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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) will hold a hearing to receive testimony from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) on President Donald Trump’s unlawful and unconstitutional deployment of U.S. military troops to intimidate Americans in their own communities in the coming weeks. Duckworth’s announcement comes weeks after she led all of her fellow SASC Democrats in calling on SASC Chairman Wicker to hold this hearing , and shortly after she blocked expedited passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) until said hearing was secured. “While we never should have had to wait this long for a hearing into some of Trump’s most egregious abuses of our nation’s military—and I wish Republicans had been more proactive in taking action to protect Americans’ civil rights—I appreciate Chairman Wicker finally committing

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CHICAGO — The Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) proudly honored Personal Touch Boutique as the 2025 Illinois Retailer of the Year during the group’s 68th Annual Meeting held Thursday at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel. Personal Touch Boutique, a cornerstone of East St. Louis since 1994, has grown into the city’s only locally-owned men’s fashion retailer, offering everything from suits and shoes to hats and jogging sets. Owned by husband-and-wife team Derrick and Bernita Maxwell, the boutique has been recognized for its quality menswear and decades of service to the community. While firmly rooted in East St. Louis, its loyal customer base extends far beyond Illinois, with shoppers traveling from across the country and ordering online to find unique, hard-to-find styles. The Maxwells’ journey as business owners has not been without obstacles, as East St. Louis has long struggled with declining population, high crime, and economic hardship.

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St. Louis Community College (STLCC) has recorded a 10 percent increase in enrollment for fall 2025, reaching pre-pandemic numbers. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) testified at a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing about the local impact of the Republican healthcare crisis. She warned that if Republicans allow the ACA’s Enhanced Premium Tax Credits to expire at the end of the year, families across the country will face steep premium increases. Budzinski highlighted the story of two constituents whose premiums are projected to increase by more than $500, totaling around $810 per month. This means nearly $10,000 a year just for coverage, forcing tough decisions in their household finances. “A middle class family in the 13th District shouldn’t be terrified of what a single medical emergency would do to them. In Laura and Rick’s words from Alton, ‘it would bankrupt us,’” Budzinski said. “Losing these tax credits would not only threaten their healthcare, it would also put at risk their financial stability,

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A new behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Bruce Springsteen movie, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, highlights the movie’s star, Jeremy Allen White, with both director Scott Cooper and Springsteen describing why he was…

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A San Francisco supervisor has proposed that police and other city agencies should have no financial consequences for breaking a landmark surveillance oversight law. In 2019, organizations from across the city worked together to help pass that law, which required law enforcement to get the approval of democratically elected officials before they bought and used new spying technologies. Bit […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL-04), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), Jan Schakowski (D-IL-09), Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Bill Foster (D-IL-11), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) today denounced Donald Trump’s disturbing and authoritarian statement that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson “should be in jail”: “Donald Trump’s continued and escalating threats against his political opponents should alarm everyone—especially since he’s proven they aren’t just idle threats. Our Constitution was designed to protect our country from tyrants who think they have ultimate power—and right now, our country’s founding

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and 16 of their colleagues in introducing the Federal Employee Civil Relief Act . The legislation would protect federal workers, federal contractor employees and their families from foreclosures, evictions and loan defaults during a government shutdown. “Instead of negotiating with us to ensure our government works for the American people, Trump is forcing millions of workers through a needless government shutdown and threatening to withhold their backpay despite signing the law guaranteeing it himself,” said Duckworth. “The longer this shutdown continues, the more harm they’ll cause to federal workers across the country and their families. Our bill would help protect federal employees until Republicans finally come to the negotiating table and help find a bipartisan solution that meets the needs of the

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he’s prepared to cancel funding approved by Congress that he believes is going toward programs supported by Democrats, though he didn’t share any additional details during a Cabinet meeting.  “We’ll be cutting some very popular Democratic programs that aren’t popular with Republicans,” he said. “They wanted to do […]

A Missouri company is taking an Iowa health care provider to court, accusing it of trying to poach dying hospice patients. National Hospice Management Inc., or NHP, is suing Moments Hospice of Davenport in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. NHP provides hospice and related nursing services through hospice centers in several […]

St. Louis Blues fans now have another affordable travel option to get to games at the Enterprise Center. Starting Oct. 9, the St. Clair County Transit District and Metro Transit will offer the Blue Note Express for select home games.

