Will Bauer
@will-bauer.bsky.social
Metro East reporter at St. Louis Public Radio. Northern Minnesota native & University of Nebraska grad. Sarcasm is my own. Email: wbauer@stlpr.org.
“Looking back, I probably wouldn't do it again because I don't want to bring that kind of scrutiny on my friends or anything else like that,” Slusser said. www.stlpr.org/government-p...
Madison County Board Chairman Slusser defends Fauci hanging post as 'rhetorical hyperbole'
From his personal account, Chris Slusser wrote that Dr. Anthony Fauci “should receive a public hanging” after tense hearings in Washington, D.C., earlier this week.
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Don Tracy says he's "the right Republican" to win a statewide election in Illinois, something the party hasn't done in more than a decade. He's running for U.S. Senate, and he sat down earlier this week in our Urbana studios for an in-depth conversation. Watch here:
Illinois Republican Don Tracy makes his case in U.S. Senate race
YouTube video by Illinois Public Media
youtube.com
Madison County Board Chairman Chris Slusser said Friday a comment he made on Facebook calling for the “public hanging” of Dr. Anthony Fauci was “rhetorical hyperbole.”
Madison County Board Chairman Slusser defends Fauci hanging post as 'rhetorical hyperbole'
From his personal account, Chris Slusser wrote that Dr. Anthony Fauci “should receive a public hanging” after tense hearings in Washington, D.C., earlier this week.
stlpr.org
Nearly 100,000 Illinois residents who recently lost federal food assistance will begin receiving one-time $400 payments starting Aug. 1 through a new, state-funded program aimed at easing food insecurity. www.stlpr.org/news-briefs/...
Illinois to send $400 food relief payments to thousands of families in August
The new $70 million program provides one-time $400 payments to eligible Illinois households that lost SNAP benefits under new federal work requirements.
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EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — A museum dedicated to Miles Davis is collecting stories, photos and artifacts of people with memories of the musician to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. @chaddavis.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/arts/2026-07...
Miles Davis house collects stories to celebrate 100 years of influence
The House of Miles East St. Louis is commemorating what would’ve been the 100th birthday of Miles Davis with a storytelling project.
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WEST ALTON, Mo. — Ameren Missouri is asking state regulators for permission to build a new large natural gas plant, and, for the first time, customers could pay for the project as it is being built. @kgrumke.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/health-scien...
Ameren Missouri asks to build new natural gas plant — and have customers pay up front
Ameren Missouri is asking regulators to build a new natural gas plant near the Mississippi River in West Alton. The utility wants to use a new financing method that would result in customers paying fo...
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ICYMI: Madison County voters will be asked in November’s ballot if they think Illinois should require identification to vote in elections. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...
Should Illinois require IDs to vote? Madison County residents will be asked in November
The Metro East county board voted to place an advisory referendum on November’s ballot, arguing it’s a good way to gauge public opinion despite deep blue Illinois being unlikely to adopt such a requir...
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s new Samoan language class is drawing students from around the world. The course aims to help preserve a language and culture some fear is fading among the U.S. Samoan diaspora. From @stlonair.bsky.social:
Southern Illinois is now home to one of few university-based Samoan language courses in the U.S.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville launched its eight-week Samoan 101 in June.
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CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. — The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted 8-0 Tuesday to approve the $231 million hospital to replace Touchette Regional. www.stlpr.org/health-scien...
State approves new $231 million hospital to replace Touchette in Cahokia Heights
The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted 8-0 Tuesday to approve the project, SIHF announced in a news release. The board is charged with keeping health care costs in check and preventing unnecessary duplication of health facilities.
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Fair housing advocates and legal groups are warning Metro East residents to be on the lookout for “bond for deed” scams that contain predatory terms that could leave homebuyers destined for eviction. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/law-order/20...
