Freedom for enslaved people in Texas was announced more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had already declared them free. That gap is the heart of Juneteenth, and it explains why the holiday is not only about celebration, but also about delay, struggle, and the unfinished work of making freedom real. Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved African Americans in the state were free. For many
On June 19, one of the most significant events in modern history is the end of slavery in the United States being publicly enforced in Texas in 1865, a moment now remembered as Juneteenth. More than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had declared enslaved people in Confederate-held territory free, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced that slavery had ended. At the time, this mattered because it turned a legal declaration into lived reality for many people
GRANITE CITY — Granite City rising senior infielder Ben Wilson, who scored the first run in the history of newly refurbished Babe Champion Field on March 18, 2026, in a season-opening 2-1 win over Waterloo Gibault Catholic, has been named the Stillwater Senior Living Male Athlete of the Month for Granite City. Wilson made history when he crossed the plate on an RBI single by Andrew Willadredt in the opener at the new ballpark. After the game, Wilson said he was honored to be part of the
EDWARDSVILLE — Senior outfielder and pitcher Alex Pilger said he believed Alton High School’s baseball team was a difficult opponent when it was performing well, as the Redbirds completed the 2026 season with a 17-16 overall record and a 6-6 mark in the Southwestern Conference. Pilger, who played for Alton under head coach Scott Harper, spoke during the season about the team’s progress despite earlier losses and said his focus remained on helping the Redbirds succeed. Alex
ALTON - The Alton Police Department will begin an Independence Day traffic enforcement campaign June 19, 2026, targeting impaired drivers and seat-belt law violators in Alton as part of a statewide effort that runs through July 6, 2026, the department announced. The Alton campaign will cover three summer weekends leading up to and after the Fourth of July holiday. The Alton Police Department said it will focus on impaired and unbuckled drivers during the enforcement period. “We’re
ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Peters, Missouri, was charged with drug and gun crimes on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, after a toddler overdosed on fentanyl. Kevin Lamar Knowles, 50, was charged by complaint in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was arrested on Wednesday and appeared in court
GREENE COUNTY - After a series of accidents at the Heinold Curve on Old Route 67 in Greene County, State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer said he worked with the Illinois Department of Transportation to add larger warning signs and rumble strips in an effort to prevent further crashes. Davidsmeyer first collaborated with IDOT in November 2025 after what he described as a bad car accident at the dangerous S curve. The IDOT-Davidsmeyer plan called for larger, more visible traffic warning signs at the Heinold
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation—is demanding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reject any pressure to rubber-stamp President Donald Trump’s latest taxpayer-funded vanity project, the so-called “Triumphal Arch,” that could jeopardize the safety of the flying public. In a letter to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, Duckworth warned against wasting time and resources
ST. LOUIS - Mayor Cara Spencer on Thursday, June 18, 2026, ordered an overnight youth curfew in St. Louis’ Forest Park Southeast neighborhood for the weekend of Pride celebrations, saying the city is taking the step to help residents and visitors celebrate safely and to limit the risk of violence and unruliness seen in previous years. Spencer signed Executive Order 97, according to the mayor’s office, imposing a curfew for juveniles from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning the evening of Saturday,
MADISON – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced weekend lane closures on westbound Interstate 55/70 in St. Clair County to allow for bridge maintenance. Beginning at 5 a.m. Saturday, June 20, weather permitting, westbound I-55/70 will be reduced to one lane between Illinois 203 and Exchange Avenue. All lanes are expected to reopen by 6 p.m. Sunday, June 21. Motorists should expect long delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers
WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill by voice vote to require open proceedings of the Supreme Court to be televised. The bipartisan Cameras in the Courtroom Act , introduced by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would require the Supreme Court to permit television coverage of all open sessions of the Court, unless
EDWARDSVILLE – The Gori Law Firm announces the start of Louisiana-based associate attorney Dalton Hirshorn. With a background in criminal defense and as a plaintiffs' side litigator, Hirshorn now joins the firm’s asbestos litigation team and helps clients affected by asbestos exposure. “We’re excited to welcome Dalton to our firm and grow our litigation practice in New Orleans,” said Sara Salger, managing partner of The Gori Law Firm. “His passion for
EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Municipal Band continues its summer concert season this Thursday, June 18, at 7:30 p.m. with an evening of music celebrating the history of dance. The performance will take place at the Cleaon Etzkorn Bandstand in Edwardsville’s City Park. Under the theme "Dance the Night Away," the concert will take the audience on a musical journey spanning five centuries of movement. The diverse program highlights how music has kept people moving through the ages, featuring
GRANITE CITY - Revity Credit Union employees in Granite City raised $1,450 for the City Temple Food Pantry through the credit union’s Jeans for Generations program, with May’s donations directed to the pantry at a time when its air conditioning unit recently stopped working. The fundraiser was part of Revity Credit Union’s ongoing Jeans for Generations program, which the credit union said reflects its philosophy of “people helping people” by allowing employees to
COLLINSVILLE - Collinsville High School’s production of “Between the Lines” won four awards after receiving seven nominations at the 2026 Ken Page Awards, an annual celebration of high school musical theatre in the St. Louis region, during a recent ceremony at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. The awards recognized Collinsville High School students and their musical among nominees from across the region. Earlier this year, “Between the Lines” was nominated in seven
WOOD RIVER - The Wood River Police Department said it recently concluded an undercover narcotics investigation at a residence in the 500 block of North 1st Street in Wood River, Illinois, culminating in the execution of a search warrant at about 6:15 a.m. June 12, 2026, with the detention of people inside the home. According to the Wood River Police Department, the investigation began after suspected drug activity, ordinance violations, and occupancy-related concerns at the residence.
ST. LOUIS — The Saint Louis Zoo will transport guests millions of years back in time starting Friday, June 19, at Dinoroarus (DIE-noh- ROAR-us), a returning, temporary attraction for all-ages. The walk-through experience will feature 20 animatronic dinosaurs and sculptures that will move, roar, spit and chomp their way through the Zoo's Historic Hill, in the valley below the Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium. The collection spans the Late Triassic through the Late Cretaceous periods, representing
BELLEVILLE - Three suspects were taken into custody after a report of a possible attempted home invasion and subsequent gunfire in St. Clair County. The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department said that through the 911 communications center, it received a call on Wednesday, June 10th, 2026, with the report and St. Clair County sheriff’s deputies responded, and officers with the Dupo Police Department had already arrived and separated the subjects involved. After interviews
ALTON - Organizers of the Mississippi Earthtones Festival are seeking an artist to design entryway banners for the festival’s 20th annual event on Sept. 19, 2026, at the Alton Riverfront, offering a paid opportunity for original artwork that will greet attendees as they enter. The call for artists comes from Sierra Club Illinois’ Three Rivers Project, Alton Main Street and the Jacoby Arts Center, which said the banners will be the first thing thousands of festival-goers
CHARLESTON, IL. - Charleston officials began a storm relief food distribution at noon Thursday, June 18, 2026, at Eastern Illinois University’s Doudna Fine Arts Center, offering free food, bottled water, and refreshments to residents affected by severe storms that hit the area on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. The distribution is taking place at the Doudna Fine Arts Center, 1860 South Ninth St., on the university campus near the intersection of Ninth Street and Garfield Avenue in Charleston.
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