St. Clair County: Temporary closure of Illinois 3 at Packers Avenue
The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that rehabilitation of a crossing by Terminal Railroad on Illinois 3 between Packers Avenue and North First Street in St. Clair County will require a full closure beginning, weather permitting, Tuesday, March 25. A posted detour will be in place to safely guide motorists around the closure, which…
Read MoreContegra constructing fifth distribution facility at Pontoon Beach’s Gateway Tradeport
NorthPoint Development is adding a 933,656-square-foot distribution center to Gateway Tradeport in Pontoon Beach, Ill. Contegra Construction is building the facility and targeting completion in Spring 2026. It is the fifth distribution center built by Contegra at the 600-acre master-planned Gateway Tradeport. The industrial development debuted in 2019 and will host more than 3.6 million…
Read MoreHelmkamp marks 87 years with succession plan, leadership promotions
Helmkamp Construction Company recently announced its long-term succession plan as well as three long-term employee promotions that will help drive the company into the future. As a trusted name in construction for 87 years, Helmkamp has grown into a premier provider of construction services for industrial, building, and life science clients. The company’s enduring…
Read MoreIllinois unemployment rate stable, jobs nearly unchanged in January
Revised December 2024 data revisions show payroll jobs up, unemployment rate down On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced that nonfarm payrolls were almost unchanged, down -1,100 (0.0%), while the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.9 percent in January, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of…
Read MoreICC 2024 Supplier Diversity Report shows steady investment growth from ‘Big 6’ utilities
The Illinois Commerce Commission’s (ICC) Office of Diversity and Community Affairs’ (ODCA) 2024 Annual Report shows that diverse spending by the state’s largest investor-owned utilities has grown steadily for the fourth year in a row at over $2 billion. Some utilities reported a nearly 45 percent share of their total spending with diverse suppliers, including…
Read More‘Right to Play’ bill that would affect high school athletes advances in House
Bill would allow students to compete on school and nonschool teams simultaneously By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois [email protected] SPRINGFIELD – A House committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would give high school student athletes the right to participate in both school-sponsored teams and nonschool teams in the same sport at the same time, despite…
Read MorePartisan politics infiltrating non-partisan local Illinois elections
Illinois Democrats backing candidates in new strategy to get involved in all elections By BEN SZALINSKI and BRIDGETTE FOX Capitol News Illinois March 11, 2025 SPRINGFIELD — It’s been just four months since the last election concluded, but another election is on the horizon in Illinois: the April 1 elections for school boards and municipal…
Read MoreRaise a Glass for Rivers: March 20 trivia night to benefit NGRREC
The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) is hosting a trivia night and silent auction from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 20, at the Old Bakery Beer Company in Alton (400 Landmarks Blvd.). This event will benefit from Old Bakery Beer Company’s March “Drink for a Cause” initiative. The Drink for…
Read MoreOSF Moeller Cancer Center to host free April 7 skin cancer screening
“First come, first served” event scheduled from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 7 Spring is just days away, the summer season will be here before we know it, temps will be getting warmer, and that means one thing – more fun in the sun. Riverbend region residents will be outside enjoying time at…
Read MoreMCT ‘unleashes’ four more sculptures along its trails
An Agency for Community Transit gift expands MCT’s “Arts on the Trails” initiative Just in time for spring, Madison County Transit (MCT) and Agency for Community Transit (ACT) have welcomed four new “Trail Critter” sculptures along the MCT Trails, expanding the popular “Art on the Trails” initiative. Building on the success of the eight sculptures…
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