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EAST ST. LOUIS — East St. Louis School District 189 highlighted positive achievements at Gordon Bush Alternative Center for September 2025, recognizing staff and students who exemplify respect and contribute to a positive school environment. Catrice Johnson, a social worker at the center, was named Staff of the Month as part of the Golden Cadet Awards. Students Jasmine Hagens, representing the high school, and Syllas Renaud, from the middle school, were also honored as Students of the Month for demonstrating the core character trait of respect. In addition, special recognition was given to Dr. Kenya Cody, Kennedy Streeter, and student Ta'Niya Walker as “Bright Spots” for their positive impact within the school community. East St. Louis School District 189 shared these acknowledgments as part of its ongoing effort to celebrate the accomplishments and positive contributions of individuals at Gordon Bush Alternative Center.

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Much of the St. Louis region will see much-needed rain this weekend, but with that also brings the possibility of gusty winds and small hail.

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — The Fairview Heights Police Department is warning residents after a report of an unknown man claiming to be an Ameren employee who attempted to gain entry to a home. The incident occurred recently when the individual knocked on a resident’s door and said he needed to “check some codes," Fairview Heights Police said. The resident denied entry and contacted Ameren, which confirmed it did not have any employees working in the area at that time. Fairview Heights Police urge caution when approached by anyone claiming to represent a utility company or business, particularly during unannounced visits. The city enforces a strict solicitor policy requiring anyone conducting door-to-door business to obtain a permit from the city and display it visibly at all times. “If you encounter a suspicious individual or notice someone soliciting without a visible permit, please contact the Fairview Heights Police Department immediately,” the department

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), spoke with NORTHCOM leadership about the Trump Administration’s unlawful deployment of troops to American cities for immigration and law enforcement support. During the call, the Senators requested additional information about how these domestic deployments will impact military readiness and stressed that the nation’s military must comply with the Posse Comitatus Act . “President Trump’s deployment of troops to American cities, including Chicago, is a clear violation of our nation’s Constitution. It does not make our cities safer, and it is a harmful diversion of resources that undermines our military readiness and politicizes our nation’s military,” said Durbin. “As DHS officials continue to shut Illinois leaders out while rolling in federal agents and the

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O'FALLON – Dean Williams, a junior who's also the backup quarterback for Edwardsville High's football team, was thrust into the role after starter Yale Weaver was injured in a loss to East St. Louis in week six, and had filled the quarterback position very admirably and well for the Tigers. Williams replaced Weaver after the injury in the loss to the Flyers, and played well under very difficult circumstances, going six-for-18 passing for 71 yards in the game on Oct. 3. In a bounce back Tiger win at O'Fallon on Oct. 10, Williams was six-of-10 passing for 111 yards, 92 coming on his only touchdown pass of the night, a strike to Eric Smith on the first play of the fourth quarter, and also ran for 35 yards and an 11-yard run for the final touchdown of the night in a 35-3 romp. Williams has tremendous speed in the open field, evident in the two games he has started, so he will be a running threat in the position. Williams is a Spencer Homes Male Athlete of the Month for the Tigers.

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Thousands of "No Kings" protests are expected across the United States on Saturday, including several around the St. Louis region.

ALTON - The 108th Alton Halloween Parade is sure to be fun, and Parade Marshal Karen Wilson can’t wait to be a part of it. Wilson recently retired as a State Farm agent in the community, and she volunteers regularly with Pride, Inc., and other organizations around town. She notes that she has been involved in the Halloween parade for years, sometimes as a business owner, other times as a parent or student organization advisor. She is honored to take on this new role. “I can’t remember not getting excited about the Halloween parade,” she said. “It’s fun just to see the town come together.” The parade is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Halloween night, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. The route begins downtown at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Broadway and will continue on Broadway to Piasa Street, where it will end at 9th Street. Wilson said she is “very flattered” by the recognition. She joked that the East End Improvement

