CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a $149.67 million multistate settlement with Mercedes-Benz USA (Mercedes) and Daimler AG (Daimler) for violating state laws by marketing, selling and leasing vehicles equipped with illegal and undisclosed emissions defeat devices designed to evade emissions standards. The settlement also includes more than $200 million in potential consumer relief. “Mercedes’ deceptive use of software defeat devices misled consumers into
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to preliminarily halt changes to its Continuum of Care grant program after Raoul and a coalition of states argued in court that the changes were illegal and would leave tens of thousands of people around the country without a place to live. The Continuum of Care grant program is the largest resource for federal homelessness assistance funding. “Th
On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Politics Team counts down the top stories of 2025 in Missouri, Illinois and St. Louis politics. Let's just say... this year was definitely not boring.
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today led a bipartisan coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a federal law prohibiting firearms possession by habitual drug users. The Supreme Court’s review follows the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit’s decision in United States v. Hemani, which held that the law could prohibit firearms possession by a habitual drug user only when that user is intoxicated at the
WATERLOO – Monroe County Chairman, George Green, took action to prevent a levee failure. Emergency repairs are underway on a critical agricultural levee system impacting two counties, following growing concern over a dangerous scour hole that threatened catastrophic failure. The issue centered on a legacy levee, originally constructed in the 1800s, which allowed water to continue flowing toward the modern levee. Over time, this created turbulence and high velocity which resulted in the formatio
SPRINGFIELD — Governor JB Pritzker today announced the 2026 recipients of the Order of Lincoln, the state’s highest honor for professional achievement and public service. Established in 1964, the Order of Lincoln recognizes individuals who have made remarkable contributions to the betterment of humanity in or on behalf of the State of Illinois. “Having dedicated themselves to uplifting their fellow Illinoisans and Americans, the 2026 Lincoln Laureates set an example of leading
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) member Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), today demanded an independent investigation into the Trump Administration’s decision to divert personnel, equipment and financial resources away from serving our nation’s Veterans and toward developing a database to track non-U.S. citizen employees as part of Donald Trump’s inhumane mass deportation
EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy (SOP) now has its first Endowed Professorship, due to a major contribution from Professor Emerita Therese Poirier, PharmD, MPH, FASHP, FCCP, BCPS. The Therese Poirier Endowed Professorship in Pharmacy is the largest single gift in the School of Pharmacy’s history. “I look at some of the bigger schools and their affiliations where they have lots of money,” said Poirier. “And I was looking
EDWARDSVILLE – The City of Edwardsville is once again offering a Special Events Grant Program to support organizations looking to host free events for the enjoyment and benefit of the community. The program was established to help offset costs and boost the economic impact of community events that take place in Edwardsville. This round of Special Events Grants can be used to cover marketing costs and municipal fees incurred in hosting events held between May 1, 2026, and April 30, 2027.
SPRINGFIELD — The office of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has released its annual list of rejected vanity and personalized license plate requests for 2025, showing that while Illinois drivers remain creative, some ideas still cross the line. According to the Illinois Secretary of State , the office received 55,690 requests for vanity and personalized plates this year. More than 550 submissions were denied after being deemed inflammatory, profane, offensive, or
ALTON - Alton High School has a budding young journalist for the future in Leigha Cole. Cole has also been heavily involved in community service roles in her high school life. A highlight of Cole’s high school experience has been serving as Editor-In-Chief of The Redbird Word, the student-led newspaper. She aspired to this role since her sophomore year and has competed in notable journalism contests, including those organized by the Southern Illinois Student Press Association and the
GRANITE CITY – A Granite City man faces a Class X felony after invading a local residence and using a BB gun to batter one of the home’s occupants. Keith D. Walker, 60, of Granite City, was charged on Dec. 22, 2025, with a Class X felony count of home invasion. On Dec. 20, 2025, Walker allegedly knowingly and unlawfully entered an occupied residence on State Street in Granite City and struck one of the home’s occupants in the head with a BB gun modeled after a Glock 17
Former KISS drummer Peter Criss is responding to reports that it will cost fans $1,000 to download a digital copy of his recently released self-titled solo album.The reports surfaced after…
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday it’s halting leases for five large-scale offshore wind projects under construction along the East Coast due to national security risks. The Interior Department paused the projects — off the coasts of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia and New York — due to analysis from reports that have […]
ALTON — Sharon Dugas, a senior at Marquette Catholic High School, was recognized recently for her leadership in academic excellence at the school. Dugas, the daughter of Patrick and Laura Dugas, has achieved a 4.53 GPA and completed 34 college dual credit hours. She has consistently appeared on the High Honor Roll and has taken multiple Advanced Placement and Honors classes, earning the distinction of AP Scholar. Dugas was one of the Students of the Month for December 2025 during a
You generally don’t see criminal charges filed against judges at any level of the court system. If it does happen, it’s used to address egregious and constant criminal activity by sitting judges. The most common path towards discipline relies on the court system itself, which allows courts to punish judges for misbehavior and, in rare […]
The university has submitted plans with the city of Clayton to build two new student dormitory buildings for about 600 students near Forsyth Boulevard and Wallace Drive.
By Nassim Benchaabane and Monica Obradovic St. Louis Post-Dispatch