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EDWARDSVILLE - Gabby Cook is a senior forward for the girls basketball team at Edwardsville High, and provided senior, veteran leadership for the Tigers during the 2025-2026 campaign. In a game against O'Fallon Feb. 6, 2026, at Lucco-Jackson Gym, Cook was one of three players who scored 11 points in Edwardsville's 53-42 loss to the Panthers. Cook averaged over 8 points and 7 rebounds a game for the Tigers and was consistently one of the team's leading scorers game in and game out. Cook is

O'FALLON, IL. - Cambree York, a 14-year-old cheerleader from O'Fallon, IL., has battled “a serious illness and infection,” and time in the ICU recently. Karrie Schulte has organized a fundraiser for York to help her family cover expenses tied to her medical care. The fundraiser is intended to support York’s family as they face “an incredibly challenging time, filled with uncertainty and worry,” the page says. It describes Cambree York’s “energy and

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today highlighted a decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that once again recognized that the federal government cannot demand states turn over personal and sensitive information on millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applicants and recipients without protections for the data. SNAP is a state-administered, federally funded program that provides billions of dollars in food assistance

BELLEVILLE - Caritas Family Solutions is expanding its mission to help children and families across the region thrive with the launch of its new Office of Community Connection (OCC) program. This initiative focuses on prevention and connects families with critical resources and support services before challenges become emergencies. The OCC program offers short-term, voluntary assistance to families experiencing hardship who do not require formal child welfare intervention. Through this

SHILOH – HSHS Medical Group is pleased to announce Kate Renner, MD, FACOG, MSCP, is now welcoming new patients at HSHS Medical Group Family Medicine - Shiloh, 1116 Hartman Lane, in Shiloh. She is a board-certified gynecologist with extensive experience in obstetrics and gynecology. Dr. Renner has been recognized for her patient-centered approach and ranking in the top 5% for patient satisfaction, as well as her leadership experience in prior roles. She has additional certification as

WOOD RIVER - A call to the Wood River Fire Department that initially appeared to be a potentially serious incident at a Wood River nursing home ended without a fire after a dry chemical fire extinguisher was accidentally discharged, prompting an evacuation and medical evaluations, according to the Wood River Fire Department. Wood River Fire Chief Wade Stahlhut said the call came in from BRIA of Wood River, 393 Edwardsville Road, on Monday morning, March 2, 2026. He said fire crews arrived to fin

BETHALTO - A local teacher has been named Illinois’s Southern Regional Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2026 Teacher of the Year award. Angie Neilson, an educator at Civic Memorial High School in the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8, says it’s “humbling and shocking” to be recognized. As she waits to learn if she has received the Teacher of the Year honor, she is focused on continuing her work and helping

O'FALLON, IL. - Members of the O’Fallon Police Department and community participants took part Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in a long-running fundraising plunge for Special Olympics Illinois athletes, raising more than $33,000 in the process. The O'Fallon Police said the team’s total made it the top police fundraiser “in the region and the state.” The event continued “a long tradition of taking the plunge for Special Olympics Illinois athletes,”

BELLEVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that repairs on northbound and southbound Illinois 159 between Washington Street and the junction of Illinois 13/Illinois158 in St. Clair County will require intermittent lane closures beginning Monday, March 9, weather permitting. All lanes will remain open in both directions on weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m. The project is expected to be completed this summer. Motorists should expect

ST. LOUIS, MO. — The American Red Cross urges donors to help the national blood supply recover from a severe blood shortage and empower their health by making an appointment to give blood or platelets in March. As a thank-you for helping save lives, successful donations will receive free A1C testing , commonly used to screen for prediabetes and diabetes, in March (one result per calendar year). New Red Cross data reveals 1 in 5 blood donors have elevated A1C levels — a sign that

People are more likely to start a new habit when their surroundings change—even if the change is small. A different route to school, a new schedule, a rearranged room. It’s not just motivation. It’s the brain noticing, “Something is different,” and treating that difference like an opening. That’s why spring so often feels like a fresh start. The feeling isn’t only poetic. It’s built from biology, memory, culture, and the way we organize our lives.

A strange thing happens to people when the light changes: they start making plans again. The same person who felt perfectly fine staying in and “keeping it low-key” suddenly wants long walks, fresh starts, and a calendar full of ideas. It can feel like a personal decision, but much of it is biology, memory, and culture working together. Humans look forward to spring because it signals relief and possibility. It offers a clear “before and after” moment that our bodies

You can hear it in a school hallway, a grocery store checkout line, or a group chat: someone looks out the window, shakes their head, and says, “March comes in like a lion.” It sounds ancient and obvious—like it must have been said forever. But the phrase has a surprisingly traceable past, and it didn’t start as a cute way to complain about a rough start to the month. A saying that feels older than it is “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb”

On March 2, 1917, the United States Congress passed the Jones–Shafroth Act, granting U.S. citizenship to people born in Puerto Rico and reshaping the island’s political relationship with the United States. At the time, it mattered because it changed legal rights and civic life for millions of Puerto Ricans, including how the island was governed and how residents could participate in U.S. institutions. It still matters today because the act sits at the center of ongoing questions abou

PONTOON BEACH – On Saturday, February 28, 2026, at approximately 1:08 a.m., the Mitchell Fire Department provided mutual aid to the Long Lake Volunteer Fire Department for a working commercial structure fire in the 3700 block of Pontoon Road. Upon arrival, crews encountered a fully involved commercial structure fire with exposures to adjacent buildings. Firefighters worked quickly to contain the blaze and protect surrounding properties. Additional agencies assisting on scene

EDWARDSVILLE – The Edwardsville Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 200 block of West J Street Sunday morning. When firefighters arrived on scene, they encountered smoke and flames coming from the front porch, along with smoke showing from inside the duplex. A box alarm was requested, bringing assistance from Wood River Fire Department and the Glen Carbon Fire Protection District. Crews were able to quickly bring the fire under control while using minimal water,

On February 28, 1953, scientists James Watson and Francis Crick announced they had worked out the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule that carries genetic instructions in living things. At the time, the discovery mattered because it offered a clear physical explanation for how traits could be inherited and how biological information could be copied. It also gave researchers a shared framework for asking new questions about disease, evolution, and development. It still matters today because

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a settlement with Alternative Staffing, Inc. (ASI) that resolves allegations the temporary staffing agency entered into a no-poach agreement with other staffing agencies. Once approved by the court, the settlement requires ASI to pay $1 million to compensate affected temporary workers. “This settlement includes relief for workers who had their wages and job opportunities limited by this unlawful activity,” Raoul said. “M

EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County honored a retiring Sheriff’s captain Wednesday night after 27 years of service, including the past three as Director of Court Security. Chairman Chris Slusser presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Capt. William “Bill” Marconi, recognizing his Feb. 13 retirement. Marconi began his career with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office in February 1999 and most recently served as Director of Court Security, a role he assumed in April 2023.

GLEN CARBON – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced the full closure of the intersection of Illinois 157 and Illinois 162 in Madison County has been rescheduled to begin, weather permitting, at 7 a.m. Monday, March 16, 2026. During the closure, traffic will not be permitted on Illinois 157 and Illinois 162 at the intersection. Both eastbound and westbound Illinois 162 will be closed, and neither will have access to Illinois 157. A signed detour will be in place