The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office shared photographs on social media showing damage caused by Friday’s devastating EF-4 tornado.
A National Weather Service damage survey and analysis by structural engineering experts found that an EF-4 tornado damage occurred in southern Williamson County on Friday, May 16.
Fox on the run...this was the best picture we could get of a fox wandering through a neighbor’s backyard late one morning last week.
This week, we’re going to start with our latest Critter Sighting Updates...
Bat? Bird? Bug? UFO? Or, maybe, just a bit of dust on the camera’s lens? Can’t be sure. The image was captured during last week’s partial lunar eclipse.
Seemed like Mother Nature tried to end our drought with a Great Big Ol’ Downpour at about the same time I was heading to The Paragraph Factory in Anna Monday morning.
Splish, splash, Rocky was takin’ a bath in the “pond” in the photographer’s backyard...on a Friday...maybe the critter was getting ready for the weekend.
I’m not quite why it crossed it mind Monday evening, but there it was... We’ll come back to that thought in just a bit... Meanwhile... I know you can’t wait, so here is my latest Critter Sighting (and Smelling) Update...
Bears were spotted last week at the Union County Fair in Anna...
There were bears out there. One bear. Two bears. Three bears. Maybe even four bears. I saw them. I really did... ...at the Union County Fair...  ...there’s even a picture to prove it...
July 28...clouds billowed into the sky over Cobden during the evening. The photographer (that would be me) did a little magic in Photoshop to highlight the steeple at the First Baptist Church in Cobden...just to give an idea of the immensity of the clouds.
Once again this week, we’ll be offering a little bit of this...and a little bit of that...and some pics of the sky...
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office shared photographs on social media showing damage caused by Friday’s devastating EF-4 tornado.
Fox on the run...this was the best picture we could get of a fox wandering through a neighbor’s backyard late one morning last week.
Bat? Bird? Bug? UFO? Or, maybe, just a bit of dust on the camera’s lens? Can’t be sure. The image was captured during last week’s partial lunar eclipse.
Splish, splash, Rocky was takin’ a bath in the “pond” in the photographer’s backyard...on a Friday...maybe the critter was getting ready for the weekend.
Bears were spotted last week at the Union County Fair in Anna...
July 28...clouds billowed into the sky over Cobden during the evening. The photographer (that would be me) did a little magic in Photoshop to highlight the steeple at the First Baptist Church in Cobden...just to give an idea of the immensity of the clouds.
The Illinois Department of Public Health, IDPH, has issued an updated standing order which adds Illinois public libraries to the list of locations that are permitted to keep a supply of opioid overdose reversal agents on hand and to allow trained staff to administer them in the event of a suspected...
Since 2019, Southern 7 Health Department, S7HD, has provided the Fecal Immunochemical Test, FIT, to help residents of the seven southernmost Illinois counties prevent colorectal cancer.  Through a subaward grant presented to S7HD by the Illinois Public Health Association, IPHA, through funds made...
CLARKSDALE, MISS. – The Delta Regional Authority, DRA, in collaboration with the State of Illinois, recently invested more than $3.1 million toward 12 projects in Southern Illinois through its States’ Economic Development Assistance Program, SEDAP, which is one of DRA’s main investment tools. A...
The month of November was warmer than normal in the Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri and Western Kentucky region. The month was drier than normal. Temperatures The National Weather Service in Paducah reported in a November climate review that temperatures averaged above normal by 1 to 3...
Stargazers will have an opportunity to get one of the best views of the Geminid meteor shower at its peak, thanks to an event sponsored in part by Southern Illinois University Carbondale.  See the Gems at Giant City is scheduled to take place from 9:30 p.m. Dec. 13 to 1 a.m. Dec. 14 at Giant City...
The Illinois Department of Public Health, IDPH, is issuing a general reminder to the public about the potential dangers of consuming raw milk after at least 11 people were recently sickened by such products.  While most milk products sold in the state are pasteurized, meaning they have been treated...
A new state funding formula is designed to increase resources for underserved and rural public libraries in Illinois. Libraries in the Southern Illinois area are among those that will benefit from the program. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias led a legislative effort to change the...
The National Weather Service office in Paducah reported late last week that a cold front was expected to move through the region on Friday, Nov. 7, bringing with it a chance for a few showers and thunderstorms. Another chance for showers was possible Saturday night, followed by much colder...
The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office announced Nov. 4 that fire departments across the state are beginning the transition to the National Emergency Response Information System, NERIS, which is a secure, cloud-based platform built to modernize how emergency incidents are reported and analyzed....
A new fiscal year budget was on the agenda for a lengthy special meeting of the Union County Board of Commissioners which was held Thursday, Oct. 30. The meeting was at the Union County Courthouse in Jonesboro. Funding requests presented by county officeholders and department heads were discussed....

Obituaries

Kathern E. “Kathy” Dillow
Kathern E. “Kathy” Dillow, age 82 of Jonesboro, passed away Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale.  She was born on Oct. 9, 1943 in Anna, the daughter of Sam and Alice (Newton) Ellis. She married Gene Dillow on Feb. 20, 1965. Kathy is survived by her husband, Gene Dillow; children...
Janet Rae Ragan
Janet Rae Ragan, age 80 of Jonesboro, passed away peacefully with her family by her side, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.  She was born May 13, 1945 in Anna, the daughter of Herman and Margaret (Shephard) Pretzsch. She married Robert Logan Ragan on Oct. 11, 1962 in Anna. Janet is survived by her husband,...
Lloyd “Dean” Newman
Lloyd “Dean” Newman, 77, of Anna passed away Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale surrounded by family.  He was born in Anna on Nov. 14, 1948 to Archie Lloyd Newman and Ruth Lucille (Alger) Newman. He married Linda Faye Womack on Dec. 14, 1968. Dean is survived by his wife of 57...
Jane E. Baggott
Jane E. Baggott, age 80, of Anna, formerly of Cobden, passed away on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 at Deaconess Illinois Union County Hospital. She was born on Nov. 12, 1945 in Union County, Ill.  On Dec. 8, 1961, she married Donald Baggott and together they spent over 57 years. Jane’s passion was for...
Shawn Gunn
Shawn Gunn, age 53, of Carbondale, formerly of Cobden, passed away on Friday, January 2, 2026 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He was born on April 3, 1972 to Terry and Judy (Basler) Gunn in Carbondale, Ill. Shawn worked at Neuro Restorative in Carbondale since 2011.  In his spare time,...

Sports

Following decades of decline, even fewer birds will darken North American skies by the end of the century, according to a new analysis by scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign....

The Gazette-Democrat

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Anna, Illinois 62906
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