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CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged a Macedonia, Illinois man for allegedly disseminating child pornography. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online. The Attorney General’s office charged Shawn Schweitzer, 42, in Hamilton County Circuit Court with four counts of dissemination of child pornography, Class X felonies each punishable up to 30 years in prison. Schweitzer is currently detained at the White County Jail, and his next court appearance is Dec. 3. “Survivors of child exploitation and their families deserve the justice and peace of mind that their abuser cannot harm others, which can be critical in their healing from these heinous crimes,” Raoul said. “My office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to partner with

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Each company will receive $75,000, in addition to networking opportunities, workshops and other business resources.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor recognizing the ceasefire deal for the war in Gaza. In his remarks, Durbin acknowledged that the return of hostages and halt to the fighting are only the first steps in bringing long-term stability to the region, and he called upon President Trump and the United States’ regional allies to continue pushing for an end to the conflict. “Over the long weekend, the world saw what is hopefully the beginning of the end of the war in Gaza,” Durbin said. “We know there are still critical elements to be negotiated and settled. But the first phase, which included the release of the Israeli hostages and a ceasefire, is a good-faith start to a more inclusive agreement.” “It won’t be easy. The remaining steps will be difficult and require sustained attention from President Trump and our allies that helped make the beginning of this agreement

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - On Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, the St. Louis County Family Court certified 17-year-old Darnell Warner as an adult, leading to homicide charges related to a March 2024 stabbing in the 2400 block of Hord Avenue. Warner faces second-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in connection with the death of a victim identified as J.B. The incident occurred on March 12, 2024, when St. Louis County Police responded to reports of a large disturbance. Upon arrival, officers found J.B. had been stabbed in the chest. He was transported to a hospital but later pronounced deceased. According to the probable cause statement, detectives from the Crimes Against Persons unit conducted interviews and reviewed citizen video footage that showed Warner armed with a bladed instrument approaching J.B. The footage depicts Warner striking J.B. in the chest before the victim collapses. Investigators linked Warner to the crime through witness tips and by recovering clothing matching that

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BELLEVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that rehabilitation of a crossing by Norfolk Southern railroad on North Belt West between Ruth Street and West Washington Street in St. Clair County will require a full closure beginning, weather permitting, Monday, Oct. 20. A posted detour will be in place to safely guide motorists around the closure, which is expected to conclude Friday, Oct. 24. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to detour signs in work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on X at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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CHICAGO – Today, Governor Pritzker convened a group of distinguished former military generals, rear admirals, and veterans to hear their perspectives amid the Trump Administration’s ongoing exploitation and politicization of America’s servicemembers and his unprecedented attempt to deploy the military into American cities. With continued escalating threats by the Trump Administration, the retired military leaders expressed grave concern about Trump's continued abuse of power and attempts to politicize the military. “I’m grateful to have the clarity given by the retired generals, rear admirals, and veterans here with me today. With their combined wealth of experience, I have been hearing from them about what this dangerous power grab by the Trump administration means for our state,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “One thing is evident: this effort to deploy troops in American cities is not normal. There is no justification for such a deployment,

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ALTON – Residents of Alton and Godfrey face felony charges after allegedly stealing money from a local business and individual in unrelated cases. Jason M. Farrow, 44, of Godfrey, was charged on Oct. 10, 2025 with a Class 2 felony count of theft. On Aug. 7, 2025, Farrow allegedly stole over $10,000 from the Owl’s Club located at 227 Blair Ave. in Alton. He was granted pretrial release from custody in the case presented by the Alton Police Department. In a separate case from Oct. 9, 2025, 62-year-old Willie L. McClam of Alton was charged with one count of theft, a Class 4 felony. McClam reportedly stole an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency from an individual victim on April 6, 2025. Charging documents state he had previously been convicted of theft in a prior criminal case out of Jackson County, Mo. The Alton Police Department also presented the case against McClam, who was also ordered released from custody pending trial. All individuals charged are presumed innocent

