January 2012

When the Jonesboro Gazette first was published in 1849, the newspaper served one of the most important communities in Illinois during a time not far removed from when the region was a dense wilderness.

Through the 150 years that followed, the Jonesboro Gazette evolved into what is now The Gazette-Democrat. Today's newspaper represents past consolidations of the Jonesboro Gazette, the Anna Democrat, Anna Talk and Cobden Review.

<strong>Mr. Richard Gene Robinson, age 88 of Anna, died at 11:25 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. He was born August 1, 1923 in Sparta, Illinois, the son of Brian and Reva Hardin Robinson. He married Ilene Pickett on December 24, 1955 in Corinth, Mississippi. She preceded him in death on January 15, 1991.</strong>

To the editor,

I just attended the COGFA hearing at Shawnee Community College regarding the closure of the Tamms Supermax Prison. 

My husband has been a Tamms Supermax employee for the last twelve years. 

For the most part, we keep his “work stuff” separate from our family’s home life.   

However, when the possibility of the closure came to light, I felt like I needed to get more involved. 

I had never attended a hearing like this before and didn’t know quite what to expect. 

Anna City Council members heard reports on ongoing and planned city projects during their regular meeting on Tuesday evening, April 3.

City administrator Steve Guined said work on a new water storage tank on Market Street was about 35 percent complete. Sides on the structure will be erected in coming weeks.

Street improvement projects on Davie and Main streets are still on track for later this year.