Caseyville mayor gets his wish on fifth attempt, police chief fired
Mayor Leonard Black’s feeling was correct, the situation with Police Chief Jose Alvarez has ended, for now, the way he has wanted since Feb. 12; Alvarez was fired Wednesday at a special meeting of the Caseyville Board of Trustees. Black said on May 15 that he had a feeling the situation with Alvaraz was “going in […]
Read More →Alvarez pleads not guilty to misdemeanor charges
Caseyville Police Chief Jose Alvarez pleaded not guilty this morning to two misdemeanor counts he faces in connection with an incident at the Feb. 19 Caseyville Village Board meeting. With Bob Romanik coming into and out of courtroom 108 in the St. Clair County Courthouse, Alvarez’s attorney, Bob Jones, and Special Prosecutor David Rands stood […]
Read More →Collinsville High School Student of the Month awards announced
Students of the Month April – Courtney Hasty, Nicole Hasty and Jose Oseguera While at Kiener Plaza on the senior field trip recently, the three worked together to save the life of a man who had fallen in the fountain and couldn’t swim. May – Brayden Drum Drum placed 4th in the state of […]
Read More →Who was watching Caseyville’s finances from May, 2013 to April, 2014?
A three-minute video clip from the Caseyville Village Board meeting on Feb. 19, 2014 has become an internet sensation, but there is more to the video clip than yelling and finger pointing, there are questions by Mayor Leonard Black about how the village is going to pay for certain items. If someone watches the entire […]
Read More →Caseyville struggles to pay bills on time, attorney fees up at least 269 percent
***Updated to note that Village Attorney John Gilbert was not the attorney for the Police Board when probationary officer Stephen Romanik was terminated on April 1.*** With Caseyville having difficulties paying their creditors on time, the village has incurred a steep rise in attorney fees since Mayor Leonard Black took office. “In most municipalities, if […]
Read More →10-month-old left in Caseyville hotel room, mother arrested on Mother’s Day
Caseyville Police arrested a 35-year-old Sorento, Ill. woman, accused of leaving her 10-month-old child in a Caseyville hotel room unattended for over an hour overnight. Police were called to the 2400 block of Old Country Inn Drive around 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning, Mother’s Day, and found the child in the hotel room. The mother, Jennifer […]
Read More →Caseyville Police to conduct special seat belt enforcement May 16-24
The Caseyville Police department will conduct a stationary seat belt enforcement zone during the nighttime hours on May 16-24, the department has announced. The effort will be part of an expanded patrol effort from May 9-26 enforcing seat belt and alcohol violations. Funding for these extra patrols was provided to Caseyville and hundreds of other […]
Read More →Collinsville High School announces April Character Education Students of the Month
Mayra Gonzalez, Tyler Jones and Corey Kitsch were named the Collinsville High School Character Education Students of the Month for April. The three were honored for best epitomizing the April character trait of “be caring; show concern for others.” As part of Co-op, Gonzalez works in the office at Collinsville Middle School, where she not […]
Read More →Guilty plea entered in Caseyville TV repair shop shooting
Today in federal court, Phillip W. Smith changed his not guilty plea to guilty on all three federal charges he faced in connection with the Nov. 14, 2013 robbery and shooting at Ferguson TV, VCR and Satellite Service in Caseyville. With his court-appointed attorney Judith Kuenneke at his side, Smith answered “yes” when asked by […]
Read More →Who knew it was cool to Hooloo?
When Collinsville Middle School teacher Tobey Elvers told a group of students in the hallway that they needed to be hooloos and not hooligans, it probably made as little sense to her as it did to the kids to whom she was talking. Despite that, or maybe because of that, the word stuck and has […]
Read More →CHS signing day honors academic standout performers
A group of Collinsville High School staff members have pondered for several years how to get the same attention for students that sign academic scholarships as is given to those signing athletic scholarships. In February, they found a simple answer, have the same type of signing ceremony. But how many would attend a ceremony, held […]
Read More →Caseyville police chief officially placed on administrative leave
The Caseyville Village Board voted unanimously, 4-0, Monday to place Police Chief Jose Alvarez on indefinite, paid administrative leave pending the outcome of two misdemeanor charges filed against him on April 24. (See previous story) Board members Ron Tamburello and Rick Casey Jr. were absent from the special meeting, which was posted on the Village’s […]
Read More →CHS Wind Ensemble selected to play at Illinois SuperState Concert Band Festival
The top concert band at Collinsville High School has been selected as one of the top concert bands in the state of Illinois. The CHS Wind Ensemble was chosen to play at the 2014 Illinois SuperState Concert Band Festival. The group is one of only 25 high school bands in the state to receive the […]
Read More →New vaccination requirements for Illinois schoolchildren
Beginning next year, Illinois schoolchildren will have stricter requirements for rubella and mumps vaccinations, the Illinois Department of Public Health has announced. Children entering school at any grade level must show proof that they have received two doses each – instead of just one – of rubella and mumps vaccines. In addition, any child entering […]
Read More →76-year-old Collinsville bus monitor charged with child sexual abuse
A Collinsville Unit 10 bus monitor, employed by First Student Bus Company, was charged Thursday with sexual exploitation of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. A Collinsville Unit 10 representative contacted the Collinsville Police Department on April 3 about possible inappropriate contact between 76-year-old Thomas R. Hartsoe, of the 3000 block of N. 61st […]
Read More →Misdemeanor charges filed against Caseyville police chief
A special prosecutor filed two misdemeanor charges Thursday against Caseyville Police Chief Jose Alvarez for his outburst during a Feb. 19 Caseyville Village Board meeting. A disorderly conduct charge was filed claiming Alvarez “knowingly acted in such unreasonable manner as to alarm or disturb another and to provoke a breach of the peace during the […]
Read More →Suspect charged after car chase and crash in Caseyville
A man in Caseyville was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when his car was rear-ended by a car chasing him. The victim’s car was rammed several times, finally causing a rollover crash. The incident happened at about 1:47 a.m. April 20, Caseyville Police said. Silvestre Huerta Barrios, age 29, of the 6000 block […]
Read More →CHS team one of only 10 remaining in statewide personal finance competition
A group of Collinsville High School students will be competing as one of the top 10 teams in the state Friday at the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge in Chicago. The team advanced to the State Championship Round as the top scoring team in Region 5, which encompasses nearly all of Illinois south of Springfield. CHS […]
Read More →Collinsville High School takes second at Model United Nations conference
Before Russia annexed the Ukrainian province of Crimea, delegates from France proposed a resolution to the standoff between Russia and Ukraine, calling for a popular vote to determine the region’s fate and the United Nations to enforce the outcome. Despite feverish consensus building among delegates, the United States vetoed the resolution. The situation could have […]
Read More →Guns and pot may mix in Illinois
Proposed rules for the State of Illinois’ implementation of the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, released Friday, remove a restriction allowing a person to have both a Firearm Owners Identification card and a medical cannabis identification card. The proposed restriction had proven controversial, but may return. “The State is continuing to examine […]
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