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CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today secured a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) unlawful demand that states turn over personal and sensitive information about millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients. This July, Attorney General Raoul and a coalition of 20 attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration alleging the USDA’s demand violates multiple federal laws and the U.S. Constitution. “This injunction means that for now, states do not need to choose between following the law by protecting SNAP recipients’ information or complying with the USDA’s unlawful demand and potentially losing millions of critical SNAP dollars,” Raoul said. “Tens of millions of Americans rely on SNAP benefits to obtain nutritional food, which supports local growers, farmers’ markets and, ultimately, states’ economies. No one should

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Neil Young is set to reissue his 1975 album Tonight’s the Night in celebration of its 50th anniversary.The reissue will feature six bonus tracks, as well as a previously unreleased original version of…

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Last week we covered how Trump’s immigration theater was pulling federal agents off child sex crimes, drug interdiction, and terrorism investigations to chase landscapers and line cooks instead. Turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg. Now we’re learning the administration is also pulling hundreds of cybersecurity professionals away from defending America’s critical […]

A 17-year-old has been certified as an adult and charged in connection with a deadly stabbing in Jennings last year.

by Sharon Lerner

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

What Happened: The ranking member of a key House subcommittee demanded answers this week from the Environmental Protection Agency about why it has yet to make public a report documenting the health risks posed by a forever chemical found in the water of millions of Americans.

In a letter sent to the EPA on Thursday, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, cited a ProPublica story from last week that quoted government scientists saying the report had been ready for publishing in April but had yet to be released. Pingree — the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies — asked EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for “clear answers” about why the report had not been made public, who directed its delay and when Zeldin would commit to releasing it.

What They Said: Pingree referred to the delay in publishing the report as part of “a growing pattern of interference with the Agency’s scientific work” and pointed to the Integrated Risk Information System, the EPA program that wrote it. IRIS, which was created during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, analyzes the health harm chemicals can cause. “The Trump Administration, Republicans in Congress, and industry have been hostile to the IRIS program,” she wrote, asking whether scientists had been removed or reassigned from the program and, if so, why.

Her letter also noted that the “delay in issuing the PFNA report coincided with EPA’s decision, in May of this year, to rescind” drinking water limits for PFNA and several other forever chemicals, also known as PFAS. “This seems to be more than coincidence given that there has been strong industry pushback on regulating PFAS,” Pingree wrote.

Pingree noted that the delay appears to contradict Zeldin’s repeated public statements about protecting the public from PFAS compounds, which contaminate soil and water in Maine and throughout the country. “Our state is really hoping for help from the federal government. And when you see the federal government turn their back on you and decide to withhold the data … that’s really discouraging,” she told ProPublica. “Reading that piece made my blood boil.”

Background: PFNA is in drinking water systems serving some 26 million people. The report in question found that the chemical interferes with human development by causing lower birth weights and, based on animal evidence, likely causes damage to the liver and to male reproductive systems, including reductions in testosterone levels, sperm production and the size of reproductive organs.

PFNA was a component of firefighting foam and a processing aid to make a kind of plastic used in circuit boards, valves and pipes. Although it was subject to a voluntary phaseout almost two decades ago, the chemical is now widespread in the environment.

ProPublica’s reporting found that IRIS has been drastically reduced under the Trump administration. The program, which calculates values that can be used to set limits for pollutants in drinking water and cleanup levels for toxic sites, has been a frequent target of industry. Project 2025, the conservative blueprint that has set the direction for President Donald Trump’s second administration, called for IRIS to be eliminated. Earlier this year, Republicans in Congress introduced legislation called the “No IRIS Act.” Of 55 EPA scientists Publica identified as having worked on recent IRIS assessments, only eight remain in the office, according to a source familiar with the program.

Why It Matters: The report calculated the amount of PFNA that people can be exposed to without being harmed — a critical measurement that can be used to set limits for cleaning up PFNA in contaminated areas called Superfund sites and for removing the chemical from drinking water. This calculation will prove critical to communities around the country as they battle polluters over who will pay to remove PFNA and other forever chemicals from the environment.

Response: Last week, an EPA spokesperson told ProPublica that the report on PFNA would be published when it was finalized but did not answer questions about what still needed to be done or when that would likely happen. The agency’s press office did not respond to questions about Pingree’s letter.