WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in a letter pressing the Trump Administration about its decision to ease sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil exports and its lack of planning regarding the economic fallout of President Donald Trump’s war of choice against Iran. Since the war began, the price of U.S. crude oil has risen by more than 40 percent, and
GRANITE CITY - Granite City Works is ready to resume steel production in Granite City, Illinois, restarting one of its two blast furnaces after the Metro East mill has been idle for more than two years, union officials said. The planned restart by April 1, 2026, is being viewed by union members as “a win and an opportunity to prove their worth to new owners." The restart marks another chapter for Granite City steelworkers and a community long dependent on the mill’s labor to fuel th
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) led their Democratic colleagues in urging President Donald Trump and the Trump Administration to stop their cruel crusade against Medicaid programs in Democratic-led states, which is undermining the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) that millions of Americans rely on to live safe and independent lives. Their letter to Presiden
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) along with U.S. Senators Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and Jim Banks (R-IN)—all members of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)—introduced bipartisan legislation to make it easier for rural Veterans to buy homes by modernizing the VA home appraisal program. The Senators’ bipartisan VA Appraisal Modernization Act would improve Veterans’ and servicemembers’ ability to successfully
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO. — The St. Louis County Police Department is investigating the reported abduction of a 5-year-old girl who went missing Monday morning, March 30, 2026, after she was reportedly taken in a stolen vehicle from a residential block in the county. St. Louis County Police said Alesia Dawson was reportedly taken around 8 a.m. from the 8900 block of New Hampshire Avenue. Missouri State Highway Patrol said 5-year-old Dawson was inside an unattended running vehicle when
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after Senate Republicans caved and voted in support of a proposal to fund the Transportation Security Agent (TSA), FEMA and other branches of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, except for ICE and Border Patrol. “Let’s be clear: Republicans have voted against Democrats’ proposals to pay TSA agents and fund FEMA and the Coast Guard 14 times. They control the Senate, the House
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt passed a measure through the Senate that would allow volunteer fire departments to apply for and receive state grants through the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal. “This would expand grant opportunities so volunteer fire departments and fire protection districts across Illinois can access the funding they need to repair, upgrade or build their facilities,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “In communities like St. Clair County,
AURORA, Ill. – Aurora University has named Antonia Phillips of Alton, IL, to the Dean's List for the fall 2025 semester. Phillips is majoring in Mathematics. The Dean's List recognizes full-time undergraduate students who have earned a 3.6 grade-point average or higher. Founded in 1893, Aurora University is a four-year, private, nonprofit, accredited higher education institution located on a 43-acre campus in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The university serves approximately
GRANITE CITY - The Granite City Police Department promoted three officers during a ceremony on Friday, March 27, 2026, in Granite City, elevating one sergeant to lieutenant and two officers to sergeant. The department said it held a promotions ceremony and announced the advancements for Sgt. Andrea Klumpp, Officer Brandon Shellenberg and Officer Scott Penny. Klumpp was promoted to lieutenant, according to the department. Shellenberg and Penny were each promoted to sergeant. “W
Eric Clapton is bringing back his Crossroads Guitar Festival yet again.The three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will hold his seventh annual festival Sept. 26-27 at the Moody Center…
Now open at the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries, Charles Houska: Master of Play is a retrospective of the St. Louis artist’s work over his impressive 25-plus-year career, […]
A backyard garden can carry ideas that are older than the house beside it. The neat row of carrots, the rose by the fence, even the way you water at dawn—these habits often come from traditions shaped by religion, status, survival, and simple trial and error. Gardening isn’t just “growing plants.” It’s a living scrapbook of human choices. Why gardening traditions formed in the first place Most gardening traditions began for three practical reasons: food, medicine,
The strangest part of cleaning isn’t the work—it’s the mood shift that can happen right after. One minute you’re annoyed at a closet that won’t close. An hour later, you’re standing in the doorway, looking at the same space, feeling oddly calm and capable. Nothing “big” changed. You just moved objects and wiped surfaces. So why does it feel so satisfying? Spring cleaning hits a sweet spot in the brain: visible progress, a sense of control, and
Hitting “reset” feels good even when nothing outside you has changed. Delete a messy email thread. Rearrange the room. Start a new notebook. The relief can be almost physical—like you’ve loosened a tight knot. That reaction is a clue: humans don’t just like renewal. We’re wired to seek it, mark it, and celebrate it. Renewal is emotional first, logical second Renewal is often framed as a practical move: fix what’s broken, improve what’s weak, mov
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