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St. Clair County Transit District to Open $6 Million MetroBikeLink Trail Extension on June 27, 2026

2 months ago
SHILOH - Local officials, transit leaders, stakeholders and residents are set to gather Saturday, June 27, 2026, at the Scott-Shiloh Transit Center in Shiloh, Illinois, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and inaugural bike ride celebrating a new $6 million, 4.5-mile extension of the MetroBikeLink Trail. The event, scheduled for 9 a.m. at 880 Metro Plaza Lane, will mark the opening of the trail segment from the Scott-Shiloh Transit Center to near MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. Those expected to attend

Giannoulias Announces $27 Million Investment to Build Safer, Stronger Libraries for Illinois Families

2 months ago
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias is awarding more than $27 million in grants to libraries across Illinois, investing in books, technology, literacy programs, infrastructure improvements and security upgrades. The funding will support public and school libraries serving millions of Illinois residents and students while ensuring communities across the state have access to the resources they need to learn, grow and thrive. Since taking office

Gov. Pritzker Cuts Ribbon at Amrize's Chicago Headquarters

2 months ago
CHICAGO — Today, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), and Amrize celebrated the company’s new Chicago headquarters. Amrize’s decision to choose Chicago as its operational headquarters further solidifies Illinois’ role as a premier destination to locate or expand a business with its top-ranked infrastructure, access to supply chains, and skilled workforce. “Amrize’s official new headquarters marks

Granite City Student Makes Rockhurst University Spring 2026 Dean's List

2 months ago
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Rockhurst University has announced the dean's list for the spring 2026 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above. The following students earned a place on the list: HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME Granite City, IL Isa Wilmsmeyer Rockhurst University, founded in 1910 and located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, is a Catholic university in the Jesuit tradition committed to providing inclusive, innovative and transformative

Texas man sentenced to 30 years for transporting pamphlets

2 months ago

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

New York, June 23, 2026 — Texas artist Daniel “Des” Sanchez Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison today for transporting a box of zines, or political pamphlets. The prosecution claimed Sanchez moved the zines so they wouldn’t incriminate his wife, who attended a protest outside the Prairieland immigration detention center near Dallas, where a police officer was wounded by gunfire.

The zines at issue may have discussed controversial political views, but they said nothing about the shooting or the Prairieland protest, and prosecutors did not allege that Sanchez’s wife, Maricela Rueda (who was sentenced to 70 years today), fired any shots or had anything to do with the shooting.

According to a press release from the Free Des Support Committee, court observers reported that, in sentencing Sanchez and his co-defendants, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor said he intended to “send a message to anyone who shares a similar ideology.”

The following can be attributed to Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern:

“If prosecutors are correct that Sanchez moved zines because he feared they’d try to use them against his wife, that’s a commentary on prosecutors’ lawlessness, not Sanchez’s. Under the First Amendment, possessing literature cannot be criminal, so what legitimate evidence could he possibly have been concealing? Political zines like those Sanchez possessed are no different from the pro-Revolution pamphlets this country’s founders had in mind when they drafted the First Amendment’s press clause.

“Sanchez’s case is the latest example of the Trump administration grasping at any legal straws it can to criminalize disfavored ideologies and writings, from conflating dissent with terrorism to deporting immigrants who report on protests or criticize wars the U.S. bankrolls. Americans should not make the mistake of believing Sanchez’s sentence only threatens immigrants, leftists, or so-called Antifa members — they’re just the low-hanging fruit, not the end game.”

Please contact us if you would like further comment.

Freedom of the Press Foundation

Two Charged With Multiple Sex Crimes

2 months ago
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - Two St. Louis County residents have been charged with multiple sex crimes involving children after investigators executed a search warrant at a south St. Louis residence, according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The charges were issued on Thursday, June 18, 2026, against Marissa Thomas, 37, of the 7000 block of Blue Mountain Drive in St. Louis, and on Monday, June 22, 2026, against Christopher Stewart, 35, of the same block, authorities said.

FTC Sues Transgender Health Nonprofit One Month After A Federal Court Called Its Investigation An Unconstitutional First Amendment Violation

2 months ago
Last week the FTC decided to file an obviously censorial, legally baseless lawsuit against an educational non-profit in an attempt to punish the organization for its speech in a manner that is clearly way outside the bounds of the FTC’s authority. The case serves no purpose other than to punish an organization for its speech… […]
Mike Masnick