The number of people receiving food stamps in one Randolph County location grew by 4.4 percent as President Trump entered office, according to a SW Illinois News analysis of federal data.

Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois is being honored with the Marion Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award for 2017 because of its key role in the region's economic growth.

Three local businesses – covering the fields of health care, real estate and communications – are finalists for the debut of the Marion Chamber of Commerce's Distinguished Business Award.

Citing the possible closing of a shooting and recreation complex in Southern Illinois if a controversial bill was passed, Rep. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) joined others in defeating House Bill 4117.

The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce wants to know who stands out most in the local business community.

St. Francis CARE in Murphysboro is getting a helping hand from HireLevel this month as part of the employment agency's monthly #HireLevelDifference Campaign, according to a press release.

Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) is approaching his recent appointment on the Flu Gas Desulfurization Task Force (FGD) with equal parts excitement and dedication.

Celina Maniece and her new business are being touted as proof positive that the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale is an entrepreneurial dream, according to the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce.

The men and women chosen as "Leaders Among Us" by the Southern Business Journal will be celebrated by the Southern Illinois Regional Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon on Sept. 19, according to a Facebook post from the chamber.

Illinois students will continue to be informed about how oil and gas are critical to the state thanks to a 10-year extension of the Petroleum Education and Marketing Act (PEMA), according to a press release from Rep. David Severin (R-Benton), who sponsored the legislation extending the act.

Carbondale’s The Stage Company is calling for cast members for its first production of the 2017-18 season, No Bones About It, according to the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce.

Gas prices could soon be rising by as much as 10 cents per gallon in Illinois, courtesy of the state’s new record-setting budget plan that removed a six-year-old 20 percent tax exemption on wholesale gas prices.

Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) came to the West Frankfort City Council meeting on July 25 with a special message of thanks to three members of the city's police department, two city firefighters and two residents, according to a press release.

Ken Rhude wonders whether he still belongs in Jackson County.

The Illinois attorney general has put the responsibility for answering Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for the Benton Municipal Airport squarely on the City of Benton, according to the Edgar County Watchdogs (ECW) website.

Public sector employees and retirees could accept less than their constitutionally protected pensions if they understand it's them or public education, an economist said during an appearance on a recent Chicago-based radio show.

The budget battle in the Illinois Statehouse has allowed workers' compensation fraud to continue largely unchecked, the law firm Keefe, Campbell, Biery & Associates (KCBA) contends.

Illinois’ average personal income growth since the Great Recession is tied with Nevada for the worst in the country, according to data from Pew Charitable Trusts recently published on the Illinois Policy Institute website.

Area lawmakers are cheering news that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is hard at work looking for a new operator for the Rend Lake Resort and Conference Center in Franklin County.

Sparta Community Airport has earned a 2017 Airport of the Year Award from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the agency reported recently.