Six Republican congressmen from Illinois and the state’s GOP senator joined Wednesday in seeking an inquiry into the extent that federal funds may have been used by the Quinn administration in its hiring practices at the state Department of Transportation. U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis, Adam Kinzinger, John Shimkus, Randy Hultgren, Aaron Schock and Peter Roskam…

A vintage baseball bat manufacturer and a grain-to-glass distiller captured first and second place in the Metro East Startup Challenge, the first regional business plan competition conducted for entrepreneurs in Southwestern Illinois. Plucked from a diverse array of Metro East startups, sole proprietor Todd “Dutch” Eschman, founder of Old Dutch Classic Bats in Swansea, nabbed…

SPRINGFIELD – A Constitutional Amendment sponsored by Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, that would allow Illinois voters to decide whether to impose a two-term limit on the state’s Executive Branch officers stalled in a Senate Executive Subcommittee on April 29. “I’m disappointed that Democrats turned their backs on legislation that would have given Illinois…

The 3rd Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee says its Legal Advice Clinic served 42 residents during the first three months of 2014. The clinic operates in the Madison County Law Library located in the basement of the courthouse in Edwardsville on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. “We are proud of the commitment…

U.S. Sen.Dick Durbin, D-Ill., today urged high school principals across Illinois to ensure that their students are receiving “honest and accurate” information about their higher education options and that they are aware of what he calls risks associated with the for-profit college industry. Durbin wrote the principals to call their attention to the “often irresistible…

GLEN CARBON – Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois  has received a $72,000 grant from Girl Scouts of the USA and AT&T to advance Science, Technology, Engineering and Math for 200 girls in 10th-12th grades in the Collinsville School District. The grant is part of a partnership between GSUSA and AT&T through a program called Imagine…

The Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo, presented by Boeing, takes place at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, May 3-4. The event is headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, and features other civilian and military demonstrations in the air, static aircraft on the ground (including Boeing’s P-8 Poseidon…

SPRINGFIELD – If a 3-D printer is used to build a firearm, the owner will need a firearm manufacturing license under a new proposal pending in the state Senate. State Sen. Ira Silverstein, D–Chicago, is sponsoring legislation to bring guns built on 3-D printers under the same laws covering traditionally manufactured firearms. The plan requires…

Olin Corp. announced today that its first quarter 2014 net income was $29.5 million, or 37 cents per diluted share, which compares to $40.5 million, or 50 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2013. Sales in the first quarter of 2014 were $577.4 million compared to $630.0 million in the first quarter of…

Three St. Clair County women were indicted this week on counts alleging that they defrauded the Social Security Administration. Lashonda Russell, 38, of Cahokia, Amber Dawn Adams, 33, of Fayetteville, and Tara Star Johndrow, 28, of Belleville, were indicted separately on Wednesday, on charges of theft of government funds, which carry potential penalties of up…