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Steve Gontram, David Zitko, and Stephen Kovac serve an array of Eastern Mediterranean–inspired small plates and shareable dishes in the former Nixta space.

The contingent includes 100 Missouri National Guard soldiers, 21 state troopers and five disaster medical assistance workers.

FOX 2 News meteorologist Haley Fitzpatrick visited Southern Illinois University’s Edwardsville campus, where they demonstrated the high wind profile—simulated hurricane force winds—in their own manufactured wind tunnel.

ALTON - Award-winning local author Tori Ross stopped by “Our Daily Show!” to talk about her newest book, a “steamy romance” titled “Baked and Burned.” Ross has written several romantic comedies and contemporary books. She said the writing is “totally entertainment,” and she enjoys sharing her work with readers. She hopes this most recent book, which explores a “pregnancy trope” after a one-night stand, will appeal to her audience. “It’s mostly romantic comedy, but very steamy,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons I did not pursue traditional publishing. A lot of times, traditional publishers will be like, ‘Eh, we don’t want this scene here. We want you to clean it up.’ I don’t want to clean it up. I want to make it dirty, because that’s what people like.” Ross began writing romance in 2021. She previously worked as a special education paraprofessional

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Independent photojournalist Josh Pacheco, seen here being arrested in Chicago during a protest of the Democratic National Convention in August, is one of several journalists facing charges for failing to comply with dispersal orders that should have never been issued.

Screenshot courtesy of Sean Beckner-Carmitchel via YouTube

Even when police can disperse protesters who break the law, they can’t disperse journalists along with them. And it follows that they can’t arrest journalists for not complying with orders to disperse that were illegal in the first place.

That shouldn’t be news. Appellate courts have said it. The Department of Justice said it in its reprimand of the Minneapolis Police Department for its crackdowns following George Floyd’s murder. But, as we saw at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, police departments haven’t gotten the message.

That’s why it’s so important that the DOJ is now saying it louder, in a new guidance containing recommendations from the department and the Police Executive Research Forum for police-press interactions at mass demonstrations. We should note that our friends at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press were instrumental in making this happen.

Here’s some key language:

“In the case of mass demonstrations, there may be situations—such as dispersal orders or curfews—where the police may reasonably limit public access. In these circumstances, to ensure that these limitations are narrowly tailored, the police may need to exempt reporters from these restrictions, and under those circumstances, they will need to determine who they consider to be members of the media. Because this can be challenging in chaotic moments, it is recommended that police err on the side of inclusiveness, defining as “media” both credentialed press from established media outlets and noncredentialed individuals who are acting as reporters in their function and behavior.”

That seems clear enough. And it’s the perfect opportunity for prosecutors with open cases against journalists for failing to disperse to drop them.

Here are a few prosecutors who should jump at the opportunity to do the right thing. We’ll send them a copy of this article to make sure they’re on notice. Readers, feel free to do the same.

Cook County, Illinois, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx: According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a project of Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), cases remain pending against at least three journalists arrested during the DNC in August — Sinna Nasseri, Olga Fedorova, and Josh Pacheco.

None of these journalists are accused of doing anything illegal except not obeying police orders to disperse. The Chicago Police Department knew that was not a reason to arrest journalists — we warned them in the newspaper and on the radio. They were so confident they knew what they were doing that they declined offers from the National Press Photographers Association to train them on exactly these kinds of issues.

But they didn’t know what they were doing. In fact, CPD Deputy Director of News Affairs and Communications Tom Ahern went as far as to threaten to revoke journalists’ press credentials if they didn’t comply with his illegal orders. He even ripped credentials off reporters’ necks.

Foxx shouldn’t wait a minute longer to end this embarrassing ordeal and drop charges against any journalist arrested for doing their jobs at the DNC. And Ahern should resign. His conduct was inexcusable (check out the conversation we hosted last month with independent journalists who saw it firsthand, including Fedorova).

Multnomah County, Oregon, District Attorney Mike Schmidt: Journalist Alissa Azar was arrested while covering a pro-Palestinian protest at Portland State University on May 2, 2024. She’s accused of nothing other than not dispersing, and video of the arrest appears to confirm she wasn’t breaking any laws (note that this arrest has nothing to do with Azar’s recent conviction over an entirely separate incident in 2021).

