Community
Mehrtens retires from highway department
A familiar face among the Monroe County Highway Department has stepped away after over 30 years of service. Marcia Mehrtens, longtime administrative assistant for the department, recently announced her retirement.…
Read MoreBoyle rows right along
A Waterloo resident who’s bounced around the country as an athlete will soon find herself serving as coxswain for a rowing team in England. Elizabeth Boyle currently attends LaSalle University…
Read MoreLighting up Helping Strays
Helping Strays of Monroe County animal shelter will now have an easier time walking the dogs at the facility, located at 4221 Hanover Road in rural Columbia. On Friday, Ameren…
Read MoreCOVID-19 ‘emergency’ to end in May
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced Tuesday the state’s public health emergency will end May 11, aligning the state with the federal government’s decision to end the national public health emergency. …
Read MoreQueen finally found in crazy, freezing finale
It took 12 tries over an hour, but the Queen of Hearts finally ended her reign over downtown Waterloo on Tuesday night after growing a jackpot of nearly $2 million.…
Read MoreVan Eck talks after emotional trial
Jeremy Van Eck was charged with several felonies concerning alleged instances of sexual assault involving a young female family member in the fall of 2019. Three years later, a Monroe…
Read MoreCOVID lower locally
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released its weekly COVID-19 “community level” data showing 28 counties in Illinois at an “elevated” level, down from 61 in the…
Read MoreA new way to train
The late Roger Taake would have been proud of the community coming together to create a two-story “training tower” on Maeystown Volunteer Fire Department grounds. The new training structure is…
Read MoreResidents review revised flood maps
The only constant in life is change, and Columbia residents came out in force last Tuesday to see if they had any change in their futures. Representatives of the Federal…
Read MoreLongtime local banker retires
First National Bank of Waterloo Assistant Vice President Ann Laurent has stepped away after 47 years with the organization. Laurent started at First National back in 1975, having possessed a…
Read MoreLet there be light in Millstadt
A major grant put toward field lighting for two baseball diamonds as well as a complaint concerning high speeds on a small road in the community is some of the…
Read MoreCOVID levels improve
The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Friday that COVID-19 “community levels” are lower in the state, but there are concerns about a rise in Illinois cases caused by a…
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