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A St. Louis County man, one of five people linked to a criminal enterprise, was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for his role in a drug conspiracy.

The Hill building at Shaw Avenue and Edwards Street that houses Carnivore restaurant and the Riverfront Times newspaper hit the market recently for $7 million.

Looks like The Beatles are on track for another #1. The legendary rockers recently reissued their two greatest hits compilations, 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album), and early numbers suggest one of them will debut on…

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Missouri’s requirement for voters to show government-issued photo identification before casting a ballot will be on trial starting Friday. Over four days, Cole County Circuit Judge John Beetem will hear familiar arguments that the law passed in 2022 unconstitutionally restricts the right to vote by imposing burdens that disenfranchise large numbers of people. In 2006 […]

The post Challenge to Missouri voter ID law focuses on barriers faced by the elderly, disabled appeared first on Missouri Independent.

GLEN CARBON - Glen Carbon Police Chief Todd Link recently gave a presentation on the importance of police wellness to the Glen Carbon Village Board of Trustees at their meeting this week. He said the health and safety of the village depends on the health and safety of its police officers. “My job, in short, is to make sure that I protect the lives and property of all the residents in our village,” Link said. “To do that, I must first lead the way for wellness in our police staff.” The chief said the term “Police Wellness” applies not only to sworn police officers, but also to the more than 40 dispatchers and other civilian employees within the department. He added the Glen Carbon Police Department is fortunate to not be facing any lawsuits or staffing issues. “We’re fully staffed and we’re very effective at all levels,” he said. “If we damage our relationships, if we have problems with compassion, fatigue, an

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Another state lawmaker has introduced an age verification bill looking to block minors’ access to porn websites. This time, Indiana state Sen. Mike Bohacek of the community of Michiana Shores has introduced a preliminary draft that proposes copycat age verification policies similar to other states, including Louisiana, Texas, Utah, and others. The Indiana bill would […]

A new Panera is opening in O'Fallon, Missouri. Located at 4015 State Highway, the bakery café will begin welcoming guests on Thursday.

Save A Lot CEO Leon Bergmann has resigned after less than two years with company.

Alsu Kurmasheva, an American journalist working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has been wrongfully detained in Russia.

Deník N/Ludvík Hradilek, courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Russia is adding to its shameful tally of imprisoned American journalists with its detention of Alsu Kurmasheva, a reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. And there are simple steps the Biden administration can take -– but inexplicably hasn’t yet — to help her get home.

Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was first prevented from leaving Russia in June, and she’s been imprisoned there since October. Russian authorities accuse her of failing to self-register under its “foreign agents” law. Kurmasheva is the second American journalist imprisoned in Russia this year, following the bogus espionage charges brought against Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in March.

Shortly after Russian security services arrested Gershkovich, the State Department appropriately designated him as “wrongfully detained.” That opened the door to additional U.S. resources dedicated to bringing Gershkovich home, including the involvement of the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken should also designate Kurmasheva as wrongfully detained, and quickly, just as he did Gershkovich. Kurmasheva’s case meets the criteria set under federal law that the State Department uses to determine a wrongful detention of a U.S. national by a foreign government, but it has yet to act.

The spurious charge against Kurmasheva shows that Russian authorities are retaliating against her for being an American and a journalist. The “foreign agents” law is infamous for its use to crack down on independent journalism and civil society.

Kurmasheva is also known for her reporting on the Tatar people — an ethnic minority in Russia that is under increasing scrutiny and pressure from the Russian government — and is likely being targeted for this and other reporting the Russian government dislikes. And, of course, the Russian government is no fan of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which Russia has also labeled a “foreign agent” and forced out of the country.

President Joe Biden and U.S. lawmakers should also publicly condemn Kurmasheva’s imprisonment and demand her immediate release. Biden has said that he’s “serious” about bringing home Americans held illegally in Russia and elsewhere, and he’s specifically commented on Gershkovich’s detention. But he has yet to publicly mention Kurmasheva’s case.

The president must make clear that this issue has his attention, and that the U.S. government won’t stand idly by while Russia repeatedly locks up American journalists.

In Congress, Rep. Michael McCaul, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has spoken out, as have several other lawmakers, but others have been silent. What are they waiting for?

Two so far this year is already far too many American journalists wrongfully detained in Russia. If the U.S. has any hope of keeping that number from growing in the future, it must use every method at its disposal to secure the release of both Kurmasheva and Gershkovich.

The family of an ex-Kansas City police officer, found guilty at trial on charges of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action, has asked the governor for a clemency.

A Collinsville woman has been charged in connection with a man's overdose death earlier this year.

ALTON - Riverbend Head Start & Family Services received a $20,000 donation from Delta Dental to go toward dental care for their students. Riverbend Head Start & Family Services provides early childhood education for income-eligible families. CEO Gene Howell noted that a lot of their work is funded by Head Start, a program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But Riverbend Head Start & Family Services also assists with health and dental care, which they must fund themselves. The Delta Dental donation will make it possible for them to help more children. “If you can imagine a 3-year-old with three or four or five or six exposed nerve roots, that’s a lot of pain. You can’t learn when you come into a classroom in that kind of pain,” Howell said. “Delta Dental allows us to connect that kid with a local resource…It makes a world of difference for these kids. And when they come in after getting the surgery done, you see the smiles,

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      Ari Groover as Tina Turner  (in photo) and her backup singers mesmerized the audience opening night at the Fabulous Fox.           “Tina”  Simply the Best– Especially to St. Louisans             by Pat Lindsey Seeing Ari Groover portray Tina Turner in “Tina–The Tina Turner Musical” is almost like witnessing reincarnation. There are times in […]

The post Tina Turner returns Home in musical about her life appeared first on flovalleynews.com.

The Missouri Tigers football program reaches a big milestone, earning its first Top-10 rank from the College Football Playoff committee.

KISS is getting ready to say goodbye to the road next month, but Gene Simmons insists that won’t be the end of KISS.   “This tour is the end of the road for the…

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Jacob Ehlinger was charged with assault after police say he ran a stop sign, then pulled a driver who honked at him out of a car and severely beat him.

JERSEYVILLE - The Hollow Avenue improvement project in Jerseyville continues to make progress, with Phase 1 getting closer to completion and the City Council recently approving an agreement to commence with Phase 2. The project includes repaving, widening, ADA-compliant sidewalks, and more. The Jerseyville City Council recently approved a professional surveying/engineering/land acquisition services agreement with Bartlett & West Inc. regarding Phase 2 of the Hollow Avenue Roadway Improvements project. Jerseyville received $1,000,000 in grant funding from the Federal Highway Administration for these improvements to Hollow Avenue. The city was one of only ten recipients of the grant, which was awarded as part of the administration’s Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) funding initiative. These improvements are just one component of the city’s long-term Capital Improvement Plan, which among other things, prioritizes “the safe and efficient movement of residential

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Industrial technology firm Watlow has opened a new $6 million R&D facility in St. Louis County that it says will create 10 to 15 new jobs and will develop materials used in its thermal systems.

This is a church steeple in the city of Banning during late winter, with a bit of snow still left on the mountains. The church elders need to fix their cross. It's crooked.