Riverbender 🕸

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that he will host Tereza Lee as his guest for President Trump’s State of the Union Address. Tereza was Durbin’s inspiration to write the Dream Act in 2001 when he learned of her story after outreach by Ann Monaco, Tereza’s teacher at the Merit School of Music in Chicago. Tereza was a musical prodigy who had played as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She had been accepted into several

ST. LOUIS - Dr. Bruce Vest's group returned to the streets of St. Louis once again during the Mardi Gras Parade, aiming for a third consecutive first-place float prize at the city’s event. This time, the family-backed float effort was dedicated to the memory of his late son-in-law. Vest’s entry, Float No. 53, competed in the Bud Light Grand Parade on Feb. 14, 2026, in St. Louis. His float finished first in the Wheel Division, followed by Vices & Virtus in second and St. Louis Santos

EDWARDSVILLE - As 2026 ensues, Madison County Board Chairman Chris Slusser promises the county has “a lot of good things going on.” “I’m just very, very excited about the region. I’ve never been more excited. Not just because I’m in office, but just in general, what I’m seeing, the excitement about Madison County,” he said. Slusser shared that, after he was elected in 2024, one of his first goals was to “straighten out the chaos”

EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is collaborating with the 40 Days of Nonviolence initiative in East St. Louis for the second consecutive year. The committee aiming to curb and eliminate violence in the city and support local youth, kicked off its campaign with a press conference on the holiday celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Jan. 19). “This year’s theme connects deeply to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a nation committed to nonviolence,

WOOD RIVER - KayLynn Buttry signed to continue her academic and basketball career at Greenville University on Friday morning, marking a milestone after a record-setting senior season at East Alton-Wood River High School. Buttry’s senior year included 19.5 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. She scored 624 points, the highest single-season total in EAWR history, and finished her career with 1,533 points, listed as second all-time at EAWR for boys or girls. She is a Midwest Members

TROY, IL. - A fundraiser campaign organized by Stormy Biehl has been launched to support Cory Huebner and his four sons after Cesilie N. Huebner, 35, died Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, following a crash on Scott-Troy Road. Huebner, of Ellington Drive in Troy, died at 2:45 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2026, in the emergency room at St. Elizabeth Hospital in O’Fallon. The GoFundMe fundraiser describes the family as facing “the sudden loss of Cesilie,” along with “funeral expenses,

ALTON - Jack Beaber is heading into what he expects to be a strong season in track and field at Marquette Catholic, and he has already taken his next step for college. Beaber, a Marquette Catholic student-athlete, signed a letter of intent this past week at Marquette to attend the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for track and field. He is also a Tucker’s Automotive Repair & Tire male athlete of the month. “I chose the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater because of the athletic

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced that she will bring Laura Petty, a constituent from Alton, Illinois, whose family has been impacted by rising healthcare costs, as her guest to President Trump’s State of the Union next Tuesday. “I am honored to bring Laura as my guest to highlight the impact of Republican healthcare cuts on working families in my district. Laura and her husband Rick reached out to my office last Fall to share the difficult

CHICAGO — Excitement is building in the small town of Harvard, Illinois after a $1.15 million winning Lucky Day Lotto® ticket was purchased at a local convenience store over the weekend. The winning ticket was sold at Chemung Country Store, located at 24102 IL Route 173, for the February 21 evening drawing. The winning numbers were 2-15-28-31-43. “Our store has been a staple of the community for over 38 years,” said Mark Smith, co-owner of Chemung Country Store. “Ou

ALTON – Even though 2025 is fading in the rearview mirror, OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center is still beaming with pride and humility in comprehending the milestones and benchmarks that the previous calendar year brought to its health care Ministry in the Riverbend region. “Our Mission of ‘serving with the greatest care and love’ fuels our motivation with a special purpose to provide for the total well-being of those we serve,” says Lisa

SHILOH – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that intermittent nighttime lane closures on Illinois 158 between Highway 50 and Illinois 161 in St. Clair County begin today, Feb. 23, for road repairs. The project is anticipated to be completed this summer. Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this lane closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and

This morning begins mostly cloudy with a chilly 15 degrees. It feels even colder with a northwest wind gusting up to 13 mph. As the day moves into the afternoon, skies clear to mostly sunny, bringing a high of 33 degrees. The wind eases slightly but stays from the northwest, making it a bit brisk outside. Evening will bring partly cloudy skies and temperatures falling down toward the low 20s. Overnight, expect partly cloudy skies and a low near 20 degrees under lighter winds. Tomorrow will

ALTON - On February 17, 2026, the Alton Community Unit School District Board of Education unanimously approved the appointment of two outstanding educational leaders who will strengthen the support systems for students, staff and families across the district. These appointments come as the district honors the retirement of the current Alton Middle School Athletic Director Scott Harper and prepares for the transition as Special Education Supervisor Angela Kuchnicki moves into the role of Director

ROSEWOOD HEIGHTS – Area firefighters stayed busy over the past 24 hours following multiple structure fires, including a fully involved garage fire early Monday morning, Feb. 23, 2026. After assisting at a house fire in East Alton Sunday afternoon, the Rosewood Heights Fire Department was dispatched at 1:45 a.m. Monday to a reported fire in a detached garage in the 100 block of Bender Avenue. When firefighters arrived on scene, they reported the garage was fully involved, with flames

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police have identified a 71-year-old Overland man as the person who died after an officer-involved shooting during a standoff that began with a reported assault early Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in the 9400 block of Cote Brilliante Avenue in Overland, Mo. The deceased was identified Monday as Robert Lewis, 71, of the 9400 block of Cote Brilliante Avenue in Overland, according to St. Louis County Police. Detectives with the St. Louis County Police Department Burea

EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Rotary Club has chosen to honor Edwardsville High School student Robert Edington with the Student of the Month Award for February. Edwardsville High School teacher Melissa Sanders nominated Robert. Robert is the nephew of Gretchen and Tieg Selberg and is seventeen years old. Robert is a member of the Edwardsville Wrestling Team. He has been honored as Wrestler of the Week several times. Outside of school, Robert enjoys going to the gym, rollerblading, and wrestling.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois State Fair is thrilled to announce that multi-platinum rock powerhouse Shinedown will take the Illinois Lottery Grandstand Stage on Sunday, August 23, 2026 , delivering an unforgettable night of chart-topping hits and electrifying live energy. With a career defined by record-breaking success and creative impact, Shinedown has firmly cemented its place in music history. The band boasts over 8.3 billion global streams, 24 No. 1 rock hits, 15 platinum an

COLLINSVILLE – Madison County authorities have agreed to postpone the prosecution of Collinsville Studio 420 Owner Zach Yinger and may heavily amend the charge against him if he complies with a series of demands. An “Agreement of Deferred Prosecution” was filed last Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in the felony case against Yinger, a 38-year-old Alton resident who was charged on Sept. 19, 2025 with a Class 3 felony count of unlawful possession of nitrous oxide with the intent to deliver

WOOD RIVER — Refuge is honored to announce that former NCAA and NFL athlete Gaelin Elmore will serve as the featured guest speaker at its annual Build a Refuge Fundraising Dinner on April 30, 2026, at Lewis and Clark. Elmore, who grew up in the foster care system, is known for his powerful story of how resilience, community, and belonging can change the story of a child’s life. His journey is marked not only by athletic achievement but also by his high school coach, who believed

BELLEVILLE — The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department in Belleville has announced the promotion of Deputy Terry Hamon to sergeant in the Patrol Division and recognized two deputies who recently joined the department from neighboring agencies. The department said in a statement that Hamon, an eight-year member of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to the Patrol Division. The statement also offered congratulations