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Key Takeaways: Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that affects the back of the eye and can cause vision loss, blurry vision and other problems. More than 30 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and one-third don't even realize it. OSF HealthCare has cameras at several locations that are used to detect retinopathy during a patient visit. Patients with diabetes should undergo an eye exam at least once a year. Andrew Hade was diagnosed with diabetes two years

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St . Louis County Police Affton Southwest Precinct officers are investigating a motor vehicle crash that occurred on Sunday, November 23, 2025, on Tesson Ferry Road near Hagemann Road, resulting in the death of an adult female. At 10:42 p.m. Sunday, St. Louis County police officers from the Affton Southwest Precinct responded to a call for service for a single motor vehicle crash at Tesson Ferry Road at Hagemann Road. Upon arrival, officers located the crash involving

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is launching new coverage for home visiting services for pregnant and parenting Medicaid customers, effective Nov. 21. The newly-covered services and supports aim to meet the needs of pregnant and parenting individuals at a critical time in their healthcare journey, in order to create better health outcomes for both parents and their children. “My administration is committed to investing in children and families

WOOD RIVER - Rustic Roots Event Space has undergone a refresh, and you can celebrate with them. From 5–10 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, community members can stop by Rustic Roots in Wood River to check out the space and enjoy live music, food from their preferred vendors, a giveaway and more. They will also host a ribbon-cutting earlier that day at 11 a.m. Owner Tara Picket is excited to share the space with the community. “I can say that the space is definitely unique. There’s

ALTON – Grab your tinsel and your bows because FLOCK D is coming! Flock Food Truck Park and Bar, voted best cocktails and best new business by Reader's Choice, is transforming into a merry holiday wonderland for its highly anticipated seasonal pop-up experience, FLOCK*D. Opening its festively decorated doors on Saturday, November 29 at 5 p.m., FLOCK*D promises to deliver holiday magic with photo-worthy backdrops, a special holiday drink menu, shareable bites from Byrdies, and the

CARROLLTON – The Carrollton United Methodist Church will host the 42nd Annual Community Carol Sing on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in the Church sanctuary. The program will be led by Tim Reif and feature groups from Carrollton area churches and a lively sing-along of traditional Christmas Carols with all attendees participating. The program will begin at 7 p.m. This is a good chance for everyone to attend and join together to make the Christmas Spirit a community wide expression of love and fellowship.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that lanes that have been closed for construction will reopen, where possible, for the long Thanksgiving weekend to minimize travel disruption. Non-emergency closures will be suspended from 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30. 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

COLLINSVILLE — Ameren Illinois employees turned generosity into action this Thanksgiving season, collecting and delivering over 20,000 pounds of food to local pantries across the state. This marks the fourth consecutive year of the company’s employee-led food drive, and participation continues to grow with 4,000 more pounds raised than last year. Through friendly competition, 42 Ameren Illinois operating locations worked together to stock shelves for families in need. “Helping

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Acting Director James Jennings announced the issuance of a health advisory for the PFAS 6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonic Acid (6:2 FTS), in accordance with Illinois groundwater regulations. Health advisories are issued when there is detection of a chemical substance(s) harmful to human health for which no numeric groundwater standard(s) exists, and resampling confirms the presence in a community water supply well. “Through Illinois

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general and the city of New York, issued a letter to Shopify Inc. (Shopify), urging the company to take stronger action against merchants that use its services to sell illegal tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes. Shopify’s current policies prohibit merchants from using its services for unlawful activities; however, merchants continue to use the platform’s services to

JERSEYVILLE – Members of the Jersey Community Unit School District (CUSD) 100 Board of Education voted 4-3 last Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 to approve a tax levy increase of 7.06%. School Board members Pam Heitzig, Darcy Graham, Brad Hagen, and Peggy Perdun voted in favor of the increased levy, while Jeff Goetten, Judy Rowling, and Jacob Warford voted against it. Ahead of last week’s School Board meeting, Jersey CUSD 100 released a “ Notice of Proposed Property Tax Increase ”

ROXANA - The Roxana boys' cross country team placed second in the regional with 69 points, and that qualified the team for the Trenton-Wesclin Sectional. The Shells' scoring was led in the regional by Anthony Hardin, second (15:38.49), then came Noah Crump, eighth (16:35.89), Easton Johnston, 13th (16:40.11), Peyton Pride, 26th (17:16.88), Rylan Busby, 28th (17:22.83), Joshua Ervin, 40th (17:57.01), and Jordin Akileh, 45th (18:22.98). The Shells boys' cross country team members are Midwest Member

JERSEYVILLE - The Downtown Country Christmas Festival returns to Jerseyville with a day of free holiday fun. From 1–5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in City Center Park in downtown Jerseyville, community members can enjoy several free activities, including games, inflatables, visits with Santa, an ugly sweater contest and more. The evening will conclude with a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and a parade. “Especially this year, when things seem a little tight, what a grea

ALTON — The 32nd annual Community Tree Lighting at Lincoln-Douglas Square was once again a rousing success on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, featuring the arrival of Santa Claus, caroling, cookies, hot cocoa, and speeches. The event culminated at 6:45 p.m. Friday when Mayor David Goins hit the switch that illuminated the holiday tree. Organizers aim to bring the community together, foster holiday spirit, and collect donations for The Salvation Army, which launched its Kettle campaign during

PIKE COUNTY — One person was killed and two others injured after a small plane crashed Sunday night, Nov. 23, 2025, in a field north of Interstate 72, west of Exit 35, according to the Pike County Sheriff’s Department. The department was notified of the possible crash at 9:39 p.m. on Nov. 23. Upon arrival, a deputy located a passenger along the interstate. Emergency personnel then located the downed aircraft nearby. The plane was carrying four people — one pilot and thre

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Authorities have identified the man fatally shot by airport police officers during an early morning incident at St. Louis Lambert International Airport on Nov. 21, 2025. The deceased has been named as 31-year-old Darius Kennedy of Peoria, according to a statement from the St. Louis County Police Department released Monday. The shooting occurred at approximately 1:05 a.m. in Terminal 1 when officers conducting routine security checks encountered Kennedy armed with

ALTON – Alton officials are set to consider delaying the effective date of their city-wide elimination of late night liquor licenses on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. A resolution appears on Monday’s Committee of the Whole agenda which would allow businesses to keep their late night liquor licenses until April 1, 2026. If approved, the item would go next to the Alton City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025 for final approval. The City Council meeting was moved from its usual Wednesday

HARDIN — The Calhoun football Warriors 2025 team concluded their season with a 12-1 record, falling narrowly to Brown County 14-13 in the IHSA Class 1A playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. The Warriors remained competitive until the final seconds of the game, demonstrating strong effort from both players and the coaching staff. Throughout the season, the team received robust support from the Warriors cheer squad, which played a significant role in creating an energized atmosphere at

ST. CLAIR COUNTY — Courtney Branon, a 35-year-old woman from Collinsville, died Tuesday morning in a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 64 in O’Fallon, authorities said. The fatal collision occurred around 8 a.m., Nov. 18, 2025. Branon was driving a Ford Bronco when she was involved in a crash with two tractor-trailers and a utility work truck, according to the St. Clair County Coroner’s Office and Illinois State Police. Branon’s death has left her children without thei

Big bookworm, reporting for duty. I enjoy reading as much as I enjoy surfing the internet and writing for fun. As such, I grew up in libraries around the Riverbend region. And recently, I’ve rediscovered my love for these spaces, their resources, and the people who make them great spots to chill. Let me back up. As the child of voracious readers, I spent a lot of time in the local library when I was very young. My parents would take me to the free events, the storytimes, the annual Summer