EDWARDSVILLE – The Edwardsville Arts Center is set to move into a historic building in downtown Edwardsville with the city’s approval of a 30-year lease. A lease agreement between the city and the Edwardsville Arts Center was unanimously approved by the City Council on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 for the property at 246 N. Main St. Edwardsville Arts Center Executive Director Beth Browne thanked City Council members for their support shortly after the vote. “Being located o
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced the woman who fraudulently obtained $2.3 million in funds intended to feed hungry Missouri children to 41 months in prison. Judge Sippel also ordered Cymone McClellan, 33, of St. Louis, to forfeit the vehicles and real estate that she spent meal money to buy and pay back the rest of the money that she obtained. McClellan operated a nonprofit, Sister of Lavender Rose (S.O.L.R.), that submitted false and fraudulent
ALTON - Soulcial Kitchen will once again host a monthly Block Party for Good with free groceries, hot meals and health screenings. From 2–4 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2026, community members can receive groceries from the St. Louis Area Foodbank, meals from Big Meechie Food Truck, and basic health services from the OSF HealthCare Community Outreach Teams. All food and services will be available at Soulcial Square next to The Salvation Army while supplies last. “We just want
EDWARDSVILLE - A Madison County judge sentenced 46-year-old Gary Johnson of East St. Louis to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Thursday, April 23, 2026, for the 2025 murder of Portia Rowland in Collinsville. Associate Judge Neil Schroeder handed down the sentence after finding Johnson guilty in a bench trial on March 9, 2026. Prosecutors said Johnson shot Rowland outside her home on Jan. 21, 2025, in a residential Collinsville neighborhood. Court evidence showed Johnson
ALTON — The Alton Police Department is investigating a shooting after officers responded to a 911 call at about 8:41 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in the 2200 block of Locust Street, authorities said. The Alton Police Department said it received a call reporting that a person had been shot. Officers responded to the area and secured the scene, police said. Around the same time, a local hospital notified authorities that it had received a victim suffering from a gunshot wound, police
CASEYVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that eastbound Interstate 64 will be reduced to one lane between Illinois 157 and Illinois 159 in St. Clair County for pavement work. The lane closures will occur during the following weekends, weather permitting: April 24-27 Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, April 24, eastbound traffic will be reduced to one lane. Two lanes will be open by 7 a.m. Monday, April 27. May 1-4 Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday,
EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County’s law enforcement agencies, in cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, will operate a drop-off site for Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25, in Edwardsville. Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas A. Haine, Sheriff Jeff Connor, Coroner Nick Novacich and Emergency Management Agency Director Fred Patterson will be operating the drop-off site in coordination with the DEA. The drop-off site, open from 10 a.m. t
ALTON - Alton High School will add girls flag football as a sport starting the fall of 2026, a move Athletic Director Christopher Kusnerick said could expand opportunities for students who have not participated in a fall sport. The program will compete in the Southwestern Conference, with Edwardsville, Mascoutah, East St. Louis, Belleville East, and Belleville West listed as conference opponents. The sport will be played in a 7-on-7 format, with the team expected to play about 12 games. Kusnerick
CHICAGO — Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that the lawsuits his office has filed challenging unlawful overreach by the federal government have protected approximately $8.6 billion for Illinois and critical programs and services that support individuals, families and organizations across the state. Since January 2025, the Attorney General’s office has filed 63 lawsuits challenging illegal actions by the Trump administration. Of all of the cases that have received
WOOD RIVER – Wood River officials approved the second phase of a plan to install solar panels for all city buildings this week, with a $6 million project planned at two water treatment plants. On April 20, 2026 , City Council members unanimously approved a resolution approving an agreement for Phase 2 of the Solar Panel Project under a previous contract with GRP Wegman to install solar panels at the city’s Water Treatment Plant and Wastewater Treatment Plant. According to the
