Whisper Marine Acquires Heyday Boats from Brunswick

Whisper Marine, LLC has acquired Heyday Boats, the wake and surf boat brand, from Brunswick Corporation. The acquisition is Whisper Marine’s third in less than a year, following the December 2025 purchase of Qwest Pontoons and the June 2026 acquisition of Crownline Boats, and expands the company’s marine portfolio into the wake and surf segment.

Tando Composites Grows with LWI Supply into Southern Illinois and Eastern Missouri

Tando Composites has expanded its distribution through Lumberman’s Wholesale Inc. (LWI Supply), offering its full product line across Southern Illinois and Eastern Missouri. This includes Beach House Shake®, the authentic composite shingle, and TandoStone®, the #1 brand of composite stone. Headquartered in Montgomery, IL, LWI Supply distributes branded building products throughout select Midwest states from its three locations in Northern Illinois, Southern Missouri, and Northwest Arkansas.

Williamson County voters reject Herrin Park District tax increase

HERRIN, Ill. (Heartland News) - Voters in Williamson County rejected a proposed property tax increase for the Herrin Park District. The majority voted no, so the district’s tax cap remains unchanged. The ballot question asked voters to raise taxes by about $17 a year per $100,000 of home value....

BLINN LIVESTOCK JUDGING TEAM PLACES SECOND AT SALEM SPOOKTACULAR

Blinn College’s livestock judging team placed second at the inaugural Salem Spooktacular, with Lane Steen finishing third in the individual contest. Blinn placed second in reasons and small ruminants, third in swine, and fifth in cattle at the contest Saturday in Salem, Ill. Blinn has placed in the top 10 at all eight of its contests this year.

$4.5 Million Announced For Rural Water Infrastructure Expansion Benefiting Seven Illinois Counties

Washington, DC-(Effingham Radio)- Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL-15) announced $4.5 million in federal funding to support the expansion of EJ Water Cooperative’s Delbert Mundt Water Treatment Plant. The investment will double the facility’s treatment capacity, strengthening access to reliable water service for families, farmers, and businesses across seven Central Illinois counties: Shelby, Effingham, Montgomery, Fayette, Cumberland, Christian, and Clay.

Hotel, restaurant owners offer to pay for Cape Girardeau tourism study

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Heartland News) - Local hotel and restaurant owners are prepared to pay a Chicago-based firm about $100,000 to assess Cape Girardeau’s tourism potential beyond sports tourism, according to a plan presented to the city council on Monday. Jeff Maurer of Mayson Capital Partners pitched the plan...

Meet huitlacoche, a gnarly corn fungus that's now gracing plates in the Midwest

Want more news about agriculture and the environment? Sign up for the Harvest newsletter for our latest reporting, plus behind-the-scenes exclusives. An empty U-Haul truck rattled for hours down twisting backroads in southeast Missouri to an Old Order Mennonite community of 25 families outside Fredericktown. At the wheel was a...

Two Furniture Galleries Are Only Part Of This Missouri Antique Mall’s 52,000-Square-Foot Treasure Hunt

Somewhere in Missouri, an antique mall sells vintage glassware, sports memorabilia, and locally raised Blue Bison sausage under one roof. Yes, sausage. I had to read that twice too. The building stretches past 52,000 square feet. It holds more than 350 dealer spaces, and that count includes 265 booths and...

Boil water advisory, water main break impacting hundreds in Cape Girardeau

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Heartland News) - A boil water advisory is in effect for hundreds in Cape Girardeau. According to the city of Cape Girardeau’s water outage map, 737 addresses are impacted. This includes homes and businesses east of Interstate 55, from the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex, down to Hopper...

You Can Retire On Under $1,500 A Month In This Quaint Kentucky Town

Nobody ever made a movie about retiring to a perfectly affordable, genuinely beautiful small city on the river where everything works out wonderfully, because apparently that’s not dramatic enough. Paducah, Kentucky would like a word. This quaint western Kentucky town has quietly assembled all the ingredients for an exceptional...

Six Generations Later, This Missouri Family Still Makes The German Sausage That Started Its Business In The 1870s

A German-style bologna recipe from the 1870s is still being made by the same family today. Six generations have kept it going. That’s longer than most of us can trace our own family trees. The part I find surprising is how hands-on it all stays. Spice batches get mixed...

Sunraycer buys 325MWac solar projects in Illinois and Missouri

US-based independent power producer Sunraycer Renewables has acquired two utility-scale solar projects totalling 325MWac in Illinois and Missouri from Apricus Energy. Apricus Energy is a joint venture (JV) between NOVI Energy and Osaka Gas USA, established in 2021 to support renewable infrastructure growth across the US. The purchase includes the...

Fire dept. seeks half-cent tax to boost staff

Kentucky Career Center to host job fair on Nov. 3

PADUCAH — Kentucky Career Center plans to host its weekly job fair in Paducah from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The event will take place at the KCC, located at 416 S. Sixth St., Paducah, KY 42003. According to a flyer, the employees listed below...

Sunraycer Grabs 325 MW Illinois-Missouri Solar Portfolio, Eyes Power for 78,500 Homes

A Maryland-based power producer just picked up two solar projects totaling 325 megawatts of alternating current across Adams County, Illinois, and New Madrid County, Missouri, with developers projecting enough electricity to power roughly 78,500 homes once the panels are up and running. The deal adds two advanced-stage projects to a company that says it already has nearly 3 gigawatts of solar and battery storage in its pipeline.

This Dreamy Missouri Town Is So Ridiculously Affordable You Can Live On Social Security Alone

Farmington, Missouri is the kind of place that makes financial advisors nervous, because once people find it, they stop stressing about money altogether. Tucked into the gentle hills of St. Francois County about 70 miles south of St. Louis, this town has quietly built a reputation as one of the most genuinely affordable places to live in the entire state.

Pulaski County to auction seized property lots

PULASKI COUNTY, Ill. (Heartland News) - Pulaski County officials will auction off 102 properties that were delinquent for property taxes in 2022 and before. The lots will be sold to the highest sealed bid received on or before November 13, 2026. The sale of the abandoned properties benefits the taxing...

Arevon closes on $120 million tax equity commitment with Wells Fargo for its Big Muddy Solar Project in southern Illinois

A major solar energy project in southern Illinois has secured another round of financing as it moves closer to operation. Arevon Energy announced it has closed on a $120 million tax equity commitment from Wells Fargo for the 124-megawatt Big Muddy Solar Project in Jackson County. The financing follows a previously announced $183 million debt package and will help support the project's completion while allowing the company to monetize federal tax credits and other tax benefits.

Did you know Stihl once built tractors?

Everyone knows about renowned antique tractor brands like Minneapolis-Moline, International Harvester, Allis Chalmers, John Deere and J.I. Case. But what about Stihl?. “I have tractors and chainsaws on my mind … . What in the world do they have in common?” asked farm broadcaster Max Armstrong about this week’s selection, a lime green 1962 Stihl 381S, on display by Kenny Buchheit at the American Tractor Museum in Perryville, Mo.