CHAMPAIGN – Jonathan Rulo has etched his name in school history as a two-time state champion for Belleville East High School. Last season, Rulo captured the first state wrestling title winning the Class 3A 285-pound championship with a 7-2 decision over William Cole of Round Lake. This year, Rulo left no doubt. He powered through the bracket in dominant fashion, pinning Ajani Williams at the 3:07 mark in the preliminaries before sticking Pierre Nelson in just 17 seconds in the quarterfinals.
CHAMPAIGN — Fighting through illness, Knox Verbais put together an impressive run at the IHSA State Wrestling Finals before coming up just short in the championship match to finish second in the state. Verbais battled through the bracket all weekend. In the preliminary round, he earned a 15-5 major decision over Cooper Chester. He followed that up in the quarterfinals with a 16-10 victory over Dominic Garcia, defeating Garcia for the second straight year at state. In the semifinals, Verbais
ALTON - Kathy Wilson helps people through everything she does. Wilson, one of the YWCA’s eleven 2026 Women of Distinction, will be honored at the Y’s annual gala for her commitment to the community. As the executive director of the Bethalto Boys and Girls Club and a volunteer in various organizations throughout the community, she emphasized the importance of giving back. “Service is something that I was raised with,” Wilson said. “Probably the most meaningful
JERSEYVILLE – Public Works Director Bob Manns gave an update on the ongoing Hollow Avenue Improvement Project at the Feb. 17, 2026 Jerseyville City Council meeting. Manns said Baxmeyer Construction is on site near Waggoner Avenue, where stormwater system repair and construction is expected to begin on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. “Stormwater structures and pipe will be delivered over the next two days, and then they’ll start physical installation on Monday morning, first thing,”
CHICAGO — Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a coalition of 13 attorneys general, filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful decision to terminate funding for congressionally mandated energy and infrastructure programs created by Congress in laws such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern
ST. LOUIS - Titan CEO and headline sponsor Wipfli are pleased to announce Crystal Officer, CEO of Beverly Farm Foundation as a 2026 St. Louis Titan 100 recipient. The Titan 100 recognizes St. Louis’ Top 100 CEOs and C-level executives, the region’s most accomplished leaders who have not only built extraordinary companies but have redefined what it means to lead. These Titans exemplify excellence through their vision, passion, and integrity, creating lasting impact across industries
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)—today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shamefully circumvented the normal rulemaking process and implemented without public comment a new interim final rule that puts millions of Veterans’ disability ratings and care at risk, shockingly disincentivizing our nation’s heroes from bot
EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville girls basketball freshman guard Journey Anderson proved to be the biggest hero on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, when she hit the first of two free throws that gave the Tigers a come-from-behind 50-49 win over Quincy in the first semifinal of the IHSA Class 4A regional tournament at Edwardsville's Lucco-Jackson Gym. The free throw climaxed a final 15-0 run, after the Tigers were trailing the Blue Devils 49-35 with about two minutes to go. It was a remarkable comeback for
ALTON - Liberty Bank, A United Community Bank, is pleased to announce the promotion of Jared Siebert to Market President. Jared has been with Liberty Bank for five years, most recently serving as Vice President of Commercial Lending. In his new role, Jared leads and supports the Liberty Bank team while overseeing market strategy and growth. His emphasis is on strengthening client relationships and expanding Liberty Bank’s presence as a trusted provider of personal, business, and wealth managemen
EDWARDSVILLE - Small business owners are urging community members to vote yes on a non-binding referendum that would allow video gambling in Edwardsville. The General Primary Election, scheduled for March 17, 2026, will ask Edwardsville voters the following question: “Shall the city of Edwardsville allow video gambling, subject to regulations, in existing establishments with on-premises consumption of alcohol/liquor?” For small business owners like Corey McMahan, Steve Seibert,
President Donald Trump on Friday criticized Supreme Court justices who ruled against his tariff policy and said he will sign an executive order to implement a 10 percent global tariff, after the court issued a 6-3 decision finding his levies were not authorized under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Lawmakers in Illinois and the governor praised the Supreme Court decision with statements below. During a press conference on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, Trump called the justices who ruled
ALTON — Delaney Ortmann, a 5-foot-10 sophomore for Marquette Catholic’s regional champion girls basketball team, has emerged as one of the catalysts in the Explorers’ success during the 2025-2026 season, according to coach Whitney Sykes. Ortmann’s development this season has positioned her as a key contributor for Marquette Catholic, with Sykes pointing to her impact on both ends of the floor. “Delaney is a very solid offensive player,” Sykes said. “She
ALTON - The Alton Expo will not be held in 2026 or 2027 "because of a scheduling conflict with the carnival company," the City of Alton announced on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. City officials also stated that they plan to bring the event back in September 2028. “The City of Alton enjoys working with Luehrs’ Ideal Rides, and we look forward to getting back on track with the Alton Expo in September 2028,” said Beth C. Bear, the city’s council coordinator. In place of the Expo
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police detectives are investigating the death of an adult man after an officer-involved shooting early Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, when officers responding to a reported assault encountered an armed man at a home in Overland, Mo. Detectives from the St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Crimes Against Persons are handling what authorities described as an “officer-involved shooting and death investigation” in the 9400 block of Cote Brilliante Avenue.
ALTON - Dr. Tracy Webster-Cooley is dedicated to helping people manage their mental health. Webster-Cooley, one of the YWCA’s eleven 2026 Women of Distinction, will be honored at the Y’s annual gala for her commitment to the community. She works as an assistant professor at SIUE’s School of Nursing in their psychiatric nurse practitioner program, as well as for a St. Louis-based nonprofit that assists people with employment and workforce development. “I'm an educator,
COLLINSVILLE - A local woman is making waves through an online initiative that aims to spread epilepsy awareness. Allany Muniz remembers her mother trying to find answers online after Muniz was diagnosed with epilepsy. Now, the Collinsville woman is providing her own explanations through “Diary of an Epileptic,” her profile on YouTube, TikTok, Lemon8 and Instagram. Not only does “Diary of an Epileptic” aim to spread awareness, but it hopes to remind people with epilepsy
BELLEVILLE - The Belleville Police Department recognized three employees as recipients of its 2025 awards during a City Council meeting held this week, honoring an officer, a detective and a civilian staff member for their service to the Belleville community. The department said Officer Frantz was named Officer of the Year, Detective Hackleman was named Detective of the Year, and Telecommunicator Potrawski was named Civilian Staff Member of the Year. “Each recipient has distinguishe
A greeting card is one of the few things people still mail even when they never mail anything else. Bills go paperless. Photos live on phones. Yet a folded piece of paper with a few careful words still shows up in mailboxes—and it can feel more personal than a text ever could. That staying power comes from a long, surprising history. Greeting cards were not invented as a cute modern habit. They grew out of older traditions of public announcements, private letters, printed art, and social
On February 20, 1962, American astronaut John Glenn became the first U.S. citizen to orbit Earth, circling the planet three times aboard Friendship 7. At the time, the flight mattered because it proved the United States could carry out a full orbital mission in the intense early years of the Space Race, when space achievements were closely tied to national confidence, scientific prestige, and military technology. It still matters today because Glenn’s mission helped turn human spaceflight
Friday morning starts off breezy with partly cloudy skies and temperatures around 25 degrees. As the day progresses, expect partly sunny skies with a high reaching 43 degrees. Winds from the west will gust up to 33 mph making it feel colder than the actual temperature, with a feels like high near 34. Evening brings intermittent clouds and winds calming down to around 7 mph, with clouds increasing overnight. Lows fall to about 25 degrees with a very chilly overnight feel near 19 degrees. Saturday
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