State to host medical cannabis town hall meeting in Collinsville Thursday
Eight months after the Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act went into effect and eight months before the first dispensaries are expected to open, the State of Illinois is hosting three town hall meetings to answer questions about the program. Collinsville will host the first town hall, at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 14 […]
Read More →Collinsville considered as possible site for medical cannabis dispensary
A group interested in opening a cannabis dispensary in Collinsville approached the City last month to initiate discussions, officials have confirmed. The discussions are in the very early stages, City Manager Scott Williams said. “We have had preliminary discussions with a vendor who contacted us,” Williams said. “We responded to questions about zoning and licensing.” […]
Read More →Local Christian school opens doors to high schoolers
The 2014-2015 school year will be Legacy Christian Academy’s 21st, and its first year as a high school. The school on 2nd Street in Caseyville will have only a freshman class this school year, with another grade level added each of the next three years, Principal Anita Gajewski said. The school that started with four […]
Read More →Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge closing delayed by almost a year
The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that the work previously planned to start in August on the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge has been postponed. The bid submitted to rehabilitate the bridge deck was considerably higher than IDOT had budgeted. The planned work will be revised and the work put out for bid later this […]
Read More →New Collinsville Unit 10 policy allows advanced students to skip grade levels
Gifted students in the Collinsville Unit 10 School District can now skip grade levels if they meet certain criteria. The grade acceleration policy for elementary and middle school students was adopted by a unanimous vote of the School Board Monday and was put in place because some parents and staff have identified at least two […]
Read More →Madison County Board supports high-speed rail route bypassing East St. Louis
The Madison County Board unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday in support of one of two routes being considered as the final leg of the Chicago to St. Louis high-speed rail connection. The route would cross the Mississippi River at the Merchant’s Bridge in Madison and continue east of the river into St. Louis. The city […]
Read More →$50,000 donation gives Big Brothers Big Sisters much needed financial boost
A recent $50,000 donation from Ameren Illinois to Big Brothers Big Sister gave the agency a much needed infusion of money. In a climate of dwindling federal funding for non-profit organizations, and virtually non-existent funds from the State of Illinois, donations from corporations and individuals are very important, said Barbara Cempura, President and CEO of […]
Read More →New Collinsville High School principal hired
The Collinsville Unit 10 School Board voted unanimously Thursday to hire David G. Snider as the new Collinsville High School principal. Snider comes to CHS from Staunton, Ill,, where he spent two years as the high school principal. The Carlinville, Ill. native made previous stops in Paxton and Palos Hills after starting his teaching career […]
Read More →Mayor’s attempt to appoint new Caseyville village attorney fails without vote
The Caseyville Village Board considered hiring a new village attorney and a new Tax Increment Finance attorney Wednesday. One motion passed and one left an uncomfortable silence in council chambers. Mayor Leonard Black’s nominee for the next village attorney garnered so little support from the Village Board that they did not even allow the motion […]
Read More →Caseyville Police involved in another chase, two suspects arrested in East St. Louis
Caseyville Police were involved in their third police chase in less than a month on Tuesday. All three chases ended with the suspects captured in East St. Louis. At about 11:54 a.m. Tuesday, an officer stopped a car near Illinois Route 157 and St. Clair Avenue. The officer saw the male driver switch seats with […]
Read More →Eric Flohr, 2008 Illinois Principal of the Year, leaves Collinsville High School
The man who helped coin the phrase, “high school of champions,” has left Collinsville High School to become the principal of a high school in Rockton, Ill. During the eight years Eric Flohr was the principal at Collinsville High School, he was named the Illinois High School Principal of the year (2008) by the National […]
Read More →Maryville moving towards creating TIF districts
By a unanimous vote of the Village Board on June 18, Maryville set in motion the process to create at least one Tax Increment Finance district in the village. The creation of TIF districts would signal a shift for the town of about 7,487, which nearly doubled in population from 2000 to 2010, but many […]
Read More →Caseyville Police involved in second car chase in two weeks, nab both suspects
Caseyville Police found themselves in their second car chase in two weeks Thursday. Richard D. Malone Jr., 35, of East St. Louis, was pulled over at the intersection of Illinois Route 157 and California Drive at 11:41 p.m. Thursday. Driving on a suspended license, Malone admitted to the officer that he had cannabis in his […]
Read More →Where to find Metro East fireworks and festivals on July 4 and 5
Although American’s celebrate Independence Day on July 4 each year, some Metro East towns have chosen to work on a one-day delay in 2014. Troy and Granite City will be traditionalist, hosting fireworks displays on July 4. Caseyville, Belleville and Edwardsville have chosen July 5 for their festivals and fireworks. Troy – July 4 Troy […]
Read More →Under investigation by police, Collinsville High School educator and coach fired
The Collinsville Unit 10 School Board voted unanimously Monday to terminate Dan Munoz. Munoz, 33, was an educational assistant, head boys golf coach and assistant baseball coach at Collinsville High School. Assistant Chief Tom Coppotelli, of the Collinsville Police Department, confirmed that an investigation is ongoing involving Munoz, but could not confirm the nature of the […]
Read More →Caseyville attorney fee increase drastically different than previously reported
The Metro Independent published a story on May 16 noting the dramatic increase in pay for Caseyville village attorneys after Leonard Black took office. The story contained incorrect pay information for prior village attorneys. The corrected figures prove a less dramatic increase. The May 16 story compared payments made to village attorneys from June 2012 […]
Read More →No internet, no problem: New concealed carry application process announced
The Illinois State Police announced Monday a way for residents to obtain a concealed carry permit if they do not have access to the internet. Applicants can contact the department’s Firearms Services (FSB) Customer Service Center phone line at 217-782-7980 and provide the same concealed carry license application information that is currently required through the on-line process. […]
Read More →Convicted sexual predator arrested in Caseyville
A man with pending court dates related to 20 traffic violations and two possession of cannabis charges from six law enforcement agencies is in jail on another charge after being stopped for speeding by Caseyville Police 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Daniel E. Bell, 29, of the 8800 block of Bermuda Avenue in Caseyville was charged with […]
Read More →Caseyville Park to get outdoor gym
Thanks to a $30,000 grant, Caseyville Park will have its own outdoor gym next summer. A cardio stepper, chest and back press, squat press and ab crunch are among the machines that would normally be found in a gym, but will be overlooking a lake at Caseyville Park. Brian Rader, Caseyville’s director of public works, […]
Read More →Madison County treasurer referred for investigation, calls charges political
It is still not clear what Madison County Treasurer Kurt Prenzler hoped to accomplish when he held a press conference in front of the St. Clair County Administration building on May 30. Prenzler presented results of an analysis that at least two of his staff members helped compile while working in the Madison County Treasurer’s […]
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