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Sec. of State announces over $27M in grants for libraries, adult literacy programs

2 years 2 months ago
CHICAGO — Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced Friday that he awarded over $27 million in grants aimed at helping libraries and adult literacy programs. More than 140 recipients will receive parts of $21.4 million for library services and $5.7 million to support adult literacy programs. “As State Librarian, it’s a privilege to provide [...]
Andy Koval

Rent increases in Illinois, surrounding states among highest in the nation

2 years 2 months ago
(STACKER) — While rental rate increases are slowing down following a post-pandemic surge, some states are still well above the 2.6% national average for the first seven months of 2023. Among the top ten states which have seen the largest rent increases of the year are Iowa (#8) at 2.6%, Indiana (#7) at 2.8%, Wisconsin [...]
STACKER

Donald Trump was not the winner on Wednesday

2 years 2 months ago
Why are so many people writing that Donald Trump was the winner of Wednesday's debate? Are they just on autopilot? I've seen no evidence, either anecdotal or in poll numbers, that he benefited in any way from his absence. He might not have been harmed by his absence either, but that hardly means he "won."
Kevin Drum

Kirkwood Karen Screams "You're Not Equal" at Black Postal Worker

2 years 2 months ago
Another day, another Missouri bigot making a fool of themselves. Today's local embarrassment comes from an altercation outside of a post office in Kirkwood, where a disgruntled white woman angrily yelled "You're not equal!" to a Black postal worker. The woman was upset for an unknown reason, but according to @TizzyEnt, who shared video of the incident on Twitter, the yelled-at employee had walked the woman out of the post office after she made a scene.
Monica Obradovic

Note to Jerome Powell: Inflation has been dropping for 12 months

2 years 2 months ago
Fed chair Jerome Powell is still hawkish on inflation: In a highly anticipated speech at the Fed’s annual conference in Jackson Hole, Powell vowed that the central bank has not lost its resolve to cool inflation to 2 percent, even as annual measures of price increases have steadily dropped to roughly 3 percent. That progress ...continue reading "Note to Jerome Powell: Inflation has been dropping for 12 months"
Kevin Drum

St. Peters to get $42M affordable apartment development

2 years 2 months ago
Together We Grow, is a national real estate development company that focuses on building commercial, market-rate, affordable, and senior housing. They will be creating more housing called Reserve at Spencer, a $42.9 million affordable multifamily community, in St. Peters, Missouri. 
Liz Dowell

New Dental Office, Other Meridian Plaza Site Plans Approved By Glen Carbon Board

2 years 2 months ago
GLEN CARBON - Preliminary site plans for a new Heartland Dental office and two other commercial buildings in Glen Carbon’s Meridian Plaza have been approved following a vote from the Glen Carbon Village Board of Trustees on Tuesday. The new Heartland Dental office will measure 4,200 square feet and will be constructed on Lot 4 of Meridian Plaza along Route 157. The two commercial buildings will be zoned for commercial/office use and will be constructed on Lot 2. While a few tenants for these buildings have been identified, no further information about them was publicly available yet. Director of Community Development Erika Heil said at the Village Board meeting Tuesday that all of the necessary code requirements have been met and the plans have been unanimously approved by the appropriate committees. The Village Board unanimously gave the plans their final approval and construction on both projects is expected to move forward, though an exact timeline is still

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Gov. Pritzker Celebrates Groundbreaking Of New Saline River Farms Facility

2 years 2 months ago
CREAL SPRINGS – Governor JB Pritzker and Saline River Farms today joined local leaders and partners to break ground on Saline River Farms’ new state-of-the-art USDA meat processing facility. Supported by the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit (EDGE) program and a $1.5 million grant through the Meat & Poultry Supply Chain Capital Grant Program along with a $6 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Saline River Farms’ expansion will create more than 400 jobs over the next several years. “This facility will soon become a state-of-the-art, 60,000 square-foot USDA meat processing plant — simultaneously improving our nation’s food supply by producing hundreds of thousands of pounds of beef a day while creating good-paying full-time jobs,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “More food getting to consumers’ grocery aisles and more jobs for hard-working Southern and Central Illinoisans is a win-win.

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Police: Second teen admits kicking-in door, sparking AMBER alert

2 years 2 months ago
Note: The video in this story is from August, 10. ST. LOUIS -- A second teen has been identified by police as a suspect after a mistaken confrontation over stolen property turned into an AMBER Alert. Cam’ron Henderson, 18, of St. Louis faces charges of child kidnapping, child endangerment, burglary, and armed criminal action. He [...]
Joe Millitzer

COUNTRY Financial Supports the Smithton Volunteer Fire Department With Operation Helping Heroes Donation

2 years 2 months ago
SMITHTON, Ill. - COUNTRY Financial Representative Deric Blaha is pleased to support the Smithton Volunteer Fire Department with a donation of $1,500. The funds will be used to support the purchase of a new grain chute to be used during grain bin rescues. Today, grain bin structures serve as critically important facilities for farm operators to store and safeguard their harvests. But beneath this innocuous structure lies a hidden danger that, all too often, claims lives. Grain bin entrapments have been on the rise for years. Purdue University’s Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department has been documenting and investigating these incidents since the 1970s. In its most recent study, in 2022, the group tracked 83 cases including 24 fatalities. This represents a 41% increase over the 59 entrapment cases reported in just the year prior. “Grain bin incidents often lead to severe injuries and fatalities and take an immense emotional toll on farming communities,”

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