Government
Belt legacy felt among local Democrats
Although she has not served as an officer in more than two years, the work Jeannine Belt did during her time on the Monroe County Democratic Central Committee is still…
Read MoreConcern locally over cannabis legalization
Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 1438 into law last Tuesday, making recreational marijuana legal in Illinois starting Jan. 1. “Legalizing adult-use cannabis brings an important and overdue change to…
Read MoreReitz evaluates first session
State Rep. Nathan Reitz (D-Steeleville) was only in Springfield for the final 16 days of the legislative session, but he still passed several bills and voted on numerous critical proposals. …
Read MoreCounty board hears flood update
The threat of flooding on the Mississippi and Kaskaskia rivers is by no means over, but the Mississippi is dropping steadily and is predicted to continue to do so. The…
Read MoreSchimpf 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…
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