GLEN CARBON – The Father McGivney Catholic High School girls basketball team rosters eight upperclassmen, six of whom are seniors. It rosters four sophomores and one freshman. Her name is Elle Willenborg, and she’s made her presence known. Willenborg had her best shooting performance of the season on Wednesday, November 26, in her team’s home-opening win over Roxana. She scored a team-high 14 points, including four three-pointers in the first quarter. For her recent success,
ALTON - There’s a new church in Alton with a unique mission. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, you can experience the first official service of Confluence Faith Community at The Conservatory in Alton. Lead Pastor Kyle and Lay Minister Peggy shared that they wanted to create a space that’s welcoming to all, healing for those who need it, and focused on building community through Christ. “The question that we have in Confluence is, how can we come alongside and walk with
ALTON – Alton Pride’s fourth annual Thanksgiving Food Drive Competition was a huge success. Twelve area businesses and organizations participated in the competition, which ran from October 27 to November 16. A total of 3,007 non-perishable food items were donated over the three weeks. Partnering again with MMK Endeavors, the donated items were sorted, bagged and paired with turkeys to make Thanksgiving meals for families in the Riverbend Area and surrounding communities. This year,
O'FALLON/BELLEVILLE - The holidays will be much more merry and bright for some adults with developmental disabilities, thanks to a generous donation of $1,200 from the O’Fallon Fire Department. This generous gift to Caritas Family Solutions’ Secret Santa program will ensure residents in the Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILA) program have Christmas presents to open this year. “My daughter works at Caritas, and she asked me to share a post on Facebook about
CHICAGO – Ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Attorney General Kwame Raoul is reminding Illinois residents to exercise caution when shopping both online and in person. Raoul is also reminding shoppers to review the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) recent recalls and product safety warnings before shopping this holiday season. The CPSC’s up-to-date list highlights hundreds of items with recalls or safety warnings, including toys, clothing, furniture and househol
BELLEVILLE – Illinois American Water wants to help customers and the general public protect their residential plumbing and wastewater systems by providing important tips for disposal of Fats, Oils and Cooking Grease (FOGs). “Protecting your pipes can prevent expensive repairs—properly disposing of fats, oils, and greases keeps plumbing clear, reduces sewer backups, and helps ensure safe, clean water for our communities,” said Rebecca Losli, president of Illinois American
WOOD RIVER - The Holiday Traditions Night Market promises tons of fun in downtown Wood River. From 4–7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, community members can enjoy a vendor fair, carriage rides, s’mores and hot cocoa, visits with Santa, a petting zoo and a Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Ferguson Avenue in downtown Wood River. Kristen Burns with Wood River Main Street expressed her excitement to host the third annual event. “Come have fun with us,” Burns said.
JERSEYVILLE - Kids can enjoy a special visit with Santa this holiday season. From 6–8 p.m. on Dec. 6 and 13, 2025, Got Faith? Ministry in Jerseyville will host a free visit with Santa where kids can chat with the man himself, make their own toy, and pick out a gift for their caregivers. Jersey County’s official Santa, Steve Pegram, who also oversees Got Faith?, can’t wait to celebrate with the kids. “They’re going to take a picture with Santa, a selfie with
COLLINSVILLE – Forty-six members of the Collinsville High School Class of 2026 have been named Illinois State Scholars. The Illinois State Scholars program recognizes students with superior academic potential based on achievements during high school. To be eligible, a student must: ? Attend an approved Illinois high school. ? Rank in the top half of their high school class at the end of the sixth semester (end of junior year). ? Have a qualifying ACT or SAT score from tests taken between
ALTON – After 15 years of requests from a local business owner for Alton and Ameren officials to address a “public safety hazard” in front of her building, Alton aldermen voted this week to further delay taking action. Erin Frew, owner of the historic Snyder Block building at 301 Piasa St. in downtown Alton, has consistently called on City Council members to compel Ameren Illinois to relocate bare overhead powerlines hanging less than six feet from the building’s
ST. LOUIS — Thanksgiving and the day before are the top two days in this country for the chance of a cooking fire to happen in someone’s home. Cooking causes an average of 158,400 home fires per year, which is 44% of all home fires in the United States. The American Red Cross of Greater St. Louis offers safety steps everyone can follow if they will be preparing their family’s Thanksgiving feast. “Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, home fire injuries and the secon
A Winter Storm Watch has been issued from late Friday night through Saturday evening . The National Weather Service is warning of heavy snow , with 4 to 8 inches possible across portions of south central, southwest, and west central Illinois, as well as east central and northeast Missouri. Travel could become very difficult , especially during the day Saturday. Today, conditions stay calm ahead of the approaching system. Expect a bright day with plenty of sunshine and brisk, chilly air.
SPRINGFIELD – As people across Illinois make preparations for holiday meals, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reminding everyone to follow food safety and hygiene recommendations to prevent an outbreak of foodborne illness. “Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays filled with family, friends, football, and of course great food” said IDPH Director Sameer Vohra. “As we kick off the holiday season, I want to remind everybody, and especially those
ALTON - Small Business Saturday is the cornerstone of the Shop Small movement, celebrated every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday shopping season. Shoppers are encouraged to keep their spending power “home for the holidays” and avoid the hassle of Black Friday and the impersonal customer service of Cyber Monday. Instead, make this season’s gift-giving a fun adventure by shopping with friendly independent businesses in your hometown historic district
ALTON - Old Bakery Beer Company has several vendor markets and specials planned for the next few weeks. From 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Saturday starting on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, until Christmas, you can stop by Old Bakery Beer Company to browse vendors at the Holiday Cheers Market. These markets will host nearly 25 new vendors every week. “The vendors rotate throughout the season, so we represent almost 100 vendors throughout the season,” said Lauren, OBB owner. “Th
JERSEYVILLE - Jerseyville’s Downtown Country Christmas Festival has been canceled due to forecasted severe weather. The festival, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, was canceled among forecasts of snow and ice . "In the end, we decided that we have about 250 volunteers, and it's just not worth risking anyone's life for an event, as much as we love this one," said chair Beth McGlasson. Organizers noted that while the festival will not go on, Jerseyville’s light displays
ALTON — The Great River Road Run, sponsored by the Alton Road Runners, has been canceled due to anticipated severe weather conditions, Race Director Russ Colona announced Wednesday afternoon. The run features 10-mile and 5K races. The race, originally scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, will not take place as forecasted snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches and north winds gusting up to 20 mph pose safety risks for participants and volunteers. “We are going to cancel for safety reasons
ALTON - Just in time for Christmas, Hayner Library will host its fourth annual Local Author Book Fair, where you can meet twenty-five local authors, buy their books, and have them signed. The event will be held Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the courtyard outside of Hayner Library at Alton Square Mall (between the library and JC Penney). Patrons are also encouraged to visit the library and check out the Library of Things, register for a library card, and chec
BELLEVILLE — The Belleville Police Department has completed clearing Althoff Catholic High School following a burglary reported earlier in the week, authorities said Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2025. Althoff Catholic School was closed on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2025, and students, faculty, and other workers started the Thanksgiving break early. Belleville Police officers conducted a thorough search of the building out of an abundance of caution on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2025, as it was not immediately clear
ST. LOUIS — Precipitation is expected to move into the St. Louis metropolitan area after midnight early Saturday morning, Nov. 29, 2025, with snow likely between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., according to Ben Herzog, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in St. Louis. Temperatures are forecast to be just below or at freezing as the sun rises on Saturday. Herzog said with the present weather model, there is a 60 to 80 percent chance that snowfall will accumulate more than 2 inches in the Alto
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