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COLLINSVILLE – A man from Collinsville faces a felony domestic battery charge after an 11-year-old boy reported the violence to family members. Love A. Willie Jr., 34, of Collinsville, was charged on June 6, 2025 with one count each of aggravated domestic battery (a Class 2 felony) and domestic battery (a Class A misdemeanor). Willie allegedly strangled a family or household member and struck them about the head and face with a closed fist on June 5, 2025. The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to deny Willie’s pretrial release from custody. The petition states officers arrived at the home after an 11-year-old boy indicated to family members that Willie had been committing domestic violence against the victim. “Police arrived and contacted victim, who reported that defendant had strangled her, dragged her around the house, and punched her in the head,” the petition states. “Defendant was found to be intoxicated and

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Technicolor Dreams, the newest immersive popup by Hidden Gems, runs Thursday through Saturday from May 22 through June 28. The disco dive bar’s back room has been transformed into a […]

The post Technicolor Dreams: A Pop-Up Cocktail Experience appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

GRANITE CITY - Madison County Coroner Nicholas P. Novacich has identified Montie Eugene Ritchie, 34, of Granite City, as the man who died Thursday, June 5, 2025, following a traffic crash in Granite City. Ritchie was operating a Suzuki motorcycle and was the sole occupant when the vehicle struck a Hyundai passenger car at a high rate of speed while attempting to flee a traffic stop. The collision occurred at the intersection of Pontoon Road and Maryville Road on June 5, 2025. Ritchie was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:43 p.m. Thursday by Madison County Coroner’s Office Investigator Ashley Reed. An autopsy and routine toxicological testing are being conducted to determine the cause and manner of death. A final cause of death will be issued after all reports are complete. The Granite City Police Department has transferred the investigation to the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation. The Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit and the Madison

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The most telling detail in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia saga isn’t what the DOJ is claiming — it’s what a federal prosecutor refused to do. Ben Schrader, a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville and chief of the criminal division, abruptly resigned rather than put his name on the indictment the Trump […]

ALTON – Alton may be the next community in the Riverbend to retain a local sales tax on groceries after the state’s 1% grocery tax expires in 2026. Appearing on the Alton Committee of the Whole agenda for Monday, June 9, 2025 is a resolution to create an ordinance implementing a 1% sales tax on groceries and a 1% sales tax on grocery “services.” The Illinois General Assembly has granted local municipalities the ability to impose their own local sales taxes on groceries to offset projected revenue losses, since 100% of the expiring grocery tax proceeds went directly to local governments. If the Committee of the Whole approves the resolution on Monday, it goes next to the Alton City Council for final approval on Wednesday, June 11. City officials would then draft an ordinance on the same topic, which would go through the standard approval process and, if approved, be adopted into the Alton City Code of Ordinances . The Alton City Council has until Oct. 1,

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As U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown efforts continue, some immigrants are receiving text messages from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asking them to report to local offices for a "case review," - messages some attorneys say may be misleading or deceptive.

GODFREY - You can enjoy live music and master-level barbecue this weekend at the Alton-Wood River Sportsmen’s Club. Located at 3109 Godfrey Road in Godfrey, the Sportsmen’s Club will host their fourth annual Barbeque Cookoff Dinner on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Competitors will get their meat — ribs and wings — at 10 a.m., and judging starts at 5 p.m. All meat will be available for a buffet-style dinner at 6 p.m., followed by music by Exit 52 at 7 p.m. “We kind of like to keep it like your backyard type of guys instead of getting the high-end guys in there,” explained Andrew Simpson, who organized the cookoff. “Everybody cooks a little differently. Some people take more time, some people take less. That 10 a.m. for the meat handout until the 5 p.m. turn-in time is way more than enough time, so it’s pretty relaxed. Pretty much everybody just hangs out and gets their smokers going.” The eight competitors will be at the Sportsmen’s

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WASHINGTON — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man wrongly deported to his native El Salvador three months ago, was brought back to the U.S. on Friday and will face federal charges, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said. Abrego Garcia’s case had become a flashpoint in a debate over what due process rights protect immigrants from […]

ST. LOUIS - People across the St. Louis area commemorated the 81st anniversary of D-Day on Friday. "We really tell it through St. Louis voices. So St. Louis people who participated in the liberation and also who were liberated," Helen Turner said. Turner is the Holocaust Museum Director of Education.  "D-day really marks the turn [...]

The James Beard-nominated chef on Friday reopened his concepts Esca, Florentin and Nixta.

A federal judge in Phoenix provides a reprieve for Oak Flat.

WASHINGTON —  Clean energy manufacturers and advocates say they’re perplexed how the repeal of tax credits in President Donald Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” will keep their domestic production lines humming across the United States, particularly in states that elected him to the Oval Office. While some Republicans have labeled the billions in tax credits […]

ST. LOUIS - The Endangered Wolf Center in St. Louis announced that efforts to help six endangered Mexican Wolf Pups born in the state. The Mexican wolf, according to the center, is a keystone species, as less than 300 exist in the wild. In a conservation effort for the species, the center said the pups—which [...]

An investigation is underway after rumors began swirling about New World Screwworm being found in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

“Trump’s fossil fuel orders are a death sentence for my generation."

Over the past few months, Celina Damian’s phone has been ringing off the hook with one bewildered, anxious question after another: “What kind of loan is this?” “Am I in default?” “Will the government really take my wages?” “Sometimes they just don’t know where to start,” said Damian, California’s student loan servicing ombudsperson. “I’m talking […]

The Hoffmann Family of Companies announced Friday it is buying the firm that owns The Missourian newspaper in Washington in Franklin County.

Missouri has begun issuing federal food benefits that could reach 475,000 kids this summer.  The first batch of Missouri’s summer food benefits for children was issued on Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services told The Independent Friday. Each eligible child will receive a one-time benefit of $120, loaded onto a card […]