Government
Growth in Columbia budget
Columbia City Administrator Doug Brimm presented a budget overview during last Monday’s Columbia City Council meeting. The budget for the City of Columbia’s upcoming fiscal year, like many recent aspects…
Read MoreState OKs budget, tax relief
It may have taken into the early hours of Saturday morning, but Illinois lawmakers finally passed a $46.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2023 as well as a $4.8 billion…
Read MoreColumbia comprehensive plan gets personal
The City of Columbia hosted a community open house as part of its comprehensive planning project Thursday evening at the Main Street Abbey pavilion. City staff, elected officials and emergency…
Read MoreCounty help sought in Maeystown preservation
While the Village of Maeystown has the distinction as an entry in the National Register of Historic Places, a group addressed the Monroe County Board of Commissioners on Monday with…
Read MoreCoroner releases 2021 totals
Compared to those of 2020, the Monroe County Coroner’s Office saw more drug overdoses and less COVID deaths. From 2020 to 2021, the coroner’s office saw a 75 percent increase…
Read MoreHistory shapes views on Ukraine
Two days after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv resident Kateryna Pesotska called her father in Mariupol, recounting the destruction she witnessed. He did not believe her. Pesotska,…
Read MoreRoad District 5 concerns raised
Some residents of Monroe County Road District 5 are sounding the alarm on what they believe to be hazardous road conditions, from potholes to alleged flood submerged electrical boxes. Road…
Read MoreCounty feeling effects of inflation
County revenues are up from budget expectations for the year, a trend Monroe County Treasurer Kevin Koenigstein described as a “double-edged sword.” At Monday’s meeting of the Monroe County…
Read MoreWater plant project moves ahead
Plans to build a new water treatment plant serving Waterloo residents took a major step forward Monday night. The Waterloo City Council approved an ordinance authorizing the city to borrow…
Read MoreColumbia updates sign code
Out with the old, in with the new is a recurring theme in recent Columbia City Council meetings as the city continues a year-long comprehensive planning process and gears up…
Read MoreCandidates file for election
With the filing period ending Monday, it’s official: the November general election will see two contested Monroe County races. As for the Republican and Democratic primary elections June 28, however,…
Read MorePublic makes case for pool referendum
Pool proponents packed last Wednesday’s Waterloo Park District meeting, spelling out a common message: “Let the people vote.” Yet, the end of the night did not yield a clear decision…
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