Riverbender 🕸

COLLINSVILLE – Forty-six members of the Collinsville High School Class of 2026 have been named Illinois State Scholars. The Illinois State Scholars program recognizes students with superior academic potential based on achievements during high school. To be eligible, a student must: ? Attend an approved Illinois high school. ? Rank in the top half of their high school class at the end of the sixth semester (end of junior year). ? Have a qualifying ACT or SAT score from tests taken between

ALTON – After 15 years of requests from a local business owner for Alton and Ameren officials to address a “public safety hazard” in front of her building, Alton aldermen voted this week to further delay taking action. Erin Frew, owner of the historic Snyder Block building at 301 Piasa St. in downtown Alton, has consistently called on City Council members to compel Ameren Illinois to relocate bare overhead powerlines hanging less than six feet from the building’s

ST. LOUIS — Thanksgiving and the day before are the top two days in this country for the chance of a cooking fire to happen in someone’s home. Cooking causes an average of 158,400 home fires per year, which is 44% of all home fires in the United States. The American Red Cross of Greater St. Louis offers safety steps everyone can follow if they will be preparing their family’s Thanksgiving feast. “Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, home fire injuries and the secon

A Winter Storm Watch has been issued from late Friday night through Saturday evening . The National Weather Service is warning of heavy snow , with 4 to 8 inches possible across portions of south central, southwest, and west central Illinois, as well as east central and northeast Missouri. Travel could become very difficult , especially during the day Saturday. Today, conditions stay calm ahead of the approaching system. Expect a bright day with plenty of sunshine and brisk, chilly air.

SPRINGFIELD – As people across Illinois make preparations for holiday meals, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reminding everyone to follow food safety and hygiene recommendations to prevent an outbreak of foodborne illness. “Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays filled with family, friends, football, and of course great food” said IDPH Director Sameer Vohra. “As we kick off the holiday season, I want to remind everybody, and especially those

GODFREY – Godfrey's New Horizons Band is celebrating the holiday season and 27 years of musical performances with an upcoming “Sounds of Christmas” concert. The holiday concert is set for Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 at 2 p.m. at the McNicholas Club (also known as the Knights of Columbus or “KC” Hall), located at 1713 Stamper Lane in Godfrey. Doors will open one hour before the concert begins. Longtime Director Stanley Chytil will lead the band in playing a series o

ALTON - Small Business Saturday is the cornerstone of the Shop Small movement, celebrated every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday shopping season. Shoppers are encouraged to keep their spending power “home for the holidays” and avoid the hassle of Black Friday and the impersonal customer service of Cyber Monday. Instead, make this season’s gift-giving a fun adventure by shopping with friendly independent businesses in your hometown historic district

ALTON - Old Bakery Beer Company has several vendor markets and specials planned for the next few weeks. From 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Saturday starting on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, until Christmas, you can stop by Old Bakery Beer Company to browse vendors at the Holiday Cheers Market. These markets will host nearly 25 new vendors every week. “The vendors rotate throughout the season, so we represent almost 100 vendors throughout the season,” said Lauren, OBB owner. “Th

JERSEYVILLE - Jerseyville’s Downtown Country Christmas Festival has been canceled due to forecasted severe weather. The festival, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, was canceled among forecasts of snow and ice . "In the end, we decided that we have about 250 volunteers, and it's just not worth risking anyone's life for an event, as much as we love this one," said chair Beth McGlasson. Organizers noted that while the festival will not go on, Jerseyville’s light displays

ALTON — The Great River Road Run, sponsored by the Alton Road Runners, has been canceled due to anticipated severe weather conditions, Race Director Russ Colona announced Wednesday afternoon. The run features 10-mile and 5K races. The race, originally scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, will not take place as forecasted snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches and north winds gusting up to 20 mph pose safety risks for participants and volunteers. “We are going to cancel for safety reasons

ALTON - Just in time for Christmas, Hayner Library will host its fourth annual Local Author Book Fair, where you can meet twenty-five local authors, buy their books, and have them signed. The event will be held Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the courtyard outside of Hayner Library at Alton Square Mall (between the library and JC Penney). Patrons are also encouraged to visit the library and check out the Library of Things, register for a library card, and chec

BELLEVILLE — The Belleville Police Department has completed clearing Althoff Catholic High School following a burglary reported earlier in the week, authorities said Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2025. Althoff Catholic School was closed on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2025, and students, faculty, and other workers started the Thanksgiving break early. Belleville Police officers conducted a thorough search of the building out of an abundance of caution on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2025, as it was not immediately clear

ST. LOUIS — Precipitation is expected to move into the St. Louis metropolitan area after midnight early Saturday morning, Nov. 29, 2025, with snow likely between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., according to Ben Herzog, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in St. Louis. Temperatures are forecast to be just below or at freezing as the sun rises on Saturday. Herzog said with the present weather model, there is a 60 to 80 percent chance that snowfall will accumulate more than 2 inches in the Alto

ALTON - Community Christian Church aims to bring people together to serve. Located at 2345 Union School Road in Alton, the church offers services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. every Sunday. Pastor Dave Burger emphasized that their goal is to spread the word of God in everything they do. “It’s not just about Sunday mornings,” Burger said. “It’s not about sitting in a row on Sunday mornings. It’s about being a church in the everyday stuff of life and really

EAST ALTON – A man from East Alton has been released from custody pending a domestic battery charge in his latest Madison County felony case. Justin C. Littleton, 40, of East Alton, was charged on Nov. 19, 2025, with his second or subsequent offense of domestic battery, a Class 4 felony. On Nov. 18, 2025, Littleton allegedly struck a family or household member about the face and head with his hands. Charging documents state Littleton had previously been convicted of unlawful restraint

ALTON – Alton City Council members voted 5-1 on Tuesday to stop the owners of the State Street Trails from using their property as a BMX facility after three decades of the trails reportedly operating without issue. Two related resolutions appeared on this week’s City Council agenda: one to consider adding “BMX Riding Trail” as a Special Use within R-1 Single-Family Residential zoning districts, and another to consider a Special Use Permit for a BMX Riding Trail a

GODFREY - Godfrey officials have announced the cancellation of the scheduled yard waste drop-off event for Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, due to anticipated severe weather conditions. Snow is forecasted to affect the Riverbend region on that day, prompting the decision to prioritize public safety. Chris Logan, director of Parks and Recreation, informed residents in an email about the cancellation and emphasized the importance of notifying the community in advance. “It looks like we are going

ROXANA - The Roxana School Board has selected Courtney Costelli as its next superintendent, voting 3-2 in favor of her appointment. Costelli currently serves as the superintendent of the Smithton School District in Smithton, Mo., with an enrollment of 535 students. Costelli will succeed Debra Kreutztrager, who is retiring at the end of the current school year. The board considered five candidates for the position, including Roxana Principal Jason Dandurand, who had notable support within th

An American Cancer Society film, titled “Breast Self-Examination,” premiered locally on December 2, 1950, at the Stratford Hotel’s Alton Room. The Madison County Chapter of the American Cancer Society hosted the showing and invited leaders of Alton area women’s organizations. The film taught women how to examine their own breasts for cancer in a simple, four-step method modeled after that which doctors use. At the time, 50,000 American women annually developed breast

EDWARDSVILLE - During their regular meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, the Madison County Board voted unanimously to extend the deadline for the Salvation Army to complete their application to potentially build a homeless shelter. The Madison County Community Development Department (MCCD) received $2.5 million in HOME-ARP funds from the Office of Housing and Urban Development, to be used to develop a non-congregate shelter. In June 2024, MCCD published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)