Riverbender 🕸

EAST ST. LOUIS - East St. Louis School District 189 marked a major milestone in student opportunity and workforce development with the groundbreaking of its $17.2 million Career and Technical Education (CTE) facility expansion at East St. Louis Senior High School. The project, made possible through a $17 million state grant secured by the leadership of Senator Chris Belt, represents a transformative investment in career pathways and the future of East St. Louis students. “Workforce development

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Coastal Management Program has awarded $970,770 in grants to Illinois organizations for coastal education, recreation, water quality monitoring, planning, design and engineering projects along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The Coastal Management Program is a federal-state partnership between IDNR and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that provides federal funding directly to communities in the Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – Visitors are invited to commemorate the 222nd anniversary of the start of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with the annual Point of Departure Commemoration May 9-10 at the Lewis and Clark State Historic Site in Madison County. The free event will feature military demonstrators, historic artisans and hands-on history displays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. Artisans will demonstrate candle making, leatherworking, tanning, gunsmithing, spinning, blacksmithing and woodworking.

WOOD RIVER — In recognition of Earth Month, State Senator Erica Harriss (56th- Glen Carbon) and Representative Amy Elik (111th- Alton) are inviting residents to take part in a FREE Community Shred Event and Clean Up Day on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Wood River Police Department parking lot (550 Madison Ave., Wood River, IL — entrance on IL Route 143). The event will provide secure, on-site document shredding to help residents safely dispose of sensitiv

EDWARDSVILLE — The City of Edwardsville officially broke ground Monday, April 20, 2026, on Goshen Commons, a new $3.95 million pedestrian-friendly public park planned for the heart of downtown. The project will transform one block of St. Louis Street between North Main Street and Second Street, along with the adjacent courtyard, into a vibrant public gathering space designed for both everyday use and special events. Goshen Commons will feature green space with trees and various plantings,

GRANITE CITY — Jersey junior Bradley Tueth set a new school record in the 400 meters at the Granite City Invite, winning the race in 48.86 seconds and earning track athlete of the meet honors. Tueth’s time broke the previous Jersey mark of 49.30 set in 2024 by Casey Borkowski. Lucas Ross holds the third-best 400-meter time in school history at 51.63, set in 2017. Tueth also placed fourth in the 100 meters at the Granite City Boys Invite, running 11.70. Tueth is a Sparklight Male

CARLINVILLE - Carlinville will host a Community Blood Drive with ImpactLife, the provider of blood components for local hospitals. The blood drive will be from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 6 at 201 West Main Street, inside Elks Lodge. What: Carlinville Community Blood Drive-Sponsored by Carlinville Area Hospital Auxiliary When: Wednesday, May 6, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Where: Elks Lodge, 201 West Main Street, Carlinville, IL Appointments: To donate, please contact ImpactLife

CHICAGO — The State of Illinois African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission (ADCRC) will convene a public hearing in Chicago to advance statewide efforts toward reparative justice for Black Illinoisans descended from American Slavery. The hearing will be held at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center on April 25, 2026, at 10 a.m. A livestream will be available on the ADCRC YouTube page: www.YouTube.com/@IllinoisADCRC . The hearing will center around the Taking

ROXANA - The Riverbend East Rotary Club recently recognized the March Service Above Self award winners from Roxana High School: Daisy Daugherty and Troy Rahn. Above photo - club President Mark Smith presents Service Above Self certificates to Daisy Daugherty and Troy Rahn. Daisy Daugherty Daisy is a senior at Roxana High School who has made a lasting impression through a unique blend of competitive drive and compassionate leadership. As a multi-sport athlete in basketball, track, and volleyball,

GODFREY – State Representative Amy Elik (Alton) and State Senator Erica Harriss (Glen Carbon) are hosting a free Senior Fraud Protection & Advocacy Seminar with an expert from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. They will give a presentation and take questions from seniors on how to better protect themselves from fraud. This event is free and open to seniors. The event details are: Monday, April 27th 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Asbury Village 5201 Asbury Lane, Godfrey

