( KTRS ) A bill to increase funding for financially struggling Illinois colleges and universities has cleared the state Senate. Lawmakers approved the $454 million bill on a near unanimous vote and sent the measure to the House on Thursday. Democrats who control the Legislature and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner have been unable to agree…
HARTFORD, Ill. (AP) – A Southern Illinois historic site is celebrating the anniversary of the start of Lewis and Clark’s legendary expedition of the West. The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site in Hartford will welcome more than 800 fourth-graders on May 13. They’ll do many of the same things that troops did to prepare…
CHICAGO (AP) – A member of Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration says the Republican governor will not endorse Donald Trump as the GOP standard-bearer in the November election. Rauner declined to back a candidate during the once-crowded GOP nomination process, although he did express dismay with Trump’s rhetoric. Rauner’s aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity…
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) – A man who authorities say was texting when he struck and killed a pedestrian in Granite City, and then drove off, has been sentenced to 4 { years in prison. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports 24-year-old Travis Crain of Madison was sentenced Tuesday on a charge of failing to report an…
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says he plans to meet with National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s director to discuss errors in the report that led to the preliminary decision to build the spy agency’s new regional headquarters in St. Louis. Speaking in East St. Louis on Wednesday, Illinois Democrat says the agency’s…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – An Illinois lawmaker is responding to the Dennis Hastert hush-money case with a proposal to give prosecutors the right to pursue child sex abuse charges no matter how long ago the crimes occurred. The former U.S. House Speaker was sentenced to 15 months in prison last week in a hush-money case…
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) – Belleville elected leaders have voted unanimously to dissolve a township serving the same area as the city. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1NTsvLR ) reports the Belleville City Council voted unanimously Monday night to eliminate the township. The move comes after state lawmakers approved a provision last year giving the city and…
( KTRS ) A measure to add $453 million for Illinois colleges and universities during the state’s historic budget stalemate is expected to be considered in the state Senate this week. Lawmakers are proposing to get the money by not repaying various state funds they borrowed from. Last month, lawmakers approved $600 million in short-term…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – An Illinois advisory board is once again recommending that Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration add new health conditions to a list of what can be treated legally with medical marijuana. The Medical Cannabis Advisory Board met Monday in Springfield. Its members voted to recommend Type 1 diabetes and panic disorder to the…
MARION, Ill. (AP) – A Southern Illinois police department is getting new cameras for its squad cars. The Southern Illinoisan reports (http://bit.ly/26M35pL ) the Marion City Council has secured a loan for more than $100,000 to buy 29 in-car cameras. Marion Police chief Dawn Tondini says the cameras currently mounted inside squad cars are more than…