Current Headlines

all the news is fit to print

County, Waterloo Officials Clash Over Proposed Dispatching Fee Hike

By Monroe County Independent | August 20, 2019

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department’s emergency dispatcher system handles the 911 calls for most of Monroe County. Only the city of Columbia fields its own dispatchers. Each municipality has an agreement with the county as to the annual fee paid for that service. The county recently notified Waterloo that it is significantly raising the fee... More on County, Waterloo Officials Clash Over Proposed Dispatching Fee Hike »

The 2019 Monroe County Fair Queen Pageant Court is, left to right, Julia Mannix, First Runner Up Michaela Runge, Second Runner Up Skyler Barker, 2018 Fair Queen Belle Plew, Little Miss Gabi Stumpf, 2019 Fair Queen Lexi Ruemker, Courtney Mosbacher, Heather Albers and Emily Coleman.

Lexi Ruemker And Gabi Stumpf Are 2019 Fair Royalty

By Monroe County Independent | August 6, 2019
Alexis “Lexi” Ruemker of Waterloo is the 2019 Monroe County Fair Queen. Lexi, 19, is the daughter of Clem Ruemker and Cindy Rehmer Ruemker of...
During an Aug. 20, 2018, county commissioners meeting, developer Joe Koppeis, right, lays out his vision of a wind farm he would build along the bluffs between Valmeyer and Fults. He is joined at the head table by Garth Klimchuk, a principal partner at the North Renew Energy group based in Massachusetts.

County Board To Consider Moratorium On Wind Energy Ordinance At Aug. 19 Meeting

By Monroe County Independent | August 5, 2019
photo - During an Aug. 20, 2018, county commissioners meeting, developer Joe Koppeis, right, lays out his vision of a wind farm he would build...
Construction is underway for the roof repairs at Columbia’s Parkview Elementary School.

Mitchell-Hines Questions Total Cost Of Parkview Roof Replacement

By Monroe County Independent | August 2, 2019
The latest point of contention for the controversy-stricken Columbia school board revolves around a roofing project at the district’s Parkview Elementary.  Some members of the...
2019-03-04T180501Z_1_LYNXNPEF2315Z_RTROPTP_3_PURDUEPHARMA-BANKRUPTCY_original

Study Shows Nearly 1 Million Opioid Pain Pills Per Year Distributed In Monroe County

By Monroe County Independent | August 1, 2019
One of a precious few things politicians from both sides of the aisle seem to be able to agree on these days is that the...
The Monroe County Courthouse in downtown Waterloo, Illinois.

Local Officials To Mull Policies On Recreational Cannabis

By Monroe County Independent | July 20, 2019
by Joe LeichtOfficials in Monroe County and its primary municipalities have roughly six months before they'll need to have policies in place to accommodate the...
Attorney Lloyd Cueto, Coleman’s attorney, speaks to reporters following a hearing at the Monroe County Courthouse.

Coleman Continues His Quest For A Retrial Of Murder Conviction

By Monroe County Independent | May 15, 2019
Christopher Coleman, the man serving life in federal prison for killing his family in 2009, took one more step in his latest quest for a...
Columbia School Board candidates Cress Mohr, Lisa Schumacher, Greg Meyer and Tammy Hines gathered election night April 2 at Hines’s downtown Columbia real estate office. They ran on a slate that was critical of recent decisions by the current board and school adminstration. With mail-in ballots being tabulated through April 16, three of these four - Schumacher, Meyer and Hines have received enough votes to earn seats on the CUSD board.

Election Results In Big Shake-up At Columbia School Board

By Monroe County Independent | May 8, 2019
The April 2 Consolidated Election is one for the record books. It will go down as one of the closest elections in the history of...
Fish Renault DSC_0790

Fish Stands Are Busy As Lent Season Gets Underway

By Monroe County Independent | April 1, 2019
Janet Brandt, Mary Frederick, Phyllis Hoefft, Emily Schmitz and Kay Vogt prepare fish dinners at Our Lady of Good Counsel. All through Lent, the Renault...
view all current news
You Might Be Interested In
The Mississippi River ferry from Modoc to Ste. Genevieve is once again operating daily. It runs Monday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $15 ($25 round trip) for cars and pickup trucks. Transports were delayed this year before of the high river levels. The Mississippi River is now at 20.66 feet.

Modoc Ferry Reopens

August 20, 2019
The Mississippi River ferry from Modoc to Ste. Genevieve is once again operating daily. Transports were delayed this year before...
Waterloo farmer Rich Woodcock, right, is named the 2019 Illinois County Fair Person of the Year by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Rich Woodcock Named County Fair Person Of The Year

August 20, 2019
Rural Waterloo farmer Richard Woodcock was named the 2019 Illinois County Fair Person of the Year. He was honored by...
email Fair Seats DSC_8046

First At Fair For 15 Years

August 7, 2019
For the past 15 years, Art Juelfs and Steve Nason, right, have been the first folks at the Monroe County...