Riverbender 🕸

This morning starts cold with cloudy skies and a temperature near 29 degrees. As the day progresses, expect the clouds to break, making way for partly sunny skies. The high will reach around 38 degrees, with a noticeable breeze kicking in from the south at about 12 mph, gusting up to nearly 29 mph by the afternoon. The wind will lend a chill, making it feel colder than the thermometer. Evening brings mostly cloudy skies with temperatures dropping but remaining above freezing. Overnight, clouds stic

GRANITE CITY - Granite City Community School District #9's Preston Brown is a School Resource Officer at the district’s elementary schools and a S.A.B.R.E. instructor serving eight schools in the Granite City community. Brown, a graduate of Madison High School and Southwestern Illinois College, where he earned an associate degree, began his career by serving in the U.S. Navy. His daily responsibilities as a school resource officer include ensuring building safety, conducting perimeter checks,

DeKALB - Northern Illinois University announces its fall 2025 Dean's List students. To earn this distinction, students must meet a minimum semester grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology or a minimum of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale in the colleges of Business, Education, Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts. HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, MAJOR(S), HIGH SCHOOL (if listed) Edwardsville, IL Drew Bagby,

ALTON – The Metro East Auto Theft Task Force has charged five local residents with felony possession of stolen vehicles and other offenses. Shawn R. Murphey, 43, and Trina G. Skelton, 45, both of Alton, were each charged on Jan. 14, 2026 with Class 2 felony counts of offenses related to motor vehicles and Class 4 felony counts of possession of a controlled substance. The two are accused of knowingly possessing a stolen 2017 Chevrolet Trax bearing an Illinois registration number on Nov.

BELLEVILLE — Woodland Elementary School in Edwarsville Assistant Principal Ali Hiller has been named the Illinois Principals Association Southwest Region Assistant Principal of the Year. The recognition was presented Thursday evening, Jan. 15, 2026, at the IPA Southwestern Region Awards held at Cooper Fire in Belleville. Hiller, who is in her second year at Woodland Elementary, expressed both surprise and gratitude upon receiving the award. “I

SPRINGFIELD – In celebration of the founding of the United States 250 years ago, Governor JB Pritzker is inviting Illinoisans to unite in service by volunteering with organizations of their choice to foster community connection and build a legacy of giving back throughout 2026. “Illinoisans throughout history have always come together to help their neighbors, and it’s this deep sense of community that makes our state the best in the nation,” said Governor JB Pritzker.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – One year after Donald Trump fired 17 Inspectors General (IGs) just days into his second term, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced legislation to help restore public trust in IGs as Trump has worked to replace them with loyalists tied to his Administration. The Inspectors General Independence Act would prevent Donald Trump and future Presidents from appointing their own political allies to serve in the Administration’s “independent” watchdog

EDWARDSVILLE/GRANITE CITY – Madison County authorities have charged residents of Edwardsville, Granite City, and Litchfield, Ill. for their roles in two separate mob action incidents. 22-year-olds Desintee E. Herzing and Madison M. Tartt, both of Granite City, were charged with one count each of mob action, both Class 4 felonies, on Jan. 15, 2026. The two are accused of knowingly acting together without legal authority to physically attack the same victim and disturb the public peace

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - A local nonprofit is doing everything they can to keep pets in their homes. The Infinity Project is based out of Marion but serves all of Southern Illinois. As a new nonprofit, they offer low-cost microchipping, a pet food bank, emergency veterinary support and more so people can keep their pets in situations where they might otherwise have to surrender the animals. Founder Ashley DeBoer shared that the path to The Infinity Project was not always clear, but supporters

MARYVILLE - The Village of Maryville has an exciting year ahead, according to Mayor Wayne White. White recently stopped by “Our Daily Show!” with C.J. Nasello to detail Maryville’s upcoming infrastructure projects, appreciation programs and more. He is proud of the town and eager to share their efforts with the larger Riverbend region. “In smaller communities like ours, we have a lot going on despite the fact that we don’t have the population that some

