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Is our employment picture getting better or worse? See recent changes in local jobs, unemployment, earnings and more in these regularly updated charts and maps.

From St. Louis/Southern Illinois Labor Tribune:  The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a final rule updating and modernizing the Davis-Bacon Act. The update, announced by the Biden Administration last week, represents the biggest expansion of Davis-Bacon prevailing wage in generations. The rule restores and strengthens the regulations that implement the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts […]

Gas prices for the region are dropping but remain high as the Labor Day weekend holiday nears. The statewide gas price for regular unleaded average in Illinois is $4.11 a gallon, while Missouri is $3.53 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel, according to the AAA Missouri Weekend Gas Watch. The nationwide average is $3.84. Of the major metropolitan areas surveyed in Missouri, drivers in Jefferson City are paying the most on average at $3.66 while drivers in Joplin are paying the least at $3.37 per gallon. The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $3.84, which is three cents less compared to this day last week and five cents less than the price per gallon at this same time last year, according to AAA Gas Prices . On Gas Buddy, the lowest gas prices around Madison County are as follows: Walmart - Godfrey Road, Godfrey, $3.59 per gallon for regular unleaded. QuikTrip - Godfrey, $3.62 per gallon for regular unleaded. Casey's - Godfrey, $3.64 per gallon for regular

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ALTON - Families can mark the end of summer with free snacks and a movie this Saturday, Aug. 26 at James Killion Park. The James Killion Beautification and Enhancement Committee (JK-BEC) hosts movie nights throughout August. They will be showing “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” as their final film this Saturday. “We look forward to the month of August every year to give back, to give the children and parents something to do together, and they have definitely come out and are truly enjoying it,” said Rosetta Brown, Alton Alderwoman of the 4th Ward and member of the JK-BEC. Brown explained that the JK-BEC has seven members who organize the movie nights, in addition to their other work in James Killion Park. With the help of their sponsors and volunteers, the JK-BEC is able to provide free hotdogs, popcorn and other snacks to moviegoers. Brown said they wanted to “go out with a blast and a bang,” which is why they chose to screen “Black

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Extreme heat and a failing air conditioning system led to kids being transferred out of a north St. Louis school for the day. It all happened Thursday morning at Pierre Laclede Elementary School on Kennerly.

Rural Missouri court is so backed up that seven trials were scheduled for one day but none of them took place.

Based in Edwardsville, Ill., the Madison County Building & Zoning Department enables the County Board to plan and prioritize policies... Read More

A dangerous wave of heat and humidity has made its way across the bi-state area this week with temperatures ranging... Read More

The fundraiser helps people with neuromuscular diseases living in the St. Louis community. Text Donate to 314-425-5355.

Reporting on problems with Medicaid, pandemic food benefits and other state issues facing lower-income Missourians earned The Missouri Independent the media award Thursday during Legal Services of Eastern Missouri’s annual “For the Common Good Awards” luncheon in St. Louis. The award, given for “significant contributions to promoting equal access to justice in our community” recognized […]

The post The Independent wins annual media award from Legal Services of Eastern Missouri appeared first on Missouri Independent.

ILLINOIS — Regions blessed by large swaths of farmland can also be cursed with season spikes in humidity thanks to "corn sweat." You see, as corn and other crops grow, they give off moisture through their leaves. This happens throughout the growing season but reaches its peak as crops mature. Thanks to the US National [...]

Stephen Thaler has spent years trying, and almost always failing, to convince both patent and copyright bodies to give him patents and copyrights on works he says are created by AI systems he’s built. He’s failed at this process. A lot. I mean, really, a lot. His latest attempt was to sue the Copyright Office […]

GlobalSTL Lead Vijay Chauhan and BioSTL President and CEO Donn Rubin in June took a three-day trip to Scotland, marking GlobalSTL’s first trip to the country.

JERSEYVILLE - Seventeen students at Jersey Community High School have received honors through the College Board National Recognition Programs . These programs recognize students for their academic excellence and connect them to scholarship programs, colleges and universities, which often send recruitment letters to awardees. As an academic honor, students’ applications are also boosted by the recognition. “We’re thrilled to celebrate our students and recognize them for the great work they’ve been doing,” JCHS Principal Dr. Jason Brunaugh said. “This one award opens up full-ride scholarship opportunities for our students to a variety of universities, and we are excited for their future endeavors.” To be eligible for the College Board National Recognition Programs, students must attend school in a rural area or identify as Latino, Hispanic, Black, African American, Native or Indigenous. They also need a GPA of 3.5 or higher and high

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A Shakespeare's Pizza delivery car stolen in mid-Missouri was recently found damaged in the Greater St. Louis Area.

EDWARDSVILLE – The bond that exists between a dog and its owner is unparallel. For Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s electronic detection K9 Marshall and his handler Detective Sergeant Dave Baybordi, the bond is no different. Marshall, a 4.5-year-old black English Labrador Retriever, joined SIUE in 2020 and has become a big hit, capturing the hearts of the campus community. He has not only had a great impact bringing joy to those that he interacts with, but he works to keep our community safe as an essential asset in assisting with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force in Southwest Illinois. “Marshall detects the presence of the chemical triphenylphosphineoxide (TPPO),” explained Baybordi. “When he comes into that odor, he alerts me that he has found it. He generally will sit and paw at the item or in the item's direction if it is within something else. He will also lay down to alert, depending on the circumstance.” TPP

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Craving more pumpkin spice in one's life? How about bringing the essence of fall to the trash? And no, this isn't about throwing it all away; it's about infusing the trash bags with that fall scent.

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), U.S. Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA), and 17 other senators and 151 Members of Congress in filing an amicus brief in opposition to the constitutional challenge to the federal law prohibiting individuals under domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms. In a bicameral brief to the Supreme Court in United States v. Rahimi , the members call on the Supreme Court to set a clear standard allowing Congress to pass laws that keep the American people safe. The brief follows a full committee hearing in March, which examined how the new standard set by the Bruen decision is endangering public safety as the country faces a gun violence epidemic. “The Supreme Court’s decision in Bruen has caused chaos in lower courts. The new radical framework established in Bruen has enabled judges to cherry-pick from

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