Letter To The Editor: For over two and a half decades Jay Keeven served us as a member of the Illinois State Police, starting as a patrol officer and retiring as Major of Operation Services Command. His skills as an officer were only superseded by his professionalism and compassion. One example of this would be his appointment as a liaison to a metro-east family who tragically lost two family members in a crash with a patrolman. Jay was there for them 24 hours a day seven days a week. After retiring, Jay was highly recommended to serve as Chief of Police for the City of Edwardsville by Mayor Gary Niebur and City Administrator Ben Dickmann. During my eight years as mayor, he received unanimous support from the city council for his reappointment. Jay was always supportive of his officers and advocated for their needs and those of his growing department in a fiscally responsible manner. He managed our largest city department while overseeing the construction of the new police/fire building,
When I first went to Springfield two years ago, I promised our veterans I would fight for them. It seemed the state was giving Illinois veterans a raw deal, and I knew we could do better. I haven’t been in Springfield long but wanted to fill you in on what I’ve accomplished so far. I’ve worked to pass legislation to protect veterans from scams (SB 3479), improve the pipeline for sheriff’s offices to hire veterans (SB 2778), and to break down barriers for disabled veterans to improve their homes (SB 2751). While this is a great start, there’s still work to be done. I’ve proposed legislation to give veterans a paid day off for Veteran’s Day (HB 4128), waive vehicle registration fees for active-duty military personnel (HB 1563), and create a Veterans’ Licensure and Workforce Task Force (HB 1217). While we did some good work for veterans, the budget missed the mark. There is no part of Illinois’ budget that provided direct
GRANITE CITY — On Friday, October 18th, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and State Representative Katie Stuart will visit with the United Steelworkers Local 1899 to discuss the continued failure of Nippon to justify the acquisition of U.S. Steel’s Granite City Works facility and ways to continue to support workers. The meeting will be closed to members of the media, but Budzinski will be available to the press for questions following the visit. During her first term, Congresswoman Budzinski has advocated for Granite City steelworkers – urging U.S. Steel to maintain operations at Granite City Works. Following news of an acquisition by Nippon Steel, Budzinski called on the Biden Administration to ensure a comprehensive regulatory review and has supported President Biden’s decision to block the sale.
ALTON/EDWARDSVILLE - The Overnight Warming Locations will once again open to support unhoused community members through winter weather. The OWLs are pop-up emergency shelters that activate whenever overnight temperatures drop below 20 degrees. The Alton OWL is located at Deliverance Temple in Alton and the Edwardsville OWL is housed at First Baptist Church in Edwardsville. There are several ways to support the OWLs, from volunteering to stopping by their first annual trivia night on Nov. 2, 2024. “The problem’s not getting any better. We’re seeing more and more people just trying to survive the cold,” said Tyler Dreith, operations director. “We have the privilege of kicking on the thermostat and turning on the heat. It just makes you be mindful of our friends out there.” Last year, Dreith said that between the two OWL locations, they saw 148 unique guests, including 45 people in one night in Alton. They are looking for volunteers, donations
According to the Pew Research Center, almost 1 in 5 stay-at-home parents are dads in the U.S., and now some of those dads have gathered in St. Louis for HomeDadCon.
St. Louis Downtown Airport has been awarded $4,740,328 in funding through the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Grant Program to help cover the cost of completing the third phase of construction for its taxiway reconstruction project. The work on Taxiway Bravo will be completed under an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation […]
A man facing a murder charge in Columbia, Missouri, is now accused of breaking into a south St. Louis County car dealership earlier this month and stealing a pick-up truck, among other items.
Liam Payne’s former bandmates in One Direction have shared a statement on the 31-year-old signer’s death, calling him a brother who they “loved dearly.”
Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman doesn’t have any regrets about leaving the band in 1993. In fact, in an interview with Classic Rock magazine, he suggests he stuck around a…
A St. Louis reparations panel on Wednesday released a report recommending that some communities "with documented direct harm" be paid up to $25,000 per resident by the city.
Alberici proudly marks the 25th anniversary of Alberici University, a transformative initiative that has fostered the success of small and diverse businesses since 1999. Through this program, minority-, women-, and veteran-owned firms gain the skills and mentorship necessary to thrive, drive innovation, and grow in the construction industry. “Alberici’s commitment to a culture of success […]