Area News
IDOT announces regional temporary closures scheduled for Dec. 15
The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that rehabilitation of a crossing by Union Pacific railroad on Illinois 203/East Chain of Rocks Road between Engineers Road and Nameoki Road near the Interstate 270 exit ramp in Madison County will require a full closure, weather permitting, on Monday, Dec. 15. A posted detour will be in…
Read MoreFrigid temps this weekend: Gateway Pet Guardians providing relief for Metro East pets
With frigid temperatures forecasted for the upcoming weekend, Gateway Pet Guardians, a local animal shelter serving the Metro East, is taking urgent action to protect outdoor pets. The shelter is providing straw and outdoor shelters for pets in need in East St. Louis and surrounding areas and requesting that fosters walk-in to help make room…
Read MoreIDOA relaunches cover crop discount program
By HANNAH SPANGLER FarmWeek Illinois farmers who planted cover crops this fall can once again earn a break on next year’s crop insurance premiums through the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s (IDOA) Fall Covers for Spring Savings program. IDOA will offer up to a $5-per-acre discount on 2026 crop insurance premiums for verified cover crop…
Read MoreBudzinski announces $789,426 for central, southern Illinois fire departments
Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) recently shared news of $789,426 in federal grant funding for fire departments in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. The funds will be awarded to the City of Wood River, Chatham Village, the City of Collinsville, the Mount Olive Fire Protection District, and the Girard Fire Protection District as part of the Federal…
Read MoreEdwardsville Children’s Museum seeks partners for all free admission program
The program, which ensures all children have access to learning, welcomed a record 1,500 guests in 2025 In 2025, Edwardsville Children’s Museum (ECM) provided free admission to more than 1,500 guests in 2025 who otherwise would not have been able to visit due to financial constraints through its ECM For All program. Thanks to the…
Read MoreFoundral launches with a mission to unite commercial contractors across the Midwest
Backed by McNally Capital, the platform builds upon Smith & Oby, a leading mechanical contractor in Northeast Ohio Foundral, a newly formed platform dedicated to building and rapidly scaling a family of union-backed mechanical contracting companies, recently announced its official launch. Integrating experienced teams throughout the Midwest and surrounding growth markets and supporting them with…
Read MoreFrom AG Raoul: Former Metro East police officer pleads guilty to theft, wire fraud
Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced on Dec. 10, 2025, that a former Metro East police officer pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $58,000 from the Alton Police Department Benevolent and Protective Association while employed by the Alton Police Department. Jeremiah T. Dressler, 42, of Brighton, Ill., pleaded guilty on Tuesday [Dec. 9, 2025] to one count…
Read MoreOperation Midway Blitz: The economic and human costs to Illinois communities
Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump Administration’s deployment of federal agents that began in September, turned Illinois neighborhoods into militarized zones and upended daily life for thousands of residents. Federal agents carried out mass arrests in the middle of the night, often detaining people with no criminal background– including U.S. citizens. Businesses emptied as workers and…
Read MoreIndian national sentenced to federal prison for scamming elderly residents
Victims spanned five Midwest states with an intended loss of more than $2.2 million EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced an Indian national to 90 months in federal prison for his involvement in an imposter scheme to defraud 11 identified victims, including elderly residents from Edwardsville and Effingham, Ill., and St. Louis,…
Read MoreIllinois wheat crop looks promising heading into winter
By RHIANNON BRANCH FarmWeek Many Illinois wheat fields, now covered in snow, looked good heading into winter and the onset of dormancy. The climatological winter began Dec. 1 while the official start of the winter solstice arrives Dec. 21. “We had a dry fall, so that allowed for a wide window of wheat planting,”…
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