Riverbender 🕸

JERSEYVILLE - The Oddfellows Hall in Jerseyville was abuzz on this bright Saturday. The Grand Encampment, (A division of The Grand Lodge of Illinois (Oddfellows)) was “in the house”. It was reminiscent of the days of old. The lodge hall was filled with members of the order and future members of the order. Nearly 50 people enjoyed fellowship and lunch, hailing from all areas of the state. A new encampment was instituted for the Quincy area and there was a total of 13 initiates in this advanced degree. In other news, a member was celebrated for his many years in the service of others. He is the embodiment of the tenets of Oddfellowship. Allen Jones recently received his 75-year pin. Having been a member of Brighton Lodge #366 of The IOOF, he not only knows the history of the order in Illinois, he is the history. Talking with him about things past and things future is an adventure. Mr. Steve Pigg, Grand Master of the jurisdiction of Illinois was able to make it t

Continue Reading

EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that lane closures in both directions of Interstate 55/64 between the Poplar Street Bridge and the I-64 exit will start, weather permitting, at 9 a.m., Monday, July 31. The closures are necessary for road surveying. To complete the work, intermittent shoulder and single lane closures in both directions of I-55/64 will take place daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The closures are expected to last for two weeks. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. To avoid the work area, when feasible, use of alternate routes should be considered. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict 8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler

Continue Reading

BETHALTO – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that resurfacing of Illinois 255 between Illinois 143 and Seminary Road in Madison County will require lane closures beginning, weather permitting, Wednesday, July 26. One lane will remain open in each direction at all times. Motorists could experience delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. This work is expected to be completed by the end of November. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

Continue Reading

ALTON - The Alton High School Class of 1958 is holding its 65th reunion from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1, at the Loading Dock in Grafton. Bill Hoagland, one of the coordinators, said there will not be any fees this time around and that Ben Allen, an AHS 1958 class member, is hosting the event at the Loading Dock. “It will be an informal dress,” Hoagland said. “We are trying to notify as many as we can.” Hoagland said any other class that wants to attend can also do so. “People can order off the menu or have drinks there,” he said. To register, contact Trudi Allen at tba@gtec.com or Hoagland at billhoagland70@yahoo.com .

Continue Reading

KANSAS CITY - Rockhurst University has announced the dean's list for the spring 2023 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above. The following area students earned a place on the list: HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME Edwardsville, IL Josh Kleinheider Granite City, IL Analiese Wilmsmeyer Olivia Wilmsmeyer

Continue Reading

CARLINVILLE - Blackburn College has announced its Dean's List for the Spring 2023 semester. Students named to the Dean's List must earn a grade point average of 3.6 or higher for the semester. Several area students are on the list. They are all shown below. HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME Alton, IL Luke Atkinson Brighton, IL Natalie Keith East Alton, IL Dawson Klunk Dylan Klunk Godfrey, IL Rebecca Adney Granite City, IL CJ Pittman Jerseyville, I L Evan Hopper Wood River, I L Kameron Tharp

Continue Reading

WOOD RIVER - At 7 p.m. Thursday, a public hearing will be held on whether or not to allow the City of Wood River to separate a 10-acre portion of Belk Park for a proposed wedding venue. One resident has already voiced their opposition to the plan, and more residents may voice their opinions at tonight’s hearing. Resident Brian Mallory spoke against the proposal at the Wood River City Council meeting on Monday and claimed part of the proposal was to “donate the land to a for-profit developer to build a wedding venue.” Councilman Bill Dettmers said he has heard no mention of the land being “donated” to the developer, but confirmed that the plans were for a wedding venue to be built on 10 acres located toward the front of Belk Park along Rock Hill Road. Mallory also claimed that part of the deal would include the construction of a hotel near highways 255 and 143, but Dettmers said this is not part of the proposal being discussed tonight. Any approval

Continue Reading

GODFREY – Freer Auto Body’s well-known Christmas In July is returning from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, July 21, at the shop located at 4512 North Alby Street in Godfrey. Sloppy Joes, chips and a cold drink will be served for those who attend. As always, there are several excellent raffle prizes. The raffle prizes include a seven-night stay at a Panama City beach house, a seven-day stay at a Lake of Ozarks lakefront three-bedroom location, $2,500 cash, a five-day date at a blue crab shack in Carrabelle, Fla., four Cardinal Green Seats, four Cardinals tickets with gear, a Rustic Home Salida, Co., getaway date, and $1,000 cash. Prize donors are as follows: Darel and Vicky File, Might Rivers Recycling, Axalta Coatings, Reda and Tammy Iskarous, Jayne and John Simmons, DMMW Law, LLC, and Freer Auto Body. Taylor and Lily Freer are back once again as hosts. “They are here today making Sloppy Joes and will be here tomorrow,” Margaret Freer, the girls' grandmother,