HARDIN - David A. Depper, 40, who is listed as homeless, was arrested March 23 in Jersey County on a felony warrant alleging he falsified or altered a court-ordered drug test required as a condition of his pretrial release in an unrelated case, according to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office said Depper was ordered on Feb. 10, 2026, to submit to a court-authorized drug analysis as a condition of his pretrial release on “another unrelated

ROCKFORD, Ill. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today convened health care leaders to discuss how Trump and Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill is harming Northern Illinois by ripping health care away from thousands and driving up costs. Duckworth met with leaders from UW Health Swedish American Hospital, UW Health Belvidere Hospital, OSF HealthCare and the Winnebago County Health Department to discuss the impacts in the region since the law was signed last year. “Access

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today issued the following statement following the passing of former Illinois House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie. “Illinois had lost an iconic public servant, and I have lost a mentor and a friend. “For 14 years I shared a legislative district with Barbara Flynn Currie, and I am a better public servant as a result. We were fellow Hyde Parkers and Lab School Alumni. In our district, Barbara and I knocked on doors together

CHICAGO– Attorney General Kwame Raoul today led a coalition of 23 attorneys general in urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to scale back its plans that would severely reduce staffing, undermine the agency’s statutory obligation to supervise financial institutions, weaken enforcement, and result in less relief and protection for consumers. Raoul and the coalition’s letter opposing the CFPB’s proposed strategic plan to CFPB Acting Director Russell

SPRINGFIELD – As part of Illinois’ celebration of Innovation and Technology Month, the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT), in collaboration with Junior Achievement of Central Illinois and the Learning Technology Center, successfully hosted its third annual CareerSpark STEAM Expo on April 14–15 in Springfield. The two-day event welcomed more than 1,800 eighth grade students from 26 schools across Illinois, along with nearly 60 exhibitors representing state

MOZIER - A traffic stop on a rural stretch of Illinois Highway 96 in Calhoun County led to the arrest of a Missouri man on DUI and drug-related allegations, authorities said. On Feb. 20, 2026, at about 9:16 p.m., Corporal Nicholas McCall conducted a traffic stop on Illinois Highway 96 north of Mozier in Calhoun County, according to Calhoun County Sheriff Zachary T. Hardin. Following the stop and a subsequent investigation, Jeffrey R. Lindsay, 52, of Louisiana, Missouri, was arrested. Lindsay

EDWARDSVILLE - The flute students of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) have been invited to perform this summer at the National Flute Association Annual Convention in Portland, Oregon, an opportunity that organizers say comes with high travel-related costs and has prompted a call for donations to help students attend. The SIUE flute choir plans to present “a unique and exciting program featuring music written exclusively for low flutes,” according to information provided

HIGHLAND - Several students from St. Paul Catholic School in Highland were recognized by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for their writing. Suzanne Horan, a middle school English teacher at the school, worked with her fifth and sixth grade students to submit work to the Annual Poster, Poetry, and Prose Contest through the Illinois EPA. Students were encouraged to write about the theme “Together for Healthier Air!” and share poems and prose about how they can reduce

A ten-minute walk past trees and birds can lower stress more reliably than many people expect. It does not fix every problem, but it changes how the body feels—breathing slows, shoulders drop, thoughts get less noisy. That reaction is a clue: humans don’t just like nature. We often need it. Nature matters because it shapes our health, our culture, and our sense of meaning. Even in a world of screens and cities, people keep reaching for parks, gardens, beaches, hiking trails,

A single oil-soaked river helped spark a global holiday. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire—again. The image of flames on water was so shocking that it became a symbol of how badly pollution had been ignored. People were already worried about smog, pesticides, and toxic waste, but this made the problem feel impossible to shrug off. Within a year, that growing frustration would be channeled into something new: Earth Day. Why Earth Day wasn’t “just a holiday”