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis region is preparing for the weekend, which is set to feature a boatload of events throughout the area. From the Soulard Oktoberfest to Brew in the Lou, residents have a wide lineup of events they can choose to attend this weekend. Below is a list of some events happening [...]

COLLINSVILLE — The Collinsville Police Department has named Officer Connor Diecker as its Officer of the Month for September 2025, recognizing his proactive efforts that resulted in 25 arrests throughout the month. Officer Diecker’s arrests included charges for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, felony driving while license revoked, felony retail theft, and possession of a weapon by a felon. The department highlighted his commitment to public safety in a recent statement. “Thank you Officer Diecker for your proactive work to keep our community safe,” the department said. The recognition underscores the department’s focus on addressing crime through active policing and community engagement.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) convened an emergency meeting of her Veterans Advisory Council to discuss how the government shutdown is impacting services for the brave men and women who served our country. The advisory group highlighted how the shutdown has caused uncertainty and exacerbated delays for veterans looking to access benefits. “Our veterans deserve to know that the benefits and services they rely on at VA will be available when they need them,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “Right now, because of the government shutdown, that is unfortunately not the reality. I convened my Veterans Advisory Council today to hear from folks on the ground exactly how the veteran community – and the dedicated VA workforce – are being impacted by Republicans’ failure to come to the negotiating table. Our conversation underscored that we need a bipartisan solution that ends the shutdown, protects healthcare, and ensure

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EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that Lebanon Road will be closed between Fon Du Lac Drive and Woodcrest Drive in St. Clair County beginning, weather permitting, Monday, Oct. 13, for road repairs. Access to both Fon Du Lac Drive and Woodcrest Drive will be maintained throughout the duration of the closure, which is expected to remain in place for approximately two weeks. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on the social media platform X at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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ALTON - An October 9, 1925, article in the Alton Evening Telegraph gave the statistics for fire losses of life and property in Illinois for the fiscal year ending June 20, 1925. Madison County ranked fourth for the amount of money lost to damage done by fire, following Cook County, Peoria County, and LaSalle County. St. Clair County was fifth. (The original Alton City Hall building burned down on April 22, 1924, and damages would not have been included in this fiscal year.) In the state of Illinois, for the June 1924 - June 1925 fiscal year, a total of $26,148,908 in fire damages were reported. (That would be approximately $478,622,520 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.) The statistics for fire loss last year in Illinois are available from the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshall’s 2024 Annual Report: $530,582,107 in property and contents loss. There were 142 people killed by fires in 1925 and 102 in 2025. The population has increased from over

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CHICAGO – The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) , the state’s college access and financial aid agency, is proud to announce the 2025-26 Financial Aid Application Completion Recognition of Excellence awardees , honoring Illinois high schools that demonstrate outstanding leadership and commitment to student success by achieving high financial aid application completion rates. These schools have gone above and beyond in supporting their students and families through the financial aid process. This year, 469 Illinois high schools were honored, almost a 15 percent increase over last year’s honorees. “Here in Illinois, we’re committed to supporting every student as they pursue opportunities for higher education,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our high schools play a critical role in ensuring students have the resources they need to achieve their education and career goals, and this year, I’m proud to congratulate the hundreds of

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In what may be the most accidentally honest moment of his presidency, Donald Trump just admitted what we’ve been documenting for months: “We took the freedom of speech away.” Yes, that’s literally what he said: For those who’ve been following Trump’s systematic assault on the First Amendment—which we’ve covered extensively at Techdirt—this admission is remarkable […]