ALTON - Corbin Barnard of Marquette Catholic secured the individual regional crown Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Alton with a top score of 1,339. Barnard qualified first overall in the competition for the upcoming sectional. Joining Barnard in advancing were teammates Logan Sherman, a junior who finished fifth overall with 1,136 points, and senior Gavin Tinsley, who placed seventh with 1,080 points. The Marquette Catholic team collectively scored 5,188 points, earning fifth place in the regional

GRAFTON – A public hearing was held last Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 at Grafton City Hall to answer questions from the public about the purchase and future operation of a ferry service connecting Grafton and Missouri . “We’re moving forward with the purchase of the ferry … we’re very excited about this,” Mayor Mike Morrow said. “We’re looking at operating the ferry seven days a week, 365 days a year – and so that’s going to be a big boo

MADISON COUNTY - As local communities consider data center projects, Madison County Board Chairman Chris Slusser answers a few questions about what a data center could mean for the community. Troy and Granite City have both made headlines as city officials weigh the pros and cons of data centers. On Dec. 10, 2025, Granite City Mayor Mike Parkinson and Troy City Manager Jay Keeven joined Slusser on a tour of a Nebraskan Google hyperscale data center. Slusser is supportive of the current

ALTON - The Jersey Community Unit School District No. 100 boys bowling team placed third at the Alton Regional tournament, held Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, advancing to the sectional meet. The competition took place in Alton, Illinois. Civic Memorial led the team standings with a score of 6,034, followed by Alton with 6,018. Jersey finished third with a total of 5,627 points. Individual performances for Jersey included senior Clark Blasa, who finished ninth overall with a score of 1,206

ALTON - Alton’s boys bowling team finished second at the regional tournament Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, scoring 6,018 points, just behind Civic Memorial’s 6,034. “We bowled great and were in first all day,” Alton head boys bowling coach Ray Lewis said. “We had one bad game and it hurt us, and CM kept bowling well and passed us up and won. The same thing happened to us last year at the regional, but we came back even stronger and won the sectional, so if we keep th

COLLINSVILLE — The Collinsville Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a suspect connected to a burglary that took place in the early morning hours of January 18, 2026. Officials released the above images of the individual and asked anyone with information to contact Detective Temple at 618-344-2131, extension 5209, or send a message via the department’s Facebook page. Tipsters may remain anonymous. The department did not provide additional

EDWARDSVILLE - Students from the Jersey Community High School band were selected to participate in the SIUE Bi-State Bands event held Friday and Saturday at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The students traveled to SIUE on Friday evening for initial practice sessions, followed by all-day rehearsals on Saturday, culminating in a Saturday evening performance. The Jersey selected students include Carter Butler, a junior saxophone player; Payton Mooney, a senior flutist; Abigail Wedig

ALTON - The City of Alton is officially kicking off its 40 Days of Nonviolence initiative to support local youth. On Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, city officials and representatives with the 40 Days of Nonviolence organization spoke about the initiative and plans to provide students with 40 days of programming. These programs aim to curb violence in the city starting on Jan. 28 through March 8, 2026, and beyond. Speakers noted the connection between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the kickoff

ALTON — Civic Memorial High School senior Jude Breyer finished in fourth place individually at the IHSA Regional Bowling Tournament at Alton, contributing to the Eagles’ team victory and advancing them to the sectional competition. Shown above are CM bowlers. The CM bowling boys are Tom Lane State Farm Insurance Male Athletes of the Month. The scores for the CM bowlers were as follows: Breyer, a senior, 1286 Hunter Kremke, a senior, 1235 Kale McMichael, a senior, 1204 Jayden

ST. LOUIS - Ameren Corporation's (NYSE: AEE) operations in Missouri and Illinois triggered more than $20.7 billion in annual economic output, according to a study by a leading market research and development firm. Conducted by HR&A Advisors and commissioned by Ameren, the study analyzed direct spending by the company on functions such as payroll, capital equipment, supplier services, and the additional economic benefits that are generated when those investments prompt other businesses and