2014 September Issue

    BETHALTO — The head of St. Louis Regional Airport says commercial, unmanned aircraft flight is an industry on the verge of takeoff, and once it does, the sky is the limit.     “There haven’t been any drones coming into this airport, but I have been plugged in with some of my military colleagues and…

    Students returning to Metro East colleges for fall classes are largely finding higher tuition rates than they did this time last year.    A survey of schools in Southwestern Illinois shows a jump in most of their charges, some a result of keeping up with costs or state cutbacks, others simply keeping up with growth.   …

    Farmers markets, like the goods they sell, are becoming a hot commodity in Illinois, but by this time next year they will be operating under a new set of regulations.    A new law sponsored by state Sen. Dave Koehler will soon make it easier for farmers and other vendors to sell their products at…

    BELLEVILLE — An area congressman is cosponsoring a bipartisan measure that would force federal agencies to battle wasteful spending and apply savings to highway and environmental needs.    The bill, House Resolution 4937, was introduced in June and has been referred to a pair of committees. It still has the potential to be heard during…

    EDWARDSVILLE — Thomas E. Holloway, president and chief executive officer of the Bank of Edwardsville, has announced plans to retire on May 29, 2015.    “It’s been a tremendous honor and privilege to work with the wonderful people at this great institution,” said Holloway, who became only the 12th president in the bank’s 146-year history…

    EDWARDSVILLE – First Clover Leaf Bank has announced an affiliation with Visionary Wealth Advisors to provide bank customers with financial planning and wealth management services.     First Clover Leaf Wealth Management will be available to clients at each of its six branches, under the management of Visionary Wealth Advisors, which was founded in March…

    (EDITOR’s NOTE: Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner’s announced fiscal plan would freeze property taxes but eliminate the state sales tax exemption for 32 professional and business services. He has said expanding the sales tax base would generate more than $600 million. The following piece reflects on what state governments must consider in regards…

    When Congress enacted the Affordable Care Act, one of the goals was to ensure that preventive care services were available to all health plan participants without any co-payments or deductible expenses. The requirement that preventive care services were provided free of charge included the requirement for covering all FDA-approved contraceptives. The requirement to provide…

    IBJ: When did you open Sauget Business Park for development?        Sauget: Our first tenant was Gasket & Seal Fabricators in 1991. They built a 40,000-square-foot building and have about 35 employees there now.        IBJ: How large is the park?        Sauget: It’s about 700 acres. I gradually bought land as it became…

    Truck drivers are in big demand, and Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey is starting a new training program to try to increase the supply.    According to the American Trucking Association there’s an immediate need for 30,000 drivers across the nation. There are 7,000,000 people employed in the trucking industry nationwide. In Illinois…