Area Breaking News
Federal lawsuit challenges Illinois Election Laws that remove candidates, deny voters meaningful choice
By Tribune Staff • CHICAGO — A federal lawsuit filed Jan. 26 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois challenges Illinois election laws that plaintiffs say unconstitutionally restrict ballot access, suppress political competition, and prevent voters from having a meaningful choice in statewide elections. As his email on Jan. 30, stated,…
Read MoreIce training exercise at Tri-Township Park Lake on Feb. 1
The Troy Fire Protection District will conduct an ice rescue training exercise on Feb. 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Residents may notice emergency personnel, fire and EMS apparatus around the lake, on the ice and in the water. This is a scheduled training event designed to prepare emergency responders for cold water and…
Read MoreQuincy University releases fall 2025 Dean’s List
Quincy University released its Dean’s List for the Fall 2025 semester. Honorees must earn a semester grade point average of at least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) to be included in the biannual Dean’s List. In total, 379 students received the honor during the Fall 2025 semester. Local students on the list are: Glen Carbon,…
Read MoreCollinsville officers, telecommunicators receive SILEC/SIPCA awards
by Randy Pierce • Three officers and two telecommunicators with the Collinsville Police Department, along with two deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Department and one of its telecommunicators, are recipients of awards presented at the 33rd annual recognition event hosted jointly by the Southwestern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission (SILEC) and the Southern Illinois Police…
Read MoreTroy’s Mertz as Illinois Air National Guard’s new top enlisted leader: ‘Get all the training you can’
By Tribune Staff SPRINGFIELD – New State Command Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Mertz’s priorities as he settles into his new job as the Illinois Air National Guard’s senior enlisted airman might be summarized into one six-letter word: PEOPLE. “You have to have quality, trained, people,” said Mertz, who lives in Troy and works as a…
Read MoreTriad alumna working on NASA’s project to return astronauts to moon
By Bruce Darnell • When Karla Bailer graduated from Triad High School in 1983, she immediately began work at a factory in Highland. Two years later, she joined the United States Air Force and started working on jets. Now, she is an inspector for one of the biggest spaceships in the world. Since 2016, Bailer…
Read MoreTriad Middle School Math Team takes second place overall at Belleville East competition
Jackie L. Spears
December 16, 1951 – January 27, 2026 Jackie L. Spears, age 74, of Troy, died Tuesday, Jan, 27, 2026, at Anderson Hospital in Maryville. He was born on Sunday, Dec. 16, 1951, in East St. Louis, the son of Robert and Mary (née Clark) Spears. On Saturday, April 11, 1981, he married Deborah Mae Spears,…
Read MoreTroy man accused of threatening to kill ICE agents in Minneapolis
EAST ST. LOUIS – A Troy man is facing a federal charge for threatening to kill federal agents working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, according to a media release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois. A federal complaint charged Jeffrey A. Mullinix, 67, with one count of…
Read MoreTroy to host data center forum on Feb. 10 at Triad High
Updated on Jan. 29, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. Residents and other people who live in the region who are concerned about data centers should mark their calendars for Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at Triad High School, located at 703 East US 40, in the cafetorium. That’s when and where the City of Troy will…
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