Local Business Headlines
Southern Illinois Builders Association awards scholarships
The Southern Illinois Builders Association began offering scholarships in 2012, and since then has awarded 169 scholarships totaling approximately $330,399.93. Members of the SIBA Education Committee recently selected the following individuals to receive scholarship checks: Shaelyn Borowiak, Aviston, Ill.; Samuel Denny; Columbia, Ill.; Gibson Fager, Murphysboro, Ill.; Chase Fallert, Bloomsdale, Mo.; Addison Gansauer, Carlyle,…
Read MoreHi-Pointe Drive In announces closure of St. Louis Metro East restaurants
A post on social media from Hi-Pointe Drive In’s president, Ben Hillman, today shared that three restaurant locations in the St. Louis Metro market have been closed. These include the Edwardsville and O’Fallon, Ill., locations along with a third restaurant location in Ballwin, Mo. The post on Hi-Pointe Drive In’s Facebook page read as follows:…
Read More[Op-Ed] Vulnerable communities must be at the center as Illinois builds toward an AI future
By STATE REP. La SHAWN FORD (D-CHICAGO) Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to spark a robust debate in our society, but all can agree it is a technology with true staying power. This is why it is essential for Illinois and the United States to take a leading role in the advancement of this technology. The…
Read MoreBetty Ann Market, Red Bud/Millstadt IGA owner acquires Highland Tru-Buy
By ZACHARY DAUM Managing Editor, Herald Publications [email protected] Craig Norrenberns, owner of Betty Ann Market in Mascoutah and Red Bud/Millstadt IGA, has expanded his independent grocery operation with the recent purchase of Tru-Buy in Highland, a store long operated by the Gutzler family. The acquisition, finalized shortly before Thanksgiving, brings the Highland grocery at…
Read MoreGovernor announces $24M manufacturing training academy expansion to downstate community colleges
Grant funding will increase advanced workforce training facilities at Illinois community colleges Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) have announced that $24 million is now available in grant funding to establish six new Manufacturing Training Academies (MTAs) at community colleges in the state’s downstate regions to expand training…
Read MoreState Senate District 56 candidate Marsie Geldert-Murphey announces Listening Tour dates
Political newcomer and Democratic candidate Marsie Geldert-Murphey is kicking off a listening tour with residents of Illinois State Senate District 56. The “Wide Awake Listening Tour” is a chance for coffee and conversation with residents about the direction of the 56th District and what is at stake in the next election. Geldert-Murphy will be at…
Read MoreHSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital welcomes first baby of 2026
HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital recently shared news of its “proud welcome” of Rosalinda Elizabeth Taylor as the first baby born at the hospital in 2026. Delivered at 2:02 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2025, at St. Elizabeth’s Women and Infants Center, she weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 20 inches long. Her parents are…
Read MoreSTL statement on release of November’s fatal shooting video
An official statement was released on Jan. 2, 2026 by St. Louis Lambert International Airport regarding the recent release of video from the November fatal shooting by the St. Louis County Police department: “Today, St. Louis County Police released video regarding the fatal shooting that occurred in St. Louis Lambert International Airport’s Terminal One on…
Read More‘The Lodge’: Eckert’s unveils cozy winter pop up experience
With new menu and beverage options, The Lodge is a familiar winter escape, warming up the St. Louis region in the new year Eckert’s Farm, the eighth-generation family farm in Belleville, Ill. (951 S. Green Mount Rd.), invites guests to slow down and cozy up at The Lodge, its newest pop-up bar experience, open on…
Read MoreMcLeod Express fortifies Illinois trucking services with Contegra-constructed second warehouse
With increasing demand for warehousing space in central Illinois, family-owned McLeod Express has opened its second warehouse in Decatur. Edwardsville-headquartered Contegra Construction completed the 611,000-square-foot facility. It supplements McLeod’s existing warehouse operations and is conveniently located about a mile from the I-72 exchange and three miles from the Midwest Inland Port in Decatur. “Our partnership with…
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