We wrote a letter to Schmidt, joined by other leading press freedom organizations, but heard nothing. Schmidt should not need the DOJ to tell him the case should be dropped — the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Oregon, has made clear that police can’t include law-abiding journalists in dispersal orders. Schmidt has also seen other Oregon officials get embarrassed and sued after pursuing unconstitutional cases against journalists. It might be too late to avoid a similar outcome but the DOJ guidance gives him a chance to at least mitigate the damage by dismissing the charges.

Ulster County, New York, District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji: Journalist John Camera was arrested on May 2 while covering a protest at the State University of New York at New Paltz. The protest escalated, and he was arrested by state troopers, along with 132 others, when he allegedly did not disperse on command.

One of the troopers told the Tracker he expected the charge to be dropped — so why bring it in the first place? These kinds of catch and release arrests serve no purpose except to censor journalists by removing them from the scene of the news they were covering.

That calls to mind another important recommendation included in the DOJ report: “Once the journalist has established they were acting as a journalist and were inadvertently or improperly detained, officers should be directed to quickly release the individual without charge.”

St. Lawrence County, New York, District Attorney Gary Pasqua: Isaac White, a reporter for Indian Time, was arrested while covering a demonstration on New York’s Barnhart Island this May. Even though he’s accused of nothing but failing to follow an illegal dispersal order, he’s facing charges of both trespassing and conspiracy, along with numerous protesters who were arrested along with him. To the best of our knowledge, his alleged “conspiring” doesn’t involve anything more than being present at the protest.

White told the Tracker that when police ordered him to disperse they didn’t tell him where he could go to keep doing his job. That’s a common problem. The DOJ report explains that, in the exceedingly rare event that police can constitutionally disperse a journalist because there’s no other way to mitigate some kind of public safety threat (and we’re aware of none in White’s case), they’re obligated to provide an alternate location from which the journalist can report.

And that doesn’t mean they can send journalists to the cheap seats — it has to be somewhere they can see and hear what’s going on.

Buncombe County, North Carolina, District Attorney Todd Williams: Asheville journalists Matilda Bliss and Veronica Coit are appealing their conviction for violating a park curfew to document police evicting a homeless encampment at a public park.

We’ve repeatedly noted the absurdity of Wiliams’ position that journalists can be barred from covering obviously newsworthy events, in plain sight and on public land, just because it’s dark out. And now the DOJ has agreed — law-abiding journalists cannot be subjected to curfews when attempting to do their jobs.

Williams’ office stubbornly pursued the misdemeanor case through a jury trial, costing local taxpayers significant money to punish the press. And there is evidence of retaliation against Bliss and Coit specifically that, under recent Supreme Court precedent, could subject the city and its officials to legal liability. That’s the last thing Asheville needs after Hurricane Helene.

Alameda County, California, District Attorney Pamela Price: Journalist Yesica Prado was arrested while reporting on a homeless encampment cleanup operation in Oakland, California, in September.

She questioned officers who had ordered her to report from behind a fence where she couldn’t see, and then was threatened with arrest — and use of force — for being in a “safe work zone.” Officers then followed through on the threat.

As a coalition of press freedom organizations, including FPF, explained in a joint statement, the First Amendment (not to mention California law) does not permit declaring a large area where news is happening a “work zone” or “crime scene” in order to expel the press.

It’s no different from dispersal orders or curfews — even when these designations can properly be invoked for public safety reasons, journalists should be exempted or, if absolutely necessary, given a viable alternative place to report from.

Prosecutors: Now’s the perfect time to drop these charges. You can even save face by claiming you changed course in response to the DOJ’s new guidance (although, just between us, you should have known they were unconstitutional from the outset).

Note: While the new DOJ guidance includes a disclaimer that some of its content may not represent the official position of the DOJ, it’s safe to assume that the discussion of not dispersing journalists does, given that the DOJ has taken identical positions in official reports.

Independent photojournalist Josh Pacheco, seen here being arrested in Chicago during a protest of the Democratic National Convention in August, is one of several journalists facing charges for failing to comply with dispersal orders that should have never been issued.

