Category Archives: Local News
Report: Federal housing credit expansion could increase affordable rental units in Illinois
Advocates say additional state-level credit is necessary to make projects more affordable By BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois bszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary The latest federal d...
Jul 26, 2025 Houses are pictured in Springfield’s East Side neighborhood that are part of an affordable housing development for low-income residents. A development in the area was awarded a federal tax credit in 2025. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Campbell)
Feds weigh in on lawsuit challenging how Illinois maintains voter registration rolls
Suit alleges Illinois fails to properly maintain registration lists By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Article summary: The Justice Department is supporting a laws...
Jul 26, 2025 Voters cast their ballots in Springfield during the 2024 general election in November. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Campbell)
Illinois State Fair Announces New Enhanced Security Measures
The Illinois State Fair, in collaboration with the Illinois State Police, is introducing updated security measures to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all guests. The following items wi...
Jul 26, 2025 Katherine Johnson / CC
'You preferred secrecy and lies': Madigan confidant gets 2 years for role in ComEd bribery scheme
Longtime lobbyist and friend to ex-speaker sentenced after 2023 convictions By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Mike McClain, who spent decades as on...
Jul 26, 2025 Longtime Springfield lobbyist Mike McClain, a former close friend and advisor to ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, leaves the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Thursday, July 24, after receiving a two-year prison sentence. McClain was convicted in 2023’s “ComEd Four” trial in which McClain and other lobbyists and executives for electric utility Commonwealth Edison were found guilty of having orchestrated a yearslong bribery scheme targeted at Madigan. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Adams)
Police Beat for Saturday, July 26th, 2025
Salem Police arrested 31-year-old Alex Allen of Allmon Street in Salem for alleged domestic battery. He was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail after police responded to his residence when an...
Jul 26, 2025
Five drug dealers sentenced to federal prison in Centralia-area crackdown
Five drug dealers active in Fayette, Jefferson and Marion counties have been sentenced to federal prison for distributing cocaine, meth or fentanyl in southern Illinois. 53-year-old Jason Barnes of Od...
Jul 25, 2025
Marion County Fair opens with Exhibit Building entries on Friday
The opening weekend for the Marion County Fair begins Friday with exhibit building entries being accepted from noon to six and then again from nine to noon on Saturday. The Superintendent for the Exhi...
Jul 25, 2025
Two airlifted to St. Louis Hospitals following Thursday crash at Bell Club and Levy roads
Marion County Sheriff's Deputies say both drivers were injured in a crash at Levy and Bell Club Roads near Lake Centralia during the noon hour on Thursday. Initial information indicates a vehicle driv...
Jul 25, 2025
Unemployment ticks upward in South Central Illinois
Unemployment was up slightly in Marion County and across Southern Illinois in June. In Marion County, unemployment increased two-tenths of a percent to an even four percent. That is down 1.3-percent f...
Jul 25, 2025
Salem Community High School still assessing damage from Wednesday lightning strike
Salem Community High School was apparently struck by lightning during thunderstorm activity that mostly missed Salem late Wednesday afternoon. Superintendent Dr. Brad Detering was at the school when t...
Jul 25, 2025