FERGUSON, MO. - A local family is grieving after a beloved mother was shot and killed in Ferguson, Mo., on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, after getting caught in crossfire at a BP gas station. The loved ones of 35-year-old Shakeela Martin, identified as the victim, are now turning to the community for help. Martin is a mother of five. Loved ones have asked the region for help with funeral costs and support for her children. According to a GoFundMe organized by Whittley Anderson , Martin had taken
AVISTON - Bryce Wieter struck out six en route to throwing a five-inning no-hitter as the Aviston Post 1239 Express totally shut down Alton Post 126, taking a 10-0 win over the Legionnaires in a District 22 American Legion baseball game played Tuesday night, June 30, 2026, at Aviston. Post 126's Senior Legion team is now 12-8 overall as the calendar turns to the Fourth of July weekend, with an important Fourth of July weekend tournament around the corner, and the District 22 playoffs coming
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that lanes that have been closed for construction will reopen, where possible, for the Independence Day weekend to minimize travel disruption. Non-emergency closures will be suspended from 3 p.m. Thursday, July 2, to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 5. The following lane closures will remain in place during the holiday weekend. The public can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through these areas. Drivers
ALTON – For young adults who left high school before earning a diploma, Lewis and Clark Community College's YouthBuild program offers more than a path back to the classroom. It provides career training, leadership development and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the community. Serving students ages 16 to 24, YouthBuild combines high school diploma instruction with hands-on construction training, paying students while they learn and preparing them for careers in the skilled trades.
SPRINGFIELD – “Dangerously high heat and humidity is expected to continue across Illinois over the holiday weekend, and we have several weeks of summer remaining,” said Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Doug Scott. “We want Illinoisans to stay cool and safe, without putting themselves at financial risk of being unable to afford their electric bills.” Consumers can keep their homes and businesses cool while lowering the energy impact of peak summertime electric
CHICAGO – As communities across the state continue to clean up and rebuild after multiple rounds of damaging spring storms, Attorney General Kwame Raoul warned Illinois residents to be on alert for scammers looking to exploit homeowners and business owners who may need repairs from storm-related damage. Raoul cautioned residents that scammers often move into communities to take advantage of people with damage to their homes or businesses. Raoul noted these “storm chasers”
SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) officially begins operations as Illinois’ first agency focused entirely on early childhood programs and services. The agency joins together programs previously administered by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD). “As a long-tim
SPRINGFIELD – With extremely high temperatures and humidity impacting the entire state, the Illinois Department of Transportation is cautioning the public to be on the lookout for pavement failures on roads and to stay alert for crews making emergency repairs. Pavement failures, buckling and blowouts occur with little warning during periods of prolonged heat and humidity, resulting in uneven driving surfaces. While it’s impossible to predict where or when these failures might
Fireworks began as a failed kitchen experiment. According to a long-told story from China, an early alchemist mixed saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal while searching for something far more valuable: a potion for eternal life. Instead, the mixture burned fast and violently. That mistake helped create one of the world’s most recognizable forms of celebration. What started as sparks and noise in ancient China eventually became the organized, colorful sky shows seen at national holidays, weddings,
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution declaring that the American colonies were free and independent from Great Britain. Although July 4 later became the better-known date because it was attached to the public adoption of the Declaration of Independence, July 2 was the day the formal break was decided. At the time, this was a major turning point in the Atlantic world. It transformed a colonial rebellion into a struggle for statehood and helped inspire
NASHVILLE, Ill. — A Nashville Community High School baseball coach and local teacher, Chad E. Malawy, was charged in Washington County Circuit Court after an investigation by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Nashville Police Department into alleged sex crimes, authorities said. He entered a not guilty plea on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. T.J. Matthes, of the St. Louis-based firm Rosenblum, Schwartz, Fry and Johnson, is representing Malaway in the case. Malawy, 54
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - Munyaradzi Chiturumani has been taken into custody without incident, authorities said, after St. Louis County Police investigated a child abduction and stabbing tied to a domestic incident Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in the 1400 block of Shadycreek Court. The St. Louis County Police Department said additional information will be disseminated as it becomes available. According to previously released information, officers from the Central County Precinct responded at about 5 p.m.
JACKSONVILLE - State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Murrayville) is inviting aspiring photographers in the 100th District to participate in his “America 250” Photo Contest to update the decor in his Capitol office in Springfield. “On July 4, 2026, our nation will mark an extraordinary milestone: 250 years since the founding of the United States of America,” Rep. Davidsmeyer said. “As part of America’s 250th birthday celebration, I am encouraging families
EDWARDSVILLE - The Third Judicial Circuit on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, distributed pocket-sized copies of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution to members of the public at the Madison County Courthouse and the Criminal Justice Center in Madison County, marking the approach of the Fourth of July, Chief Judge Christopher Threlkeld announced. Judges and staff presented the copies throughout the day on July 1, 2026, to litigants, lawyers and others at the circuit’s two
BETHALTO - Bethalto Community Unit School District No. 8 announced that Mary Jo Burson, a third-grade teacher at Parkside, was selected for a grant from the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Foundation to support hands-on learning experiences in her classroom. The district said Burson wrote the grant to fund more than $400 in activities for students who finish assignments early or have free-choice time. The grant will support a makers space she is creating, with resources
GRANITE CITY – A man accused of attempting to commit an act of arson in a Granite City park has been ordered released from custody. 50-year-old Frank H. Genovese of Granite City was charged on June 16, 2026 with a Class 3 felony count of attempted arson and a Class A misdemeanor count of resisting a peace officer. Genovese allegedly knowingly “broke open a bag of gasoline on a wooden pavilion at Civic Park” in Granite City on the same day, according to charging documents.
PIASA - Vivian Zurheide, a Southwestern High School senior and standout three-sport athlete, was named an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for her most recent performances on a softball field. Zurheide recently concluded her softball career at Southwestern with a .488 batting average, 39 hits, 13 doubles, 31 RBIs and six home runs as a senior for the Piasa Birds. Edwards said Zurheide is “an athlete that won't soon be forgotten at Southwestern High School.&rdquo
O'FALLON, Mo. — O'Fallon, Mo., Police are investigating a fatal shooting that happened Tuesday afternoon, June 30, 2026, on the Winghaven exit ramp from westbound Interstate 64 after what authorities described as an apparent road rage incident between two drivers. The victim has been identified by police as Luke J. Sherman, 35, who was pronounced dead at the scene and who was an O'Fallon, Mo., resident. Officers responded at about 4 p.m. to a 911 call reporting a shooting on the exit
ALTON – A local man previously convicted of fleeing police was recently charged with the same offense after allegedly leading Alton officers on two high-speed chases in one day. David A. Hallstead, 39, of Godfrey, was charged on June 24, 2026 with three Class 3 felony counts of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, as well as a Class A misdemeanor count of driving on a revoked license. Hallstead allegedly knowingly attempted to flee from an Alton Police officer on tw
ALTON - The Alton Police Department has named Detective Lee Bazzell its Officer of the Month for April 2026 after his work on a shooting investigation helped lead to the arrest and charging of two suspects within days, according to the department. In April 2026, Bazzell responded to assist in the investigation of a shooting that left a 21-year-old victim with life-threatening injuries. During the investigation, he did not accept that a nearby surveillance system had failed to capture
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