EDWARDSVILLE - A Madison County judge sentenced 46-year-old Gary Johnson of East St. Louis to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Thursday, April 23, 2026, for the 2025 murder of Portia Rowland in Collinsville. Associate Judge Neil Schroeder handed down the sentence after finding Johnson guilty in a bench trial on March 9, 2026. Prosecutors said Johnson shot Rowland outside her home on Jan. 21, 2025, in a residential Collinsville neighborhood. Court evidence showed Johnson
"I have no idea why the Hillsdale Police chief would want someone who engaged in a fraud working in his office, but that's his business," Judge Cristian Stevens said from the bench.
KISS recently announced the dates for the 2026 KISS Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas, and now Gene Simmons has revealed details of this year’s lineup.This year’s convention will be held Nov. 13-15 at Virgin…
ALTON — The Alton Police Department is investigating a shooting after officers responded to a 911 call at about 8:41 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in the 2200 block of Locust Street, authorities said. The Alton Police Department said it received a call reporting that a person had been shot. Officers responded to the area and secured the scene, police said. Around the same time, a local hospital notified authorities that it had received a victim suffering from a gunshot wound, police
(The Center Square) – After six hours of failed amendment votes, the U.S. Senate adopted Republicans’ budget resolution to fund immigration enforcement in a 50-48 vote early Thursday.
New York, April 22, 2026 — The New York Times reported today that the FBI investigated its reporter, Elizabeth Williamson, after she wrote about FBI Director Kash Patel’s use of government resources for transportation and security expenses for his girlfriend. The bureau says it does not plan to charge Williamson.
The following can be attributed to Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern:
“If Kash Patel was looking to disprove Williamson’s reporting about him using government resources for personal matters, siccing his agency on a reporter for retribution is a very strange way of doing it. You know the FBI is off the rails if even lawyers in Trump’s Department of Justice had to warn it that its retaliatory investigation lacked legal merit.
“It’s outrageous that a sober-minded FBI would even consider a theory that reporting methods like phone calls and emails might constitute stalking. That would be offensive even if the case didn’t involve the FBI’s own director. Patel’s job is to fight actual crime, not to chug beers in locker rooms, file SLAPP suits against the press, or baselessly investigate journalists.
“There have been instances at the local level of the government characterizing routine newsgathering as stalking or harassment. In 2023, Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers sought a restraining order against a reporter who knocked on her door to investigate her compliance with residency requirements. The same year, the mayor of Calumet City, Illinois, had a reporter ticketed for “hampering city employees” for asking officials questions. But these cases were seen as small-town shenanigans initiated by fringe politicians. It’s disgraceful that the federal government is now following the lead of these widely ridiculed local officials.”
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CASEYVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that eastbound Interstate 64 will be reduced to one lane between Illinois 157 and Illinois 159 in St. Clair County for pavement work. The lane closures will occur during the following weekends, weather permitting: April 24-27 Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, April 24, eastbound traffic will be reduced to one lane. Two lanes will be open by 7 a.m. Monday, April 27. May 1-4 Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday,
EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County’s law enforcement agencies, in cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, will operate a drop-off site for Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25, in Edwardsville. Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas A. Haine, Sheriff Jeff Connor, Coroner Nick Novacich and Emergency Management Agency Director Fred Patterson will be operating the drop-off site in coordination with the DEA. The drop-off site, open from 10 a.m. t
ALTON - Alton High School will add girls flag football as a sport starting the fall of 2026, a move Athletic Director Christopher Kusnerick said could expand opportunities for students who have not participated in a fall sport. The program will compete in the Southwestern Conference, with Edwardsville, Mascoutah, East St. Louis, Belleville East, and Belleville West listed as conference opponents. The sport will be played in a 7-on-7 format, with the team expected to play about 12 games. Kusnerick
CHICAGO — Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that the lawsuits his office has filed challenging unlawful overreach by the federal government have protected approximately $8.6 billion for Illinois and critical programs and services that support individuals, families and organizations across the state. Since January 2025, the Attorney General’s office has filed 63 lawsuits challenging illegal actions by the Trump administration. Of all of the cases that have received
A teenage girl from St. Louis County has been certified as an adult and ordered to stand trial in connection with the stabbing death of her father last summer.
The government needs more funding than ever, which is kind of hilarious when you realize the Tea Party of the Obama era was the predecessor of this Big Government version of the GOP. The DHS can’t even get itself a budget at the moment. Sure, it will get some money thrown to it sooner or […]
A pedestrian was killed after being struck by a vehicle Wednesday night in Breckenridge Hills, and the driver remained at the scene while an investigation is ongoing.
WOOD RIVER – Wood River officials approved the second phase of a plan to install solar panels for all city buildings this week, with a $6 million project planned at two water treatment plants. On April 20, 2026 , City Council members unanimously approved a resolution approving an agreement for Phase 2 of the Solar Panel Project under a previous contract with GRP Wegman to install solar panels at the city’s Water Treatment Plant and Wastewater Treatment Plant. According to the
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans approved a budget resolution early Thursday intended to speed the way for billions for immigration enforcement, sending the measure to the House, where GOP lawmakers in that chamber need to adopt it to unlock the reconciliation process. The 50-48 vote followed a marathon amendment voting session that Democrats used to highlight […]
Nearly one-fifth of Americans relied on drinking water systems with elevated and potentially dangerous levels of nitrate in recent years, according to a new study released Thursday. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group examined test data collected by water systems across the country between 2021 and 2023, the most recent data available. Water systems serving more […]
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