Randolph County News

Public comment sought on proposed Illinois 3/150 improvements in Randolph County

CHESTER – The Illinois Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting to discuss a study for proposed improvements along Illinois 3/150 in Randolph County. The meeting will be held:   Wednesday, Oct. 144-7 p.m.Chester Elementary School Gym650 Opdyke St., Chester   IDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, has initiated a preliminary engineering […]

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Area high school choral students to join SIU Concert Choir for Oct. 8 world premiere

by Maxbiya English CARBONDALE, Ill. — Approximately 130 high school choral students from across Southern Illinois will join the Southern Illinois University Concert Choir Oct. 8 for the world premiere of a new work by Grammy-nominated pianist and producer Keith Javors.  Emerson Eads, SIU School of Music director of choral studies, rehearses with SIU Concert

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SIU School of Theater and Dance season highlights ‘American Stories’

by Pete Rosenbery CARBONDALE, Ill. — The 2026-27 production season for Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s School of Theater and Dance presents a season of powerful stories, unforgettable music and bold movement. Matthew C. Williams, right, an assistant professor of performance and movement at SIU Carbondale, works with cast members of the upcoming performance “Come From

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SIU grad students receive $40k for agriculture research

by Brooke Keltner CARBONDALE, Ill. — Two Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduate students received nearly $40,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture to support their research projects, surrounding the benefits of malting barley in double-crop soybean systems and efforts to utilize fertilizers more efficiently for winter wheat.    Southern Illinois University graduate students Sowmya

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The City of Chester Announces Chester Fall Festival 2026

Chester’s Annual Fall Festival returns to Cole Memorial Park from October 15–18, 2026,featuring a weekend of community celebration, live music, and family entertainment. Thisyear’s festival theme proudly celebrates America and debuts some major highlights: the“Tailgate Territory” sports streaming zone and a powerful “Legacy Lawn” military tribute aswell as a Flag Ceremony performed by the Sparta

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2026 CHS Dance Camp was huge success

90 young dancers take the field for final Dance Camp performance BY JIM BEERS             Each fall the Chester High School Dance Team hosts a dance camp for youth dancers interested in learning their first fundamental skills or increasing their current dancing skills. This year’s camp took place Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday September 1-3, 2026.

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