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Collinsville Family Faces Medical Crisis With Baby Maverick

3 months 2 weeks ago
COLLINSVILLE - Collinsville parents Megan and Zack Atchison are facing an uncertain medical journey after their son, Maverick, stopped eating on Sept. 1, 2025. Initially suspecting reflux or colic, the family sought care at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, where a series of tests and procedures revealed a complex and unresolved condition. Maverick underwent MRIs, scopes through his nose, chest and brain X-rays, and surgery to remove extra tissue in his throat. Doctors also placed a nasogastric tube to assist with feeding, conducted a brain scan to rule out mini seizures, performed extensive bloodwork, and sent stool samples to California to test for botulism. Additional support included oxygen therapy to protect his lungs and the insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). As Maverick approaches 15 days in the pediatric intensive care unit, his condition remains stable but uncertain. The family acknowledges the medical team’s ongoing efforts

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Stop Begging. Start Building

3 months 2 weeks ago
As a reminder, I’m on the board at Bluesky, which means you should consider me extremely biased, even as this article isn’t really about Bluesky. The writer Jerusalem Demsas wants you to stay on Twitter. In “The case for staying on Twitter,” she admits the site is effectively overrun by neo-Nazis, but she argues that […]
Mike Masnick

St. Louis Symphony reopens $140M renovated Powell Hall Friday

3 months 2 weeks ago
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is set to reopen Powell Hall as part of the new Jack C. Taylor Music Center this Friday, following a $140 million renovation project that included new seating, improved accessibility, upgraded backstage areas, a state-of-the-art recording studio, and a nearly 4,000-square-foot Education and Learning Center.
Joe Millitzer

Alton Hosts Successful Annual Pride Festival

3 months 2 weeks ago
ALTON - Alton hosted its annual Pride Festival this weekend. On Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, community members gathered on Belle Street for a day of support and unity. Organized by Alton Pride, the festival aims to bring people together and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. “I think it’s going great,” said Festival Director Anne McCoy midday on Saturday. “All our vendors are happy and our food vendors are happy.” Throughout the day, attendees could talk with vendors, listen to live music, enjoy drag shows, and watch wrestling matches. McCoy noted that the festival welcomed back many vendors and sponsors this year. Alton Pride received “a tremendous response” from vendors who wanted to be a part of the festival. This year’s theme — “Together, We Rise” — spoke to the unity that Alton Pride hopes to foster in the community. Organizers emphasized that the goal is to bring people together. “We just have

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Deaths prompt state lawmakers to consider new hyperbaric oxygen therapy rules

3 months 2 weeks ago
Just before 8 a.m. on Jan. 31, an explosion rocked a nondescript one-story office building in an affluent suburb of Detroit. The building was home to The Oxford Center, a health clinic that provided hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat a variety of disorders. Inside the clinic, a spark had ignited the high-pressure, pure-oxygen atmosphere in […]
Anna Claire Vollers

Wilson Honored as National PTA School of Excellence Granite City

3 months 2 weeks ago
GRANITE CITY – Wilson Elementary School has been recognized as a National PTA School of Excellence for the 2024–26 term, one of only eight schools in Illinois to earn the distinction. A new banner displayed at the school’s front entrance celebrates the achievement. Wilson is one of two Metro East schools honored, joining Twin Echo Elementary in Collinsville. Other Illinois schools recognized include Helen Keller Jr. High (Schaumburg), Hunting Ridge (Palatine), Jane Addams Jr. High (Schaumburg), Jane Stenson (Skokie), Lincoln Prairie PTSA (Hoffman Estates), and Whiteley PTA (Hoffman Estates). "National PTA School of Excellence program is designed to build strong partnerships between families and schools and create meaningful family engagement," said Wilson Principal Ann Wilson . "This honor reflects the dedication of our staff, families, and PTA in working together to support student success." Through National PTA’s School of Excellence program, PTA

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Budzinski Hosts Community Day Focused on Metro East Water Infrastructure In East St. Louis

3 months 2 weeks ago
EAST ST. LOUIS — On Friday, Sept. 12, 2025,, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) hosted a Community Day in East St. Louis alongside Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) . The event focused on water infrastructure in the Metro East, providing an opportunity for residents to hear the latest progress on flood mitigation and prevention efforts and learn about the resources available to them in the wake of disasters, including stormwater and wastewater backups. Federal, state, and community organizations, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Department of Insurance, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Office of Community Engagement, and the East Side Health District, also attended

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