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SPRINGFIELD - Building on a strong team of diverse experts in their fields, Governor JB Pritzker announced the following appointments in his administration: Illinois Finance Authority Timothy Ryan will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Finance Authority.* Ryan has dedicated his career to supporting working families across the Midwest. He currently serves as Midwest Region Tri-Fund Coordinator for the Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America. There, Ryan assists with finding sites that are appropriate for new affordable housing projects, and he coordinates safety, training, and labor management funds across 10 states. Ryan received a Bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a Juris Doctorate from Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Illinois Workforce Innovation Board William Lo will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board.* Lo is a dedicated and goal-driven business leader with over 20 year

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SPRINGFIELD - On Monday, July 28, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) will convene a roundtable discussion in Springfield focused on improving mail delivery and protecting postal services across Central and Southern Illinois. Local leaders, postal workers, and community stakeholders from across downstate Illinois will join the conversation. The discussion will cover key issues impacting mail service in the region including efforts to improve on-time delivery, protect local postal jobs, oppose privatization, and stop harmful facility consolidations that reduce access in rural and underserved areas. WHAT: Congresswoman Budzinski to Host Roundtable on Strengthening Postal Service in Central and Southern Illinois WHO: U.S. Congresswoman Budzinski, Illinois’ 13th District State Senator Doris Turner State Representative Mike Coffey Springfield Chamber President Mike Murphy Barbara Bridges, Champaign Postal Worker and Activist President Pam Shumard, Illinois

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CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, filed an amended lawsuit challenging the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) attempt to gut AmeriCorps by withholding tens of millions of dollars in funding for critical service programs. In June, Raoul and the coalition won a court order that reinstated hundreds of AmeriCorps programs that were unlawfully canceled, and barred AmeriCorps from making similar cuts without formal rulemaking. Despite this order, OMB is withholding funding intended for outstanding service programs, threatening their survival and the well-being of those who depend on their services. Raoul and the coalition filed an amended lawsuit that adds OMB and its director as defendants and brings new legal claims against them. “More than 1 million Americans have participated in AmeriCorps because they wanted to serve veterans and children, protec

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) today led a bipartisan call for maintaining U.S. leadership in aviation safety. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, the Senators led 43 of their Senate colleagues in urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to oppose single-pilot operations at the International Civil Aviation Organization. “Despite ongoing challenges, the U.S. has long represented the gold standard in aviation safety,” wrote the Senators. “The FAA should continue to promote sound safety standards as new technology develops and presents challenges to existing procedures. While technology will play a critical role in shaping the future of aviation innovation, including improved safety measures, policymakers have a duty to ensure that any changes are rigorously evaluated and incorporated into evidence-backed safety frameworks. The presence of two rested, well-trained, and qualified pilots

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CHICAGO - Today, Governor JB Pritzker, state leaders, and community members from across Chicagoland gathered to officially rename 115 S. La Salle St. the Jesse White State of Illinois Building, honoring Illinois’ longest-serving Secretary of State and a legendary public servant. The event follows unanimous votes in both the Illinois House and Senate last year to rename the building after White, who turned 91 last month. “As the longest serving Secretary of State in our history, Secretary White spent his career doing something good for the people of Illinois every single day,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “He championed good and honest government at a time when our state needed it the most – putting us on a path to progress by rooting out the corruption and insider dealing that had defined our institutions. I cannot think of a more appropriate name than the Jesse White State of Illinois Building, which will serve generations of Illinoisans and stand as a symbol

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced that three of her bills, the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship Opportunity Act , the VA Mental Health Outreach and Engagement Act , and the Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act , advanced out of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee (HVAC). “I’m excited to announce that three of my bipartisan bills to support veterans have passed out of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “Our veterans should be given every tool they need to succeed in civilian life – and these pieces of legislation are designed to do just that by helping veterans advance their skills, get connected with good-paying jobs, access the best quality health care, and navigate mental health resources at the VA. I look forward to continuing to work across the aisle to get these bills signed into law.” The bills now move to the full House

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07) led their fellow Senate and House Democratic colleagues in reintroducing legislation to protect Americans’ right to access reproductive health care, regardless of income, insurance or zip code. The Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Healthcare (EACH) Act would end the discriminatory Hyde Amendment and help lift unjust abortion coverage restrictions for those who depend on Medicaid and other government-sponsored plans—reaffirming the right to access reproductive health care after Donald Trump signed his Big, Beautiful Betrayal into law that will rip health care away from over 15 million Americans. “Ever since Trump’s far-right Supreme Court majority struck down Roe, Republicans have made it their mission to strip away a woman’s right to reproductive health care—a right they have no place to stand in the way of,” said Senator Duckworth.

