The City of Gillespie and Holiday Sparkle group welcomed the holiday season by hosting a tree lighting ceremony on Sunday. The event attracted hundreds of spectators downtown to witness the lighting and take part in the ceremony. The tree, situated on the empty lot between United Community Bank and the former Randy’s Market location, stands […]
Three Macoupin County State’s Attorneys oppose release of 1985 murder
Macoupin County State’s Attorney Jordan Garrison announced on Monday that documents have been filed opposing the release of Robert Turner for the murder and sexual assault of Bridget Drobney. The documents filed have the support of Garrison, former State’s Attorney Ed Rees and former State’s Attorney Vince Moreth. Drobney was in Gillespie for a wedding […]
Holiday Sparkle gets off to early start Sunday with tree lighting
Featuring shopping opportunities, children’s activities and festive holiday decorations, Gillespie’s Holiday Sparkle will return to the downtown business district on Saturday, Dec. 17, according to members of the Holiday Sparkle Committee. Once an annual tradition under the sponsorship of the now disbanded Coal Country Chamber of Commerce, the last Holiday Sparkle was held in 2018. […]
Holiday Sparkle returning to downtown Gillespie; Council approves $410,000 ARPA spending plan
Holiday Sparkle, an annual Christmas season tradition until the Coal Country Chamber of Commerce dissolved about five years ago, is returning to downtown Gillespie this year through the efforts of several local business owners. During the regular monthly meeting of the Gillespie City Council Monday night, city aldermen agreed to waive the rental and cleaning […]
McGartland captures County Treasurer office, Incumbent re-elected as County Sheriff
For the first time in 50 years a Republican will hold an executive office in the Macoupin County courthouse. Lilian Amber McGartland, Republican candidate for County Treasurer, toppled Democrat Roger Anderson’s bid to be elected to the office to which he was appointed following the retirement of long-serving treasurer Ann Boehm, also a Democrat. McGartland […]
Change the clock tonight and inspect smoke alarms
The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is reminding Illinoisans to test, inspect expiration dates, change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, and replace any broken or expired alarms while turning their clock back as daylight saving time ends this weekend. “It’s more important than ever due to the limited […]
IDOI announces ACA health insurance marketplace open enrollment and releases rates for the 2023 plan year
Today is the start of Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace that runs from November 1, 2022, through January 15, 2023. Once again, Illinoisans will benefit from having an additional month to enroll, just as they did last year. The Illinois Department of Insurance also released health insurance rates for […]
Benld city officials host open house, dedication for newly remodeled events center
With upward of 50 local residents attending, Benld city officials hosted an open house and dedication for the newly remodeled Benld Civic Center, now renamed the DeStefane Events Center, on Saturday afternoon at the renovated facility. Benld native Rick DeStefane, 64, Creve Couer, Mo., who financially subsidized the project, was a guest of honor. “I […]
School board approves GMS A/C project, signs off on annual financial report
Members of the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education on Monday night approved a $1.8 million project to replace the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system at Gillespie Middle School, contingent upon the State Board of Education releasing funds to pay for the project, and voted to accept the district’s annual financial report. […]
Three faculty members honored during Blackburn’s first investiture ceremony
Three Blackburn College faculty members were honored at the 2022 Investiture for Endowed Faculty on Thursday, October 13, at Bothwell Auditorium. The first ceremony of its kind at the College, the event recognizes Blackburn’s commitment to academic excellence, highlights extraordinary faculty contributions to the institution, and celebrates the philanthropic support that makes these esteemed positions […]
Benld Council eyes water tower painting project, sets open house for newly renovated civic center
Members of the Benld City Council voted unanimously Monday night to enter into a contract not to exceed $40,025 for HMG Engineering to develop bidding specifications and supervise work associated with a project to repaint the city’s water storage tower located north of City Park. Justin VonderHaar, an engineer with HMG, told the council his […]
Staunton woman receives 9-year sentence for meth delivery
A Staunton woman was sentenced last week to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for delivery of methamphetamine. Stormy Ray, 36 of Staunton, was sentenced on October 14. She pled guilty to the charge on July 20 and was scheduled to be sentenced on September 30 but did not appear. Following her arrest, […]
IDNR announces state and federal sites open for 2022 youth waterfowl hunting seasons
SPRINGFIELD – Numerous Illinois state parks, state fish and wildlife areas, state conservation areas, and state recreation areas will be open to youth waterfowl hunting across the state in 2022, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced today. The sites are dispersed throughout the North, Central, South Central, and South waterfowl hunt zones. All sites […]
Applications for Joyful Angels available this week
Joyful Angels will conduct the Silent Santa program again this year. Applications will be available beginning Friday, October 21 at the following locations: Sullivan’s in Gillespie, TJ’s in Benld and the Benld Public Library. To be eligible for assistance your child has to be enrolled and residing in the Community School District #7 and ages […]
Gillespie Council eyes bids for sewer re-lining project
Members of the Gillespie City Council on Wednesday night gave Mayor John Hicks power to act on accepting a contractor’s bid to re-line sewer mains in downtown Gillespie as a first step toward an extensive streetscape project to improve the appearance of the business district and stimulate economic growth. The council also approved new contracts […]
Granite City woman receives 46-year sentence for Macoupin County murder
A 32-year-old Granite City woman was convicted of first-degree murder by a Macoupin County jury in August and now has been sentenced to 46 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections by the Honorable Joshua Meyer. The conviction and sentencing stems from a 2015 home invasion in Woodburn that left 34-year-old Cody Adams dead. At […]
Benld will seek $600,000 grant for park development
Meeting in special session Wednesday night, the Benld City Council approved a resolution to apply for a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant to develop an 11-acre park on the former site of Benld Elementary School. OSLAD is a federally-funded grant program administered at the state level by the Illinois Department of […]
School board adopts $18.5 million budget, votes to ban parent from school functions
Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education members voted on Monday night to adopt an $18.5 million budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, and voted unanimously to ban a local parent from attending extracurricular activities on school property for the remainder of the 2022-23 academic year. The board voted unanimously to […]
Build Benld donates to DeStefane Event Center
The Build Benld Committee donated $1,166.00 to the recently named DeStafane Community Center that is nearing the finish line on renovations. This block of money will be spent on white vinyl chairs to match the existing tables at the Center. The Civic Center renovation, underwritten by former resident Rick DeStefane, is nearing completion and is […]
Gillespie library part of 4th annual library crawl in October
The Gillespie Public Library and 123 libraries of the Illinois Heartland Library System are presenting the 4th Annual Library Crawl from Oct 1 to October 31. The purpose of the crawl is to have a fun time visiting new libraries and discovering the resources that each has. Go to the library and pick up your […]
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