Government
Reitz 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 MoreColumbia election results are in
After two weeks of anticipation, the final results for the April 2 municipal elections came in, with all candidates who were leading on election day officially winning. There were 211…
Read MoreElection wait continues
Eighty-two of the 211 absentee ballots in last week’s consolidated election have arrived at the Monroe County Clerk’s Office. Most of those are valid, but Monroe County Clerk Jonathan McLean…
Read MoreSheriff disputes school district assertion
The Columbia school district recently sent a second document to the community, following up on its letter from February addressing negative claims about the district. This document contains seven new…
Read MoreMaeystown mayor retires
In 1994, Terryl Walster was already serving in village government in Maeystown when he was appointed as mayor. The position was not one he aspired to have but one he…
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