Government
Schimpf reviews historic session
State Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) recently took stock of the historic legislative session that concluded in Springfield on June 2. In a session that saw the General Assembly raise the…
Read MoreIngold appointed to Columbia Plan Commission
Amid public comments, a failed motion and questions of parliamentary procedure, Peter Ingold, owner of the Sunset Overlook, was appointed to the Columbia Plan Commission. The initial motion to approve…
Read MoreHouse OKs graduated income tax
Illinois voters will get to vote in 2020 on how they want their income taxed after the Illinois House of Representatives passed a joint resolution constitutional amendment on Memorial Day…
Read MoreRetired Monroe County judge dies
Retired longtime Monroe County Circuit Judge Dennis J. Jacobsen of Waterloo passed away May 4 at the age of 76. Jacobsen, a Democrat, was elected Monroe County State’s Attorney in…
Read MoreReitz replacing Costello
The vacant 116th district state representative seat most recently held by Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton) is now being occupied by another family name familiar to this area. Nathan Reitz, 42,…
Read MoreWaterloo talks taverns, car wash
The Waterloo City Council on Monday night swore in the mayor and other officials to new terms in office, clarified some statutes for tavern owners and amended zoning code for…
Read MoreGraduated income tax moves on
The Illinois Senate passed a series of measures last Wednesday that would send Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s graduated income tax proposal to the voters in 2020. The Senate passed three…
Read MoreWebbs seek $6.8M from IDOT
The family of a mother of six who died last year in a vehicle crash on Route 3 in Columbia is seeking more than $6.8 million from the state in…
Read MoreCostello resigns to take IDNR job
Former state Rep. Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton) resigned Tuesday after Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker appointed him to serve as Director of Law Enforcement for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. …
Read MoreSign flap, dispatch disconnect for county board
The Monroe County Board meeting opened Monday morning with strong words concerning the display of a sign by local resident Patrick Kelly. Kelly has frequently voiced displeasure with difficulty clearly…
Read MoreWaterloo OKs budget
The Waterloo City Council adopted an annual budget for the city during its meeting on Monday night. The budgeted expenditures for the fiscal year of May 1, 2019 through April…
Read MoreColumbia approves budget
The Columbia City Council voted Monday night to approve an $18 million annual budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year. Revenue is up $666,472 from last year’s report. Major expenses for…
Read More