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Appellate Court Rules Against Sunset Overlook

By Monroe County Independent | February 14, 2020

By Joe Leicht An appellate court ruled this week that the Sunset Overlook will have to follow the rules of C-1 business zoning. This includes no longer providing live music along with eliminating outdoor service of food and drink. Sunset Overlook, located along Bluff Road on the north end of Columbia, is owned by Pete …

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Columbia Cheerleaders Fly Home With 3rd Place Trophy

By Monroe County Independent | February 8, 2020

The Columbia High School cheer team is adding to their already substantial trophy case. Today, the Eagles finished in third place (medium school division) at the IHSA State Competitive Cheerleading Tournament in Bloomington. The results are: First: Antioch – 93.33 Second: Oak Forest – 93.29 Third: Columbia – 91.43 (This is the same order of …

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At A Crossroads, Rocher Charters A New Course

By Independent | February 5, 2020

Prairie du Rocher is not going down without a fight. The pending loss of accreditation for the levees protecting the village from the Mississippi River looms like a dark cloud over the nearly 300-year-old village. FEMA and Corps of Engineers have informed the village that unless the levees are improved to meet the government’s increasingly …

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William Wirth, right, won first place at the Gardner Elementary Spelling Bee. Connor Kleinschmidt was the runner-up.

William Wirth Wins Gardner Elementary’s Spelling Bee

By Independent | February 19, 2020
William Wirth took home the first place trophy at the 2020 Gardner Elementary Spelling Bee. Connor Kleinschmidt was the runner-up. Wirth advances to the Regional...
Emily Rose won the Best Of Fair award at the Immaculate Conception Science Fair.

Rose Earns Best Of Fair

By Independent | February 19, 2020
An experiment on luminosity garnered the Emily Rose ‘Best Of Fair’ award at the Immaculate Conception Science Fair. Her project, “Let There Be Light”, concluded...
The ICS Builders Club organized a group to pack 70 cases of food that has been shipped to hungry folks living in Honduras.

ICS Builders Club Fights World Hunger

By Independent | February 19, 2020
What started as an idea from a member of the Columbia Kiwanis Club 11 years ago has turned into 151,848 meals for kids across Central...
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Auto Theft Task Force Making Local Impact

By Independent | February 19, 2020
By John Layton The Metro East Auto Theft Task Force (MEATTF) started off the new decade by making some New Year’s prosecutions in January. The...
Marty Seitz receives the Valmeyer Police Chief’s badge from retiring Chief Tom Andres, right.

Tom Andres Retires After 23 Years Of Service To Valmeyer; Marty Seitz Promoted To Police Chief

By Independent | February 19, 2020
By Joe Leicht Valmeyer has a new police chief, and the man who previously held the job for most of the past 28 years is...
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Plans For Census Underway In Columbia

By Independent | February 19, 2020
Columbia residents are invited to take part in the 2020 census during an upcoming event at the Columbia Public Library. Census Night is scheduled for...
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County To Move U of I Extension To Health Department Building

By Independent | February 19, 2020
By Joe Leicht Amy Cope has only been on the job as director of the University of Illinois Unit 22 Extension a few weeks, and...
Mike Fausz, left, has retired from his county courthouse duties and turned the reigns over to Laura Henry and Chris Voelker.

County Divvies Duties To Replace Retiring Mike Fausz

By Independent | February 19, 2020
By Joe Leicht At a pair of special meetings, the Monroe County Board solved the challenge of filling the shoes of long-time mapping and platting/zoning...

Sports News

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The ICS team taking third place at the Mater Dei Scholar Bowl Tournament are, left to right, first row, Owen Haney, Maggie Williamson, Samantha Glasscock, Sadie Loless and Ling Pace; and second row, Asst. Coach Dan Kassebaum, William Sanker, Joe Tyler, Brock Murphy, Drew Roche, Allison Stark and Head Coach Tiffany Taylor.

