Community
Early growth, Lincoln visit follow county’s founding
This is the second in a monthly series looking back on Monroe County as part of its Bicentennial celebration in 2016. We previously wrote about events from the arrival of…
Read MoreLocal author publishes first murder mystery
Local writer Jeannette Cooperman has published her first murder mystery, through the U.K.’s leading digital-only press, Endeavour. “A Circumstance of Blood” is set in a private boys’ school on the…
Read MoreApplebee’s cooks up special surprise party
Two employees of a Waterloo restaurant had a rough 2015, so management and fellow employees did a little something to get their 2016 off to a positive start. A surprise…
Read MoreValmeyer school referendum back on ballot
Valmeyer School District voters will be asked to renew a referendum that provides about $300,000 in working cash annually to the district to allow it to continue to educate students…
Read MoreSenior centers reducing services due to lack of funding
Local senior centers are cutting back on services due to an ongoing state budget impasse that has now entered its seventh month. The failure of Illinois to adopt a budget…
Read MoreA man and his camera: memories of the Korean War
Fred Meister’s involvement with photography stemmed from his Aunt Ida. A 1946 graduate of Valmeyer High School, Meister told the Republic-Times about his aunt documenting family events with a box…
Read MoreRandom Acts of Kindness Day
It’s been barely a year since the collective heart of a community broke over the news that Red Bud women and lifelong best friends Abby Liefer, 19, and Hannah Porter,…
Read MoreBicentennial Birthday Bash celebrates county’s history
A sold out gathering filled the Hecker Community Center on Saturday to celebrate Monroe County’s 200th anniversary during a Bicentennial Birthday Bash. Attendees were treated to fried chicken and all…
Read MoreLocal fans upset with loss of their Rams
Owner Stan Kroenke, National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell and several team owners stuck a dagger through the heart of St. Louis Rams fans last week, as the team was…
Read MoreSchool officials explain proposed sales tax
With the state of Illinois’ financial issues, local school districts have not only been forced to cut back, but have also had to find new streams of revenue. One of…
Read MoreCommunity shows love for little Audrey
A Zahnow Elementary first grader who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor is receiving encouraging news by the day as community support pours in. On Dec. 17, 7-year-old Audrey…
Read MoreColumbia boutique a labor of family love
With a name like Bad Sister, you might not expect Columbia’s newest boutique to be the family affair that it is. “There was a wall here. My dad tore it…
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