Aggregator

SPRINGFIELD - The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) received a donation of 1,000 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms from Vision 20/20 for the “Be Alarmed!” Smoke Alarm Program. Vision 20/20 partners with organizations and experts to drive Community Risk Reduction across all levels of the fire and emergency services. They help to identify gaps, evaluate and apply data-driven strategies and resources, and provide guidance in implementing adaptive measures to reduce fire and other risks. In 2021, 2,945 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms were installed in Illinois homes. The program reached 2,268 (1,027 high-risk) Illinois residents educating them on smoke alarm maintenance, home fire safety, and home fire escape plans as well as protected by new smoke alarms. Of those homes visited, 80% of pre-existing smoke alarms in homes that received new 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms from our program had non-functional o

Continue Reading

State Rep. Ed Lewis had just hours to say goodbye. In March 2020, his 89-year-old mother had to go to the hospital after suffering from a fall. Lewis’ sister was their mother’s primary caregiver, but in the pandemic’s first days as hospitals restricted visitors, family members weren’t allowed to stay with her. Lewis and his […]

The post Legislators weigh blocking COVID visitor restrictions at Missouri hospitals, nursing homes appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Here we go again. It’s a plan that almost never works but one that legislators and the special interest groups pushing for it continue to believe will shower them with untold riches from billion dollar tech companies that they blame for the destruction of local content creation. I mean, they’re not entirely wrong… at least […]

It's rare to see Mariah Carey not wearing a dramatic gown -- even in a hot tub.  The diva did just that when celebrating the anniversary of her album The Emancipation of Mimi, which…

Source

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois House of Representatives adjourned shortly after 6:00 am on Saturday, April 9 following the passage of a state budget and a temporary tax relief package scheduled to take effect July 1. According to State Representative Amy Elik, “There were several good bills approved this session year. However, I’m disappointed the legislature adjourned ahead of the May 31st deadline without a solution to get tough on crime, zero anti-corruption reforms considered, and no solution to pay off $1.8 billion in debt accumulated during the pandemic despite a federal bailout.” On a positive note, the legislature did approve legislation sponsored by Rep. Elik to support the safety of transportation for foster children, allow family and friends to visit their loved ones in nursing homes, alleviate the teacher shortage in our state, and renew scholarships for low-income students. State Budget The General Assembly approved (HB 900) a 46.5 billion dollar state

Continue Reading

BELLEVILLE - Holland Construction Services is working on an expansion project at Eckert’s in Belleville, which will expand the popular outdoor entertainment venue by nearly 10,000 square feet. The project will include a new Cider Shed Tasting Room and Pavilion, as well as a Cider Donut & Custard Shop. The expansion broke ground in February and is expected to be complete by Memorial Day weekend. “This is an interesting renovation because Eckert’s is an 8 th generation business. This is where the company began so we’re learning a lot of history while working on this project,” said Holland Project Executive Ryan Savage. “We’ve enjoyed being part of Eckert’s growth.” The addition will be located between the Country Store and Country Restaurant and include the 3,500 square-foot Cider Shed Tasting Room and Pavilion, bar, and an indoor dining room. An additional 5,500 square-foot pavilion with outdoor dining will connect to the Cider

Continue Reading

ALTON - The Three Rivers Project of Sierra Club Illinois and Living Lands & Waters are calling for volunteers to support a river clean-up in celebration of Earth Day! This year, communities across the world are coming together to celebrate Earth Day by working to preserve and protect our health, communities, and livelihoods. Preserving and protecting the Mississippi River through river clean-ups is critical to Illinois’ collective efforts to ensure that our health and communities thrive. The Earth Day river clean-up will be held on Wednesday, April 27 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Learn more and register for the river clean-up at bit.ly/clean-up22 . The Mississippi River flows over 2,000 miles from its headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, and items that we use every day can make their way to our river, thus negatively impacting the environment. In celebration of Earth Day, the Three Rivers Project and Living Lands & Waters are hosting a river clean-up as part of their ongoin

Continue Reading

The focus of the severe weather has shifted to the southeast in Missouri and Illinois.

April is the month when independent bookstores nationwide celebrate Independent Bookstore Day. This year it is Saturday, April 30. Among the stores celebrating this day are Afterwords in Edwardsville and The Sly Fox in Virden. So, this month is a good one to celebrate some of our local authors. Belleville native Taylor Pensoneau (now living in New Berlin) is best known to many for Brothers Notorious , The Sheltons , Southern Illinois’ Legendary Gangsters , published in 2002, and Dapper & Deadly , The True Story of Black Charlie Harris , published in 2010. But, shortly after Brothers Notorious , Pensoneau wrote his first fictional novel, The Summer of ’50 , featuring Jake Brosky, a crack investigative reporter for a St. Louis newspaper. For many years Pensoneau himself was the statehouse reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A second Jack Brosky novel, Falling Star , followed in 2019. A year later came the third Jake Brosky crime novel, Devil on the Prairie

Continue Reading

Statistics don’t have faces.   While statistics about the number of homeless veterans in the United States are staggering, they do not show the people

The post In the Faces of Patriotism: The Homeless Veterans Project appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

Classic rock songs by Queen and Journey are among the 25 recordings that have been added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for 2022. Each year, 25 recordings…

Source

In September 2020, 36 boxes of master reels showed up on Jim Varagona's front porch. They belonged to a dead man named Pep — Peter E. Parisi.

After Tuesday's double shooting, at least 32 children have died or been injured in shootings so far this year across the St. Louis metropolitan area.

You've been waiting all night on the edge of your beds for this, so here are the results of yesterday's toilet poll: This is my closest poll ever! Given the margin of error, it's a dead heat. Perhaps this now demands a bit of actual research to come up with an answer.

EAST ALTON — Steve Thompson, regional president of Carrollton Bank in Alton, has been named the 2022 auxiliary board chair for the Southwest Illinois Division of United Way of Greater St. Louis. He succeeds Gireesh Gupchup, director for university-community initiatives and professor of pharmacy at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), who has held the chair position since 2020. “United Way has been a cornerstone in the community for a century and they play a critical role in keeping our community strong so our neighbors can succeed and thrive,” said Thompson. “It is an honor to serve as board chair for the Southwest Illinois Division. I am excited to join other volunteers, staff, and fellow board members in working to help people across our community live their best possible lives.” Thompson has over 35 years of banking and financial experience. He began his career at KPMG Peat Marwick and went on to operate his own business as a consultant

Continue Reading

ST. LOUIS — Join the National Park Service in celebrating America’s national parks during National Park Week, April 16-24, 2022! At Gateway Arch National Park, guests are encouraged to explore more than 200 years of history in the Museum at the Gateway Arch, take the Tram Ride to the Top and watch the documentary movie “Monument to the Dream” chronicling the construction of the Arch, as well as many other events and activities that connect visitors to St. Louis’ urban national park. “National Park Week is a time to share the many ways we can connect with, enjoy and experience our national parks,” says Pam Sanfilippo, Program Manager, Museum Services & Interpretation, Gateway Arch National Park. “We encourage you to earn your Junior Ranger badge, explore our 91-acre park grounds and take in all there is to do and see at Gateway Arch National Park!” Each day of National Park Week, “sPark” a connection with the park

Continue Reading

Wednesday's game will be made up at 3:15 p.m. May 2.