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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced that a Perry County man was convicted of possessing and reproducing child pornography. The case is part of the Attorney General’s ongoing work to apprehend offenders who download and trade child pornography online. A Perry County jury convicted Timothy E. Hedrick, 42, of Cutler, Illinois, of three counts of reproduction of child pornography, Class X felonies punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and five counts of possession of child pornography, Class 2 felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison. Hedrick was remanded to the custody of the Perry County Jail. His sentencing is scheduled for March 13. “Child pornography leaves victims and their families with lifelong scars,” Raoul said. “My office is committed to working with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and local law enforcement to track down individuals who perpetrate these horrible crimes and hold them accountable.” Raoul&rsqu

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GODFREY – YouthBuild/AmeriCorps students from Lewis and Clark Community College’s Scott Bibb Center recently teamed up with the Madison County Partnership to End Homelessness for Project Homeless Connect. Project Homeless Connect is an effort to provide homeless and at-risk families with immediate goods and services. L&C student Aiden Connor described what it was like helping someone who is close to his own age. “I met a 21-year-old who shared with me about their PTSD, their experience being homeless and how they’re trying to make a change in their life,” he said. “This experience really touched me and helped me to realize that I can help those in my community." Another student, Kyan O’Bannon, really liked how it felt to connect with people. “I really liked seeing the smile on peoples’ faces when we were able to help them,” he said. “I had some interesting conversations.” The event took place at the River

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SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), along with the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) are encouraging Illinois farmers to set aside time to recognize Grain Bin Safety Week from February 19-25 and review safety practices while working in and around grain bins. According to researchers at Purdue University, more than 900 cases of grain engulfment have been reported with a fatality rate of 62% in the past 50 years ending in 2010. In 2010, at least 26 U.S. workers were killed in grain engulfment accidents - the highest number on record. It only takes 4 seconds for a full grown adult to sink to their knees in flowing grain and 20 seconds to be completely buried in flowing grain. Suffocation from engulfment is the leading cause of death in grain bins. “Often times we become complacent when doing tasks we have done a thousand times and for farmers that often means working in and around grain bins,” said IDOA Director, Jerry Costello II.

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CHICAGO - Governor JB Pritzker today signed HB0009 into law, authorizing an easier process for individuals seeking to change the gender listed on their birth certificate. Previously, amending a birth certificate’s gender marker required certification from a health care professional that the individual had undergone gender reassignment surgery or other clinical treatment. The updated law allows changes to the birth certificate providing the petitioner signs a statement affirming their gender identity or intersex condition, opening an easier path to legal recognition for transgender Illinoisans. “Here in Illinois, we recognize that gender transition is a personal journey that doesn’t always follow a prescriptive medical path, but still deserves to be honored legally,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In a time of increasing violence and hateful rhetoric against the trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming community, it is more important than ever to reaffirm

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Celebrate the life and work of Dr. Jane Goodall, who braved the unknown to provide a remarkable window into humankind’s closest living relatives – chimpanzees.   On Oct. 7, the

The post Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

SPRINGFIELD — Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director John J. Kim today announced $21,046,025 in grants to six communities across the State through Illinois EPA’s Unsewered Communities Construction Grant Program (UCCGP). Made possible through the Governor’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, these grants will allow underserved communities to construct dependable wastewater collection and/or treatment systems. "No community should be forced to function without a high quality water infrastructure system,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The historic Rebuild Illinois capital plan is ushering our state’s wastewater infrastructure into the 21st Century, providing solutions that work for everyone. Thanks to this grant program, residents across the state will reap the benefits of a safe home, clean streets, clean water and clean air.” This is the second of five planned funding rounds for this program, whic

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced his office has charged a former Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital employee who allegedly stole and sold approximately 10 tanks of nitrous oxide, a medical gas used as an anesthetic in medical procedures and surgeries. The Attorney General’s office charged Mitchell R. Gunther, 39, of Burbank, Illinois today with one count of burglary, a Class 2 felony punishable by three to seven years in prison; two counts of theft over $500, Class 3 felonies each punishable by two to five years in prison; and two counts of possession of nitrous oxide with the intent to deliver, Class 3 felonies each punishable by two to five years in prison. Gunther’s bond was set at $10,000, and his next court date is scheduled for March 20. “The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital uses its supply of nitrous oxide to safely perform critical and life-saving surgeries on sick children and teens. It is outrageous that

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ALTON - Often children learn prejudice and racism from the grownups in their life. Even well-intentioned adults can pass along bias by not having deliberate conversations about diversity and race. Diverstory: Reading for Equity is a program designed to empower families so they feel better prepared to talk about race and racism with children. Hosted by YWCA and Post Commons, Diverstory is a free story time for children ages 2- 10 years, where children and their grownups come together to listen to children’s stories about diversity and engage in conversations and activities about diversity, belonging, and race. Every family will receive copies of the books that are read to take home and continue intentional conversations about race. Our aim is to equip children and adults with the resources and support they need to join in the work of bringing change and equity to our community. The facilitators for this event are Candice Wallace and Becky Cowart. Candice, lifelong Alton area

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Donald Lloyd, CEO and president of St. Claire HealthCare in Morehead, Kentucky, has spent more than a year dealing with higher costs for food and medical supplies for his regional hospital. Now he’s trying to prepare for another financial hit — the loss of Medicaid reimbursements for treating people in rural Appalachia. “We are all […]

The post Rural hospitals gird for unwinding of pandemic Medicaid coverage appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Breathe is a collection of large-scale abstract paintings created through the unconscious combination of bold colors and free movement. Artist Lauren Younge uses acrylics to design irregular patterns that could motivate

The post Breathe: A Solo Exhibition by Artist Lauren Younge appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

Today on TAP: The new movement to connect the restoration of democracy with the revival of antitrust and competition

This lefty publisher is giving out censored books for free in Florida.

President Biden made a surprise stop in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and bringing word of new aid as the nation prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion. “It’s good to be back in Kyiv,” said Biden, who sported a tie in Ukraine’s colors, blue and yellow. It [...]

The holiday is every third Monday in February.

One person was seriously injured in a fire in south St. Louis.

Add this to the list of reasons why libraries rock: St. Louis County Library now offers free access to New York Times Cooking. By clicking this link, you can access the thousands of recipes on New York Times Cooking  — whether you have a library card or not.  You'll still be asked to sign into a New York Times account but afterwards you'll get a code to access all of New York Times Cooking's recipes for 24 hours.

The change came amid pressure from the state's vocal fishing community.

Fred Ssewamala has created and runs more than 20 economic-empowerment and public-health programs across Africa.