ICS Takes Third At Scholar Bowl

By Independent | February 19, 2020
Immaculate Conception School took home third place out of 30 teams competing in the Mater Dei Scholar Bowl Tournament. In the morning rounds, the Crusaders,...
The Columbia High School cheer team celebrates winning third place in the state tournament.

Columbia Cheerleaders Fly Home With 3rd Place Trophy

By Monroe County Independent | February 8, 2020
The Columbia High School cheer team is adding to their already substantial trophy case. Today, the Eagles finished in third place (medium school division) at...
The Columbia High School cheer team celebrates winning first place at the Carterville IHSA Sectional. The Eagles fly next Saturday to the state tournament in Bloomington.

Eagles And Bulldogs Advance To Cheer State Tournament

By Monroe County Independent | February 2, 2020
Thanks to outstanding performances at Saturday’s sectional meet, the high school cheer teams from Columbia and Waterloo will compete next weekend in the IHSA State...
Waterloo's Norah Gum, right, battles Gibault's Ashlyn Wightman for a rebound.

Waterloo Overcomes Deficit To Clip The Hawks

By Monroe County Independent | January 31, 2020
Waterloo’s Aubrey Hubbard drains a three-pointer in Thursday’s home win over Gibault. The senior led the Bulldogs with 13 points. -...
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Gibault Court To Be Named In Honor Of Legendary Coach

By Monroe County Independent | January 31, 2020
When you think Gibault basketball, the name Dennis Rueter, deservedly, quickly comes to mind. Since the 1970s Coach Rueter has led the boys in maroon...
Waterloo’s Ty Lenhardt sinks a clutch free throw in the Bulldogs’ win over Columbia in the Sparta Mid-Winter Classic. The sophomore was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Sparta Tournament Results

By Monroe County Independent | January 27, 2020
Murphysboro took home the first place trophy at the Sparta Mid-Winter Classic boys basketball tournament. The Red Devils outlasted Freeburg in the title game by...
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McCarthy, Hawkins-Kohnz, Huffman-Marquardt And Esker And Heading To VHS Sports Hall Of Fame

By Monroe County Independent | January 26, 2020
The Valmeyer High School Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 has been announced. This year’s inductees are Patrick McCarthy, Randy Esker, Jenny (Hawkins) Kohnz...
The Columbia Middle School basketball team celebrating their third-place finish in the Cahokia Conference Tournament are, left to right, first row, Dean Lyon and Chase DeQuasie; second row, Alex Shrekenberg Jackson Buelteman, Ethan Hogan, Lucas Riebeling, Lucas Cole and Zane Bergman; and third row, Coach Chris Missey, Peyton Andrews, Caleb Yochum, Turner Hunsaker, Dalton Rainwater, Ben Simmons, Brady Mathews, Carson Meath and Coach Collin Wehrenberg.

CMS Takes Third In Conference Tourney

By Monroe County Independent | January 19, 2020
The junior high Eagles finished their A-team basketball season on a high note. The boys from Columbia Middle School beat Waterloo in overtime Saturday to...

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Christopher Becker

St. Louis Man Arrested On A Drug Possession Charge

February 19, 2020
Christopher Becker of St. Louis has been arrested and charged with a drugs possession charge. Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies pulled...
Curtis Ryan

Burksville Station Man Is Charged With Sexual Assault

February 19, 2020
Curtis Ryan of Burksville Station has been charged with criminal sexual assault stemming from an Oct. 23, 2019 incident in...
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Sheriff Offering Reward For Help With Drug Arrests

February 19, 2020
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department is offering a reward of up to $500 for any citizen who provides information that...
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Auto Theft Task Force Making Local Impact

February 19, 2020
By John Layton The Metro East Auto Theft Task Force (MEATTF) started off the new decade by making some New...

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Farm Bureau Annual Meeting Is March 14

Independent | February 19, 2020

Keckritz Leaving Oak Hill… But Not Yet

Independent | February 19, 2020

Appellate Court Rules Against Sunset Overlook

Monroe County Independent | February 14, 2020

Open House At Red Bud Industries

Independent | February 5, 2020