Don’t miss this: Out of prison, out panhandling and a secretive spy agency

An East St. Louis man was one of 61 federal prison inmates who had their sentences commuted by President Barack Obama Wednesday. Ernest Spiller, 63, was convicted and sentenced in 2000 to 29 years in prison after trafficking almost 62 pounds of crack cocaine from a home where he lived with his family. Spiller will leave prison July 28.

Panhandlers who beg for money on the sides of roads across the metro-east tell their stories, which often include generosity from strangers, assistance from churches and ordinance violation citations from municipalities.

Federal officials could announce late Thursday or early Friday whether 182 acres of farmland adjacent to Scott Air Force Base is the preferred location for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s western headquarters. NGA will build a $1.6 billion facility and employ up to 3,100 people, and the choice is down to the St. Clair County plot, which the county offered up for free and is a stone’s throw from the military installation that protects it, or 99 blighted acres in north St. Louis.

For the first time ever, McKendree University’s women’s bowling team is in the dance. They’re one of eight at-large teams selected to play for the NCAA championship in New Jersey beginning April 14. The team’s impressive 2015-2016 season included entry into eight tournaments, of which they won four.

A fire caused heavy damage to a home on White Street near Cahokia Wednesday night. Camp Jackson Fire Department officials say the fire started in a front spare room of the unoccupied home. No one was reported injured.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 6:38 AM with the headline "Don’t miss this: Out of prison, out panhandling and a secretive spy agency."