Rita Mae Eshom | Obituary
Rita Mae Eshom, 90, died Jan. 4, 2026. She was born March 13, 1935, the daughter of the late Cleo and Alvera (nee Kohnz) Eshom. Rita enjoyed genealogy and bird…
Read MoreJames P. Lawlor Jr. | Obituary
James Patrick Lawlor Jr., 92, of Columbia, died Jan. 5, 2026, at Mercy Hospital South, St. Louis. He was born Feb. 6, 1933, in East St. Louis, son of the…
Read MoreTuesday brush fire near Columbia
The Columbia Fire Department responded shortly before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to a brush fire reported in the 1900 block of Columbia Quarry Road. The fire, reported to be about a…
Read MoreBrenda L. Kelley | Obituary
Brenda L. Kelley (nee Schmeiderer), 75, of Ave Maria, Fla., died Dec. 26, 2025, in Naples, Fla. She was born April 2, 1950, in Chester, to the late Anthony and…
Read MoreCFD called to Columbia substation
The Columbia Fire Department responded shortly before 3 p.m. Monday to a small explosion heard at the Ameren substation in the 200 block of North Briegel Street, resulting in a…
Read MorePeggy Ann Ries | Obituary
Peggy Ann Ries (nee Schnellbecher), left this life to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Dec. 30, 2025. Peggy was born on May 20, 1949, in Red…
Read MoreLisa K. Ruskaup | Obituary
Lisa K. Ruskaup (nee LaForge), 67, of Columbia, died Jan. 3, 2026, with her family by her side at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, St. Louis. She was born…
Read More2025 Year in Review
January The City of Waterloo announced the opening of its new water treatment facility in late December. The new city service was described as a comprehensive infrastructure project that also…
Read MoreWeilbacher retires from KRPD
The Kaskaskia Regional Port District has changed a great deal in the past 15 years, increasing tonnage and traffic drastically and cementing itself as both a core part of the…
Read MoreNew year, new laws
In 2025, Illinois lawmakers passed over 460 new laws. Courtesy of Capitol News Illinois and illinoislegalaid.org, below are several key laws going into effect in 2026. Unless otherwise noted, these…
Read MoreLocal school FOIA policies challenged
A St. Louis attorney and his acolytes have brought a mission of judicial reform to Southern Illinois, and Monroe County school districts are the latest public entities being used to…
Read MoreVocation, renovation talk in Columbia
Presentations concerning vocational training and a student organization focused on friendship dominated much of the Columbia School Board’s December meeting earlier this month, though the final tax levy for the…
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