Kelsey Landis | Belleville News-Democrat

“Hopefully we are doing our ancestors proud in the work that we are doing here,” state Rep. LaToya Greenwood said.

Minimum wage workers in Missouri will make $10.30 an hour, and those in Illinois will make $11.

State agencies in Southwestern Illinois are bracing for budget cuts after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a first round that will affect public safety and social services, with promises of more to come.

Neighboring counties in the Metro East are taking opposite approaches to enforcing the governor's coronavirus related restrictions. Some are cracking down on violators, while others are relying on educating those who break the rules.

The St. Clair County Health Department suspended food or liquor licenses for seven bars and restaurants late last week, and could order more businesses to close if they don’t comply with a statewide ban on indoor service.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced new statewide restrictions on retailers as cases, deaths and hospitalizations from COVID-19 surge uncontrollably.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, has won his bid for re-election in Illinois’ 12th Congressional District.

At least 15,400 people in the southern Illinois 12th Congressional District are enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. And nearly 20,000 use the Marketplace to buy insurance in the 13th Congressional District. Voters will have to decide whether they trust Republican lawmakers to come up with a replacement for the ACA, or if it’s safer to elect Democrats who have vowed to protect and improve the existing act.

After only 2½ weeks, Illinois is reinstituting COVID-19 restrictions on bars and restaurants in the Metro East starting Wednesday. Bars and restaurants are again barred from serving guests indoors, and they will have to cut service at 11 p.m. each night. The establishments also must require reservations and space tables at least six feet apart. Gatherings are limited to the lesser of 25 people or 25% of a room’s overall capacity.

The "fair tax" or progressive tax debate continues in Illinois as election day approaches, Here are four voices that hope to shape your opinion.

A staff member in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office tested positive for the COVID-19 virus this week. Pritzker and all close contacts of the staffer will isolate for two weeks. The staffer tested negative on last Wednesday during routine weekly testing but then developed symptoms and tested positive on Monday.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker imposes new restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the state.