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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois youth turkey hunters harvested a preliminary record total of 2,091 birds during the 2025 youth turkey season, breaking the previous harvest record of 2,010 set in 2024. The dates for this year's season were March 29-30 and April 5-6. A total of 6,573 youth turkey permits were issued this year, compared to 6,541 in 2024. The top five counties for harvest during this year's youth season were Jefferson, 69; Pike, 69; Randolph, 67; Fayette, 62; and Macoupin, 60. The following table shows preliminary harvest figures for the youth turkey season by county for 2024 and 2025: County 2024 2025 AD 49 50 ALEXANDER 24 13 BOND 18 20 BOONE 4 4 BROWN 35 39 BUREAU 14 19 CALHOUN 24 38 CARROLL 8 9 CASS 19 24 CHAMPAIGN 3 6 CHRISTIAN 6 7 CLARK 32 28 CLAY 49 49 CLINTON 30 31 COLES 7 7 CRAWFORD

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A federal grand jury has charged the former second-in-command of a Metro East bank for engaging in a fraud scheme to obtain more than $2 million.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in sending a bipartisan letter to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restore integrity, stability, and growth to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and the U.S. biofuel sector by raising Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) levels for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels. In a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, the Senators pressed EPA to implement multi-year RVO standards to provide certainty and growth for the biofuels industry. “The biofuels market continues to expand to new frontiers including marine shipping, aviation and rail. These markets are driven in part by demand for low carbon fuels that biofuels can uniquely provide … biofuels provide a buffer to market fluctuations in the liquid fue

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of both the U.S. Senate Armed Services (SASC) and Foreign Relations (SFRC) Committees—and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE) and other Senate Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump expressing concern over the firing of the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) General Timothy Haugh, as well as the reassignment of the Deputy Director of the NSA Wendy Noble. “These actions severely compromise our ability to keep Americans safe,” the Senators wrote. “As you are well aware, our nation currently faces serious cyber threats from foreign adversaries, such as from China’s Salt Typhoon, with near-daily attacks against our critical infrastructure. In addition, our nation’s military is engaged in ongoing

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and 22 Senators in writing to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Tedd Lyons. The Senators’ letter urged Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father who was living legally, under a protected status, in Maryland with his family until he was wrongfully deported without due process by the Trump Administration last month to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. The Administration has admitted that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was the result of an “administrative error.” In their letter, the Senators call on the Trump Administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return and ask for responses to questions regarding ICE’s enforcement policies

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor slamming the Trump Administration for its attempts to dismantle the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the harmful impacts it will have on medical research across the country, including in red states. Durbin began his remarks by highlighting the importance of NIH funding to patients nationwide. Durbin said, “There is certainty in funding medical research. Certainty in knowing that while not all trials, experiments, and grants will result in a breakthrough—some of them will. Because of medical research, kids with ear infections or pneumonia can find relief in antibiotics; because of medical research, we have vaccines that have saved tens of millions of lives worldwide; because of medical research, we have anesthesia that allows patients to safely undergo major surgeries; because of medical research, people are surviving heart attacks, beating cancer, living with HIV/AIDS

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02), Ranking Member Diana DeGette (CO-01), and five more members of the Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee marched to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today to demand a meeting with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. After waiting in the lobby for almost half an hour, Secretary Kennedy nor his office responded to schedule a meeting to explain recent layoffs and restructuring of HHS. “RFK Jr. is a coward. He followed orders from Elon Musk to fire 10,000 HHS employees, eliminated half of the HHS regional offices – including the one in Chicago that serves the Midwest – and now refuses to answer questions,” said Rep. Kelly . “Americans’ health should not be in the hands of RFK Jr., who refutes basic scientific truths. These DOGE-led layoffs are cruel, politically motivated, and will irreversibly damage public health.” On March 27, Secretary Kennedy announced the termination of

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WASHINGTON — Suddenly veering from his declaration a week ago, President Donald Trump on Wednesday paused his sweeping “liberation day” tariffs for 90 days on countries he’s said are willing to negotiate new trade deals. Stocks surged upon his announcement after days of wrecked markets erased trillions of dollars from investor portfolios. The Nasdaq index […]

GODFREY – The New Horizons Band of Godfrey presents Sounds of Spring on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the McNicholas Club (Godfrey KC Hall). Be prepared to mambo, tango, polka and waltz at the upcoming spring concert under the direction of Stanley Chytil on Saturday, April 26 at 7 p.m. at the McNicholas Club. The band will play some new and familiar hits and encourages everyone to tap their feet on the dance floor. Doors open one hour before the concert starts. Admission is $15 per person, children 12 and under are FREE. The McNicholas Club is located at 1713 Stamper Lane in Godfrey. A limited menu with many desserts and a cash bar will be available. The band currently consists of 40 adult musicians. This full-sized band presents the finest in Big-Band sounds. The New Horizons Band of Godfrey is a member of New Horizons International Music Association (NHIMA) and is one of many such bands across the United States that offer older citizens a chance to get back playing

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SPRINGFIELD - State Representative Kevin Schmidt (R-Millstadt) co-sponsored House Bill 1607 that creates the Commission on Eliminating Food Deserts Act. The bill helps state-led efforts to eliminate food deserts in Illinois, specifically in underserved communities and rural areas across the state. State Representative Kevin Schmidt said he’s proud to co-sponsor legislation that will expand access to healthy food and daily essentials for families in Illinois, including the East St. Louis community. “I support HB1607 because families should never have to struggle to find groceries and other daily essentials due to inadequate access to grocery stores,” said Rep. Schmidt. “This bill will help fill the gap in food insecurities we continue to see around the state, and it will also help create healthier lifestyles for families by having access to fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods.” Many factors contribute to causing a food desert,

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SPRINGFIELD — Today Governor JB Pritzker joined British officials at the Illinois State Capitol to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Illinois and the United Kingdom, building on a decades-long trade relationship between the two entities. The MOU, which focuses on advancing manufacturing in the energy, technology and life sciences sectors, was first agreed to during the Governor’s visit to the United Kingdom in 2023. “Now more than ever, it’s essential that states like in Illinois build and maintain healthy relationships with major trade partners—and for years, the United Kingdom has met Illinois with equal enthusiasm and desire for increased cooperation and partnership,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Signing this MOU is the next step in growing our strong trade relationship that will benefit both Illinois and the UK, and I look forward to seeing how this agreement will spur additional opportunities across sectors.” ‘The

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A second child has died from measles. And RFK Jr. attended the funeral. Kennedy said in a social media post that he was working to “control the outbreak” and went to Gaines County to comfort the families who have buried two young children. He was seen late Sunday afternoon outside of a Mennonite church where the funeral […]

Today on TAP: The president is compelled to delay his tariffs. The Republican Congress failed to do it, so the markets did.

A man faces felony charges after he allegedly fired shots during an apparent road rage incident in Florissant, which led to the victim crashing her car.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other large newspapers are the "least attractive" part of Lee Enterprises, David Hoffmann said in an interview.