Riverbender 🕸

PONTOON BEACH - Madison County Coroner Nicholas P. Novacich on Monday identified two female passengers who died after a two-car crash late Saturday night, May 2, 2026, in Pontoon Beach. The victims were Janecia N. Gardner, 32, of Pontoon Beach, and La Traya N. Hughes, 17, of Alton, Novacich said in information on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The crash occurred at about 11:27 p.m., May 2, 2026, north of 2188 Illinois State Route 111 in Pontoon Beach. Madison County Coroner’s Investigator Samual

O’FALLON, Ill. – HSHS Medical Group is pleased to welcome two new providers bringing advanced specialty care to the O’Fallon area. Brandy Holthaus, MSN, FNP-C – HSHS Medical Group Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Brandy Holthaus, MSN, FNP-C, has joined HSHS Medical Group Orthopedic and Sports Medicine, located at 670 Pierce Blvd. in O'Fallon. Holthaus is accepting new patients and brings a focused interest in hand surgery and upper extremity care to the practice. Holt

JERSEY COUNTY - A driver lost his life in a crash on Sunday in Jersey County. At 11:38 a.m. on Sunday, May 3, 2026, the Jersey County Sheriff's Office received a report of an accident with injuries on Delhi Road near Hill Drive. Jersey County Sheriff Nick Manns said the investigation determined that it was a one-car accident. "The vehicle left the roadway as it was traveling downhill and struck a tree," Sheriff Manns said. "The driver, a 56-year-old male from Jerseyville, was killed. A 33-year-old

WOOD RIVER — A vehicle crashed into a parked car and then a house Tuesday afternoon, May 5, 2026, at the intersection of East Acton and 1st Street in Wood River. “A vehicle was traveling down the road and struck a parked car and then struck a house,” Wood River Deputy Fire Chief Nate Kamp said. The Wood River Fire Department, along with Alton Memorial Ambulance, responded to the scene. The driver was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. The Wood River Police

EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville city officials are moving forward with plans for a new subdivision for future development known as “University Pointe Plaza.” Aldermen unanimously approved a preliminary plat for the University Pointe Plaza subdivision at their May 4, 2026 meeting. The proposed 24.5 acre subdivision is located at the corner of Illinois Route 157 and University Drive. The site would include seven lots and two common area lots, according to a city staff report o

GLEN CARBON - Father McGivney Catholic High School’s boys volleyball team earned a second-place finish at the First Baptist Academy Eagle Classic, with several players receiving tournament honors recently. The Griffins have eight wins this season and are 4-2 in Gateway Metro Conference play for second, and they are scheduled to host Savoy Lutheran at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The Griffins boys volleyball team members are Byron, Carlson, Petri & Kalb Male Athletes of the

GLEN CARBON — Avery Grenzebach, a Father McGivney senior, signed a letter of intent Monday to play softball at the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, turning a four-year varsity career into an opportunity at the NJCAA Division I level. Grenzebach will join the Manatees and plans to study exercise science. Grenzebach is a Byron, Carlson, Petri & Kalb Female Athlete of the Month for the Griffins. “Signing today just relays how hard I have worked in the past to get to this

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a settlement with Vee Pak LLC, doing business as Voyant Beauty (Vee Pak) that resolves allegations the manufacturing company entered into no-poach agreements with several temporary staffing agencies. The settlement requires Vee Pak to pay $625,000 to compensate temporary workers impacted by the unlawful activity. Vee Pak is the last remaining defendant in a lawsuit Raoul’s office filed against it and six staffing agencies i

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a multistate coalition of 22 attorneys general, opposed an unlawful proposal by the U.S. Postal Service to allow individuals to send certain firearms by mail, endangering the public and harming state and local budgets. For almost 100 years, federal law has barred the Postal Service from mailing certain concealable firearms, and that statute has stood without any court finding it invalid. In January 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice

