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ST. LOUIS - Demonstrators lined both sides of the Tamm overpass Wednesday afternoon waving flags and holding signs protesting President Donald Trump and his administration on Wednesday.  Protestors also marched in downtown St. Louis. “The stakes couldn’t be much higher,” said Tom Gross, one of the demonstrators holding a sign that included the phrase “DE-ICE.” [...]

Much has been said and written over the years about controversial malaria research conducted on inmates at Illinois’ Stateville Penitentiary starting in the 1940s. But at least one part of that story has been largely ignored until now: the role…

To participate, all you have to do is dine out at a participating restaurant on Thursday.

ALTON – Members of the Alton City Council voted 5-2 on Wednesday to create an ordinance imposing a 1% local sales tax on groceries to replace a state grocery tax expiring in 2026. The vote tally remained unchanged from Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting . Voting against the resolution to create the grocery tax ordinance were Ward 1 Alderman Chris Bohn and Ward 3 Alderman Michael Velloff, with all other City Council members voting in favor. The State of Illinois has imposed a 1% sales tax on groceries since 1990, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to local municipalities. To offset significant revenue losses when the state grocery tax expires in 2026, the Illinois General Assembly has allowed each municipality to replace the state tax with local 1% sales taxes on groceries and grocery “services.” Alton Comptroller Debbie Dunlap previously estimated that allowing the grocery tax to expire would result in an annual loss of $400,000 to the city’s

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI) is cautioning residents about potential post-disaster scams following the May 16 tornado and other recent severe weather events. The department said that scammers are attempting to take advantage of vulnerable individuals, especially those who experienced property damage due to the severe weather. According [...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—founding co-chair of the Senate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Caucus—met with Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) President Brian Duncan and IFB members to discuss shared priorities to grow Illinois’s agriculture industry and support our farmers. Duckworth and the members discussed the importance of supporting our family farmers by expanding the biofuels market, increasing agricultural exports and improving farm safety net programs as Donald Trump continues to threaten critical federal agricultural programs. Photos from today’s meeting can be found on the Senator’s website. “America has always depended on our nation’s farmers to grow the food and fuel we need, and I’m proud to advocate for them on both the national and international stage,” Duckworth said. “The work of Illinois’s farmers is so important to the strength of our state and our nation, and I will continue

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, today met with Illinois members of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) who are in Washington, D.C. for their “Ukraine Days” advocacy effort. During the meeting, they discussed Putin’s unjustified and unprovoked war in Ukraine, President Trump’s continued manipulation by Russian President Putin, and what Congress can do to help our Ukrainian allies. They also discussed Durbin’s bill that prohibits the United States from recognizing the Russian Federation’s claim of sovereignty over Crimea or any other forcibly seized Ukrainian territory. “The Chicago-area is home to thousands of Ukrainian Americans. I am fortunate to represent them in the U.S. Senate, and I welcomed them to the Capitol today,” said Durbin. “During our meeting, we discussed this Administration’s failure to end Russia’s war in Ukraine

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today participated in a Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to review the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Department of Defense (DOD). During the hearing, Durbin reprimanded Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for drastically cutting funding for defense medical research while claiming to support the service members who have experienced physical or mental trauma from their military service. In their exchange, Durbin expressed his frustration that military members and veterans will suffer because the Trump Administration has slashed funding at DOD and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for medical research on new treatments for devastating diseases and injuries. “I was surprised to learn that medical research has discovered the probability that men and women who serve our nation develop certain cancers more prevalent among them

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a spotlight forum entitled “Cruel and Unamerican: The Abuse of Immigrants to Attack our Constitutional Order.” Durbin first questioned Ximena Arias-Cristobal, a 19-year-old Dreamer, who was wrongfully arrested after being misidentified at a traffic stop, about her experience with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. “What a heartbreaking story you’ve told us. Two and a half weeks in prison… were there any others circumstances that had been arrested by ICE or authorities for immigration issues?” Durbin asked. Ms. Arias-Cristobal responded that there were many people in the same situation as her. She said, “a lot of people were ripped away from the comfort of their own home, a lot of them walking on the side of the street, and a lot of them went to their court date and got

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GODFREY – The College for Life program at Lewis and Clark Community College has won a $10,000 Cargill grant through the company’s Community Engagement and Giving program. The check was presented June 10 at a brief ceremony on the college’s Godfrey Campus by Joe Fletcher, a Cargill strategic account representative and parent of a College for Life student. It was Fletcher who informed program leaders of the grant opportunity. “I’m humbled and proud to announced that Cargill’s Community Cares program has donated $10,000 to College for Life,” he said. “We hope this gift helps create transformative opportunities for College for Life students, helping them compete, grow and connect. This is not just a donation, this is a commitment to the brighter – more inclusive – future we all envision.” According to Access and Accommodations Interim Director Emily DeGrand, College for Life intends to use the funds in a couple of different

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The calculation of the potential penalty emerged only days after Don Harmon attempted to pass legislation designed to wipe away the election board case and the potential penalties.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Ranking Member of the CST Aviation Subcommittee—pressed Federal Aviation Administrator nominee Bryan Bedford to commit to upholding the strong 1,500-hour certification standard for our nation’s pilots and strengthening the FAA’s oversight of Boeing at his confirmation hearing. In light of Mr. Bedford’s previous comments against the 1,500-hour rule, Duckworth raised concerns that Mr. Bedford would unilaterally attempt to weaken this standard and produce less-prepared pilots in the immediate aftermath of our nation experiencing the first major deadly commercial crash in more than a decade, amid a surge in near-misses with an air traffic controller shortage and aging controller equipment. When Duckworth asked Mr. Bedford for his commitment to not reduce the 1,500-hour rule if confirmed, Mr. Bedford refused

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More tributes for Brian Wilson continue to pour in. His family announced on Wednesday that the Beach Boys mastermind had died at age 82.In a statement, Beach Boys founding member…

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WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) pressed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins during a House Agriculture Committee hearing where she raised serious concerns with President Trump’s budget proposal for USDA that suggests slashing funding for agriculture research, nutrition assistance, and conservation. She cited the recent testimony of farmers to the House Agriculture Committee, in which they shared how conservation programs, which the President seeks to eliminate, have helped improve their livelihoods. “The idea that we would take away opportunities to improve farmers’ livelihoods - and to completely eliminate Conservation Technical Assistance, which farmers have told this committee directly that they rely on - is ridiculous,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. She also highlighted Secretary Rollins’ misguided decision to eliminate the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and the Local Foods

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