Two pediatric trauma leaders at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria are sounding the alarm on the rapid rise of severe injuries tied to e-bikes and e-scooters, emphasizing that the high-speed, heavy devices should be treated more like motorcycles than bicycles, especially for kids. Charles Aprahamian, MD, FAAP, FACS, surgeon-in-chief at OSF Children’s Hospital says with the rise of battery-powered devices, surgeons have seen an increase in injuries, especially
ST. LOUIS –U.S. District Judge Cristian M. Stevens on Tuesday sentenced a man who was involved in a drug conspiracy that caused one fatal and one nonfatal overdose to 200 months in prison. Haeder Jameel, 23, was also ordered to pay $51,005 in restitution to the parents of the teen who died. Jameel was one of three men charged in the case. He and Zaki Salman, 23, pleaded guilty to one of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and on
WOOD RIVER – The Wood River Fire Department is now being lead by a longtime department member and lifelong city resident. Deputy Chief Nate Kamp was promoted to chief of the Wood River Fire Department at the July 6, 2026 Wood River City Council meeting . “We are so lucky to have him step into the spot that became vacant,” Mayor Tom Stalcup said of Kamp. “We’re looking forward to his future with the city.” This comes just under three weeks after former
ALTON - Tiffany Tanner has provided an update on her mother, Brenda Tanner, a well-known Alton area resident, who is in a battle with Stage IV sarcoma. Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that develops in the body's connective and supportive tissues, such as bones, tendons and blood vessels. Tiffany has asked for community support through prayer for her mother and a GoFundMe campaign after doctors diagnosed the sarcoma following kidney removal surgery, she said. Tiffany Tanner said they initially
EAST ST. LOUIS — The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation is proud to announce the appointment of Terrien A. Metcalf-Fennoy as the new Interim Principal of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Academy. The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation has appointed Terrien A. Metcalf-Fennoy as interim principal of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Academy in East St. Louis, Illinois, effective July 1, 2026, bringing in an educator with more than three decades of public education experience. The foundation announced the appointment
ALTON — Rosetta Brown and Tammy Perry will continue their youth summer road-trip program with an excursion to Six Flags on July 25, 2026, extending an annual effort to provide local youth with safe, engaging and memorable summer experiences. The upcoming trip is part of the program’s broader mission to offer activities that help participants beat the heat, enjoy attractions and connect with peers. “We are thrilled to continue our summer programming with such impactful and
CHICAGO – The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) Board approved awards totaling $37 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and an additional $39 million in federal and state subordinate resources that will finance the creation and preservation of 22 affordable housing developments in 15 counties throughout Illinois. The LIHTC awards are expected to generate an estimated $303 million in private capital to support the development of 969 affordable homes fo
COLLINSVILLE — Illinois State Police announced the results of roadside safety checks conducted in Madison and St. Clair counties in June, reporting 76 total citations and arrests, including one DUI citation, as part of an effort aimed at reducing impaired driving and improving road safety. ISP Troop 8 Commander Capt. Casey Faro announced the results of the roadside safety checks, which also produced 102 written warnings. The enforcement activity included nine other alcohol- or drug-related
ALTON – Two women from Alton and Alhambra face felony charges in unrelated Madison County cases of theft and forgery. Brooke N. Hill, 28, of Alton, was charged on July 2, 2026 with one count of theft, a Class 3 felony. On June 10, 2026, Hill allegedly stole various items of gold jewelry from an individual victim valued at between $500 to $10,000. The stolen items included a 10-karat yellow gold ring, a 14-karat yellow gold ring, two yellow gold rings with stones marked at 10 karats an
LENZBURG - The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department said a 42-year-old man was taken into custody Friday, July 3, 2026, after deputies responding to a domestic disturbance in the 9400 block of Schaller Road in Lenzburg found a home fully engulfed in flames and later alleged he had battered a juvenile and intentionally set multiple fires inside the residence. The sheriff’s department said the call came in at 4:11 p.m. in unincorporated St. Clair County. Authorities sai
O'FALLON, IL. - The O’Fallon Police Department said it has added red reflective strips to several stop signs in the city in an effort to reduce stop sign violations at locations that had drawn frequent complaints. The O'Fallon Police Department said the strips were added “a few months back” as “a new approach to reducing stop sign violations” at stop signs “that were high on complaints.” The department said it has “received fewer complaints”
SHIPMAN — The Shipman, Illinois, Independence Day celebration featuring the community’s primary local fireworks show was held Friday, July 3, 2026, at Shipman Lake, drawing a significant crowd for an annual event that organizers said was once again successful. Hosted by the Shipman Firefighters Association and the Shipman Fire Department, the celebration included food, drinks, and festivities, along with a dramatic fireworks display that lasted about 20 minutes. The annual event
SHILOH - Representatives of the St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) recently joined local officials, stakeholders and nearly 100 cyclists to celebrate the grand opening of a new $6 million, 4.5-mile extension of the MetroBikeLink Trail. This milestone marks the completion of the first of three parts of the MetroLink Expansion Project to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, with associated roadway improvements opening in the coming weeks and the MetroLink extension anticipated to begin service
RIVERBEND - Bethalto native LeRoy Taynor didn’t intend to become a wildlife photographer, but he has discovered a new passion. Taynor explained that he was “always the one behind the camera” when his sons were growing up. When he retired in 2024, he bought a camera and started taking photos of the birds he saw in his backyard. But he wanted to be more active, which led to him walking along the river — and his photos have turned out to be even better than he could hav
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a measure allowing residents of assisted living and shared housing establishments to exercise the right to use electronic monitoring, meant to enhance transparency and resident safety. A similar law allowing cameras in residents’ rooms in nursing homes has existed in Illinois since 2016. “This new law allows assisted living residents to install a video and/or audio recording device in their room, allowing added peace of mind for
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will accept sealed bids this fall for about 40 agricultural lease contracts for the 2027-2031 crop years. The department uses agricultural leases to support wildlife populations and recreational opportunities at sites it owns or manages. The leases promote environmentally sound farming practices that improve soil health, reduce soil erosion, enhance water quality and minimize chemical impacts benefiting wildlife and
EDWARDSVILLE - The City of Edwardsville said Hillsboro Avenue was closed to through traffic early Tuesday, July 7, 2026, after a water main break in the 100 block of the street just outside City Hall. The closure affects Hillsboro Avenue between North Main Street and a point slightly west of Commercial Street, according to Edwardsville city officials. The city said its water crews were working to fix the break. Drivers can still access the parking lot behind the 100 block of North
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 22 states, urged the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to rescind its plan to continue President Trump’s illegal tariffs. In their comment letter , the attorneys general push back on the USTR’s proposed tariffs on the European Union and 59 other countries after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the USTR’s first attempt to impose tariffs in February, and the Court of International Trade
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and eight members of Congress in pressing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the Department of Defense’s (DoD) defunding and deprioritizing of programs that prevent and respond to civilian harm in war. The letter follows a new report by the DoD Inspector General (DoD IG), which found that under Hegseth’s leadership, DoD has put servicemembers and civilians
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation today opened a call for locations for a special round of funding available through the Illinois National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. Approximately $30 million is available through the program’s fourth round of funding availability. Applications must be received by July 20. A significantly streamlined application process requires only the submission of site location information, including a map, simple schematic
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