Screenshot courtesy of Sean Beckner-Carmitchel via YouTube

Even when police can disperse protesters who break the law, they can’t disperse journalists along with them. And it follows that they can’t arrest journalists for not complying with orders to disperse that were illegal in the first place.

That shouldn’t be news. Appellate courts have said it. The Department of Justice said it in its reprimand of the Minneapolis Police Department for its crackdowns following George Floyd’s murder. But, as we saw at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, police departments haven’t gotten the message.

That’s why it’s so important that the DOJ is now saying it louder, in a new guidance containing recommendations from the department and the Police Executive Research Forum for police-press interactions at mass demonstrations. We should note that our friends at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press were instrumental in making this happen.

Here’s some key language:

“In the case of mass demonstrations, there may be situations—such as dispersal orders or curfews—where the police may reasonably limit public access. In these circumstances, to ensure that these limitations are narrowly tailored, the police may need to exempt reporters from these restrictions, and under those circumstances, they will need to determine who they consider to be members of the media. Because this can be challenging in chaotic moments, it is recommended that police err on the side of inclusiveness, defining as “media” both credentialed press from established media outlets and noncredentialed individuals who are acting as reporters in their function and behavior.”

That seems clear enough. And it’s the perfect opportunity for prosecutors with open cases against journalists for failing to disperse to drop them.

Here are a few prosecutors who should jump at the opportunity to do the right thing. We’ll send them a copy of this article to make sure they’re on notice. Readers, feel free to do the same.

Cook County, Illinois, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx: According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a project of Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), cases remain pending against at least three journalists arrested during the DNC in August — Sinna Nasseri, Olga Fedorova, and Josh Pacheco.

None of these journalists are accused of doing anything illegal except not obeying police orders to disperse. The Chicago Police Department knew that was not a reason to arrest journalists — we warned them in the newspaper and on the radio. They were so confident they knew what they were doing that they declined offers from the National Press Photographers Association to train them on exactly these kinds of issues.

But they didn’t know what they were doing. In fact, CPD Deputy Director of News Affairs and Communications Tom Ahern went as far as to threaten to revoke journalists’ press credentials if they didn’t comply with his illegal orders. He even ripped credentials off reporters’ necks.

Foxx shouldn’t wait a minute longer to end this embarrassing ordeal and drop charges against any journalist arrested for doing their jobs at the DNC. And Ahern should resign. His conduct was inexcusable (check out the conversation we hosted last month with independent journalists who saw it firsthand, including Fedorova).

Multnomah County, Oregon, District Attorney Mike Schmidt: Journalist Alissa Azar was arrested while covering a pro-Palestinian protest at Portland State University on May 2, 2024. She’s accused of nothing other than not dispersing, and video of the arrest appears to confirm she wasn’t breaking any laws (note that this arrest has nothing to do with Azar’s recent conviction over an entirely separate incident in 2021).

We wrote a letter to Schmidt, joined by other leading press freedom organizations, but heard nothing. Schmidt should not need the DOJ to tell him the case should be dropped — the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Oregon, has made clear that police can’t include law-abiding journalists in dispersal orders. Schmidt has also seen other Oregon officials get embarrassed and sued after pursuing unconstitutional cases against journalists. It might be too late to avoid a similar outcome but the DOJ guidance gives him a chance to at least mitigate the damage by dismissing the charges.

Ulster County, New York, District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji: Journalist John Camera was arrested on May 2 while covering a protest at the State University of New York at New Paltz. The protest escalated, and he was arrested by state troopers, along with 132 others, when he allegedly did not disperse on command.

One of the troopers told the Tracker he expected the charge to be dropped — so why bring it in the first place? These kinds of catch and release arrests serve no purpose except to censor journalists by removing them from the scene of the news they were covering.

That calls to mind another important recommendation included in the DOJ report: “Once the journalist has established they were acting as a journalist and were inadvertently or improperly detained, officers should be directed to quickly release the individual without charge.”

