The grandfather of a 13-year-old northwestern Wisconsin girl who authorities say escaped a man who killed her parents and held her captive for three months said Sunday she’s in “exceptionally good spirits.”

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

The Action for Dental Health law signed by the president last month is like the dental floss of federal initiatives: designed to reach those hard-to-reach people and places. Communities throughout Southern Illinois stand to benefit as the law specifically targets the advance of dental health care in struggling rural and urban communities, experts say.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

Longtime Ald. Edward Burke has spent decades at the pinnacle of the city’s power structure, but in the end, he may have buried himself with his own words.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

In a Golden Globes chock full of upsets, the Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” took best picture, drama, over Bradley Cooper’s heavily favored “A Star is Born” and Glenn Close bested Lady Gaga for best actress.

HARRISBURG — Judge Walden Morris for a second time has denied extended media coverage of the trial of Brian Burns, the former Harrisburg physician accused of murdering his wife in 2016.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

CARBONDALE — Randy Dunn, controversial ex-president of the Southern Illinois University System, will not be teaching at the Edwardsville campus during the spring semester, as had been planned in his separation agreement, according to SIUE spokesman Doug McIlhagga.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

INA, Ill. – Land of Lincoln AmeriCorps is partnering with RSVP of Southern Illinois (SeniorCorps) and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to hold a Prescription Drug Take-Back event as part of their Martin Luther King Day service project.

This is one of the three massive service undertakings that the Land of Lincoln AmeriCorps students take part in every year as part of their commitment to the community.

The Drug Take-Back was born out of current needs of the local community.

“We try to choose different project each year for Martin Luther King Day, last year we did a donation drive for LifeBoat Alliance,” explained Megan Rounds, Director of Land of Lincoln AmeriCorps. “We try to find a need and do something to fill that need. Right now there is a problem with prescription drugs sitting around and they could fall into the wrong hands. This event is about giving people an outlet to dispose of their prescription drugs in a safe way.”

The take-back will take place from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 403 E. Main Street in Benton and offers a secure, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs.

“I want to thank the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, which has been very supportive and helpful with the planning, as well as RSVP of Southern Illinois. We are all excited about this event and are happy to help get unused prescription drugs out of people’s homes before they end up on the street,” Rounds said.

Land of Lincoln AmeriCorps is a grant-based, community service project made possible through the Illinois Governor’s Initiative and the Corporation for National Service in Washington, D.C., under AmeriCorps U.S.A. In Illinois, it is administered by the Serve Illinois Commission for Volunteer and Community Service as a function of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

AmeriCorps follows a long tradition of national service programs, where dedicated, civic-minded Americans provide service to their country and communities.

Land of Lincoln AmeriCorps is a consortium of three Illinois community colleges (Rend Lake College, Kaskaskia College, and John A. Logan College) and Southern Illinois University Carbondale to link the time and talents of college students with their communities’ schools

For more information on the Drug Take-Back event or Land of Lincoln AmeriCorps, contact Rounds at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1351.

A new report on Illinois underfunded pension systems says the state needs to put more money into the benefits programs before they become unsustainable and consume an even larger share of the state’s tax revenue.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

As a weeklong summit of U.S. Catholic bishops begins in the Chicago suburbs, groups of clergy sex abuse survivors are demanding more independent action, and for the removal of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Emmy Award-winning writer Bob Einstein, who was best known as cocky stuntman Super Dave Osborne and Larry David’s newly devout friend, Marty Funkhouser, on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” has died. He was 76.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.