December 2025

Former National Park Service employee sentenced, ordered to repay $249,000 stolen from camping, cave fees

CAPE GIRARDEAU –  U.S. District Judge Audrey G. Fleissig on Monday sentenced a former employee of the National Park Service to five years of probation and ordered her to repay $249,000 in campsite and tour fees that she stole from 2019 to 2023.   Lisa Figge was a supervisory visitor use assistant at the Ozark

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Foundation presents annual awards

STE. GENEVIEVE – The Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve held its annual Christmas gathering Sunday at the Orris Theatre.     Pictured left to right: Vern Baumann, Anne Hemmer, Bill Hart, and Michael (Skip) Weiler   Foundation president Bill Hart awarded a Distinguished Service award posthumously to Louise Sheppard Wade for her contributions to

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Get Covered Illinois extends first open enrollment deadline

CHICAGO — Get Covered Illinois announced that Illinois residents now have until December 31 to enroll in health insurance coverage that begins January 1.      The extension comes at a crucial moment, as Illinois works to ensure residents maintain access to high-quality coverage amid changes at the federal level. This year marks Get Covered Illinois’

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IDNR Canadian waterfowl habitat restoration and preservation grant now open

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is accepting grant applications for habitat restoration and preservation in Canadian breeding grounds now through Jan. 4, 2026.    Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp funds, generated when hunters purchase Illinois duck stamps, are used to conserve critical wetland and grassland breeding habitat on the Canadian prairies. This is the

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More seniors now eligible for property tax relief under new Illinois law

CHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is reminding senior homeowners of the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program, which has been expanded thanks to legislation signed by Governor JB Pritzker.    Governor JB Pritzker emphasized the importance of this legislation stating, “Our seniors have spent their lives building our communities and strengthening our state,

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More than 81,000 deer harvest during Illinois firearm deer season

SPRINGFIELD – Hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 81,225 deer during the seven-day 2025 Illinois firearm deer season that concluded Dec. 7. Comparatively, hunters harvested 82,496 deer during the 2024 firearm season.   The preliminary harvest for the second weekend of the firearm season Dec. 4-7 was 29,816 compared with 27,835 deer harvested

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Ring in the new year with a First Day Hike at an Illinois state park

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) invites residents to step into 2026 with a First Day Hike at an Illinois state park on New Year’s Day.   IDNR is hosting self-guided hikes at 17 state parks across Illinois on Jan. 1. These free, family-friendly hikes are available to the public.    The First Day

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