SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) will lead a new special Senate committee investigating how to fight the state’s opioid crisis.

“I plan to use my background with the Madison County State’s Attorney’s office to recommend real solutions on treatment and recovery for those suffering from this illness as well as our response as a state to overdoses,” Crowe said. “As Chair of the committee, I’m looking forward to directly working in a bipartisan manner to address this crisis.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in Illinois in 2017, there were 2,202 drug overdose deaths involving opioids. That’s a rate of 17.2 deaths per 100,000 people, which is higher than the national rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 people.

Crowe was named chair of the new Opioid Crisis Abatement special committee on Friday by Senate President John J. Cullerton.

ROXANA – State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) visited junior and senior students and faculty at Roxana High School with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) Thursday morning.

“I graduated from Roxana High, and I owe a lot of my success to the education I learned from them,” Crowe said. “I was humbled to return as a first-year senator.”

Pictured: Roxana High students with Sen. Rachelle Crowe, Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville), U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Monica Bristow (D-Godfrey)

WOOD RIVER – State Senator Rachelle Crowe’s (D-Glen Carbon) district office in Wood River is a new drop-off location for the non-profit Cell Phones for Soldiers organization, she announced today.

“This program provides a secure way to dispose of unwanted electronic devices while benefitting those who protect our freedom overseas,” said Crowe, a member of the Senate’s Veterans Affairs Committee.

The non-profit collects old, broken cell phones and tablets and sends them to be refurbished or recycled. Proceeds from those sales are used to send prepaid international calling cards to our troops and to provide emergency funding to veterans. All cell phone donations are tax deductible.

Crowe’s district office is located in Wood River City Hall at 111 N. Wood River Ave., Suite A. Hours are from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

Visit www.CellPhonesForSoldiers.com for more information or to find another drop-off location.

ALTON – State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) and state Rep. Monica Bristow (D-Alton) are partnering to bring the Treasurer’s office to the Metro East for an I-Cash Event in Alton next Wednesday.

“I strongly urge any Illinois resident that is available to stop in to check if they have any unclaimed property,” Crowe said. “Experts will be there to help with filing claims and to answer any questions.”

The event is Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 1 P.M. to 3 P.M. at the AltonWorks Office, located at 601 Broadway St. in Alton.

Representatives with the Treasurer’s office will be available to check if residents have a claim to any of the $2.9 billion in unclaimed property.

For more information on events Sen. Crowe is hosting, contact her district office at (618) 251-9840 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.