Mark Kern

In total, the federal government allotted St. Clair County more than $50 million to help it respond to and recover from the public health emergency.

The office has $200,000 more in its budget than it did about five months ago. The chief defender used the new money to raise salaries to retain existing lawyers and fill vacancies.

Boeing announced it will build its second production facility for the MQ-25 Stingray, an aircraft refueling drone for the U.S. Navy, at the Metro East airport.

“St. Clair County is big enough,” Kern said while county sheriff deputies argue the requirement that officers live within the county makes it difficult for them to recruit new ones.

Two county Republicans allege Democrats conspired to dilute conservative presence in some districts in the newly proposed redistricting map.

On Friday, an estimated 800 people who were not eligible under state and county vaccination guidelines had scheduled appointments.

As a result of the influx of outstate people trying to "cheat the system," fewer people in St. Clair County were able to receive their shots. None of the people who registered from other states got the vaccine.

The region that includes the Metro East was the last in Illinois to see some restrictions lifted.

The Illinois Department of Public Health dismissed hopes of officials in St. Clair County on Tuesday who say the downward trend in COVID-19 cases warrants an exemption from the stricter safety mitigation placed on the Metro East region.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a health organization in East St. Louis will lend its help to the state's COVID-19 contact tracing initiative....