St. Lawrence County, New York, District Attorney Gary Pasqua: Isaac White, a reporter for Indian Time, was arrested while covering a demonstration on New York’s Barnhart Island this May. Even though he’s accused of nothing but failing to follow an illegal dispersal order, he’s facing charges of both trespassing and conspiracy, along with numerous protesters who were arrested along with him. To the best of our knowledge, his alleged “conspiring” doesn’t involve anything more than being present at the protest.

White told the Tracker that when police ordered him to disperse they didn’t tell him where he could go to keep doing his job. That’s a common problem. The DOJ report explains that, in the exceedingly rare event that police can constitutionally disperse a journalist because there’s no other way to mitigate some kind of public safety threat (and we’re aware of none in White’s case), they’re obligated to provide an alternate location from which the journalist can report.

And that doesn’t mean they can send journalists to the cheap seats — it has to be somewhere they can see and hear what’s going on.

Buncombe County, North Carolina, District Attorney Todd Williams: Asheville journalists Matilda Bliss and Veronica Coit are appealing their conviction for violating a park curfew to document police evicting a homeless encampment at a public park.

We’ve repeatedly noted the absurdity of Wiliams’ position that journalists can be barred from covering obviously newsworthy events, in plain sight and on public land, just because it’s dark out. And now the DOJ has agreed — law-abiding journalists cannot be subjected to curfews when attempting to do their jobs.

Williams’ office stubbornly pursued the misdemeanor case through a jury trial, costing local taxpayers significant money to punish the press. And there is evidence of retaliation against Bliss and Coit specifically that, under recent Supreme Court precedent, could subject the city and its officials to legal liability. That’s the last thing Asheville needs after Hurricane Helene.

Alameda County, California, District Attorney Pamela Price: Journalist Yesica Prado was arrested while reporting on a homeless encampment cleanup operation in Oakland, California, in September.

She questioned officers who had ordered her to report from behind a fence where she couldn’t see, and then was threatened with arrest — and use of force — for being in a “safe work zone.” Officers then followed through on the threat.

As a coalition of press freedom organizations, including FPF, explained in a joint statement, the First Amendment (not to mention California law) does not permit declaring a large area where news is happening a “work zone” or “crime scene” in order to expel the press.

It’s no different from dispersal orders or curfews — even when these designations can properly be invoked for public safety reasons, journalists should be exempted or, if absolutely necessary, given a viable alternative place to report from.

Prosecutors: Now’s the perfect time to drop these charges. You can even save face by claiming you changed course in response to the DOJ’s new guidance (although, just between us, you should have known they were unconstitutional from the outset).

Note: While the new DOJ guidance includes a disclaimer that some of its content may not represent the official position of the DOJ, it’s safe to assume that the discussion of not dispersing journalists does, given that the DOJ has taken identical positions in official reports.

It shouldn’t be news to any regular readers here that Warner Bros. has been a ridiculously jealous protector of all things intellectual property when it comes to the Harry Potter franchise. Harry Potter themed fan festivals? That’s banned magic, according to Warner Bros. Want to make a parody condom called “Harry Poppers”? Here comes Warner […]

BETHALTO — Ross Laux is navigating a new chapter of his business career as a part owner of Fast Eddie's Bon-Air. Laux is now one of the owners of the Fast Eddie's operation with Eddie Sholar Jr. Ross shares his part of the ownership with his wife, Dawn. Eddie Sholar Jr. is the long-time owner of the business. Ross is now handling the day-to-day operations of Fast Eddie's. Laux's wife, Dawn, has taken charge of day-to-day operations at the Laux Brickhouse Grille, of which Ross is also an owner, while Ashley Coyle has been promoted to general manager at that location. Coyle has been with the establishment since its expansion. Ross said the shift allows him to focus on the operations at Fast Eddie's Bon-Air, where he aims to retain all the traditions of the legendary restaurant/bar. "We have upgraded the televisions," Laux said. "We have bigger TVs and put in DirecTV. We are not trying to be a sports bar; we are Fast Eddie's, but we think the changes will enable customers to bette

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"It's a part of our culture, it's a part of our roots," said group coordinator Gabriela Cornelius.

Congress gave the agency enough money to last the year. But back-to-back hurricanes are stretching resources thin.

