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LITCHFIELD – Illinois State Police (ISP) District 18 Commander, Captain Mark Gillock, announces the results of a Roadside Safety Check (RSC) held in Greene County from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on April 24. The RSC was conducted at IL-267 @ IL-108, by District 18 officers. Violations Enforcement Activity Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Citations 0 Other Alcohol/Drug Citations 3 Occupant Restraint Offenses 2 Registration Offenses 8 Driver’s License Offenses 1 Insurance Violations 0 Total Citations/Arrests 8 Total Written Warnings 23 Alcohol and drug impairment are factors in more than 30% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois, and throughout the U.S., nearly 10,000 people die each year due to alcohol-impaired driving. RSCs are designed to keep our roads safe by taking dangerous DUI offenders off the road. This project was funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

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ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Some of the characters in John Grisham's debut novel A Time To Kill will be spending some time in St. Louis. The author of best-selling legal thrillers is releasing "Sparring Partners" later this month. The city's iconic skyline is featured prominently on the book's cover. The story follows fictional lawyer Jake [...]

WEST FRANKFORT – Centerstone, a not-for-profit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder treatments, will host a free, virtual Road to Resiliency training on May 25 from 10-11:30 a.m. While learning the definition of resilience and how trauma impacts our ability to be resilient, participants of this webinar will take a dive into assessing their resilience traits and the five strategies for building their inner strengths. Objectives of the training include: Define the concept of resilience and assess our own resilience traits Look at how trauma exposure impacts our ability to be resilient Gain a deeper understanding of resilience characteristics and traits Learn five key strategies for building on your own inner The presenter of the training will be Amber Anderson, the prevention specialist with Prevent Child Abuse Illinois. This training has 1.5 hours of continuing education approved for IL LCPC / LPC, IL LCSW / LSW, and IL Nursing (LPN,

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URBANA – Every spring, magnolia trees across the Midwestern landscape offer some of the most spectacular flowering displays of any woody plant. These beautiful ornamental trees, native to Asia, are some of the first landscape plants in our area to deliver such a showy display; truly one of the most endorsing signs that spring is finally here. Most of Illinois’ native, deciduous trees are primarily wind-pollinated and many bloom even earlier than magnolias, although often unnoticed by many of us says University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Ryan Pankau . Their strategy is to produce a lot of pollen in the hopes that wind dispersion will spread their genes far and wide. Wind pollinated species do not need a showy display to attract pollinating animals or human attention. They typically lack aroma and nectar which, along with color, are the primary means plants use to attract pollinators to their flowers. “Since most of our native trees, like oak, ash,

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BLOOMINGTON - Health officials are working to learn more about a concerning outbreak of the serious liver disease in children in Europe and the United States. Reported cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin” in young children continue to climb. According to the latest data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there are 450 reported cases worldwide, which is nearly double the 228 cases the World Health Organization reported last week. This includes three cases in Illinois. So far this outbreak has resulted in dozens of hospitalizations around the globe and has required liver transplants in some children, while 11 have died. The children’s ages range from one month to 16 years old. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently working with health departments across the country to identify children with hepatitis of unknown cause. Researchers are scrambling to find the cause of this illness,

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ST. LOUIS - Starting next week, visitors to the Saint Louis Zoo will not need to make a reservation. Reservations will stop being necessary on May 23. They must still be made until May 22. Reservations started to be required at the zoo in June 2020. The zoo's extended summer hours began Friday. The Zoo will [...]

As you’ll recall, last Wednesday, the 5th Circuit surprised lots of people by immediately reinstating Texas’s ridiculous content moderation law that basically creates an open season to sue large social media sites for any moderation choices those sites make. The surprise wasn’t necessarily the judges’ decision, which had been telegraphed two days earlier via the […]

A St. Louis Fire Department crew went to a two-story property in the 6000 block of Maple Avenue this week to find out as much as they could about the building without going inside.

Here's a chart of COVID-19 deaths that has long puzzled me: This shows COVID deaths, so it's fairly reliable. What it shows is that, generally, the US has been about average compared to other similar countries except for three specific periods: Summer 2020 Autumn 2021 Winter 2022 In two cases, we have spikes that were ...continue reading "There are three puzzling eras in the US COVID-19 timeline"

ST. LOUIS - The Blues are moving on to Round 2 of the playoffs and the schedule has been released. The Blues start the series at Ball Arena in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Game two will be played there at the same time on Thursday. Games 3 and 4 [...]

The exhibition, on view through July 9, brings together 21 American artists across disciplines.

