Leaders of the Metro East city believe the project will be transformative. Construction on buildings will begin in one year, and the developers say it will be complete by 2033.

A federal judge accepted the joint dismissal of the lawsuit against Prairie State Generating Co. Both the coal plant and the Illinois Sierra Club praised the conclusion.

U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski criticized Republican leaders, who she blamed for the cuts while drawing attention to the impact on Metro East communities.

A hearing board recommended a 60-day suspension of Tom DeVore, the Bond County attorney, for "violations arising from his dating and business relationships with a client.”

An East St. Louis pantry said it used to get 12 to 13 pallets of produce per week. Now, it’s four or five after the USDA eliminated a program that reimburses states for purchasing produce from local farmers.

The proposed legislation passed in the Illinois House of Representatives on Thursday. The Mascoutah Indians, Collinsville Kahoks, Cahokia High School Comanches and Whiteside Junior High’s Warriors could all be required to change.

“They’re talking about having a $400 to $500 million development,” Mayor Mike Leopold said Monday night. “It’s one of the biggest developments that Swansea will ever get.”

Last month, campus leaders proposed getting rid of the physics major and minor, which was met with skepticism from some faculty and staff.

Representatives passed the legislation 71-38 along party lines. If passed by the Senate, it would prohibit public schools from using references to disabilities as mascots and require them to change by 2028.

The Wedge Innovation Center will host space for business startups, a venture capital firm and various Southern Illinois University Edwardsville centers. It’s the first completed project from AltonWorks, a real estate company spearheading numerous economic development projects in town.