The $6.2 billion deal approved by the FCC this week puts St. Louis station KSDK, currently owned by Tegna, under the same umbrella as KPLR and KTVI, both of which were owned by Nexstar. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...

Brenden Moore shares his take on the U.S. Senate Democratic primary: Money was obviously a factor, and the leading candidates needed it to communicate with voters. But money isn’t worth anything without a winning message and an effective messenger. https://loom.ly/8QvF0v0

ICYMI: Tornado sirens in New Athens and other parts of St. Clair County failed to sound during a tornado on Sunday. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. — While the district's superintendent repeatedly contends the union’s allegations are a ploy to distract from contentious contract negotiations, the union said it has uncovered more potential wrongdoing. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/education/20...

Full story: www.stlpr.org/government-p...

Republican voters in Illinois have once again chosen former state Sen. Darren Bailey as their candidate for governor, giving him a second chance to unseat incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker in November. Via @capitolnewsil.bsky.social:

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has won the competitive Democratic primary race to replace U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on the heels of a late campaign surge and millions in support from longtime running mate Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Via @chicago.suntimes.com:

BREAKING: Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton wins Illinois Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

NEWS: Jeff Wilson has beaten Joshua Loyd for the Republican nomination in IL-13, according to the Associated Press. As of now, Wilson is up 67% to 33% with 42% of the vote reported. He’ll face incumbent Democrat Nikki Budzinski in November. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social

BREAKING: Former Illinois Republican Party chairman Don Tracy wins GOP primary for U.S. Senate.

BREAKING: Darren Bailey wins Republican primary for Illinois governor, facing Gov. JB Pritzker in November.

NEWS: @budzinski.house.gov has defeated progressive challenger Dylan Blaha in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. Currently, the incumbent Democrat is up 76.1 to 23.9% in the primary contest with 63% of the vote reported. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social

= Expanding the site into Illinois was part of the original vision for the park by architect Eero Saarinen when the design was first pitched in the 1940s. = @will-bauer.bsky.social on the renewed bipartisan, bi-state push by #Illinois and #Missouri legislators: @stlpublicradio.bsky.social >>

Illinoisans go to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes in their party’s primary contest, with the race to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin at the top of the ballot. Here are the four biggest things St. Louis Public Radio will be watching on election night.

Tuesday’s announcement marks one of the first steps to formalize the idea that’s been recently revived by the Gateway Arch Park Foundation and supported by East St. Louis officials. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...

From St. Louis Magazine's business newsletter: Gas prices in the counties that make up the Metro East average now $3.90 per gallon. That's up $1.06 per gallon from last week.

If you're voting by mail in next week's Illinois primary elections, both major political parties are recommending their voters send ballots in by 5 p.m. today due to a change in how USPS defines postmarks. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...

Swiss agrochemical giant Syngenta announced last week it will halt global production of paraquat by the end of June. Nearly 6,500 lawsuits have been filed over the chemical against both Syngenta and Chevron in the federal courthouse in East St. Louis. www.stlpr.org/2026-03-09/s...

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. — Residents have found E. coli in their drinking water through community-organized testing of samples from kitchen taps, intensifying longstanding worries about water quality. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social @jayohday.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/health-scien...

Cahokia Heights residents have found E. coli in their drinking water through community-organized testing of samples from kitchen taps. The results raise new questions about infrastructure in a community plagued by sewage spills and flooding.

Dozens of mourners packed sardine-dense into the Crow’s Nest bar in Maplewood on a Friday night in February. The occasion? A funeral for kegs of Stag, the classic American lager with deep roots in St. Louis and the Metro East.

With @jayohday.bsky.social Feds accuse former Carlyle police chief of wire fraud, theft capitolnewsillinois.com/news/feds-ac...

MARISSA, Ill. — The public has until the end of the day on Monday to weigh in on how much pollution the Prairie State Generating Co. coal plant in Washington County should be allowed to put into the air. From @stlpublicradio.bsky.social's @rebeccathiele.bsky.social: www.stlpr.org/news-briefs/...

While a distributor in Belleville says they'll keep distributing Stag kegs, others in the St. Louis region won't be — and a Maplewood bar even had a Stag funeral since it will no longer be carried on tap. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/culture-hist...

A federal judge on Friday dismissed the city of East St. Louis’ claims for massive fines over alleged pollution from the old Monsanto chemical plant in Sauget. From the Belleville News-Democrat:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency told St. Louis it will not pay for most building demolitions the city hoped would be covered. This denial means St. Louis will have less money to spend on rebuilding.

U.S. Transportation Command, headquartered at Scott Air Force Base in the Metro East, plays a significant role in moving equipment, personnel and supplies for American military operations worldwide — including the ongoing strikes on Iran. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/show/st-loui...

