WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel—and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D., (R-LA) celebrated the U.S. Senate passing their Veteran Service Organization (VSO) Equal Tax Treatment (VETT) Act , which would expand the deductibility of charitable contributions to all federally chartered tax-exempt organizations serving current and former members of the Armed Forces. Specifically, it overturns a provision that prohibits Veteran organizations from accepting tax-deductible donations if their membership contains over 10 percent peacetime Veterans. The bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. “It’s critical we do all we can to support Veterans Service Organizations, which provide vital assistance and community programming for those who served ou
MOZIER - On November 28th, 2024, the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office was notified of a Domestic Disturbance in Progress, at a residence on Illinois Route 96., north of Mozier in Calhoun County. A Deputy Sheriff with the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and began an investigation. Subsequent to an investigation, Zachary N Schwalb, age 32, of Baylis, IL., was arrested for: Domestic Battery (2nd or Subsequent). Schwalb was arrested without incident and was booked into the Pike County Jail and is currently being held without Bond. All suspect(s) are innocent until proven guilty.
EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State's Attorney Tom Haine announced today that an Alton man has received an 18-year prison sentence for trafficking methamphetamine while in possession of a firearm and body armor. Cody J. Elfgen, 36, received the sentence Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, after pleading guilty to charges of Methamphetamine Trafficking and Unlawful Possession of Weapons By a Felon. Elfgen pleaded guilty to bringing 100 to 400 grams of methamphetamine into Illinois from Missouri on July 16, 2024, and being in possession of a 9mm handgun and body armor. "Those who choose to traffic in meth and other dangerous drugs should take note of the swift resolution of this case and the stiff sentence. Police and prosecutors in Madison County are serious about keeping our communities safe and keeping these scourges out of our neighborhoods,” Haine said. In addition to the prison term, Elfgen must forfeit $2,641 that was seized during a police search of his residence on July 16, 2024.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley tells Postmaster General that he “do everything I can to kill” plan aimed at saving $30 billion by slowing down rural mail deliveries,
BETHALTO - Twenty years ago, Laura Gipson found her way to Trimpe Middle School, and she has loved it there ever since. Gipson is the principal of Trimpe Middle School in the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8. She enjoys going to work every day and collaborating with other educators to make sure that students get the support they need as they transition to high school. “Being here at Trimpe is like being with family,” Gipson said. “We care about each other. We come together when working towards the same goal. It correlates with our mission, which is to create a safe and welcoming environment that empowers students to successfully navigate the transition from elementary school to high school.” While education has been a natural fit for Gipson, she didn’t grow up wanting to be a teacher. For a long time, she hoped to become a nurse. But her interest in music led her to SIUE’s symphonic band, and she eventually found her way to music
Guitar greats Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have teamed up to start a new band and will be hitting the road together this summer.The artists have announced they will tour…
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump wants to jail former and current members of Congress who investigated his incitement of the violent Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and he plans to pardon the rioters immediately upon taking office, he told NBC News Sunday. On the network’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker,” Trump […]
ROXANA — Sean Maberry, a junior at Roxana High School, is making waves in the athletic community as a standout in three sports: football, basketball, and baseball. As the Shells' guard for the 2025-2026 boys basketball season, Maberry is not only a three-year starter but also a key leader on the team. Maberry’s impact on the basketball court has been significant. According to Mark Briggs, the head boys basketball coach and athletic director at Roxana, Maberry has logged the most minutes of any player on the team at this point. Maberry is 6-foot-2, 190-pounds, so he has good size for a quarterback and free safety in football. "He was a starter in basketball when he was a freshman. This is his third year in a row as a starter," Briggs said. "He is a leader on and off the floor. In my 25 years as head coach, he is one of the fiercest competitors I've ever coached." In addition to his basketball prowess, Maberry has also excelled as the starting quarterback for the football
The following is republished from the excellent Pessimist’s Archive, with permission. The Oxford Dictionary just added “brainrot” as its newest official word—a cynical, but tongue-in-cheek term for consuming too much short-form social media content. However, the word isn’t actually new – in the archives we found examples going back as far as a century and […]
Flying squirrels, found throughout Missouri, can glide through the air at night in the woods and eat nuts, fruits, berries, tree buds, bark, mushrooms, and insects, and are now attracting wildlife enthusiasts with special suet feeders and modified birdhouses.
GRAFTON - Grafton will host its SantaCon Pub Crawl this weekend, complete with hundreds of attendees in Santa-themed costumes. From 3–11 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, community members can enjoy the pub crawl throughout the City of Grafton. The event is completely free and there is no set schedule. People are encouraged to dress up, enjoy themselves, and make their way to The Loading Dock for a photo at 6 p.m. “How do you not smile when you walk into a bar full of Santas?” said Allison Rohan, owner of Tara Point Inn and one of the SantaCon organizers. “This is our sixth year for SantaCon, and it’s basically just a pub crawl to enjoy Christmas, enjoy the season.” Most of Grafton’s bars will have drink specials, contests and bands playing throughout the day. Last year, the pub crawl welcomed over 600 attendees. A lot of people choose to dress in Santa or Mrs. Claus costumes, while others go as elves or the Grinch. All Christmas
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