Sugarfire Smoke House will formally make Edwardsville its 13th location with an opening set in the coming week. The location at 2323 Plum St., Suite 100, will bow at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5, in the IronWorks development, located along the Madison County Transit Districts Goshen Trail. Sugarfire founder Charlie Downs and founder-chef Mike…

Jersey County is getting assistance from the Illinois Housing Development Authority to fix up vacant properties under a state grant plan, state Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, announced. “It’s imperative to get these small towns the funds to keep up the appearance of their streets,” Crowe (shown) said. “I think it will have a domino…

A bill introduced by state Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, that would add traditional individual retirement accounts as an option to the Secure Choice Savings Program passed the Illinois House. The Secure Choice Savings Program is a retirement savings program that provides retirement options for private-sector employees in Illinois. Senate Bill 1787 adds a traditional IRA…

The Illinois General Assembly has green-lighted a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the legislature to lower income tax rates for those making less and raise rates for the wealthiest Illinoisans. The Illinois House on Sunday approved the Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1 — the so-called Fair Tax Amendment — that would change the…

A statuette of a kneeling soldier offers reflection year-round outside the American Legion Post 199 in Edwardsville. Today is Memorial Day, an American holiday observed annually on the last Monday of May. It honors those men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. The holiday was originally known as Decoration Day and…

There’s going to be a lot of loco-motion at the Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater Saturday, July 20, when the iconic American band Grand Funk Railroad takes the stage. Tickets for the concert, also featuring the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, are on sale now. Tickets for “50 Years of Funk” are available at www.libertybankamphitheater.com, the Alton Visitor…

Marriott International’s TownePlace Suites by Marriott St. Louis O’Fallon has opened at 445 Regency Park Drive, O’Fallon, Ill. It will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Allyson Group Inc. of O’Fallon, Illinois. “We are excited to introduce the TownePlace Suites brand to the O’Fallon area,” said Brad McMillin, president of the Allyson…

Those annoying robocallers would be held accountable under federal legislation that advanced on Thursday. The U.S. Senate passed the “Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act,” known as the TRACED Act. The legislation, sponsored by, among others, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Durbin, would address the scourge by increasing fines on violators of the Telephone…