Last week, we promised an upcoming episode featuring a conversation with Cory Doctorow — and that conversation has been recorded and is arriving next week! But we decided to take a brief intermission this week, since things in the social media landscape are changing so quickly. Mike recently appeared on The Neoliberal Podcast with Jeremiah […]
A landmark criminal justice reform that eliminates cash bail in Illinois is constitutional, the state’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, paving the way for the change to take effect Sept. 18.
The 5-2 decision – handed down on partisan lines – means that an individual’s wealth will no longer play a role in whether they are incarcerated while awaiting trial. Judges can still order someone to be detained as they await trial, but the new system will be based on an offender’s level of risk of reoffending…
Maxine Clark has become one of St. Louis’ most recognizable — and successful — entrepreneurs. Clark is founder and former CEO of St. Louis-based Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. (NYSE: BBW), the toy retailer and entertainment company known for its stuffed bears. Clark's legacy as a St. Louis entrepreneur extends past her founding of Build-A-Bear.
WOOD RIVER - Several public commenters at the July 17 Wood River City Council meeting used their five minutes to respond to recent Letters to the Editor on Riverbender.com that were written by Councilmen Bill Dettmers and Jeremy Plank . Members of the public also echoed previously voiced sentiments of dissatisfaction with the council and again called for the resignations of Bill Dettmers, David Ayres, and Jeremy Plank. “I want to start out about the statement Jeremy Plank made on the Riverbender. You said, ‘There is a handful of disgruntled people who are being led and organized by four failed candidates for city council,’” Pastor Dave Landry said. “I’d like to clarify - it’s not a ‘handful,’ it’s at least 1,000 and it’s rapidly growing.” Landry added that Councilman Dettmers told him before Dettmers was elected that he would not support a cannabis dispensary in Wood River, and said “wanting
BENTON – A U.S. District judge sentenced the final defendant of five total co-conspirators for his involvement in a large-scale methamphetamine operation in southern Illinois. Robert Smith, 42, of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison. Smith pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to launder money. The case involved more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine distributed in the Southern District of Illinois. Co-conspirator William Moore, 39, of East St. Louis, pled guilty to five counts of distributing methamphetamine, one count of attempted possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of conspiracy to launder money. He received a 30-year federal prison sentence on April 20, 2022, and he will serve five years of supervised release. Michael Huffman, 37, of Salem, Illinois, pled guilty to one count of distributing methamphetamine,
ALTON - Alton’s newest Alderman, John Meehan, discussed his recent appointment to the City Council, his love for the city and its history, and more on a recent episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com . Meehan was appointed as 5th Ward Alderman to serve the remainder of former Alderman Charles Brake’s term after Brake resigned last week. Meehan said that Brake, who he’s known for decades, personally requested his appointment to Mayor David Goins. “I’ve known Charlie for 30 years, and Charlie was having more and more health troubles,” Meehan said. “He was asking if I would be interested in possibly being an alderman if he had to step down, so that’s the way it kind of came along. He and I talked, and he wrote a letter to the mayor and asked that in the event that he was forced to retire because of health reasons, if the mayor would appoint me, and the mayor said yes. “Since I’ve known Charles for such a long time
Neil Young is going to help the famed West Hollywood venue The Roxy celebrate its 50th anniversary. Pollstar reports that Young is scheduled to headline a special performance at the venue on…
St. Patrick Center, a nonprofit providing housing and other services to people who are homeless, has named one of its current executives to its top leadership post.
A Town & County-based life sciences firm that has raised $70 million from investors hopes to soon be able to commercialize a drug candidate it has developed to prevent vomiting and nausea from motion sickness.
Police said they were looking for a "person of interest" in an overnight homicide after the man escaped from police while his hands were cuffed behind his back.
GLEN CARBON – The Illinois Department of Transportation will hold a public informational meeting to discuss traffic management for the proposed intersection reconstruction of Illinois 162 at Illinois 157 in Glen Carbon. The meeting will be held: Tuesday, July 25 4-7 p.m. Glen Carbon Senior Center 157 N. Main St., Glen Carbon The project involves the realignment of the west leg of Illinois 162 to tie in with the east leg of Illinois 162 at a proposed traffic signal, thus eliminating the offset intersections of Illinois 162 with stop control. The project also involves reconstruction of the bridge that carries Illinois 157 over Judy’s Branch, construction of a new bridge to carry Illinois 162 over Judy’s Branch and construction of a pedestrian bridge parallel to Illinois 157 over Judy’s Branch. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss traffic management for the project during construction. Handouts and display boards will be available for public
Bottles of Benriach at La Maison de Whisky in Paris. The shop is in the Madeleine district and we passed it whenever we walked out toward the Place de la Concorde.
A man wanted for questioning in the case of a deadly St. Louis gas station shooting is on the run and reportedly escaped from police custody Tuesday while handcuffed.
EDWARDSVILLE - The baseball team of American Legion Post #199 wrapped up their first season back on the field after a hiatus following their coach’s death. Nick Steele, who restarted the team this year under the name “Blacksox,” is looking forward to rebuilding the program in coming years while honoring the man who started it. He hopes the kids who played this season have enjoyed Legion Baseball as an alternative to high school or travel ball, all while giving back to local veterans. “As a Legion, we represent veterans,” Coach Steele said. “And to have the boys come out and show the gentlemen respect, be a part of the Legion, it breathes life back into the local Legion…Those kids are going to be a part of the Legion growing up.” American Legion Baseball is a major tradition in the organization. Steele said he was excited to restart the program at Post #199 because it’s affordable and fun for kids who “have the passion
A St. Louis County jury today agreed that a 30-year-old woman acted in self-defense when in January 2020 she shot the daughter of the woman in whose house she'd been living. Attorney Jerryl Christmas had previously said St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell’s case against Jonique Borroum was part of "a disturbing pattern of prosecution against Black women clearly in self-defense mode."
People accuse me of unfairly bashing Elon Musk, but I’ve always highlighted the things he’s done that I thought were smart as well, and a big one was his decision nearly a decade ago to free all of Tesla’s patents. The company put out a blog post, saying that anyone could use its patents, and […]
EDWARDSVILLE - A man convicted of murder for intentionally striking a woman with his truck has been sentenced to 60 years in prison. Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced Tuesday that Richard D. Mayor, 60, of East St. Louis, had received the sentence. In June, a jury found Mayor guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Lisa M. Dunnavant-Polach, 46, of Washington Park. The two had been in a relationship but became involved in a dispute. Mayor struck Dunnavant-Polach with his pickup as she walked along Illinois Route 111 on Feb. 21, 2023. The impact nearly severed one of her legs, and she died later at a hospital. “This was a cowardly yet cruel act by a criminal who has no regard for others,” Haine said. “To this day, this perpetrator refuses to take responsibility for his actions.” Evidence and testimony at trial showed that Dunnavant-Polach was on foot along Illinois 111 and trying to evade Mayor, who was driving a pickup. The driver
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