SW IL Observer

26/06/2024

United States Post Office mail customers in Fults will now need to direct any questions to the post office in Valmeyer. One local resident told the Republic-Times that the Fults…

26/06/2024

R-T print rates rising July 1

Starting July 1, The Republic-Times newspaper will raise its print subscription rates to $40 per year in-county and $48 out-of-county.  The reason for this increase is directly related to a…

26/06/2024

Vandalia School Board handles several personnel issues at their June Board Meeting

The Vandalia School Board handled several personnel issues at their June Board Meeting. The board accepted the...

26/06/2024

Scholars, believers and skeptics all tend to have the same questions about the Bible. At times, we come across things that are puzzling or even hard to believe. Those folks…

26/06/2024

(Information in this report is gathered from police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may…

24/06/2024

FYI The Pierre Menard Home will be open this week on June 27, 28 and 30th from 9 to 4. Come see us!!! Menard was the first Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. Find his home in the French Colonial Historic District near Ellis Grove ... in Randolph County, Illinois.

21/06/2024

The Republic-Times Team of the Week is the Waterloo Piranhas swim club. The Piranhas are 3-0 so far on the summer season. On Saturday, Waterloo won 317-151 at Greenville. That…

21/06/2024

The Republic-Times Athlete of the Week is Waterloo High School softball standout Maddie Gummersheimer. The recent graduate was a key member of a Bulldogs squad that placed fourth in Class…

21/06/2024

The Waterloo Fire Department responded shortly before 4:45 p.m. Thursday to a skid steer on fire near a building in the 4700 block of Bohleysville Road east of Waterloo. The…

20/06/2024

Emergency personnel responded about 4:45 p.m. Thursday to a two-vehicle crash with injuries at the intersection of Ghent and Palmer roads near the ramp to Route 3/I-255 in Columbia. Responding…

20/06/2024

Nelda M. Rahn, nee Prange, 76, of Waterloo, passed away peacefully on June 18, 2024, at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon. She was born Oct. 21, 1947 in St. Louis.…

20/06/2024

The Waterloo Fire Department responded at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday to a carbon dioxide alarm sounding at McDonald’s, located at 176 Marketplace Drive. The fire department cleared the scene by…

20/06/2024

Always love Porta Westfalica and the potato pancakes. The parade was awesome and the weather could not have been better.

19/06/2024

Michael A. Zygmund, 62, of Waterloo, died June 18, 2024, in Waterloo. He was born Nov. 24, 1961, in St. Louis. He is survived by his wife Tina Zygmund (nee…

19/06/2024

A groundbreaking ceremony took place last week to mark the start of the first phase of a major expansion project at Columbia High School. Work over the summer will focus…

19/06/2024

This past school year was Melanie Ryterski’s last with the Waterloo School District, having spent 27 years helping young students fill their lives with music. A longtime music teacher at…

19/06/2024

A mobile coffee shop with a home in Freeburg welcomed guests into its new Columbia brick-and-mortar location Saturday, providing a range of staple and seasonal drinks for folks looking to…

19/06/2024

Members of local high school FFA chapters are attending the 96th annual Illinois State FFA Convention this week in Springfield. With a 2024 theme of “United As One,” the three-day…

19/06/2024

Monroe County Electric Cooperative hosted its 86th annual meeting June 8 at the corporate headquarters south of Waterloo.  MCEC President/CEO Alan Wattles told members  that the cooperative increased its equity…

19/06/2024

Several local high school softball standouts were named to Illinois Coaches Association all-state teams following successful springs.  As it turns out, the 1-0 contest between Waterloo and Columbia that was…

19/06/2024

While this area was not represented in a state tournament for just the second time in the past several seasons, Monroe County did show off a plethora of fine baseball…

19/06/2024

The Valmeyer Lakers fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, splitting a pair of doubleheaders in Mon-Clair League baseball action over the weekend. Prior to games Saturday and Sunday, the…

19/06/2024

Former Columbia High School athletic standout Dominic Voegele was voted to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-America First Team, becoming the first University of Kansas player to ever…

19/06/2024

University of Central Missouri redshirt senior outfielder Brennen van Breusegen of Columbia was recently chosen as a 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division II First Team All-American following an…

18/06/2024

Oh my, Lukas looks quite “Fetching” today! Speaking of “Fetch”, that’s a magical word for this young fella. Just say the word and away he goes to find a ball!…

18/06/2024

Betty D. Baltz (nee George), 99, of Belleville, formerly of Millstadt, died May 27, 2024, at Dammert Center of Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine in Belleville. She was born…

18/06/2024

JoAnn Opal Yarbrough (nee Steinsieck), 86, of Red Bud, was joyfully welcomed to her heavenly home on May 11, 2024, in St. Louis. She was born March 13, 1938, in…

16/06/2024

The Waterloo Fire Department assisted City of Waterloo utilities personnel in responding shortly after 9:45 p.m. Sunday to the smell of gas and with a possible gas leak at an…

16/06/2024

The Valmeyer Fire Department responded at about 12:10 p.m. Saturday to a baler machine on fire in the area of Levee Road and Merrimac Road just west of Fountain in…

15/06/2024

The Columbia Fire Department enlisted the aid of neighboring fire companies in responding to two calls within minutes of each other Friday night. Shortly after 8:35 p.m., the CFD was…