The Daily Truth
The Consequences
Carmi elected an unopposed mayor in 2025 and lost him by resignation in October. Six prospective candidates explain what they...
Monster News newsroom
Featured News
Featured News · SPOTLIGHT
Yolanda Sue Miller: Who at HUD Is Responsible?
I called HUD looking for accountability. I came away still trying to find the person responsible for it.
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The Daily Truth
SPOTLIGHT
The Wheelchair-License Alarm in Cortland
Cortland proposed registering bikes, scooters and defined mobility devices. The council tabled the law. Here is what the record actually...
THE LEADS
Kim, Oh, Kim Complaint, then Violation
She reported a broken water heater and asked for help with her yard. Within seven days she had been entered...
Local News More Local News →
No Hot Water, No Notice
She reported a broken water heater on a holiday Monday. By Tuesday morning a maintenance man was inside her duplex...
400 Acres, a Free Permit, and a Silencer
An elected Wayne County official is accused of poaching deer on ground he owns. Illinois had already handed him a...
The Silence Was the Vote
The board asked for objections an hour after a formal federal objection landed in every member's inbox. Hearing none, they...
The Hearing That Never Comes
Four lease-termination notices in five months. Four timely grievance requests. Zero hearings. WCHA's own documents show the machine.
Spotlight More Spotlight →
One Percent of the Take
The White House promised a commission on fraud. The Justice Department wrote down a flat fee.
The Verdict Was Guilty. The Trial Was Unfair.
Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions were overturned after a court clerk improperly influenced jurors. A closer look at the failures that...
The Leads More The Leads →
The Corkboard: The Keeping Pets Burden
A housing authority letter says a tenant had an unauthorized cat in her unit. The lease bans animals that are...
The Cork Board: Threads We Are Following — October 2026
A county board member jailed, a mayor who kept his other seat, and a city's money night in Fairfield: the...
The Cork Board: Threads We Are Following — September 2026
Three threads carried September in Wayne County — a federal seat filled by a non-resident, four termination notices answered by...
Daily Truth More Daily Truth →
“The RAB Was Notified.” What Did the WCHA Board Verify?
A September assurance, missing March documentation, and residents asking to serve: what did the WCHA board verify?
Not Optional
A WCHA resident has demanded what federal regulation already requires: the right to organize a resident council, and the authority's...
The Real Welfare Queens
They run the county. They run the housing authority. They own the realty, the grocery, and the ground. And for...
Why Small-Town Government Is Where Accountability Starts
Big scandals make the news. Small ones make the pattern — and in a county of sixteen thousand, the machinery...
World News More World News →
Guns to the Caribbean, Scanners for the Border
Seventy-one boat strikes, 238 dead, a captured president in an American courtroom and Venezuela's oil in U.S.-controlled accounts — alongside...
The Piggy Bank: What America Buys Abroad, and What $23 Billion Does Not Buy at Home
A $331 billion arms headline that is mostly other countries' money, a $38 billion aid guarantee, one emergency bomb sale...
Foreign Money in a Midterm Year: What Is Documented, What Is Legal, and What Nobody Has Closed
Six-point-eight billion dollars of disclosed foreign spending, more than $7 million in campaign checks written by registered foreign agents, and...
The Warrant Netanyahu Cannot Outrun
The International Criminal Court's warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu is still open and still unserved. What the record shows about who...
Events More events →
Boo on Main brings Halloween to downtown Fairfield
Fairfield’s downtown Halloween celebration returns Friday, October 30, with trunk-or-treating from 5 to 7 p.m. Free hot dogs, games and...
Cisne Boo in the Park includes parade and costume judging
Cisne’s Boo in the Park runs Friday, October 30, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Cisne Square. Trunk-or-treating anchors an...
Wayne City Matters Fall Carnival comes to the park October 31
Wayne City Matters will hold its Fall Carnival Saturday, October 31, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Wayne City Park,...
Roots & Rhythm Halloween fundraiser supports Oak House
Oak House’s Roots & Rhythm: Halloween Edition takes place Saturday, October 31, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the lake...
Legal More legal coverage →
WCHA Voted on Business the Public Was Never Told Was Coming.
Three unlisted items. An inadequate salary recital. Illinois found violations, even after WCHA went back and re-voted.
WCHA Could Not Follow Its Own Public-Comment Rules.
A hostile meeting became a state review. Illinois found that WCHA failed to follow its own established order for hearing...
WCHA Adjourned. The Hiring Discussion Kept Going.
The executive director admitted the discussion continued after adjournment. Illinois found an open-meeting violation.
WCHA Discussed Public Business by Text. Then It Failed to Give PAC the Messages.
Four complaints, repeated state requests and missing underlying messages. WCHA’s own defenses exposed a fundamental misunderstanding of open government.
Contributors
All contributor stories →The Villagers’ Voice
More from The Villagers’ Voice →
Charlie’s Voice – Is Your Teenager Human?
The Villagers’ Voice preview: “We have teenagers everywhere. They’re invasive, and they’re dangerous. I’m sure if there was a thermonuclear war, only…”
Mayoral Candidate Addresses Carmi Council with Plan for City Sewer Plant
The Villagers’ Voice preview: “The 2027 Carmi Mayoral race is heating up after former Mayor Bill Stendeback’s sudden…”
Alert from Village of Norris City: Online Payments
The Villagers’ Voice preview: “Alert from Village of Norris City: Online Payments Date: Oct 22, 2026 It has come to our…”
Carmi City Council Tables Payment on Lashly & Baer Redacted Bill
The Villagers’ Voice preview: “The Carmi City Council last night tabled a vote to pay the first bill…”
Illinois Leaks
More from Illinois Leaks →
Colchester FPD – ‘If I Go To Jail, I Go to Jail’ – The Mystery Memorial Funds Received
Illinois Leaks follows financial concerns at the Colchester Fire Protection District, including disputed memorial-fund reimbursements and leadership resignations. Its report examines a resignation letter, questions about who returned the money, and an ongoing state police investigation.
Former Dolson Twp Clerk Gets 5 Years In D.O.C., Must Pay $168K Restitution –
A former Dolson Township clerk pleaded guilty to official misconduct and received a five-year prison sentence, according to Illinois Leaks. Its report details the court’s restitution order of more than $168,000 and the history of the missing-funds investigation.
9.8% Edgar County Tax Increase Coming Your Way?
Illinois Leaks examines a proposed 9.8% increase in Edgar County’s tax levy and urges residents to scrutinize local taxing bodies. The report discusses the proposed increase and an upcoming public hearing.
Kankakee School District 111 Admitted It Was A Personal Debt, But Paid It Anyway – Didn’t Know What They Voted For –
Illinois Leaks questions Kankakee School District 111’s payment of a board member’s personal fine. Its report examines the difference between the amount officials said they approved and the $6,515 payment, alongside an Open Meetings Act complaint.