JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A lawsuit is accusing Missouri’s prison system of illegally not giving young offenders special consideration during parole hearings. The lawsuit filed last week by the MacArthur Justice Center is asking a Cole County judge to declare the state’s parole hearing procedures unconstitutional when it comes to inmates who committed their…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri’s outgoing Democratic governor says he’s made plenty of “solid accomplishments” during his two terms as the chief executive. In an interview with the Associated Press, Gov. Jay Nixon cites increased funding for education and mental health services and billions of spending cuts that have helped keep the budget in…
Belleville, IL  (KTRS)  The investigation continues after a body was found early Tuesday morning near a school in Belleville. Authorities say the victim was discovered at just before 5 a.m. near Emge Junior High School. The “Belleville News Democrat” reports that the St. Clair County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim as 40-year-old Richard Kelley Jr. Kelley reportedly…
SWANSEA, Ill. (AP) – The southern Illinois city of Swansea is the latest in the region to allow residents to raise chickens in their backyards. The Belleville News Democrat reports that Swansea village leaders recently voted unanimously to allow chickens in neighborhoods that are zoned residential. That’s different than four years ago when the village…
VIENNA, Ill. (AP) – Authorities in southern Illinois have identified the four people who died after a single-engine plane crashed in a wooded area on New Year’s Eve. Johnson County Coroner David Rockwell says 34-year-old Curt Terpstra, 37-year-old Krista Green, 35-year-old Jordan Linder and his 26-year-old sister, Jasmine Linder, died in Saturday night’s crash. All…
