Several elected Democrats — despite a great deal of success in the 2022 midterm cycle — have chosen to end their affiliation with the Democratic Party in recent weeks, raising concern over whether the party may be suffering from a retention problem as political divides continue to widen in the United States.

Here’s a link to the story at Fox News.

Wintry scenes were underway on both coasts on Sunday, with feet of snow for the mountains in the West. According to AccuWeather forecasters, the uptick in winter weather is only just getting underway, with over a foot of snow, strong winds and blizzard conditions expected for many in the northern Plains to start this week.

Here’s a link to the story.

“No thanks!”

That’s how majorities of the public responded when the CNBC All-America Economic Survey asked if President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump should run again for president.

Here’s a link to the story.

Coronavirus-related hospital admissions are climbing again in the United States, with older adults a growing share of U.S. deaths and less than half of nursing home residents up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations.

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

More than a hundred grassroots activists, defeated candidates and party loyalists descended on a meeting of the Illinois Republican Party’s top leaders on Saturday, voicing frustration over last month’s election results that extended the state’s one-party Democratic governance.

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

A federal appeals court on Friday permanently blocked the Biden administration from requiring religious doctors and hospitals to perform transgender medical services that violate their conscience, becoming the second court to do so.

Here’s a link to the story at Fox News.

EDWARDSVILLE — For six area families, Saturday marks the first anniversary of the day they lost loved ones when an EF-3 tornado struck an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville.

Here’s a link to the story.

MARION — When plans were being made to exchange Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner, negotiations were taking place far from Southern Illinois. But to get the trade accomplished, Bout’s journey would begin in Marion.

Here’s a link to the story.

Democratic state Sen. Scott Bennett of Champaign, who played an integral role only days ago in passing legislation that clarified the state’s landmark criminal reform justice act, died Friday from complications of a large brain tumor, according to a statement released by his office. He was 45.

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

After keeping the world at arm’s length for roughly two years, the entertainment world could finally get more personal again in 2022. And it did. The year in photos.

Here’s a link to the story.