Lexi Cortes

Starting Monday, the first block of South First Street between West Main and West Washington streets will be closed to through traffic.

The construction will begin Friday, March 22 and is expected to wrap up before Memorial Day weekend.

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, and former Illinois state senator Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, are running against each other in the 2024 Republican primary for Illinois' 12th Congressional District. The polls open next Tuesday.

The courthouse will remain open to the public, but the southwest entrance and the pedestrian crosswalk tunnel between the South First Street public parking garage and courthouse will be temporarily closed.

While both Republican candidates voting records align with National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America, they differ on an issue going before the U.S. Supreme Court this week.

Politicians, judges and billionaires, as well as private citizens and business groups, are helping to fund the 2024 campaigns of U.S. Rep. Mike Bost and former state senator Darren Bailey.

Officials say the construction project will expand the entry lobby, improve the security checkpoint there and provide street-level entry on the southwest side of the building.

Kurt Prenzler faced questions from his colleagues on the Madison County Board this week after the county's ethics adviser recommended the board sanction Prenzler for handing out “campaign-style” business cards while on the job.

The sheriff’s patrol budget is increasing 2% next year. Republican members of the St. Clair County Board say there's not enough deputies. The sheriff has also told the board staffing challenges.

As Cahokia Heights residents found themselves continuously sick with respiratory conditions, heart problems, and bacterial infections they had one question — where were the health officials?

Cahokia Heights residents are being exposed to bacteria and parasites possibly spreading because of chronic sewage backups and flooding in their community, preliminary findings from an ongoing health study showed.

Ahead of the 2024 primary, St. Clair County has consolidated its 190 voting precincts down to 149 to comply with a change in Illinois law.