This weekend, a vibrant array of events awaits in the region, offering something for everyone—from the spooky thrills of haunted trails to delightful community festivals and engaging library crawls. Discover the full lineup of exciting activities by visiting https://www.riverbender.com/events/ for a complete listing. If you want to make sure even more of the region is aware of your event email cj@riverbender.com and explore our range of Event Promotion Services! Featured Join the celebration at the St. Mary’s Church Oktoberfest , taking place from October 11 to 13, 2024, in Alton, Illinois. This year marks the 166th Anniversary of St. Mary’s Parish, and the event is open to the public with free admission. Experience the German heritage with live entertainment, traditional food, and exciting activities, including a 5k race and a special anniversary mass. Don't miss out on the chance to participate in the $10,000 sweepstakes and visit the various entertainment

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According to a new report, St. Louis ranked very low on the country's safest cities list, but not as low as other U.S. cities. Memphis, Tennessee, and Detroit, Michigan, bottomed out the list as the two most dangerous cities.

Voter June McGrit cast her absentee ballot Tuesday at the St. Louis County Election Board in St. Ann. She regularly votes in elections but was surprised it took 45 minutes to read through the ballot this time.

PONTOON BEACH – Madison County Transit (MCT) is proposing several adjustments to its service as part of the upcoming January 2025 Service Change. The proposed changes reflect passenger and operator feedback, the success of the MCT Micro pilot program in Collinsville, and the ever-changing demand of Madison County residents and communities. Among the proposed changes is a proposal to allow college and university students (with a valid student ID) to purchase and ride MCT buses with the MCT Student Monthly Pass – a fare product that is available for $15 each month. MCT is also proposing to make the MCT Micro service a permanent offering in Collinsville in light of the pilot’s success in providing a flexible and efficient transportation option. Other proposed MCT service adjustments for January include: MCT Micro in Collinsville : The popular pilot program in Collinsville is proposed to become a permanent service, replacing the #15 East Collinsville Shuttle.

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MADISON - A man from Madison has been granted pretrial release after being charged with his fifth offense of domestic battery. Sanchez Wooten, 39, of Madison, was charged with aggravated battery, a Class 2 felony, and domestic battery, his fifth or subsequent such offense and another Class 2 felony. On Sept. 12, 2024, Wooten allegedly strangled a household or family member and struck them in the back of the head with his hands, causing bodily harm. Wooten has previously been charged with domestic battery on four occasions, including twice in 2017 and once in 2021 in Madison County, as well as once in 2020 in St. Louis County, Mo. The Madison Police Department presented the latest domestic battery case against Wooten, who was granted pretrial release from custody. The issuance of charges is based solely upon probable cause and is not an indication of guilt. All subjects charged with criminal offenses are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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GRANITE CITY - A series of burglaries, stolen vehicles, property damage and more have led to nine felony charges being filed against a man from Granite City. Jacob L. Bronaugh, 28, of Granite City, was charged with the following on Sept. 30, 2024: Burglary (Class 2 felony) Unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony) Criminal damage to property (Class 3 felony) Burglary (Class 2 felony) Criminal damage to property (Class 4 felony) Criminal damage to property (Class 4 felony) Unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony) Unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony) Aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer (Class 4 felony) These charges stem from a series of offenses carried out throughout the month of August 2024. On Aug. 5, 2024, Bronaugh allegedly entered a building without authority on Horseshoe Lake Road in Pontoon Beach, which was property of Site One Landscaping Services, with th

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ALTON - A man from Alton has been charged with battery against a 12-year-old child and domestic battery against another victim in the same case. DeMario D. Greenlee, 32, of Alton, was charged with aggravated battery (a Class 4 felony) and domestic battery (a Class A misdemeanor). On Sept. 27, 2024, Greenlee allegedly struck a 12-year-old child “in the mouth with a closed fist, causing a laceration” after he threw a household or family member “to the ground, causing pain,” according to court documents. A petition to deny Greenlee’s pretrial release reveals the 12-year-old was struck while attempting to intervene during the domestic battery incident. “Victim reported that her boyfriend, the defendant, became angry during an argument and threw her to the ground,” the petition states. “Victim's 12-year-old son observed this and moved to intervene, and the defendant struck him in the face with a closed fist, causing a laceration.”

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