ALTON - Several young brainiacs competed in the Alton Community Unit School District #11 annual math contest. On Saturday, May 2, 2026, students in fourth through eighth grades packed Alton High School for the contest. Brett Hentze, a high school math teacher who has organized the event for the past 24 years, shared that the fun is in watching the students show off their skills and their excitement for math. “It’s amazing to see how much these kids get into it and how excited

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced the U.S. Supreme Court entered an administrative stay to pause a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that would restrict access to mifepristone, a safe and effective abortion medication. The order was entered shortly after Raoul and a coalition of 22 attorneys general and the governor of Pennsylvania filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in the case. Raoul and the coalition argued in their brief the 5t

MASCOUTAH – State Representative Kevin Schmidt (R-Millstadt) has pledged to donate the legislative pay raise he voted against to local organizations across the 114th District to help families in need. For the month of April, he donated essential food items, including sugar, brown sugar, cooking oil, and egg noodles, to the Mascoutah Food Pantry & Concerned Christians. “Helping the community is a priority of mine, and I’m proud to support local food pantries that serve families

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) representatives from the Office of Environmental Education recently judged and selected four Illinois students to receive Environmental Excellence Awards at the annual Illinois Junior Academy of Sciences State Exposition. The competition is hosted by the Illinois Junior Academy of Science and was held at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale April 24-25, 2026. Almost 900 Illinois student projects were selected to advance

BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS, MO. — A man accused of fleeing a crash that killed three people, including a Ritenour High School prom queen , on Friday, May 1, 2026, was charged Monday, May 4, 2026, in St. Louis County. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Devin Daugherty with three counts of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and one count of driving with a suspended or revoked license. Daugherty remains jailed on a $250,000 cash-only bond, and

KANE – A man from Kane accused of driving on a revoked license while possessing an “open title” and other vehicle-related offenses faces criminal charges in Jersey County. Jacob C. Esparza, 30, of Kane, was charged on April 30, 2026 with one count each of unlawful misrepresentation of the identity of a vehicle (a Class 2 felony), unlawful possession of a certificate of title without complete assignment (a Class 4 felony), driving on a suspended license (a Class A misdemeanor)

EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High School students will perform at The Fabulous Fox Theatre in recognition of their impressive spring musical production. EHS received several Ken Page Awards nominations, which recognize high school musical theater programs across the Greater St. Louis region, for their production of “9 to 5: The Musical.” Director Ashley Melton noted that the nominations are prestigious and she looks forward to the award ceremony on May 28, 2026, and her students’

GRANITE CITY – Senior Megan Sykes was named the 2025-26 Granite City High School Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by GCHS. Sykes will be recognized at Busch Stadium on May 5 as part of the 60th Annual St. Louis Post-Dispatch Scholar Athlete Team. Megan is also once again a Stillwater Senior Living Female Athlete Of The Month for the Warriors for her academic and athletic achievements over the school year as a four-sport athlete. She is concluding her Granite City career on

EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 has appointed Katie Bevis-O'Neal as director of human resources. Bevis-O'Neal's appointment was approved May 4 by the District 7 Board of Education. She will assume her new role July 1, 2026, after serving as principal at Albert Cassens Elementary since 2022. With Bevis-O'Neal's move to Central Office, Laura Rogers , who is in her second year as principal at Glen Carbon Elementary, will move to the principal role at Albert

ST. LOUIS - The Board of Estimate and Apportionment has approved sending the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget to the Board of Aldermen for review and approval. The $1.41 billion budget reflects a modest 0.2% increase over the previous fiscal year, prioritizing strategic investments in all City employees, public safety infrastructure and neighborhood stabilization. “This is a responsible budget that ensures our City’s fiscal stability while investing in our hard-working staff, better

GODFREY – Vice President of Finance and Operations Mary Schulte, of Jerseyville, retired April 30 after nearly 30 years of service to Lewis and Clark Community College. Schulte had served as Vice President of Finance since 2012 but had been with the college since November 1997. Over the course of her LC career, she served in various positions within the finance area, including Associate Vice President of Finance (2005). “Mary is a top-notch CFO and legend at LC for her grit,