater, leading to a net cost of $9.2 billion in 2023, according to a report the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office published Thursday. The roughly 4.3 million immigrants […]
As Congress continues its investigation into the role AI should play in government, members of the House Oversight Committee are questioning the uses and procurement of AI tools for government work, as well as the privacy concerns the technology poses when unregulated. Expert witnesses testified at a June 5 hearing that the federal government is currently […]
ALTON - Community members are invited to the 20th annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival this weekend. From 6–8 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at Post Commons in Alton, attendees can enjoy music by the Alton High School Jazz Combo and Saman Swanson. The event will raise money for scholarships while also honoring Alton’s history and Jesse “The Maestro” Prather, a renowned Alton musician who passed away last month. “Alton is full of rich history,” said Lee Barham, chairman of the festival’s board. “Twenty years ago, a group of people got together and they said, ‘Let’s honor one of Alton’s own.’” The Miles Davis Jazz Festival pays tribute to Davis, whose family home still stands on Maupin Street in Alton. Barham said it’s a fun night for people to come out and enjoy the evening while honoring Davis’s legacy. Tickets cost $40, and this includes a meal and live music. The money goes toward four
LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. - A 2-year-old child was found safe after wandering off into the woods on Tuesday. A search team from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol spent an hour and a half looking for the child. At one point, a corporal spotted an important clue. "That's somebody's footprint. That's [...]
The Pagedale Police Department will end its police services for the nearby city of Velda City on Friday, just more than a year after all officers abruptly resigned from the Velda City Police Department.
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