COLLINSVILLE – Residents will soon have an even greater opportunity in shaping what their neighborhoods look like and how to make them stronger. The Collinsville Community Development Department plans on rolling out a new program focused on proactively strengthening the residential neighborhoods through the Neighborhood Planning and Improvement Initiative. Senior Planner Andi Yancey explained the Neighborhood Planning and Improvement Initiative started in 2020, but due to COVID and other circumstances, it was sidelined. Now in 2022, Yancey said it is time to revisit the project and start moving it forward. “What we’re looking to do is really empower people to take initiative, identify the problem, communicate that to the appropriate staff so that we can be more proactive in our service efforts, code enforcement, and our other outreach efforts,” Yancey said. The project seeks to have city departments working more closely together, increase the ability to

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The number of COVID-19 cases in St. Louis County is steadily rising, though mask mandates or other protective restrictions are “a long ways away,” according to County Executive Same Page. At a press briefing Monday morning, Page said the amount of cases in the county rose by 30% last week compared to the week before. The county now averages 273 new cases of COVID-19 a day.

CHICAGO – Teachers will be able to take excused mental health days under a measure supported by State Senator Christopher Belt that was signed into law Friday. “It’s clear that our teachers have had to overcome a number of challenges, especially throughout the pandemic,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “They have continued to perform their jobs well in unprecedented times and often put their students before themselves.” Belt serves as a chief-cosponsor of Senate Bill 3914, which requires the school board of each school district to include mental health as part of their current negotiated sick days for full time employees of the district. The new law allows teachers to use two of their days as mental health days, and that if a teacher needs three or more mental health days, the school district would require a note from a mental health professional. “The mental health of teachers is vital for them to continue inspiring our youth,” Belt said. “The

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ALTON - The Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market features a special activity every Saturday morning at the corner of Landmarks Blvd. & Henry Street in Downtown Alton, and on May 21st shoppers will enjoy a delicious new concept in the adjacent parking lot called “Brews & Brunch”. From 8:00 a.m. until Noon, you can pick up tasty beverages and hot breakfast food items from the following vendors: The Old Bakery Beer Company will serve Tofu Quiche with Caramelized Onion and Kale (Vegan), Egg Quiche with Spinach and Mushroom (Dairy-Free), Herbarium Sparkling Lavender Lemongrass Tea, Beermosas (Citrus Wheat + Orange Juice), and the following beer selection: Citrus Wheat, Blueberry, Late Addition IPA, and Oh Yeah! B&C Concessions will serve biscuits & gravy, breakfast burritos, and strawberry shortcake. Big Boys Q will serve shrimp & grits, ham egg & cheese sandwiches, sausage, egg & cheese sandwiches, and breakfast hash. The Rivers Vedge will serve vegan biscuits & gravy, and lavender

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ST. LOUIS – On the heels of her triumphant headlining return to the iconic Stagecoach Festival, 8-time GRAMMY® Award winner and 3-time ACM Entertainer of the Year, Carrie Underwood, announces her new arena tour, THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR, with dates in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. The new tour, promoted by AEG Presents, will kick off on October 15 in Greenville, SC, making stops in 43 U.S. cities including New York’s Madison Square Garden, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena before concluding in Seattle, WA on March 17. Underwood will be joined on THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR by special guest Jimmie Allen on all dates. After teasing fans about the impending announcement on social media and on last night’s episode of American Idol , Underwood made the official reveal this morning. Allen will join Underwood’s THE DENIM & RHINESTONES TOUR as his star continues to rise, following his first GRAMMY Award nomination for Best

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To The Editor: State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) is backing Jennifer Korte for State Representative in the 112 th District because of her authenticity, her strong ties to the region, and her commitment to conservative values. “Jennifer Korte is a hard worker and I know she will be a strong and independent voice for the residents of the 112 th District,” Plummer said. “Jennifer is a wife, a mother, a life-long resident of Madison County, and a passionate advocate for many important issues that impact our neighbors and our communities. We need more citizen legislators in Springfield and I am excited about Jennifer’s campaign because she is not a politician and she is not beholden to anyone. We need more people like that in Springfield if we are going to fix our great state.” Korte said she is honored to have the support of Senator Plummer. “Jason Plummer has served our region well and has been a consistent, conservative leader i

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MONROE COUNTY - These are details of two-vehicle fatal crash in Monroe County on May 14, 2022. WHAT: Two-Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash WHEN: May 14, 2022 at approximately 5:15 p.m. WHERE: Illinois Route 3 at Old Route 3, Monroe County VEHICLES: Unit 1- 2001 Chevrolet Truck \Unit 2- 2021 Ford Bronco DRIVERS: Unit 1- Rhonda Schaefer, 57-year-old female from Red Bud, IL – Transported by family to an area hospital with minor injuries. Unit 2- Ryne Fithian, 25-year-old male from Sparta, IL – Transported by ambulance to a regional hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. PASSENGERS: Unit 2- Allison Flynn, 22-year-old female from Sparta, IL – Flown to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Unit 2- Destiny Gillhan, 20-year-old female from Batesville, AR – Transported by ambulance to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Unit 2- Chance Karnes, 20-year-old male from Herrin, IL - Deceased PRELIMINARY: Preliminary investigative

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