Alton woman must repay money gained by cashing dead mother’s checks
An Alton woman was sentenced Wednesday to probation but ordered to pay back thousands of dollars gained by cashing her dead mother’s Social Security checks. Mia Lynn Cousett, 33, was sentenced to three years of probation for her conviction on 12 felony counts of theft of government funds. The funds stolen were social security checks…
Read MoreNew youth sports guidelines in Illinois drastically limit allowable competition
Football, competitive cheer, wrestling effectively limited to no-contact practice By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state on Wednesday released new guidelines for youth and recreational sports that will drastically limit allowable activities based on the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus. Gov. JB Pritzker announced the new guidelines at a COVID-19-related…
Read MoreLawsuit seeking compensation for store closures should be tossed, state says
Business owners say COVID-19 shutdowns were ‘seizure of private property’ By REBECCA ANZEL Capitol News Illinois ranzel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — Illinois’ attorney general asked a federal judge Monday to dismiss a lawsuit alleging Gov. JB Pritzker’s executive orders closing non-essential businesses and workplaces are unconstitutional. A group of Chicagoland business owners argued the governor’s COVID-19 restrictions…
Read MoreMadison County Mobile Testing makes free COVID-19 testing accessible
Institutional collaborators are partnering to bring free COVID-19 testing to various communities twice weekly via Madison County Mobile Testing. Outreach program team members include Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s M. Rebecca Hoffman, MD, coordinator Erica Austin and fourth-year medical student Tatiana Kelley; the SIUE School of Nursing’s Valerie Griffin, DNP, and Melissa Bogle, DNP,…
Read MoreHeartland Women’s Healthcare offers new gender-reveal testing
Heartland Women’s Healthcare, which has offices across the region, is offering expecting parents a new option in gender reveal testing. Through an exclusive partnership with the Clinical Division of SneakPeek, expecting families can learn their baby’s gender as early as eight weeks along in their pregnancy. Heartland Women’s Healthcare says it is the first and…
Read MorePediatrician now seeing patients in Clinton County locations
Hannah Strong, DO, a pediatrician with HSHS Medical Group, now sees patients at Clinton County Rural Health Germantown (205 Munster St., Germantown) and Clinton County Rural Health Breese (9401 Holy Cross Ln., Suite 112, Breese). As a pediatrician, Strong cares for children of all ages, specializing in children’s health care and development. She offers everything…
Read MorePressure mounts for Madigan to step down from leadership roles
The pressure on longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to step down is mounting. Madigan hasn’t been charged with a crime. However, he has been embroiled in charging documents the U.S. Department of Justice secured against ComEd. The utility agreed to pay a $200 million fine for taking part in a patronage scandal with Madigan…
Read MoreWest Star Aviation names new chief financial officer
West Star Aviation, which has significant operations at St. Louis Regional Airport in East Alton, recently named Timothy Spihlman to the position of chief financial officer. Spihlman will oversee all aspects of the company’s finance functions, including accounting, financial planning and analysis, tax and corporate strategy. He has more than 25 years of financial and…
Read MoreMetro East nears 8 percent positivity rate that is ‘failsafe’ for state action
Six of 11 regions flash warning sign for positivity rate increase By JERRY NOWICK Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Public Health announced another 1,076 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois on Tuesday as the rolling, seven-day test positivity rate remained at 3.8 percent. IDPH also reported that the rolling positivity…
Read MoreGonzalez Companies chosen for light rail segment in St. Clair County
The St. Clair County Transit District Board of Trustees has approved a contract with Gonzalez Companies, LLC, for the design and construction oversight of the $96 million, 5.5-mile light rail expansion project from the Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Station to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. The project will be completed in partnership with Bi-State Development/Metro Transit and funded…
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