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GODFREY - Area firefighters from multiple departments responded around 10 p.m. Monday, April 6, 2026, to reports of two houses on fire in the 300 block of Meadowlark Drive in Godfrey, according to Godfrey Fire Protection District Chief Eric Cranmer. Once again, all the firefighters worked in unison to quickly extinguish the fires and prevent any blaze from spreading to additional homes. Cranmer said the initial dispatch came in as an automatic box alarm involving Alton and Fosterburg, with additiona

GODFREY - Godfrey Fire Protection District Chief Eric Cranmer said a serious fire in the 300 block of Meadowlark Drive in Godfrey was destructive to one home and caused significant damage to an adjacent home after crews were dispatched to reports of explosions and flames visible from the street. The fire was reported at 10:03 p.m. on Monday, April 6, 2026, prompting an automatic box alarm for a structure fire with explosions and a report that two people might still be inside, Chief Cranmer said.

ALTON – A proposal to slash Alton’s share of funding to the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau is on hold after city leaders heard concerns from several local residents and business owners. Alderwoman Patricia Ford proposed a resolution to introduce an ordinance which would make significant changes to the way certain city tax revenues are allocated to local organizations. The most drastic changes affect the amounts Alton pays to Great Rivers & Routes, which Ford has previously

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police have identified the woman killed in a wrong-way, head-on crash on Lewis & Clark Boulevard as 23-year-old Katie Holman of Alton, authorities said Monday, April 6, 2026. Holman, of the 2900 block of Hillcrest Avenue in Alton, died at the scene after the crash late Friday, April 3, 2026, in the northbound lanes of Lewis & Clark Boulevard near Highway 67, according to the St. Louis County Police Department. Police said officers from the North

BRIGHTON — The Betsey Ann Association in Brighton has received 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, a change leaders say will allow supporters to make tax-deductible donations to help fund improvements at Betsey Ann Park and support the Brighton Museum. The designation, announced March 17, 2026, marks a shift for the volunteer-driven organization, which for decades has promoted and financed civic and patriotic improvements in the Village of Brighton and the surrounding communities of Piasa and Brighton

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS - Fairview Heights Police Officer Molly Muennich, who was injured during a May 2025 incident and later underwent emergency surgery, has been named the 2026 Women in Criminal Justice Female Officer of the Year by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. The Fairview Heights Police Department praised Muennich in a statement, calling her “One of the toughest and best!” and adding, “We are so proud of this officer.” The ILETSB Executive

BETHALTO — Civic Memorial High School senior Kaylee Shields opened the outdoor track and field season with a third-place finish in the pole vault Friday, April 3, 2026, at Belleville West, continuing a strong indoors/outdoors year for the Eagles. Shields cleared 10 feet, 6 inches to place third in the Lady Maroons Invite. The performance followed an outstanding indoor season and came after she had already won two early outdoor competitions. Shields won the Civic Memorial Outdoor Opener

JERSEYVILLE – Two area men face charges in Jersey County for their alleged involvement in separate burglary and theft incidents at the Jerseyville Walmart in recent weeks. Daniel A. Dalton, 45, of Wood River, was charged with a Class 2 felony count of burglary on March 24, 2026. On March 24, 2026, Dalton is accused of knowingly entering the Walmart building at 1316 S. State Street in Jerseyville without legal authority and with the intent to commit a theft. In a separate case, Paul F

ALTON - As the Alton Committee of the Whole prepares to vote on a resolution that will amend city code and affect the business taxes that are allocated to certain organizations in the community , Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau President Cory Jobe asks them to vote against the resolution. The Committee of the Whole will vote during their regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 6, 2026, at Alton City Hall. Jobe encouraged business owners and residents to speak up and request the

JERSEYVILLE – A Jerseyville man accused of damaging two victims’ tires in two days faces criminal charges. Joshua S. Brunaugh, 47, of Jerseyville, was charged on April 2, 2026 with two counts of criminal damage to property. The first count is classified as a Class 4 felony, while the second count is a Class A misdemeanor. Brunaugh allegedly caused over $500 worth of damage to two tires belonging to one victim on March 26, 2026, which were located in the 1000 block of Lexington Driv

TROY, Ill. — Federal investigators joined local authorities Monday, April 6, 2026, in probing a late-night explosion and house fire that killed three people and left another hospitalized with significant burn injuries in Troy, Illinois. Madison County Sheriff’s deputies and the Troy Fire Department were called at 11:14 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2026, to a structure fire with people reported trapped inside a residence in the 8000 block of W. Kirsch Road, according to the Madison County

ALTON - The loss of the two new turf fields at Gordon Moore Park due to the sinkhole has certainly been a setback for the community. However, it also presents an opportunity — not just to replace the fields lost, but to honor the investment already made. The new fields and pavilion at Gordon Moore did not come to be simply from excess funds being identified, payment made, and then fields built in short order, as is often the simple formula in other communities. They were made possible throug

ALTON - Alton Middle School students will premiere their spring play this weekend. At 7 p.m. on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the middle school auditorium, students will present “Game of Tiaras,” a two-act play that Director Eddie Hitchcock describes as “a combination of ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Lord of the Rings,’ and the Disney princesses all in one.” This comedy promises plenty of fun for audiences, and the cast and crew o

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County on Monday admitted to committing disability fraud and pandemic loan fraud totaling $637,000. Preston Randall, 62, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to five counts of wire fraud, two counts of theft of government property and one count of concealment from the U.S. Social Security Administration. Randall admitted applying to the U.S. Small Business Administration for a series of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for various

GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College Child Development is now offering college course credit for work experience through its Prior Learning Assessment process. Childcare workers interested in pursuing a degree or certificate can save a semester’s worth of courses by participating in an assessment centered on virtual scenarios. The interactive assessment takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete and can be accessed from a tablet or laptop with an internet connection. No

ALTON - Alton elementary school students will come together to show off their LEGO projects at an upcoming showcase. From 5:30–6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2026, students from North, West and East Elementary Schools will present their LEGO builds at the Alton Square Mall. Amy Miller, who oversees the LEGO teams at these schools, explained that the organization works hard to help kids develop engineering and programming skills through LEGOs. “It’s a great chance for

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 24 states, announced a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unlawful executive order that attempts to interfere with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections by restricting voter eligibility and mail-in voting to lists of voters pre-authorized by the federal government. “President Trump’s unlawful executive order will disenfranchise voters and cause chaos in the administration of

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)—and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation that would eliminate out-of-pocket costs that Veterans are disproportionately forced to pay for preventative health care services they’ve earned through their military service. The Senators’ bipartisan Copay Fairness for Veterans Act would align the

TROY - Madison County Sheriff’s deputies and the Troy Fire Department responded late Sunday to a house fire in Troy where three people were found dead, and another person was hospitalized with significant burn injuries, authorities said. Madison County Sheriff's deputies and firefighters were called at 11:14 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2026, to the 8000 block of W. Kirsch Road in Troy, Ill., for a structure fire with people reported trapped inside the residence, according to the Madison

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) Aviation Subcommittee—today demanded the Trump Administration rescind former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s dangerous policy that allows travelers to keep their shoes on at airport security screening checkpoints even after the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) finding that the policy “created a new security vulnerability