Fair housing advocates warn of 'bond for deed' scams in Metro East homebuying
While there is nothing specifically illegal about buying a home using a “bond for deed” contract, housing advocates want homebuyers to be on the lookout for terms that could leave them evicted.
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ICYMI: St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric met last week with the family of Rachel Tarrence, who was shot while in her car in the drive-thru of an East St. Louis liquor store on Jan. 4, to inform them of his decision to not charge the officer. www.stlpr.org/law-order/20...
Prosecutors decline to charge Illinois State Police trooper in fatal shooting of mother of 3
St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric has declined to file criminal charges in the officer-involved shooting of Rachel Tarrence on Jan. 4 in East St. Louis.
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Various after-school programs and tutoring for vulnerable students in East St. Louis and other Illinois school districts are at risk of losing funding. A nonprofit is making another push to restore the $500,000 grants:
Nonprofit aims to restore funding for East St. Louis after school programs through legal appeal
The $500,000 grants awarded to two East St. Louis elementary schools were discontinued, but the nonprofit that administers the grant said on Tuesday that it plans to appeal.
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The Environmental Protection Agency released new rules regulating the controversial herbicide dicamba earlier this year. While it can be an effective tool for farmers to control weeds, it can also drift in the wind and kill other plants. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/2026-07-06/n...
A potent weedkiller can drift for miles, killing crops and trees. EPA’s new rules may not stop it
New federal rules for dicamba aim to help cotton and soybean farmers control weeds. But the herbicide, which can kill other crops and trees, remains controversial.
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If Congress approves $79 million in the next defense budget, there could be a new aircraft hangar built at Scott Air Force Base by 2030. An Illinois Air National Guard wing believes the project is crucial to ensuring its future. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...
Scott Air Force Base wing needs new hangar to transition to modern refueling jet
The Illinois Air National Guard wing now flies the KC-135. To be selected for the next generation of refueling tankers, the wing will need a new $79 million hangar that’s included in drafts of the ann...
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INBOX: @durbin.senate.gov and @duckworth.senate.gov have filed companion legislation in the U.S. Senate to expand the Gateway Arch National Park to East St. Louis. The same bill has already been filed in the U.S. House.
ICYMI: The City of Collinsville has accounted for roughly $5.7 million of the $11.5 million needed to renovate its water treatment facility after tests last summer confirmed the tap water contained so-called forever chemicals. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/health-scien...
Collinsville has half the money needed to renovate water plant for 'forever chemicals'
At its next meeting, the Collinsville City Council is expected to vote on a contract with an engineering firm that would then determine how the city could make $11.5 million in renovations to remove P...
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= A bulk of the $5.7 million comes from a class-action lawsuit from PFAS manufacturers...Another nearly $750,000 will likely come from federal funds...Another $100,000 will come from funding in Illinois’ budget... = @will-bauer.bsky.social >> #STL #ILNews
Collinsville has half the money needed to renovate water plant for 'forever chemicals'
At its next meeting, the Collinsville City Council is expected to vote on a contract with an engineering firm that would then determine how the city could make $11.5 million in renovations to remove P...
stlpr.org
CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. — Nearly two-thirds of the Cahokia Federation of Teachers voted down a tentative agreement that the union’s bargaining team and the school district reached earlier this month. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/education/20...
Cahokia school district union rejects proposed contract by wide margin
Nearly two-thirds of the union that’s made up of teachers, service employees and secretaries in the Metro East district rejected the terms of the contract.
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EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — The school district will run out of funding from the federal Full-Service Community Schools grant by the end of the week after a judge denied a preliminary injunction on Friday. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/news-briefs/...
East St. Louis School District loses federal grant funding after judge’s ruling
A judge in the U.S. District Court in Illinois denied a preliminary injunction request filed by ACT Now Illinois, a nonprofit that administers the federal Full-Service Community Schools grant to 32 sc...
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Enthusiasts of paved trails in the Metro East will have two new options to explore on their bike rides, runs or walks in Madison and St. Clair counties this week. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/culture-hist...
