BELLEVILLE - Maia Sebold, a resident of Belleville, earned second place in a national art competition celebrating America250, a program marking the nation’s 250th anniversary. The contest invited students to create artwork responding to the prompt, “What does America mean to you?” The competition, announced recently, drew widespread participation from across the country. For Maia, the recognition held deep personal significance. “It meant the world for her talent being recognized,” said her mother, Amber Sebold. Maia has been passionate about drawing since childhood. “I always remember drawing and things; I did it for fun and loved it. Around age 10, I realized I was really good at it,” Maia said. She said she will always be involved in art, even if not professionally. "I think I will always be doing it," she said. She described the opportunity to participate in this contest as especially meaningful. “I really enjoyed getting to
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House narrowly passed legislation Thursday that would revoke $9.4 billion in previously approved funding for public media, including National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, as well as foreign aid, though the bill’s future in the Senate amid a strict timeline is uncertain. The 214-212 mostly party-line vote marks just the […]
BETHALTO - Taylor Weishaupt is organizing a fundraiser to support Hazel, a 7-year-old Bethalto girl facing a challenging medical journey due to severe scoliosis. Hazel was scheduled for a spinal procedure at the end of summer, but recent medical updates revealed she will require a halo brace before undergoing a Shilla procedure, a partial spinal fusion, necessitating a hospital stay of several months. The fundraiser aims to alleviate the financial strain on Hazel’s family during this difficult period. Hazel’s mother will be out of work throughout the hospitalization to care for her, while her father will maintain employment and look after Hazel’s two siblings. The family is preparing for an emotionally and physically taxing time ahead. “Anyone who knows Hazel knows what a light she is to the world! She is full of life, love, and laughter all the time,” Weishaupt said. “This is going to be an extremely stressful time. Physically, emotionally, and financially
As you’ll likely recall, in late 2023, Elon Musk told advertisers to “go fuck yourself” and “don’t advertise” in response to a question about advertisers feeling uncomfortable placing their brands next to the kind of content that Musk was promoting via the ExTwitter algorithm. But the full context of the quote is interesting in retrospect: […]
WASHINGTON — Small business owners and community leaders from rural regions in Western states including Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Utah pressed lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week to preserve clean energy tax credits on the chopping block in the Republicans’ “one big beautiful” mega-bill, now in the Senate. The suite of […]
Federal law enforcement officials forcibly removed and handcuffed U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla at a Thursday press conference in Los Angeles by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid multi-day protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The scuffle between law enforcement, including an officer wearing a jacket with an FBI logo, and a United States senator represented […]
by Tom Finan, Executive Director/Co-Founder, Construction Forum Wednesday (May 11) about 50 representatives of Missouri’s professional land surveying community traveled to Rolla for a ceremony marking the renaming of the MO Land Survey Division Building as the Robert E. (Bob) Myers Building, in honor of a storied member of their community. Robert Myers was the […]
If you have a group chat where you and your friends send each other memes, then you and Lars Ulrich have something in common.The Metallica drummer tells Variety that he, James…
From First Alert 4: The Tower Grove Connector is a 1.8 mile protected cycle track that will connect Tower Grove Park to the Cortex/ Brickline Greenway along Tower Grove Avenue. In Phase 1, the cycle track will go along Tower Grove Avenue and Vandeventer Avenue between Tower Grove Park and Sarah Street. The city said […]
Former congressman Billy Long of Missouri has been confirmed to lead the Internal Revenue Service, an agency he once sought to abolish. Long's confirmation on a 53-44 Senate vote Thursday gives the beleaguered IRS a permanent commissioner after months of…
Bruce Springsteen is the latest artist to pay tribute to the late Beach Boys singer/songwriter Brian Wilson, who died at the age of 82."Brian Wilson was the most musically inventive…
GLEN CARBON – Glen Carbon trustees unanimously agreed on Tuesday to move forward with a new subdivision of single-family homes and attached villas, known as Meridian Grove . The new subdivision will consist of 17 single-family homes on an extension of Auerbach Place, with 16 attached villas lining a new cul-de-sac named Celtics Court. Prices for the attached villas will start in the low $400,000 range, while single-family homes will start at the mid-$500,000 mark. Spencer Homes LLC first announced the Meridian Grove project in March of 2025, describing it as a “maintenance-free residential community.” The Homeowners Association (HOA)-managed neighborhood will provide lawn care, snow and ice removal, and landscape upkeep for residents. Meridian Grove marks the fourth phase of the Meridian Plaza development project, which has welcomed multiple new businesses in recent years to the large site at the corner of IL-157 and Meridian Road. The Village Board of Trustee
Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday defended Illinois’ sanctuary laws before a House committee hearing and blasted the Trump administration for "abuses of power" amid a crackdown on undocumented immigrants that have spawned protests around the country, including in Chicago.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations announced that a new task force in the Kansas City area will be working to identify and prosecute criminals.
MADISON COUNTY — Efforts to reduce litter and illegal dumping in Madison County and Wood River, Bethalto, and Roxana have seen progress through increased accountability, Rusty Wheat told C.J. Nasello on Riverbender.com's Our Daily Show!. Local leaders and law enforcement have focused on holding individuals accountable for trash headed to landfills, contributing to a noticeable decline in roadside litter. “Trash is not as bad as it was,” said a volunteer involved in cleanup efforts. Wheat said he has picked up discarded items ranging from furniture to butane lighters and even shell casings found near a gun range. “I never know what I’ll find,” he said. Wheat said Madison County Chairman Chris Slusser and local officials such as Brad Wells, police chief of Wood River, and Madison County Sheriff Jeff Connor have been credited with enforcing stricter sanitation rules and supporting cleanup initiatives. Community members from Roxana and Bethalto also