Kelsey Landis

City editor and staff writer, The (Alton) Telegraph

United States of America

Versatile general assignment reporter and city editor with a Master's Degree in New Media Studies from DePaul University. Working for The Alton Telegraph as a business and county government reporter. Also covering Lewis and Clark Community College. Former employers include the Benton Evening News and the Murphysboro American. Skilled in photography and videography. A passion for strong analysis and watchdog reporting. Can be contacted at 618-208-6460, Ext. 1396 or at [email protected].

Portfolio
Thetelegraph
10/11/2016
'He made the rules' - Lawsuit claims inmates unsupervised during deadly beating

EDWARDSVILLE - A lawsuit filed by the family of a man beaten to death in the Madison County Jail accuses staff of failing to protect the victim, who lay unresponsive for two hours before being discovered. John E. Newsome, Sr., 61, was trying to watch television in a day room - where jail personnel had housed him - when Terrence T.

Top Six

Thetelegraph
09/06/2016
Expert: Cook would be 'perfect' recruit for terror groups

EDWARDSVILLE - A Godfrey teen accused last week of plotting a terrorist attack was in and out of juvenile detention for several years, an experience that may have turned him into an easy target for recruitment by a terrorist organization, a local expert says.

Thetelegraph
03/24/2016
Wood River plant to close June 1

EAST ALTON - The Wood River coal-fired power plant will close June 1 after a study determined it is not needed to reliably supply electricity to the region. Dynegy Inc. announced in November it would retire the plant because of unfair market conditions, in part set by grid operator Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO).

The Telegraph
Women at work - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

ALTON - Penny Wade started working at Cope Plastics in Alton nearly 30 years ago, right out of high school. "I always enjoyed what I did," Wade said, taking pause from buffing a stack of thick Plexiglass. Wade is one of a handful of women who work on the manufacturing side of the 200,000-square-foot plastics facility.

Business

The Telegraph
Perfecting their craft - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

EDWARDSVILLE - In an instant gratification-driven world, the process by which BunkHouse Joe Coffee roasts its beans is anything but. The Fieldon-based craft coffee company starts by making fires from only dead, fallen trees, and waiting four hours for the coals to get to the right temperature.

The Telegraph
Distillers face higher taxes, disadvantages in Illinois - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

PONTOON BEACH - Legislation to increase the amount of liquor Illinois distilleries can produce annually is making its way through the general assembly, but manufacturers say taxes and distribution laws are still stacked against them. One area distiller, Mastermind Vodka in Pontoon Beach, will potentially move to Missouri if taxing laws aren't changed, said owner Carl Levering.

The Telegraph
A look at two sides of Alton Steel - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

ALTON - Amid contract negotiations and the looming potential for a labor strike, Alton Steel CEO James Hrusovsky is citing difficult trade policies and stringent environmental demands as difficult obstacles to hurdle. But that's a claim union workers say clouds the real issue.

The Telegraph
Business on the 'chain gang' - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

ALTON - The Beck family's businesses have seen their fair share of turmoil. In 2011, the family's Ferguson Little Caesars was destroyed a tornado on Good Friday. They rebuilt. Several months after a fire destroyed their home, the same restaurant was burned during the Ferguson riots in November 2014, and the family is in the process of rebuilding.

Features

Government

The Telegraph
Thousands turn out for Sanders rally - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

EDWARDSVILLE - Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders came out swinging at a rally Friday morning in an effort to turn the tables after a disappointing Super Tuesday. The Democratic U.S. Senator from Vermont hit his regular talking points - wealth inequality, campaign finance reform, universal healthcare, and free tuition for public colleges and universities - but he also took on opponent Hillary Clinton in front of the crowd of more than 4,000.

The Telegraph
Rauner hits on local interests - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - As protesters outside the House chamber chanted "budget first," Gov. Bruce Rauner singled out what he says are the causes of Illinois' economic woes during his second annual State of the State address in Springfield on Wednesday.

Tech and Science

The Telegraph
Production plants come under scrutiny - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

ALTON - A local steel plant is the primary risk to health from air pollution, say state regulators, while environmentalists and public health representatives say a coal-fired power plant also contributes to the problem. Preliminary findings by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency say Alton Steel produces a dangerous concentration of sulfur dioxide, a gas produced in metalworking and burning fossil fuels.

Murphysboroamerican
Carbondale residents discuss benefits of solar array usage

Carbondale residents did not hesitate to voice questions and concerns about health, finance and transparency at a meeting Wednesday night over Brightfields Development LLC's proposed solar array facility in the city's northeast side.A solar array is an arrangement of multiple solar panels.At the meeting in the Carbondale Eurma C.

History

The Telegraph
Not just a pile of bricks - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

EDWARDSVILLE - Lewis and Clark Community College has six months to come up with a plan for an empty restaurant that happens to house some of Madison County's oldest and most historically valuable walls. Original brick walls of the old Pogue Store remain standing within Rusty's, a popular restaurant and bar that closed in 2008.

Murphysboroamerican
General and Mrs. Logan's Grand Ball serves up connection to the past

(To check out video from the General and Mrs. John A. Logan's Grand Ball, go The Murphysboro American's Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/pgell9g) Editor's note: The General and Mrs. John A. Logan Grand Ball was held Saturday evening. In its eighth year running, the ball has become a highly anticipated Murphysboro event.

Schools

Murphysboroamerican
Teachers union, school board seek federal mediation in contract talks

A federal mediator will soon enter contract talks between the Murphysboro school board and teachers union, according to Murphysboro Education Association President Orlan Brown.Murphysboro teachers have been working without a new contract since school started on August 18.

Murphysboroamerican
Deficit budget looms over Murphysboro school district

Murphysboro schools could be bankrupt by 2017 if there is no change in spending or funding, said Janet Bush, business manager of Murphysboro Community Unit School District #186, at Tuesday night's school board meeting.The budget for fiscal year 2015 was approved at the meeting.Bush reported the district's education fund has

Benton Evening News
BCHS school board election questioned after objections raised

Les Pearce, who lost the April 7 Benton Consolidated High School board election to Mitch Bennett, has raised objections to Bennett's election, citing a conflict of interest. Bennett serves on the board at Ewing-Northern Community Consolidated District 115, which is a BCHS feeder school. Pearce says there is a conflict of interest between Bennett's two offices.