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Illinois Secretary of State Releases 2025 List of Rejected Vanity License Plates

6 months ago
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

Leigha Cole's School Involvement Fuels Passion for Community Service

6 months ago
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 Man Faces Class X Felony In Home Invasion Case

6 months ago
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

Trump administration pauses major East Coast offshore wind projects

6 months ago
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 […]
Shauneen Miranda

Sharon Dugas Recognized for Academic Excellence and Leadership

6 months ago
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

County Judge Convicted Of Obstruction For Helping Migrants Avoid An ICE Ambush

6 months ago
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 […]
Tim Cushing

‘Painful day’: Missouri officials react to Chiefs announcing move to Kansas

6 months ago
Nearly a decade after Missouri lost its NFL franchise in St. Louis to Los Angeles, the state learned Monday that the Kansas City Chiefs are moving across the state line to Kansas. The news, rumored for days, was greeted with shock and despair in Missouri, where hopes were high that a $1.5 billion incentives package […]
Jason Hancock, Jonathan Shorman

Chiefs moving to Kansas with $3.3 billion plan for domed stadium, training facility

6 months ago
TOPEKA, Kansas — The Kansas City Chiefs are moving to Kansas with a deal to use more than a billion dollars in taxpayer funding to help build a domed stadium, entertainment district, new team headquarters and a training facility, Kansas officials announced Monday. The announcement followed a closed-door meeting by legislative leaders who then voted […]
Morgan Chilson, Anna Kaminski

Big-Ticket Dreams Spurred By $1.6 Billion Powerball Jackpot

6 months ago
CHICAGO — Powerball® is fueling holiday excitement across Illinois as the jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.6 billion for tonight’s drawing. If won, this enormous prize would become the fourth-largest Powerball jackpot and the fifth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. The jackpot rolled over following Saturday night’s drawing when no ticket matched all six winning numbers—4, 5, 28, 52, 69, and Powerball 20. While there was no jackpot winner, several Illinois