Continue Reading

GRANITE CITY/EAST ST. LOUIS - Joshua Amos is a 32-year-old Granite City man who was last seen on March 19, 2023, in East St. Louis. Four months after his disappearance, his family is asking the community to help bring him home. “It’s just left such a hole in our family. He’s got two beautiful girls. They miss him so much,” Karin Ahart, Amos’s aunt, said. “He’s the one where all the nieces and nephews want to ride with Josh, want to spend the night with Josh, want to get picked up with him. He is the fun one. He’s silly, sarcastic, funny. He’s a sweetheart. He’s that guy of the family. He’s pretty much the one that ties us all together.” Ahart said the circumstances of Amos’s sudden and inexplicable disappearance have been incredibly painful. The family regularly shares updates on the “#BringJoshHome; Joshua Amos - Missing Person” Facebook page. They post pictures and stories of Amos and

Continue Reading

JERSEYVILLE - With a neon sign, wooden bar, exposed brick and killer sound system, George’s Local Brew has the downtown Nashville feel with the small-town Jerseyville charm. The bar pulls in customers from St. Louis to Springfield with its specialty steaks, mules and frothy drafts. Everything about the bar, from its name to its success, can be credited to the owners’ family-oriented approach. “As soon as I got the keys and walked in it, I said, ‘Wow. This has got potential. It’s got potential for a bar,’” owner George “Chris” Lorton said. “We ended up just putting it all together, and we opened it up as a family project.” Chris hadn’t planned to open the most popular restaurant in Jersey County; he originally bought the property with goals to renovate and rent it out. But a few weeks later, Chris and his wife, Brenda, took a weekend trip to Nashville. They stepped into Tootsies Orchid Lounge on Broadway and

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON DC - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Armed Services Committee and a former Army Black Hawk pilot who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years—is introducing new legislation to help improve military recruitment efforts by allowing highly skilled and motivated individuals to succeed in the military while still maintaining the Department of Defense’s (DoD) security requirements and high enlistment standards. The Enlist Act would expand the DoD’s authority to enlist individuals who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years—such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients—and meet all of the services’ qualifications for military service. “Our military services are facing unprecedented challenges meeting their recruitment goals—in part due to a historically small pool of eligible recruits,” said Duckworth. “With my Enlist Act , we can start addressing

Continue Reading

CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, alongside 20 attorneys general, sent a letter to Fortune 100 companies in support of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the workplace. The letter is in response to a letter 13 Republican attorneys general sent to the companies in an attempt to undermine efforts to reduce racial inequities in corporate America by falsely claiming that programs to address racial disparity are unlawful. “These 13 Republican attorneys general, while cloaking their letter in a theme of colorblindness, have audaciously targeted programs aimed at helping African Americans gain access to economic opportunity,” Raoul said. “Diversity initiatives are not just laudable goals, they are also good for business. I have a deep commitment to working with private employers to help further diversity, equity and inclusion in Illinois, and I will continue to be an advocate and champion of civil rights and racial progress.” In today’s

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would streamline the path for advanced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) international graduates who studied at our nation’s universities to remain in the United States. Today, nearly two-thirds of U.S. graduate students in key fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor-related programs were born abroad. “America should be focused on maintaining a strong STEM workforce—to strengthen our economy and enhance our ability to compete on the world stage,” Durbin said. “By denying international students with advanced STEM degrees the opportunity to continue their work in America, we are losing their talents to countries overseas and won’t see the positive impacts of their American education. I thank Senator Rounds for joining me in this commonsense effort.” “Wher

Continue Reading

JERSEYVILLE - Roanna Newton, an incoming 8th grader at Jersey Community High School, attended the Illinois Summer Youth Music (ISYM) program on the campus of University of Illinois this past week. Roanna plays the trumpet and attended the band camp on a full scholarship she received last spring during her participation with the Alton Youth Symphony. During her full week at ISYM on the Urbana-Champaign campus Roanna completed an extensive music program each day that consisted of rehearsals with a full band of her peers and sectional classes with other trumpet players. During the conclusion of her camp she performed in a concert with over 70 other student musicians. Roanna began playing the trumpet in 6th grade under the direction of Waylon Schroeder at Jersey Community Middle School. In the fall of 2022 she joined the Alton Youth Symphony where she had the opportunity to audition for the ISYM camp scholarship. AYS will be auditioning students for the upcoming season starting

