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Acclaimed Children's Book Author Visits Edwardsville Elementary Schools

2 months ago
HAMEL/EDWARDSVILLE - Students at Edwardsville elementary schools had a special visit from a new children’s book author, but for Hamel Elementary School Principal Matt Sidarous, the experience was a reunion with an old friend. On Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, author Zach von Zonk read his book “E-I-UFO: Old MacDonald Had a Farm” to Hamel students, encouraging them to sing along to a familiar song with an extraterrestrial twist. But his bigger message urged students to follow thei

Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Male Athlete Of The Month For Piasa Birds: Piasa Birds Coach Reflects on Robinson Family Legacy

2 months ago
PIASA - Southwestern boys basketball coach Jason Darr has spent the past 12 years coaching members of the Robinson family, and he said it will be very nice to have junior Cason Robinson returning for the 2026-2027 season. Darr, the head coach of the Piasa Birds, reflected on Robinson’s 2025-26 season and the team’s progress after a difficult start. “Cason had a good season; he had some big games and had to fight through the adversity of other teams guarding him so tightly.

Missouri lawmakers told cost is unknown to fix problem-plagued financial system 

2 months ago
A Missouri state accounting system that was supposed to integrate all state financial operations on one platform is late and over budget — and the program’s top executive can’t say when it will be working or how much more it will cost. The Missouri Vital Enterprise Resource System, or MOVERS, has been criticized heavily by […]
Rudi Keller

From Award-Winning Author's Talk to AI Exploration: Hayner Library Outlines March Programs

2 months ago
ALTON - From talks with award-winning authors to artificial intelligence FAQs and more, Hayner Public Library District will offer a variety of programs in the next month. Executive Director Mary Cordes joked that the spring newsletter — which will hit mailboxes in the next few weeks — might be a bit long, but it’s “a nice problem to have” because it means the library has tons of free programs and events for community members to enjoy. “There’s

Jury Awards $241 Million for Fatal Dry Ice Transport Incident

2 months ago
EDWARDSVILLE — A Madison County jury has awarded $241 million to the family of a courier who died after transporting dry ice in Missouri, finding Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. and related entities liable nearly a decade after the 2016 incident, according to information released on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, by the family’s attorneys. The verdict, returned Feb. 27, 2026, includes $49.5 million in compensatory damages and $191.5 million in punitive damages. The case stems from the death of

Illinois Task Force on Black Immigrants Releases Report and Recommendations

2 months ago
CHICAGO – The Task Force on Black Immigrants, housed within the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and was convened in response to a Joint Resolution of the Illinois House of Representatives, has formally filed the Report of the Task Force on Black Immigrants with the General Assembly. At a time when the federal landscape around immigration remains uncertain and often divisive, Illinois leaders show this work is not rhetorical but about responsibility. The Task Force was convened

Budzinski Statement on VA Changing Course on Disability Rating Rule Following Democratic Pressure

2 months ago
SPRINGFIELD – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization released the following statement after the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) rescinded a recently published Interim Final Rule (IFR) , which changed how veteran disability ratings would be evaluated. The IFR, which VA published on February 17th, 2026, would allow the department to reduce ratings based on the effects