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PONTOON BEACH – State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) is pleased to announce that the Long Lake Volunteer Fire Department has been awarded funding through the federal Volunteer Fire Capacity (VFC) Grant Program, which is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The $7,320 grant will provide reimbursement for eligible equipment purchases and firefighter training expenses. “Strong volunteer fire departments are vital to public safety in communities across

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (CST)—joined U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and 14 of their Senate Democratic colleagues to call on the Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate Committees on Environment and Public Works; Commerce, Science and Transportation; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and Appropriations to continue the progress made in the Bipartisan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Darin LaHood (IL-16) introduced the Boxing Therapy for Parkinson’s Access Act to expand access to evidence-based boxing programs for veterans and individuals living with Parkinson’s. Specifically, the bill will reduce financial barriers and ensure greater access to these programs for our nation's veterans living with Parkinson's and movement disorders. "Our veterans sacrificed so much for our country and

ALTON - The Hayner Public Library District and Jacoby Arts Center announced that the Little Free Art Library at Olin Park is no longer available due to vandalism. The Little Free Art Libraries were created through a collaboration between Hayner Library, Jacoby Arts Center, and Lewis and Clark Community College. These boxes were installed throughout town and allow people to leave and take art supplies. The goal is to make art more accessible and encourage reusing materials. On Wednesday,

A view of water can lower stress in just a few minutes. That helps explain why people will drive across town to sit by a lake, pay extra for an ocean-facing room, or stand under a hot shower longer than they planned. Water does more than keep us alive. It calms us, draws our attention, and makes ordinary moments feel better. Why water feels good almost instantly People are built to notice water. At the most basic level, we need it to survive. Our bodies are made mostly of water, and we cannot

Play looks frivolous right up until you see what happens without it. Remove free play from a child’s day, or playful freedom from an adult’s life, and stress rises, creativity shrinks, and relationships often become more brittle. Why play matters more than it seems Play is easy to dismiss because it does not always produce something visible. It may not earn money, check off a task, or solve a problem on command. But psychologically, play does important work. It helps people explore,

On June 7, one of the most consequential events in world history took place in 1494, when Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas. The agreement drew an imaginary line through the Atlantic Ocean and divided newly claimed lands outside Europe between the two kingdoms. At the time, it was meant to reduce conflict between two rising maritime powers competing for trade routes, territory, and influence. Its effects reached far beyond diplomacy. The treaty helped shape the future of Latin

Fish were once so valuable that entire towns rose, traded, and survived because of them. That simple fact helps explain why fishing traditions run so deep in human history. Fishing was never just a way to catch dinner. It shaped travel routes, family roles, tools, stories, festivals, and even local laws. In many places, the habits built around rivers, lakes, and coasts became part of a community’s identity. The history of fishing traditions is really a history of how people learned to

On June 8, 793, Viking raiders attacked the monastery at Lindisfarne off the northeast coast of England, in what is often treated as the beginning of the Viking Age in Europe. The assault shocked the Christian world of the time because Lindisfarne was an important religious center, not a military target. News of the raid spread quickly through monasteries and royal courts, shaping how people understood the threat from the north. It still matters today because it marked the start of a period o

BUZZ MAGAZINE – On January 30th, A. K. Frailey published her personal reflections on life, love, faith & family in her third book in the My Road series, My Road Goes Ever On: Rise Again. March 28th, she published the first in a new children’s book series, Wise Home. Her adult daughters, Laura and Rebekah Frailey, drew all the illustrations, creating heart-to-heart art without an ounce of AI. On May 28th, her third collection of short stories, Spice of Life: And Other Stories, was

BUZZ MAGAZINE – Today, many complain about roadside billboards, calling them boring and an eyesore. In past eras, highway advertising was much more interesting. This year marks the centennial of Route 66, and it’s also the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Burma Shave signs, a series of five or six simple signs that entertained motorists with rhyming poems. Today, replica Burma-Shave signs are found along Route 66 in Illinois near Towanda, north of Bloomington Normal,

BUZZ MAGAZINE – When Route 66 was created in 1926, it found plenty of traffic. Illinoisans, as elsewhere, were falling in love with the automobile throughout the decade, and highways like Route 66 began to crisscross the state. Route 66 was one of many improvements that revolutionized transportation and economic growth around the state. After struggling over paths of ankle-deep mud for decades, Illinois residents were ready for a major overhaul of their roads in the early twentieth century.

A June 4, 1926 article in the Alton Evening Telegraph described Shurtleff College junior Margery Elizabeth Fish’s unanimous victory in an all-college oratory competition, the Atchison Prize in Oratory, held on June 3. Eight women participated in all. A men’s competition, the Haynes Prize, had been held in the past, but this was the first women’s oratorical contest ever held at Shurtleff during the college’s ninety-nine year history. Fish’s oration, titled

DeKALB, Ill. – More than 2,300 students received their bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Northern Illinois University in May. Included among the graduates were the following students from your area: HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, DEGREE, MAJOR Brighton, IL Thomas Schlafer, Bachelor of Science, Sport Management Glen Carbon, IL Jaren Alnutt, Master of Science, Sport Management About Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University is a student-centered,

BUZZ MAGAZINE – A great way to grow a lot of food in a relatively small amount of space is by using the indigenous gardening method, the Three Sisters Garden. A Three Sisters Garden is a companion gardening method that utilizes three different plants with three different growth habits that all support each other to maximize their yields for you. Doing this gives you three staple crops in one plot of ground, and if you are intentional, you can even add some cousins to the plot to add some

BUZZ MAGAZINE – The original alignment of Route 66, which ran north-south through Macoupin County from 1926-30 and is Illinois Route 4 today, has long been rumored as a highway for gangster movement. The road was also used for smaller, less organized crimes. In early 1928, a crime spree that stretched from Peoria to Girard used the original Route 66 as part of its getaway, racing through Macoupin County before being nailed by an unlikely source – a Staunton newspaper editor who wa

BUZZ MAGAZINE – Six episodes of the award-winning PBS travel series Samantha Brown’s Places to Love featuring America’s iconic Route 66 have been officially designated an Official Route 66 Centennial Project, recognizing the series’ role in celebrating the historic highway as it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2026. Hosted by two-time Emmy Award-winning travel expert Samantha Brown, the episodes take viewers on a journey along the full length of Route 66, highlighting

SOUTH ROXANA – A church in South Roxana is set to gain a solar energy system after recent permit approval. Village Board members voted 5-1 on June 2, 2026 to approve a special use permit for an accessory solar energy system for Connect Church, located at 1417 Herbert St. When the item came up for a vote, Board Member Tammy Adams asked why the solar energy system couldn’t be installed on the building itself. Mayor TJ Callahan said the building cannot support the weight of the sola

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police are investigating a double shooting early Saturday, June 6, 2026, in the 9700 block of Lanier Drive in Moline Acres that left one adult man dead and another injured, authorities said. Officers from the Moline Acres Police Department responded at about 12:37 a.m. Saturday, June 6, 2026, to a ShotSpotter activation in the 9700 block of Lanier Drive, according to a statement from St. Louis County Police. When officers arrived, they found two adult men

ALTON - Veterans, elected officials, and community members gathered Saturday morning, June 6, 2026, in Grafton to dedicate the National Memorial of Military Ascent, a monument honoring veterans and the broader wartime service and sacrifice of Americans, in a ceremony held on the anniversary of D-Day. “Thank you all for coming out today to honor our veterans and dedicate this memorial,” Mayor Mike Morrow said. Alton Mayor Goins said the timing of the dedication added to its significance.