By JERRY NOWICKI & PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com The man who pleaded guilty to a mass shooting in 2022 in Highland Park that left seven people dead and prompted the passage of a ban on assault-style weapons in Illinois, has been sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences. Robert Crimo III pleaded guilty on March 3, the day his trial was set to begin in Lake County, to 69 counts of murder and attempted murder stemming from that shooting. His attorneys...

Governor's support bolsters Stratton's candidacy before field to replace Durbin crowds By HANNAH MEISEL & BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO - Just one day into her campaign to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin in the U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Friday received a key endorsement from Gov. JB Pritzker, nearly eight years after he first tapped her to be his running mate. Standing outside the Bright Star Church amid a backdrop of supporter...

Photos from this year's spring concert by Pat Hodges.

The Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce has announced several award winners and nominees for other annual awards that will be presented at the Awards Gala Saturday night. This year's Partners in Progress Award will be presented to the Little Egypt CEO. The CEO program is being honored for their steadfast partnership and unwavering commitment to growing and developing the next generation of entrepreneurs and small business owners. There are eight nominees for teacher of the year. They are Kell...

The Salem Grade School Board reorganized after the April 1st election at its meeting Thursday night. Alisha Ambuehl was re-elected President, John Gaston Vice-President, Laura Burkett as Secretary and Myron Lloyd as Treasurer. The board swore in new board member Amanda Hartley and incumbents John Gaston and Patty Squibb for new four-year terms. They then appointed Kerri Richards to fill the fourth open seat for which there wasn't a candidate. Richards had decided not to run for re-election b...

In its first meeting since the April 1 consolidated election, the Centralia High School board of education was reorganized Thursday night. Board members elected Mike Neudecker as the new board president, Keith Kessler as vice president, and Tyson Coffey as secretary. All three were elected unopposed. Coffey and Lance Marcum, who both won seats in the election, took their oaths of office. Mike Sutherland, who was not present at the meeting, will take his oath next month. The board agreed to ke...

Unemployment dropped across South Central Illinois in March. In Marion County, the rate fell one-tenth of a percent to 4.4 percent and is down six-tenths of a percent from last March. The numbers translate into 713 on the unemployment rolls last month, down 13 from the previous month. The county number of employed increased 121 people to 16,095. Clinton County had the lowest unemployment in the region at 2.9-percent. That is a drop of six-tenths of a percent from February. Washington Count...

Nashville Police are crediting two teenage boys for assisting residents out of the Village 1 Apartment complex on North Hoffman Street in Nashville after a large fire started in an upstairs apartment. Police report the two teenage boys made numerous trips up and down the stairs helping in an evacuation before Nashville and Okawville Police and Washington County Sheriff's Deputies arrived on the scene and also helped residents out of the smoke and flames. A press release notes these officers ...