“I would not have guessed that we would have been able to achieve that in this past year — or in any year,” said Brendan Kelly, who served as the St. Clair County state’s attorney from 2010 to 2019. “It is encouraging, but it is a result of a long period of hard work.” www.stlpr.org/law-order/20...

"We spent decades shaming women for having kids under the wrong circumstances, for not having their ducks in a row. Now they are holding up their end of the bargain.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/b...

GLEN CARBON, Ill. — A developer wants to use a newly expanded state bond program to build a nearly $2 billion shopping and entertainment venue near the intersection of I-255 and I-270. www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — The 15 homicides committed in 2025 represent the lowest level seen in the Metro East town in 45 years, according to new data released today by Illinois State Police.

A proposal in the Illinois statehouse would lower the state’s legal blood alcohol content threshold for driving from 0.08 to 0.05. If the bill passes, Illinois would join Utah as the second state in the country to adopt a stricter limit. www.stlpr.org/government-p...

. @will-bauer.bsky.social and I have now interviewed the three main #ILSEN candidates. And for the record: @rajaforil.bsky.social is a Cubs fan @julianastratton.bsky.social is a White Sox fan @robinkelly.house.gov is a Mets and Yankees fan (she's from NY)

Raja Krishnamoorthi's family benefitted from public housing, food assistance and public schools in Peoria to help reach the American Dream after they immigrated from India. www.stlpr.org/podcast/poli...

Rick Heidner has made a name for himself in Illinois — not in politics but in business. However, he’s hoping to change that by winning the GOP nomination in the Illinois governor’s race next month. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/podcast/poli...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — The fates of the nearly 6,500 lawsuits filed against Syngenta Corporation regarding paraquat, a key ingredient in the Swiss company's weedkiller, are being decided at the federal courthouse in the Metro East. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/health-scien...

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — As the Metro East grapples with a developer looking to build three data centers in the area, the city assured residents it had ‘no formal proposal’ for a facility, but city emails tell a fuller story. From @jayohday.bsky.social: www.stlpr.org/government-p...

New from me for @illinoisanswers.bsky.social — Edwardsville officials assured residents on Facebook the city had ‘no formal proposal’ for a data center, but city emails tell a fuller story illinoisanswers.org/2026/02/21/e... Story also available at theintelligencer.com

TROY, Ill. — The city is preparing a moratorium on data centers, effectively ending talks with an interested developer after a “disappointing” private meeting with the Houston-based company earlier this month. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...

MADISON COUNTY, Ill. — The Illinois Department of Public Health and local health officials reported Wednesday that a second person in the Metro East has been infected with measles. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/health-scien...

ICYMI: Sheriff James Mendrick, of DuPage County in suburban Chicago, believes his lengthy law enforcement career positions him best to address public safety and criminal justice issues in the race for the Republican nomination for governor. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/podcast/poli...

As Illinois awaits court decisions about federal funding cuts and braces for even further cuts amid rising costs, Gov. JB Pritzker is proposing limited new spending — and yearning for “normal problems.” www.stlpr.org/government-p...

NEWS: Amid months-long contract negotiations, the teachers union in Cahokia Heights is calling for prosecutors to investigate the school district for what they say are financial failures and potentially illegal actions. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/education/20...

TROY, Ill. — About 400 people packed Triad High School this week to question officials from the city, Madison County and Houston-based development company Cloverleaf Infrastructure about a potential project to build a data center in town. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. — Residents who have advocated for years for solutions to broken city infrastructure that causes sewage to spill from pipes and flood homes and yards say they now worry they will not live to see the work completed. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...

ICYMI: A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue providing child care subsidies and social services funding in Illinois and four other Democratic-led states. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/education/20...

In their first debate, GOP Senate candidates Casey Chlebek, Jeannie Evans and Don Tracy didn't criticize Trump directly but registered their disagreement with his call to “nationalize” voting and to his approach to tariffs. From @brendenmoore.bsky.social: www.stlpr.org/government-p...

Darren Bailey may be one of the most recognizable names in Republican politics, but he lost to JB Pritzker by 12% in 2022 — leaving Illinois Republicans with a key question in March: Should they renominate Bailey or choose a newcomer to take on Pritzker in November? www.stlpr.org/podcast/poli...

Illinois Lt. Gov. @julianastratton.bsky.social believes that the status quo of her party has not served the American people well — and that she’s the Senate candidate to bring the fight needed to Washington, D.C. www.stlpr.org/podcast/poli...

As pushback against data centers raged, Greater St. Louis Inc. took public officials — including a handful from the Metro East — on a trip to visit hyperscale data centers in Nebraska. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...