Continue Reading

ST. LOUIS - The deceased in a fatal accident in the 10200 block of Halls Ferry Road in St. Louis County has been identified as Devyn Bolden, 18 years of age, of the 1900 block of Keeven Lane in Florissant, Missouri, 63031. St. Louis County Crimes Against Persons detectives and the Accident Reconstruction Unit are investigating a fatal crash that occurred in the 10200 block of Halls Ferry Road that resulted in the death of an adult male. On July 13, 2023, at 10:07 PM, St. Louis County police officers from the North County Precinct responded to a call for service for a motor vehicle crash in the 10200 block of Halls Ferry Road. Arriving officers located a motor vehicle involved in a crash with a motorized scooter. Preliminary investigation has revealed a Chevrolet Malibu and the motorized scooter were southbound on Halls Ferry Road when the Malibu struck the scooter. The male driver of the scooter was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver and passenger of the Malibu

Continue Reading

ST. LOUIS – Critics are hailing Union Avenue Opera’s Twenty-Ninth Festival Season opener The Turn of the Screw as “creepy and masterful” by a company that “always delivers” and “consistently achieves artistic wonders.” Amidst the excitement the cast of UAO’s production of Don Pasquale have begun staging Donizetti’s bubbly farce that will have audiences rolling in the aisles.The production is helmed by director Jon Truitt and conductor Stephen Hargreaves who previously paired together for last summer’s critically acclaimed Falstaff and 2021’s Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Big Top. “ Don Pasquale is such an appealing and enjoyable comedy,” said Truitt. “It has loads of truly funny moments, delightful arias and small ensembles that we’d expect from Donizetti, and it’s just a joy to experience as an audience member. I think of this opera in the vein of the “screwball

Continue Reading

ALTON - Funky Planet Toys & Gifts will be marking two years in business with a celebration event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, July 22. Funky Planet Co-Founder Sage Macklay discussed everything attendees can expect at the event, as well as the store’s backstory, on a recent episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com . Local musician, author, and illustrator Steph Plant will be there at noon for a free concert and book reading. Copies of her newest children’s book, “Slithery Snake,” and albums of children’s music will both be for sale at the event. “We’re going to have sales in the store all day, we’re going to have a pop-up shop from Apple Creek Sugar Mill - they make cotton candy with like 50 different flavors,” Macklay said, adding cotton candy will be available starting at 10 a.m. After the Steph Plant concert at noon, Macklay said they’ll be hosting “a free Kids’ Yoga Class” at

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville swimmer Madison Popelar demonstrated great potential during the summer SWISA season for Montclaire and finished with several high places in the meet that concluded the season this past Sunday in Granite City. Madison was third in the 200 free at SWISA (2:50.7), third in the 50 freestyle (32.13), third in the 200-meter medley relay with the rest of the Marlins (2:32.88), and fourth in the 50 butterfly (36.38). She is a Johnston's Law Office Female Athlete of the Month. She had a strong meet for the Marlins in the Southwestern Illinois Swimming Association opener at Summers Port Swim Club in Godfrey, taking the girls 15-18 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:29.95 and finishing second in the 50-yard freestyle, coming in at 28.79 seconds in helping the Marlins win the girls meet. In Montclaire's home opener on June 15 against the Collinsville Swim Club Gators, formerly known as Splash City Swim Club, Popelar enjoyed success in the meet. "I'm feeling great,"

Continue Reading

EAST ST. LOUIS – Illinois State Police announce June 2023 charges granted by the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office (SCCSAO) in cases investigated by ISP Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 6 Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG). There were 25 charges stemming from these cases, 23 felony and 2 misdemeanor. PSEG is a joint effort between the Illinois State Police and the East St. Louis Police Department (ESTLPD) for violent crime investigations within the city of East St. Louis (ESTL). These charges resulted from the following cases. FELONY CHARGES: On January 29, 2023, PSEG agents investigated a case involving 19-year-old Dennis Ross. Ross was taken into custody during an incident in the 1100 block of N 13 th Street in ESTL. On June 15, 2023, Ross was charged with Unlawful Use of Weapon and Possession of a Defaced Firearm. Bond for Ross was set at $35,000. On April 5, 2023, PSEG agents responded to a shots-fired call in the 1300

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville swim sensation Cohen Osborn concluded his boys summer SWISA season for Montclaire Swim Club with a dynamic performance - three firsts. Cohen was first in the 200 free (2:01.10), 100 medley (1:03.20, and 100 back (1:02.97). Cohen is entering his senior season for the Edwardsville High School boys swim team. He is the first Johnston's Law Firm in Edwardsville Male Athlete of the Month. "I'm feeling pretty good," Osborn said during an interview. "My times have been pretty decent so far this season, and I am glad we had a good year." The summer season is always more relaxed and laid-back than the winter season, where Osborn had a very successful year for the Tigers, qualifying for the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke in the IHSA state meet and also was part of the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relay teams that went through to the state meet. "Yeah, this is when we just kind of have fun," Osborn said about summer swim. Osborn also agreed that

Continue Reading