Cork Tree Creative welcomes four summer interns
Cork Tree Creative Inc., an award-winning marketing firm, announces the start of four new interns: McKenzie Parish, Ella Reed, McKinley Saffel and Taylor Sparks. Parish, a senior from Staunton, Ill., is in her final semester at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and design…
Read MoreWith established health care mired in misinformation, what’s next?
By DENNIS GRUBAUGH Forty-plus years ago, Godfrey resident Ruby Hale garnered a lot of attention by calling on Illinois communities to take fluoride out of their drinking water. Fluoride, she said, was a suspected cause of low IQs in children and other health risks. Dentists, though, were mostly united behind fluoridation because it was shown…
Read MoreInaugural Global Aerospace Summit launches in southwestern Illinois Aug. 13, 14
Two-day summit takes place Aug. 13–14, 2025 at the Regency Conference Center in O’Fallon, Ill. Registration is open now, and sponsorship opportunities still available Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, in collaboration with Bi-State Development’s St. Louis Regional Freightway, St. Clair County, and Madison County, recently announced the inaugural Global Aerospace Summit, taking place Aug. 13 and 14,…
Read MoreBusey’s Van Dukeman named IBA Banker of the Year
The Illinois Bankers Association (IBA) has named Busey Chairman and CEO Van Dukeman as Banker of the Year—the highest honor the organization bestows on an individual whose dedication to excellence has profoundly enhanced the banking industry. The annual award recognizes the individual’s leadership and service qualities, applied not only to the banking industry but also…
Read MoreOne engagement to rule them all
By CAROLYN GREEN The key to building a business is building real connections. Some businesses use social media to showcase their perfection to the world, but the real magic happens when you engage. Alliances are forged through consistent, meaningful interaction. Relationships are not about posting—they are about showing up when people need you. Too often,…
Read MoreLeadership GOLD: From grit to growth ~ A journey in leadership and preservation
By YVETTE PARIS I didn’t set out to be a leader. I’m the first in my family to attend college—my father is a retired diesel truck mechanic, and my late mother worked for the phone company. I wasn’t on student council. I didn’t join a sorority. By most conventional standards, I wasn’t on the “leadership…
Read MoreEckert’s kicks off peach season with largest harvest in farm history
Pick-Your-Own opens this Saturday at Belleville; now available at Grafton For the first time in its history, Eckert’s Farm is celebrating its largest-ever peach crop, nearly doubling its Pick-Your-Own (PYO) yield from last year. Guests can experience the bounty firsthand when Pick-Your-Own peaches open this Saturday, June 28, at the Belleville farm. Peach picking is…
Read MoreRiverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary announces July 4th weekend closure hours
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Rivers Project Office will temporarily close overnight access to Riverlands Way, Maple Island, Ellis Island, and Lincoln Shields Recreation Area in West Alton for the Fourth of July Weekend. Riverlands Way will be closed each of the following timeframes: July 3 from 10 p.m. through July 4 at 7…
Read More‘I have work to do,’ Pritzker says in launching third-term reelection bid
GOP criticizes campaign as ‘stepping stone’ for a presidential run By BEN SZALINSKI and ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois CHICAGO — In a hot gymnasium on Chicago’s South Side, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday morning he’s running for a potentially historic third term as governor. In his announcement speech, Pritzker said he is running…
Read MoreFrom IDOT: Illinois 161 bridge painting begins June 30 in St. Clair County
The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that Illinois 161 will be reduced to one lane at Interstate 64 in St. Clair County beginning, weather permitting, Monday, June 30, for bridge painting. Two-way traffic will be maintained using temporary signals. The work is expected to be completed by early fall. Motorists should expect delays and…
Read More