WOOD RIVER - The City of Wood River broke ground on Hollywood River Studios. On Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, community members and partners gathered at the site of the future Hollywood River Studios for a groundbreaking ceremony. Leaders, including Wood River Mayor Tom Stalcup and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzer, agreed the investment in the Metro East is an exciting moment for Illinois. “It’ll just bring in a lot more incentive for people to live here in Wood River, and plus help ou
EDWARDSVILLE - Jess Sever is a sophomore wide receiver for the Edwardsville girls flag football team and has made a significant contribution to the Tigers during their 14-0 season, which continues Oct. 5, 2026, in the IHSA regional semifinals against Peoria at Tiger Stadium. In their regional quarterfinal game, a 58-6 win over Alton on Sept. 29, Sever caught two touchdown passes in the first half, from 17 and four yards out, to help the Tigers advance to the semifinals. For the season, she's
ALTON - Marquette Catholic's varsity volleyball team claimed its second consecutive Riverton Tournament title Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, defeating Payson Seymour 26-24, 25-21 in the championship match to complete an unbeaten weekend. The Explorers won all four tournament matches and improved to 16-11 on the season. Reese Bechtold led Marquette with 10 kills in the final, while Remmi Copeland recorded nine assists and Alex Stephan added 10 digs. Marquette Catholic's volleyball girls are Tucker's
EDWARDSVILLE — State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, releases the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Education reinstating Title IX protections implemented in 2020: “Despite an illegal war raging, prices skyrocketing and national dissatisfaction growing, the current federal administration has decided to focus on dismantling Title IX protections for women and people in the LGBTQ+ community. “This federal administration is claiming they’re protecting
ALTON - The Alton Police Department is offering specialty awareness patches for a minimum donation of $10 each to support charitable organizations associated with breast cancer, domestic violence, and autism awareness. The Alton Police Department on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, pointed out that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The department said the patches are available at the Records window in its lobby. "All proceeds from each patch
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS/BELLEVILLE - Two juvenile brothers were arrested after fights near Raising Cane’s in Fairview Heights following local high school football games, and their parent was charged with failure to supervise, according to police. In a separate report, Belleville Police said a juvenile was arrested after officers found a firearm and ammunition in a backpack outside a high school football stadium Sept. 25, 2026. Fairview Heights Police said an officer was monitoring about
ALTON - The Hayner Public Library District has several historic programs planned in the next few weeks to share more about the Underground Railroad. On display in Alton City Hall through the end of the year, a special exhibit titled “Journey to Freedom: Illinois’ Underground Railroad” will share information about local ties to the Underground Railroad. This exhibit is available for viewing anytime that City Hall is open. There are several special programs hosted by the
JERSEYVILLE — The Jersey Community Alternative Program will purchase self-paced reading materials with a $4,000 grant recently awarded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to support youth literacy. The grant is part of more than $4.1 million the foundation recently awarded to nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools in Dollar General’s hometown communities nationwide to support students in kindergarten through 12th grade. “The JCAP staff is excited to receive fundin
SPRINGFIELD – Governor JB Pritzker has proclaimed October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month in Illinois, and the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) is encouraging residents to take simple, proactive steps to strengthen their online safety and protect personal information. “Keeping Illinoisans safe online depends not just on having strong guardrails in place but also identifying and preventing cyber-attacks before they occur,” said Governor JB Pritzker
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL-15) introduced the Yaeli Martinez Child Protection Act to protect parents from being punished by state child-welfare systems for affirming their child’s biological sex or shielding them from irreversible medical procedures. “Raising your son as a boy or your daughter as a girl is fundamental to parenthood, not child abuse,” said Congresswoman Mary Miller. “The Yaeli Martinez Child Protection Act defends
ALTON - Six Redbirds seniors marked Senior Night with straight-set victories at home this past week, earning collective recognition as The Eardley Agency LLC Female Athletes of the Month for Alton High. The team marked Senior Night on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, at home against Granite City and celebrated with a 9-0 triumph over the Warriors. Seniors Lydia Schrumpf, McKenna Dondanville, Laila Kiger, Maddy Henkhaus, Vail Schwaab, Caroline Cannon and Sadie Perkins celebrated a conference victory
Before jack-o’-lanterns were carved from pumpkins, people made them from turnips—and the faces could be genuinely unsettling. Small, pale, and deeply hollowed, these lanterns looked more like skulls than cheerful decorations. They belonged to a world of stories about wandering souls, dangerous spirits, and tricks played on the devil. That world has not disappeared. It survives in the costumes, doorstep rituals, and glowing faces that make Halloween familiar. Halloween did not grow
JERSEYVILLE – Development of a data center south of Jerseyville is not yet moving forward at this time. MJM Electric Cooperative owns 15 acres of land between U.S. Highway 67 and Van Horne Lane south of Jerseyville and are currently in the process of selling seven acres to the Chicago-based company Something New LLC. The company applied for a commercial building permit from the county’s Code Administration office to build a small-scale Bitcoin data center at 28860 Van Horne Lane. Coun
Why Humans Enjoy Spooky Stories Why would anyone choose a story that makes an empty hallway feel dangerous? We usually try to avoid fear, yet we seek it out in ghost stories, horror films, and unsettling podcasts. The appeal is not simply that we like being scared. Spooky stories let us approach danger while keeping a way out — and that changes how fear feels. A strange noise in your home may demand action. The same noise in a film can become entertainment. Understanding that difference
COLLINSVILLE - Ameren Corp. is warning customers in Illinois and Missouri to watch for scammers impersonating the utility by phone to obtain Medicare, Social Security, or other personal information. In an alert posted two days ago, the company said it had received reports of scammers spoofing Ameren phone numbers to contact customers. Ameren urged anyone receiving a suspected scam call to hang up immediately. “Do not rely on caller ID; scammers can spoof (imitate) phone numbers,”
JERSEYVILLE – A local man accused of fleeing police on a motorcycle at high speeds through Jerseyville now faces a felony in Jersey County. Travis S. O’Dell, 22, of East Alton, was charged on Sept. 30, 2026 with a Class 4 felony count of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer. He was also charged on the same date with three petty offenses, including improperly turning at an intersection, disregarding a stop sign, and driving with no valid registration. O’Dell
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that her Deputy Chief of Staff Kelsey Becker has been promoted to Chief of Staff following Kalina Thompson’s departure from the role. Becker, a Schaumburg native, has served Duckworth’s team since 2012 in a range of leadership roles in both the Senator’s House and Senate offices as well as her campaigns. “For over a decade, Kalina Thompson has been a kindred public servant, a true force for
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), with a bipartisan coalition of eight other attorneys general, secured a win in their antitrust lawsuit over RealPage’s rent-pricing algorithm. This week, a court denied the software company’s attempts to have the case thrown out. “I am pleased with the court’s decision that will allow our lawsuit to continue,” Raoul said. “At a time when many Illinoisans are finding it harde
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged a Dongola, Illinois man for possessing child sexual abuse material. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online. The Attorney General’s office charged Gregory Brown, 43, in Union County Circuit Court with 12 counts of possession of child pornography
Why Humans Celebrate Fear Safely A scream can be a sign of terror — or the best moment of someone’s night. On a roller coaster, inside a haunted attraction, or halfway through a horror film, people willingly seek feelings they would avoid in a real emergency. The difference is not simply that the danger is fake. It is that they trust there is a boundary around it. Within that boundary, fear can become excitement, connection, and even a source of confidence. When an Alarm Becomes
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