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Winston Rulo suffered a brain bleed, facial fractures, an open skull fracture and other injuries from the July 19 attack, according to family and friends.

The family of a couple killed during a police pursuit earlier this month is suing the city of Wood River, saying police didn't weigh the risks when they began the chase.

ALTON - The YWCA offers many programs for community members, but their summer camp and before- and after-school programs stand out. In an interview on “Our Daily Show!” with C.J. Nasello at Centerstone’s recent resource fair , Maddie explained the YWCA’s Child Enrichment Program and how it benefits local kids. She said that the Y is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. to provide childcare, which includes games and lessons on topics like astronomy, STEM and dinosaurs. “It’s great,” Maddie said. “I never imagined working with kids, but once I started working here, being exposed to the kids, I not only got to teach the younger generation, but they were teaching me, too.” Locally, the YWCA of Southwestern Illinois has several locations, most notably their building at 304 E. 3rd Street in Alton. They also have spots in Wood River, Roxana and Godfrey. The childcare and summer camp programs work with kids in kindergarten throug

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EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Makayla “Mak” Mallon, currently pursuing her graduate degree in African American Literature, has spent this summer as a Servant Leader Intern for the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools® hosted on SIUE’s campus . Mallon graduated SIUE with a bachelor’s in history (’24) and also co-founded the student organization Black Literary Analysis Club (BLAC). “I was also privileged enough to work as a graduate assistant in the Redmond Center,” said Mallon. Here she shares her summer 2025 experience working with Freedom School scholars her own words. I am a Servant Leader Intern (SLI). As an SLI, I facilitate Integrated Reading Curriculum, which is rooted in activism and literature. So, we read selected books that follow along with Freedom School’s “I can make a difference” weekly themes. Once we have read with our scholars, we facilitate fun

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ALTON - Senior Services Plus, Inc. (SSP), located at 2603 N. Rodgers Avenue in Alton, IL, will be hosting an I-Cash Event on Wednesday, August 6th, 2025 from 10am-1pm in SSP’s Meeting Room. During this walk-in style clinic, participants can speak with a representative from the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office and receive assistance with unclaimed property searches. What is Unclaimed Property? According to https://icash.illinoistreasurer.gov , “unclaimed property consists of accounts and other financial instruments, usually intangible, being held at corporations, financial institutions, financial intermediaries, courts, and life insurance companies, that have gone dormant for a specified period of time based on property type.” “Common types of unclaimed property include checking and savings accounts, uncashed wage and payroll checks, uncashed stock dividends and stock certificates, insurance payments, utility deposits, customer deposits, accounts

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ALTON – Simmons Hanly Conroy , a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families, is pleased to announce that firm partner Jo Anna Pollock has played a leading role in the founding and national expansion of education nonprofit Lindenwood Education System (LES), including its recent acquisition of Ancora Education. LES, headquartered in Saint Charles, Missouri, is the private nonprofit parent entity of a system of independent higher education institutions that offer a variety of certificate, diploma, associate, bachelor and professional-level programs. Each of the institutions under LES operates as a separate corporate entity and maintains its respective name, brand and distinct accreditations. The goal of LES, which now operates in nine states, is to expand access to education, diversify program offerings, and foster innovation that addresses today’s skill gaps and tomorrow’s workforce needs. Pollock, a Lindenwood

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And why it’s not getting cheaper any time soon.

Plant of the Week: Turnips. Swap out potatoes for turnips and make Turnips Au Gratin. Sauté the greens for quiche. Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar, good for Zones 6a, 6b, 7a, maybe more. Start seeds indoors for August planting of lettuce and parsley. Sow Fall carrots outdoors. Transplant Fall Broccoli, Cabbage. … Continue reading This Week in Gardening & Nature →

Training thunderstorms producing heavy rain for several hours have caused considerable flash flooding in northern Lincoln County. Much of Elsberry is underwater. Southern Pike County in Missouri and central Calhoun County in Illinois have also received high rainfall totals based on radar estimates. There have been lulls in the precipitation, but more storms could impact [...]

Severe flooding has hit Lincoln County, Missouri, particularly affecting the town of Elsberry, where emergency services have conducted multiple water rescues. Quentin Laws, the Lincoln County Emergency Manager, stated, "We have multiple boat rescues going door to door." He emphasized the importance of residents staying off the roads. The flooding began around 11 p.m. Saturday [...]