New Baden News

A staff member of U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, will meet with constituents to discuss legislation or help them deal with federal agencies from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on July 8 at the Germantown Village ...

Illinois State Police are still investigating a multi-car accident that happened around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday near New Baden.

When the Mississippi River rose out of its banks 15 years ago to swallow much of tiny Hamburg, Tammy White's grandparents had had enough.

A wreck on Interstate 64 Tuesday afternoon near New Baden sent four children to area hospitals, leaving two in critical condition and two in serious condition.

All eastbound lanes of Interstate 64 at Highway 161 were closed Tuesday afternoon following a serious traffic accident, Illinois State Police said.

Authorities in southern Illinois are awaiting a coroner's findings in the death of a 17-year-old boy during a house party. via KMOV-TV Saint Louis

“Their story is they were trying to contain him before he did further damage to himself”

Two teens who were with a 17-year-old when he died are telling investigators that they were trying to restrain Morgan A. Westerman after he threw himself against a window Saturday night, the Clinton County ... via Belleville News

Guestbook: Morgan A. Westerman While Clinton County authorities wait for a coroner's autopsy report to tell them what killed a 17-year-old boy, another teen is charged with hitting him at a party in New Memphis ... via Belleville News

Clinton County investigators still are not sure what killed a 17-year-old boy, who was hit at a gathering in the Metro East on Saturday night. via KSDK-TV Saint Louis

McKendree University Assistant Professor of Management Dr. Peter Will and first-year student Miranda Linneman and sophomore Sarah Monical have been selected to participate in the annual Technos International ... via McKendree College News Center

“I bought the dealership here in February (2007). I'd been running a Chrysler-Dodge store in Wood River for the past eight years.”

Jon Guthrie knows cars. So do his wife and his brother-in-law. Guthrie is the co-owner of Hemann Guthrie Chevrolet in New Baden. His wife, Lisa Reno-Guthrie, works at Lou Fusz Saturn in Fairview Heights, and his brother-in-law, Brad Reno, is a manger at Oliver C. Joseph Chrysler-Dodge in Belleville. Guthrie said he didn't plan to do this and recently told business reporter Will Buss about it:

Q: Why have you and your family made selling cars your business?

A: 'My father had a car dealership in Collinsville, Guthrie AMC Jeep and Renault, back in the '70 s and early '80s, and went through the high-interest rate time and went out of business in '86. So he had always been in the car business, the used car business and body shop before. I had always been around the business.' Read more

“DiGiorgio's as dry as a martini at the Tanqueray distillery, as caustic as a Drano milkshake, (and) as funny as a banana peel on the floor of the Republican convention”

John Garrett thinks Madison County could use some laughs, too, so he will expand his Clinton County Comedy Tour into Highland when he returns to the area this weekend.

This time, the New Baden native will have fellow comic Mario DiGiorgio in tow for shows at the Marx Brothers Lounge in Highland on Friday followed by a laugh doubleheader at Jimmy T's and Scooter's in Breese on Saturday.

DiGiorgio is the perfect answer for those who think the platitudes in the 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' series are a bit too saccharine. In his new 'A Cynic's Guide to a Rich and Full Life' (Last Gasp Publishing), DiGiorgio offers such observations as 'Dance like nobody's watching. Then apologize to those who are' (are you listening, Elaine?) and 'Call in sick today. You will not be missed.' Read more

“A tiny woman, Teneau (pronounced Tea-no) has a big presence. She does nothing halfway and believes in "supersizing”

The Suburban Journals has a nice feature today about Billie Teneau , easily the Gateway Council of Hostelling International's most dedicated volunteer. via Roger Kramer's Favorite Cycling Tours

“They have lots of motorscooters and mopeds that just (dart in and out of traffic), and in the middle of a city, you'll have four lanes going in the same direction.”

When Bill Flanagan retired as a telephone-company installer and repairman five years ago, he didn't expect to be traveling the world as an American Legion envoy.

But Flanagan and his wife, Ann, recently returned from a three-week fact-finding mission to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Flanagan accompanied Martin 'Marty' Conatser, the American Legion's national commander, to see how those countries operate their veterans administrations.

'In some cases, especially in Taipei, Taiwan, certain treatments and doctors might be a little more advanced,' said Flanagan, 62, of New Baden. 'But as far as overall care, (the U.S. system) is much better.' Read more

Reservations are now being accepted for a stroke and osteoporosis screening that will start 9 a.m. Jan. via STLtoday

“I am proud to serve as the president of the Illinois Jaycees”

Decatur resident Tanya Lee has been elected president of the Illinois Jaycees for the 2008 calendar year. via Lincoln Daily News

Stan Sieron (photo)

Stan Sieron, the 2006 state president of the Illinois Association of Realtors and a current national director for the National Association of Realtors, recently returned from the association's annual meeting in Las Vegas. He is the broker-owner of Stan Sieron and Co. in Belleville.

Butler's Pantry has promoted Connie Barton, of Troy, to director of Butler's Boardroom, the company's corporate catering drop-off service. She will develop and coordinate the service and manage customer relations in this position. She has been with the company for 13 years. Read more

A 59-year-old caregiver is serving ten years in prison in the secretly taped beating of a paralyzed New Baden woman five months before she died. via Journal-Gazette

“We're giving the best value to the buyers without sacrificing the quality”

A local developer is trying to provides homes at cost with an eye toward distinctive landscaping. via Belleville News

New Tradition Homes has started Phase 2 of the Caylin Ridge Estates subdivision off Illinois 160.

The developer has made a name for itself for its 'managed selection process.' The developer says it makes the material decisions to save customers money.

Twenty-two of the 23 new one- and two-story homes in Phase 1 have been built, and phase two will include 54 new homes. Each ranges in price from $140,000 and $200,000.

For the full story, read the News-Democrat Friday or go towww.bnd.com. Read more