ALTON – Two men accused of making inappropriate physical contact with juvenile victims face felony charges in separate but similar cases. Michael S. Lenglet, 45, of Troy, Ill., and Raymond L. Dunningan, 57, listed as homeless out of Alton, face one count each of aggravated battery, both Class 3 felonies. Dunnigan was charged on April 15, 2026, while Lenglet was charged two days later on April 17. Both cases stem from separate incidents that allegedly occurred on April 13, 2026. Lenglet
CENTRALIA – Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 8 Special Agents arrested 21-year-old Shavonte D. Samuels of Centralia, IL following a deadly shooting in Centralia. On April 19, 2026, the Centralia Police Department requested ISP’s assistance with a shooting investigation in the 900 block of Kell Street. Four total victims were transported to an area hospital with gunshot wounds. One of the victims, 19-year-old Stephen McCary III, was later pronounced
SWANSEA - Swansea Police officers arrested a 70-year-old registered sex offender after investigating reports that pornographic material was distributed to juveniles near Kinsella Avenue and Caseyville Avenue, police said. Billie D. Tadlock of Swansea was taken into custody on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, and later charged following a review by the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office. Swansea Police said officers responded on April 10, 2026, to the area of Kinsella Avenue and Caseyvill
ALTON - Alton Middle School students will take a historical tour of Alton. The Alton Community Unit School District #11 has partnered with Alton Odyssey Tours so students can take “The Abolitionists of Alton” tour. Students will engage with reenactors and learn more about each historical site in the city. “History is very abstract for them,” explained social studies teacher Nicole McKinney. “I try to think of every way that it can relate to them. I think them
A single book can change what a whole society thinks is normal. That sounds dramatic until you notice how often it happens in small ways. A novel makes a phrase catch on. A memoir shifts how people talk about mental health. A children’s series turns a generation into lifelong readers. Books don’t just reflect culture like a mirror. They also push it, bend it, and sometimes remake it. Books are “portable culture” Culture is more than art and holidays. It’s the
WOOD RIVER – Midwest Members Credit Union is proud to sponsor the “Oiler of the Month” program at EAWR High School. A Senior student is selected each month by members of EAWR faculty. Each student is awarded a certificate and a Subway gift card. The Seniors selected each month will have the opportunity to compete for a $1,000 “Oiler of the Year” scholarship at the end of the school year. April has two winners: Hailey Handler & Adyson Bunt. Hailey is a Senior at
On April 23, 1564, William Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, a small record that has come to stand in for the arrival of one of the most influential writers in world history. Baptism dates were often recorded more reliably than birth dates in the 1500s, so April 23 is widely associated with Shakespeare’s birth. At the time, it mattered mainly to a local parish and a growing market town. Over the centuries, it came to matter to readers, performers, and audiences acros
ALTON - The Alton Police Department responded to the 2200 block of Locust Avenue on Wednesday night following a reported shooting. When officers arrived at the scene, the victim had already been transported by private vehicle to Alton Memorial Hospital for treatment. Several evidence markers were visible in the front yard of the home as investigators processed the scene. Locust Avenue was closed to traffic and surrounded by crime scene tape while officers searched for additional evidence.
ALTON – Alton officials are holding off on buying and installing 25 planters along Broadway as calls grow for the city to invest beyond downtown. City Council members voted 5-2 to postpone an agenda item to purchase Earth Planter containers for Broadway in Alton using $11,814 in Food and Beverage Tax funds. The item is set to be reconsidered at the next council meeting on May 13, 2026. The proposal calls for 25 planters to be placed along Broadway from Ridge Street to Market Street
JERSEY COUNTY — Gary Krueger, the chairman of the Jersey County Board, died Tuesday morning, April 21, 2026, at his home, Jersey County Clerk Pam Warford confirmed Wednesday, April 22, 2026. He was 75. Warford said Mark Wagner, the board’s vice chair, will assume the position. “It is quite a shock to the community. He has been a great asset to the county,” Warford said. “He will be greatly missed both professionally and personally.” Warford described a
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