September 25, 2025/

Illinois quick hits: O’Fallon man allegedly work with cartel; most dangerous for nursing home safety

Spread the love

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
The Center Square

O’Fallon man allegedly work with cartel

High-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel are among 26 defendants facing federal charges for their alleged involvement in trafficking hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine into southern Illinois and laundering the proceeds to Mexico.

Earl Frank, 56, of O’Fallon, Illinois is among the 26 defendants who allegedly participated in the cartel-sourced drug distribution pipeline.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the indictment is a significant blow to the Sinaloa Cartel’s infrastructure.

Most dangerous for nursing home safety

According to a new study, Illinois is the most dangerous state in the nation for nursing home safety violations.

Anidjar & Levine found that Illinois had 2,300 penalties among its 682 certified nursing facilities.

Total fines reached $78.4 million for an average of $115,000 per facility.

Blue Ribbon Schools announced

A record-breaking number of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago have met the criteria for the National Blue Ribbon School Award, given by the U.S. Department of Education.

Ten schools were informed in August that they would receive the honor. Several schools scheduled celebrations Thursday.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

Tillis to Hegseth: Choose meritocracy over your mediocre yes-men

Tillis to Hegseth: Choose meritocracy over your mediocre yes-men

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Gen. Chris Donahue, former key leader aboard Fort Bragg and in the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, got a strong backing from an outgoing North Carolina senator...
Chicago committee approves $5M for public school project

Chicago committee approves $5M for public school project

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Chicago aldermen are planning to spend more tax increment financing dollars on Chicago Public Schools, even though...
Group files federal lawsuit against Illinois' gun owner ID law

Group files federal lawsuit against Illinois’ gun owner ID law

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A new challenge to Illinois’ requirement for gun owners to have a state police-issued license has been...
Feds push back on Minnesota prosecution of ICE agent

Feds push back on Minnesota prosecution of ICE agent

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Federal immigration officials are calling Minnesota’s prosecution of an ICE agent a “political stunt” after Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced criminal charges tied to...
Minnesota mobile voting push stalls as session ends

Minnesota mobile voting push stalls as session ends

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square As the 2026 Minnesota legislative session came to a close over the weekend, several special interest efforts ultimately failed to advance. One of those was...
Taxpayers fund factories Pentagon says contractors should build

Taxpayers fund factories Pentagon says contractors should build

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The Pentagon is asking Congress to approve a new model that expects defense contractors to fund their own factory expansions, while simultaneously handing out $191...
Renewed call for Trump to pardon Texas Republican political consultant

Renewed call for Trump to pardon Texas Republican political consultant

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square After a Trump administration settlement with the IRS was announced including a new $1.8 billion weaponization fund for “political prisoners,” Texans are renewing their call...
Op-Ed: Illinois is closed for business

Op-Ed: Illinois is closed for business

By Alan Jernigan and Joshua MeyerThe Center Square The policies coming from Springfield send a clear message: Illinois is closed for business. While other states enact pro-growth policies and create...
Illinois Quick Hits: Proposal would allow two-year, online car registration

Illinois Quick Hits: Proposal would allow two-year, online car registration

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie has filed legislation she says will make the vehicle registration process...
Flint, Detroit top list of most-affordable U.S. cities for homebuyers

Flint, Detroit top list of most-affordable U.S. cities for homebuyers

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Flint and Detroit rank as the two most-affordable cities in the nation for homebuyers, according to a new WalletHub report. The analysis compared 300 U.S....
SCOTUS turns away Palatine HS teacher fired over anti-BLM Facebook posts

SCOTUS turns away Palatine HS teacher fired over anti-BLM Facebook posts

By Jonathan Bilyk | Legal NewslineeThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court will not review lower courts' decisions finding a suburban school district did not violate the constitutional rights of...
WATCH: Critics say political protests interfere with education

WATCH: Critics say political protests interfere with education

By Esther WickhamThe Center Square As student walkouts and protests tied to immigration enforcement increase nationwide, education experts are raising concerns about declining civics proficiency among K-12 students and the...
Congressional candidates discuss agriculture, healthcare

Congressional candidates discuss agriculture, healthcare

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Editor's note: This is the part of a series of stories that are appearing this week on the June 2 primary in California. The stories...
Trump admin still releasing minors into U.S., well below Biden era

Trump admin still releasing minors into U.S., well below Biden era

By Bethany BlankleyThe Center Square The Trump administration is still releasing unaccompanied alien children (UAC)s into the U.S., although the numbers are dramatically lower than the unprecedented numbers released by...
TrumpRx expanding, offering generic prescription drugs

TrumpRx expanding, offering generic prescription drugs

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square TrumpRx is expanding to about seven times its current size, adding more than 600 generic prescription drugs to the months-old direct-to-consumer government website, the president...