Metro East cyclists get new bridge, longer trail to explore in St. Clair, Madison counties
The separate Metro East projects extended a bike trail 4.5 miles in St. Clair County to near MidAmerica Airport and built a bridge over Illinois 111 in Pontoon Beach in Madison County.
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EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — The school district will likely have to scale back tutoring and before- and after-care programs for its students this fall as a judge weighs the future of a federal grant program for schools. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/news-briefs/...
East St. Louis schools could lose food pantry, after-school programs while federal grant is in limbo
Two elementary schools in East St. Louis School District 189 will be forced to scale back tutoring, before- and after-school programs as well as food and housing support for its most vulnerable famili...
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O'FALLON, Ill. — Library officials want to build a facility that’s more than double in size and more centrally located in town — and they want to ask voters to approve a $17.5 million bond to help pay for it. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/government-p...
O'Fallon, Illinois, library wants voters to approve $17.5M bonds for a new building
The city council still needs to approve the advisory referendum this summer to make November’s ballot.
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Serviceberries grow wild across much of the Midwest, but many people have never tasted them. Farmers, foragers and food makers are now working to introduce more consumers to the native fruit and build a market for it. From Harvest Public Media:
Serviceberries are a sweet native fruit – and these Midwesterners want you to try them
Serviceberries, or juneberries, are a native fruit beloved by wildlife. But now they’re moving from backyards to farms, and some hope they’ll soon be on your plate.
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A high-speed rail line between East St. Louis and Chicago would bring as many as 8,060 daily riders or 2.8 million annually, according to figures presented at the latest meeting of Illinois' High Speed Rail Commission. www.stlmag.com/business/il-...
Projected ridership may not justify high speed rail from St. Louis and Chicago, some IL officials suggest
Construction costs in the tens of billions and tepid projected ridership growth has some leaders balking at the idea.
stlmag.com
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — The newly constructed Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center spearheaded by the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation will give youth opportunities with agriculture and prepare them for STEM careers. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/culture-hist...
East St. Louis connects youth with food through Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s new project
Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s new Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition Center is giving East St. Louis youth a new opportunity to get hands-on with STEM.
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The goal was to show top Illinois EPA officials what life is like in the communities confronting sewage-contaminated floodwaters in Cahokia Heights and East St. Louis, as well as foul emissions from a hazardous waste incinerator in Sauget. www.stlpr.org/health-scien...
Illinois EPA takes ‘toxic tour’ through these contaminated Metro East sites
The goal was to show top Illinois EPA officials what life is like in the communities confronting sewage-contaminated floodwaters in Cahokia Heights and East St. Louis, as well as foul emissions from a...
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — After being closed for renovations for more than four years, the museum at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site partially reopened to the public on Wednesday. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/culture-hist...
Cahokia Mounds museum reopens to the public after 4 years of repairs
The gift shop, site model, canoe exhibit and a new temporary exhibit are all open and will be available Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — The last wagers on sports other than horse racing have been cast in the sportsbook at Fairmount Park. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...
FanDuel closes Fairmount Park's sportsbook in Collinsville
Far more bets had been placed online than in-person this year at the now closed sportsbook in the Metro East, according to state data.
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EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — The city wants to turn a polluted property once owned by the aluminum company Alcoa into a community solar project that could save residents money on their electric bills. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/health-scien...
Solar farm could turn polluted land to boon for East St. Louis residents’ electric bills
The city proposed the project 20 years ago and is now finally expected to break ground on it this month.
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BELLEVILLE, Ill. — After almost 80 years of being owned and operated by the same family, the Skyview Drive-In movie theater is now for sale. @stlpublicradio.bsky.social www.stlpr.org/culture-hist...
Belleville’s Skyview Drive-In for sale after almost 80 years of family ownership
Prestige Realty Group has listed one of the last remaining drive-ins in the St. Louis area for $975,000.
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