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Nervous senators from both parties press Trump trade rep on tariffs as high as 104%

1 year ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs Tuesday as he faced senators from both sides of the aisle who relayed their constituents’ economic anxiety. Democratic and Republican senators alike questioned how the policy will affect their states’ industries in the coming months. “Whose throat do I get to choke […]
Ashley Murray

Nervous senators from both parties press Trump trade rep on tariffs as high as 104%

1 year ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs Tuesday as he faced senators from both sides of the aisle who relayed their constituents’ economic anxiety. Democratic and Republican senators alike questioned how the policy will affect their states’ industries in the coming months. “Whose throat do I get to choke […]
Ashley Murray

Godfrey Duo Charged With Mob Action

1 year ago
GODFREY – Two Godfrey residents were charged last week in related cases of mob action. One faces an additional felony for injuring the victim with a “bladed metal object.” Lamont R. Lastie, 30, and Memoree E. Thomas, 20, both of Godfrey, were each charged on April 2, 2025 with a Class 4 felony count of mob action. Lastie was additionally charged with a Class 3 felony count of aggravated battery. The day prior on April 1, 2025, Lastie and Thomas allegedly worked together in striking the victim about the head and body. Lastie reportedly also used “a bladed metal object” to cut the face of the victim, who sustained a laceration to the chin. According to a petition to deny Lastie’s pretrial release, a witness told authorities Lastie knocked the victim to the ground before “swinging at him with a small knife or bladed object,” causing the injury. The petition notes that at the time of the incident, Lastie was on probation from a 2023 case

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Data Collection and Modular’s Future

1 year ago
From Offsite Builder:  Many of today’s homes are already brimming with data collectors, and the fact that homeowners derive real value from these devices presents the modular home industry with an opportunity. As AI becomes more prevalent that opportunity will only continue to grow. Some technologies are well-established. Nest and Ecobee thermostats collect temperature and […]
Dede Hance

The Soulcial Center at Challenge Unlimited Includes Partnerships with Fresh Harvest, LaMay's Catering and Food is Love Foundation

1 year ago
ALTON – Challenge Unlimited and Soulcial Kitchen are excited to unveil detailed plans for the recently launched Soulcial Center at Challenge Unlimited, located in Alton, IL, a groundbreaking initiative transforming local food systems, community health, and employment opportunities. Led by Brigadier General John E. Michel (USAF, Ret.), Founder of Soulcial Kitchen and President of the Food is Love Foundation, along with John Becker, Challenge Unlimited VP of Programs, this unique center leverages strategic partnerships with Fresh Harvest 365, LaMay’s Catering, the Food is Love Foundation, and Theodora Farms to enhance community wellbeing and economic growth. Regional Produce and "Dignity in Food" Aggregation Hub: Managed by Theodora Farms, this hub provides a consistent market for local small farms, distributing fresh, locally sourced produce to hospitals, food pantries, and community-based organizations throughout the Metro East. Commissary Kitchen and "Food as Medicine"

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The New Rules of Commercial Trades

1 year ago
From Construction Business Owner:  When I started in commercial trades, no one talked about customer notifications or reviews. Most contractors didn’t think their customers cared about getting updates or having a direct line of communication. Commercial was all about big jobs and long timelines — efficiency was measured in projects delivered, not customer satisfaction. But […]
Dede Hance

Whoops: T-Mobile Reveals Names, Real-Time Locations Of Customers’ Kids

1 year ago
T-Mobile has long been a hot mess on issues of security and privacy. Distracted by its problematic merger with Sprint, T-Mobile was hacked eight times in less than five years, leaking oodles of sensitive customer information onto the open web. The company was also a key player in gobbling up user sensitive location data to […]
Karl Bode

Durbin Pushes DHS Secretary Noem, FBI Director Patel To Reverse Course On Cuts To Domestic Terrorism Prevention Efforts

1 year ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel to reverse course on their deprioritization of domestic terrorism prevention efforts, which leaves our nation less secure and Americans less safe. Durbin began by condemning recent actions, writing: “I write to strongly object to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) recent diversion of agency resources and institutional focus away from domestic terrorism prevention efforts.” The FBI has reassigned staff from the Domestic Terrorism Operations Section (DTOS), which provides operational support to all 55 FBI field offices in investigating domestic terrorism threats, and is contemplating disbanding it entirely. DHS has dismantled a national database used

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Durbin, Padilla, Raskin, Jayapal Statement On SCOTUS Alien Enemies Act Ruling

1 year ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee; and U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee; and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, issued the following statement after the Supreme Court lifted a hold on removals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 : “The Supreme Court’s decision to allow the Trump Administration to move forward with deporting people under the Alien Enemies Act—an archaic wartime law—will unquestionably harm people caught up in this oppressive nightmare. “This decision also leaves unanswered whether the President’s dangerous and unprecedented invocation of the wartime authority to go after immigrants was lawful in the first place. “Although

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Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Hearing On Importance Of Freedom Of Information Act

1 year ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “The Freedom of Information Act: Perspectives from Public Requesters.” During his opening remarks, Durbin underscored the importance of transparency in government, and he further reiterated that the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should be subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) despite unelected billionaire Elon Musk’s opposition. Key Durbin Quotes: “This Committee has approached FOIA in a bipartisan fashion. It should continue to, working to ensure agencies comply with the law and taking opportunities to strengthen the law.” “But this hearing comes at a time when many Americans are angry and fearful. They are frightened for their jobs as the Trump Administration fires thousands and thousands of government

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