WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Lance Gooden (R-TX-05) requested a comprehensive review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) detailing the federal government's interchange fee expenses over the last five fiscal years. This request highlights the exorbitant credit card interchange or "swipe" fees, a staggering burden the federal government and, in turn, American taxpayers, pay at around $240 million every year. In addition to Durbin and Gooden, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), along with Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ-02), Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07), and Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-At-Large-Northern Mariana Islands). The lawmakers wrote, “The Visa-Mastercard duopoly and the nation’s largest banks that issue their cards wield enormous market power in the credit card system, and they have used that power to
From ENR: The Kings Bay Dry Dock Recapitalization was the U.S. Navy facility’s first major overhaul in its three-decade history. The project is expected to support fleet operations 50 years into the future as even larger, Columbia Class submarines are phased into service. The Alberici-Mortenson joint venture completed the project on time in September 2022 […]
The Making an IMPACT Foundation, a charitable foundation established by IMPACT Strategies of Fairview Heights, IL, held its second annual Sporting Clay Classic earlier this fall. The event was held at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, IL. All proceeds were donated to Hoyleton Youth & Family Services for their Home for Healing […]
Are you guilty of bringing home leftovers only to pitch them in the trash days later? If so, you're not alone. The amount of food waste overall in our region equals the weight on nearly 1,000 adult blue whales. — 667,000 tons each year. The Green Dining Alliance and Missouri Botanical Garden partnered to see how much food could avoid landfills with specific techniques and strategies in local restaurants. We talk with people involved with the effort and with the chef/owner of a local restaurant.
Midwest based Russell, a commercial construction and real estate development firm, is excited to announce it has been awarded the prestigious contract for the construction of the $48 MM St. Louis Community College (STLCC) Forest Park Transportation Center project. This flagship project, a cornerstone in educational and workforce development for the St. Louis metro area, […]
More than 52,000 Missouri children have been kicked off of Medicaid in the first four months of renewed eligibility checks, though the state isn’t sure how many of those kids have managed to re-enroll. At Tuesday’s quarterly meeting of the board that oversees Missouri’s Medicaid program, the MO HealthNet oversight committee, concerns about the number […]
Voters across the metro area will decide Tuesday on a smattering of propositions, including marijuana taxes in Arnold, St. Charles and St. John; a Manchester annexation plan; and a proposed tax revenue shift in the Rockwood School District.
David Bowie is no longer with us, but his style will live on forever. Designer John Varvatos has launched a limited-edition capsule collection inspired by the late rocker's iconic style. Among the items are a…
The idea of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson starring in a horror movie: totally understandable. Bruce Dickinson starring in a horror movie about an ABBA tribute band? Totally bizarre. Deadline reports that Dickinson will star in the…
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, chair of the Illinois House Higher Education Appropriations Committee, today said the State of Illinois will soon announce a new program to fully provide public university students with free and universal test and licensure preparation classes. Illinois is the first state to offer this benefit to its public university students. The Prepare for Illinois’ Future Program offers comprehensive test preparation and professional licensure preparation at no cost to Illinois public university students. This means all students will have access to key resources, enabling them to best prepare for the required exams needed to advance to graduate school and/or professional exams vital in school-to-work pathways. The fiscal year 2024 State of Illinois budget includes $10 million for free test prep classes for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the Graduate Record Examination
CHICAGO – An Illinois Lottery player is basking in joy after winning the top prize of $1 million on a scratch-off lottery ticket. “It’s the craziest thing to ever happen to me - I still can’t stop shaking,” expressed the lucky winner, who has requested to stay anonymous. “My wife was just saying ‘You’ve got to stop buying those things.’ So you can imagine how ecstatic I was to be able to tell her I won!” The $1 million winning scratch-off ticket was purchased at Phillips 66, located at 102 S. Lincoln Street in Philo, IL, a small town located eight miles south of Champaign - home to just over 1,300 residents. “The majority of our customers are local residents, so I can guarantee that if the winner walked into our store, we’d recognize him,” declared Umesh Patel, manager at Phillips 66 in Philo. “We are so excited that the winner is from our little city.” As part of his daily routine, the lucky
From Call Newspapers: Tensions were high at the Oct. 10 Sunset Hills Board of Aldermen meeting as a petition for a text amendment to amend the text of the Sunset Hills Unified Development Ordinance to create a new multi-family zoning district was discussed. Before the board first was Rob Golterman, the attorney representing the applicant, […]
A Democrat running for the same statewide office as Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher will not participate in a House Ethics Committee inquiry into the speaker. House Assistant Minority Leader Richard Brown of Kansas City, who is running for lieutenant governor, was replaced Tuesday on the committee by Rep. David Tyson Smith of Columbia. In […]
From St. Louis Business Journal: A St. Louis County judge on Monday granted a temporary restraining order against the city of Maryland Heights, ordering the government not to violate the terms of its lease with the operator of a youth sports complex. A hearing on a preliminary injunction is set for Nov. 20 before Judge […]
CHICAGO, November 7, 2023 – An Illinois iLottery player has hit the jackpot in a new Fast Play game, Illinois Super Jackpot , that launched a few weeks ago. The online player was lucky enough to win $885,449 on Saturday, November 4. Illinois Super Jackpot is a $20 progressive Fast Play game. The jackpot begins at $50,000 and grows with each ticket sold statewide until the jackpot is won. Since its launch in late October, over 95,000 winning tickets for Illinois Super Jackpot have been purchased, netting players almost $4.8 million in prizes. Fast Play games can be purchased in retail, or online via IllinoisLottery.com or the Illinois Lottery app. There are currently 20 Fast Play games offered at various price points and play styles. About the Illinois Lottery Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $24 billion (since 1985) to the state’s Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital
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