Staunton Star - Times - Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years

The Illinois Commerce Commission has announced a new area code is coming to southern Illinois. The new 730 area code will “overlay” the existing 618 area code to address the depletion of prefixes available for assignment within the region. The first prefix in the new area code will not be introduced until after July 7, 2023. The 618 area code covers all or parts of 37 counties in Illinois and includes communities such as Alton, Belleville, Cairo, Carbondale, Centralia, E. St. Louis, Edwardsville and Marion. The 618 area code is one of the original, 86 area codes in the United States, as...