The Salem City Council Monday night will swear in new Deputy Police Chief Ian King. Two TIF agreements will come before the city council. One is a new agreement with H and H Property Holdings to renovate a building owned by Glen Henderson in the Salem Industrial Park. The second will amend the agreement with Conant Development to allow for additional TIF 4 funding to be released for construction of more apartment buildings on Airport Road. The council will be asked to pass an IDOT Supplementa...

Salem Police arrested 21-year-old Andrew Blasdell on Sunday for domestic battery. He said he was homeless. Blasdell was taken to the Marion County Jail to await further court action. 47-year-old Laycee Yarbrough, who told Centralia Police she was homeless was arrested on an outstanding no bond failure to appear Coles County felony warrant. She was taken to the Marion County Jail to await transfer to the Coles County Jail at Charleston. 43-yea-rold Kyle Williams of Springer Church Road in rura...

Centralia Police say they broke up a burglary in progress at the Ameren facility at 1008 East 14th early Monday morning, but those responsible got away. Entry was made to a fenced in area behind the building were a fence was cut to gain entry. One suspect is seen on the video loading 25-feet of copper wire, copper head coils and a chainsaw onto a wagon attached to a bicycle. He had left the area before police arrived, but the bike and wagon was found with use of a drone in a nearby wooded are...

The Centralia Police Department arrested a 36-year-old Centralia man Sunday night after he fled an attempted traffic stop on a four wheeler at 13th and Marion Streets. Police say Jeffrey Gallatin of South Elm drove the four wheeler into a wooded area, but later abandoned it and was seen walking along railroad property. He was then taken into custody and arrested for having a revoked license, criminal trespass to property and driving an all terrain vehicle on the roadway. Gallatin was given a ...

The Marion County Sheriff's Department is investigating three weekend theft reports. The sheriff's department was called to the 4700 block of Hicks Road in Alma to a burglary and theft report. Deputies say a car trailer was stolen after a car was pushed off the trailer. Entry was also gained to a vacant house where cast iron collectables and a TV were reportedly stolen. The sheriff's department is also investigating the theft of three chain saws from a storage building in the 1200 block of So...

Country music powerhouse Randy Houser is headed to the Du Quoin State Fair Grandstand on Monday, September 7th, bringing his unmistakable voice and chart-topping catalog of hits to Southern Illinois for an unforgettable night of country music. Known for smash hits including "How Country Feels," "Runnin' Outta Moonlight," "Boots On," "Goodnight Kiss," and "We Went," Houser has earned a reputation as one of country music's most commanding vocali...

by Ben Szalinski, Capitol News Illinois June 1, 2026 Article Summary Democrats largely joined together to support the Fiscal Year 2027 budget as Republicans warned the plan will harm the state's financial picture. The budget totals about $56.9 billion and is just slightly less than what Gov. JB Pritzker proposed in February, though it incorporates key taxes and revenue changes he proposed. The spending plan is the largest in state history and includes funding for local governments along with ...

by Peter Hancock, Capitol News Illinois June 1, 2026 Article Summary Illinois lawmakers approved a budget after 4 a.m. Monday that includes the full $350 million increase in Evidence-Based Funding for public schools. The budget calls for just over $10.8 billion in state funding for the Illinois State Board of Education It includes a restoration of the $47 million for property tax relief grants. Some education advocates had called for a bigger increase. This summary was written by the reporter...