ALTON - Megan Dees knows firsthand the value of book clubs. After all, she has started several through Hayner Public Library District — and the lucky librarian recently won a major prize through her own book community. Dees, who oversees the TeenSpace programming at Hayner, started the Comic Chaos comic book club for teenagers a few months ago. But in her personal life, she enjoys the friendships she has made through an online book community, where members talk about books, authors
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL-15) released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump delivered his State of the Union address. “Tonight, President Trump made it unmistakably clear that the State of our Union is strong and growing stronger because we are once again putting America First,” said Congresswoman Miller. “Under this administration, we are reversing the destructive decisions of Joe Biden and seeing lower costs, a
ALTON - The Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club will host their 40th annual Chili Chowdown to support their community projects. On Monday, March 2, 2026, community members can stop by Main Street United Methodist Church in Alton from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 4:30–7 p.m. for a chili meal. For $10, you can enjoy all-you-can-eat chili, a beverage and dessert with carry-out options available. “All proceeds go to supporting the community, which is what Alton-Godfrey Rotary is all about,”
ST. CLAIR COUNTY - Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, charged a Fairview Heights man in St. Clair County Circuit Court with eight counts of disseminating child sexual abuse material after investigators searched a residence in the city and said they found evidence of the material. Brian J. Grapperhaus, 45, was charged with eight counts of disseminating child sexual abuse material, each a Class X felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison, according to Raoul’s
GLEN CARBON – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced a full closure of the intersection of Illinois 157 and Illinois 162 in Madison County starting, weather permitting, at 7 a.m. on Monday, March 3, 2026. Both eastbound and westbound Illinois 162 will be closed, and neither will have access to Illinois 157. The closure is necessary to construct two new bridges, a new signalized four-way intersection, and bike and pedestrian accommodations. Illinois 157 and the easter
CARROLLTON — Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey is scheduled to make a campaign stop in Carrollton on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, as part of his statewide bus tour, according to Billy Springman, the 21-year-old Greene County coordinator. The event is set for 3 to 4 p.m. at Walnut Hall Estates and is free and open to the public. Springman said the stop is intended to give local residents a chance to meet Bailey, hear his plans for Illinois and discuss issues important to the community.
SWANSEA – State Senator Christopher Belt announced the release of a $4 million state grant for the Village of Shiloh to construct a new police station. The funding, previously announced as part of a $4.75 million allocation secured alongside State Representative Jay Hoffman, is now available to move the project toward a projected June or July groundbreaking. “As Shiloh continues to grow, we have a responsibility to ensure our law enforcement officers have a facility that
A single swipe can start a romance—but for most of human history, a “match” was something your family negotiated, your neighbors watched, and your community enforced. Courtship has never been just about two people liking each other. It has always been tied to money, safety, social rules, and the way people meet. What’s changed over the centuries is who gets to choose, how public the process is, and what counts as “serious.” The shift from supervised visits
On February 25, 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev delivered a closed-door address that quietly shook the communist world. In what later became known as the “Secret Speech,” he condemned the crimes and abuses of Joseph Stalin, criticizing mass arrests, executions, and the culture of fear that had defined much of Soviet life for decades. At the time, the speech mattered because it cracked the image of an infallible state and signaled that the Soviet Union might change course after
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Cristian M. Stevens on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis area contractor who fraudulently obtained $1.7 million in pandemic loans to three years in prison and ordered her to repay the money. Coretta “Cory” Elliott, 53, owned and operated CMT LLC, a contractor that provided commercial construction, demolition, roofing, landscaping and remediation services. CMT also did business as CMT Roofing LLC. Elliott fraudulently obtained a first draw Paycheck
This morning starts off with cloudy skies and a few light rain showers in spots. Temperatures hover around the low 30s to upper 30s, feeling a bit chilly around 41 degrees with a light north wind just under 6 mph. By midday, the clouds begin to break up, giving way to a blend of sun and clouds. The high temperature reaches a cool 52 degrees in the afternoon with a gentle north wind that gusts up to 8 mph. As evening falls, cloud cover thickens again with breezy conditions picking up from the northeast,
GLEN CARBON – Glen Carbon residents are one step closer to welcoming a Shake Shack location. Trustees unanimously approved a site plan for Shake Shack at their meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Community Development Director Erika Heil said the future fast-casual eatery will be located in Orchard Town Center and will feature a single-lane drive-thru. She said their business model is mostly based on being a dine-in service, so developers are not expecting major traffic at the site t
EAST ALTON — Crews from Stutz Excavating were called to the scene of a major strip mall fire Tuesday afternoon to begin moving debris, allowing firefighters better access to stubborn hotspots at Wilshire Plaza. Firefighters were first dispatched around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday to a large blaze at the Wilshire Village strip mall in the 600 block of Berkshire Boulevard. The East Alton Fire Department led the response, with assistance from nearly nine surrounding departments as flames tore through
WEST ALTON, MO. - Transportation officials in Missouri have started a series of changes along U.S. Route 67 that would remove the corridor’s last traffic signal between Interstate 270 and Alton, Illinois, and replace several at-grade intersection movements with J-turns in an effort to reduce crashes. The Missouri Department of Transportation is presenting a preliminary plan to improve existing at-grade intersections along Route 67 at Cinder Road, Red School Road, Route 94/Richard Drive,
Simmons Hanly Conroy Partner Jared Hausmann Named 2026 ‘Influential Appellate Attorney’ by Missouri Lawyers Media ALTON – Simmons Hanly Conroy , a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families, is pleased to announce that Jared Hausmann , a partner in the firm’s Alton office, has been recognized as a 2026 “Influential Appellate Attorney” by Missouri Lawyers Media. The Missouri Lawyers Awards recognize lawyers
MADISON COUNTY — The Salvation Army of Madison County is proud to announce a step toward providing key support to the unhoused community, in partnership with the Community Hope Center. The organizations will create a shared campus and unified space where our most marginalized neighbors facing housing instability can access comprehensive and complementary services all in one place. "We are thrilled to join with the Community Hope Center to confront homelessness with hope, compassion, and
ALTON - Associated Physicians Group says hormone replacement therapy might be the answer you’ve been looking for. Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is a way to adjust hormone levels in your body to mitigate symptoms like chronic fatigue, decrease in muscle mass, low libido, and menopausal symptoms. Mike Babinski, NP at Associated Physicians Group, said that HRT can be a great option for people who feel run down when symptoms aren’t explained by another condition. “It’s
ALTON — Family and community members will gather this week at First Presbyterian Church in Alton to remember James O. “Jim” Wigger, a longtime teacher and coach whose track and cross-country teams won state titles and whose influence extended for decades in the area. Wigger's sons - Brad, Steve, and John - wanted to make sure the public was aware of the visitation and memorial service slated for this weekend in Alton. Wigger, known to many as “Coach Wigger,” died
PONTOON BEACH – A Pontoon Beach resident accused of using electronic technology to create and distribute child pornography faces 12 felony counts. Robert D. Murphy, 37, of Pontoon Beach, was charged on Feb. 17, 2026 with 12 counts of child sexual abuse material, each Class X felonies. Murphy allegedly used a computer application to produce multiple pornographic images depicting a now-14-year-old child and disseminated the photographs online via the Telegram application on Jan. 13, 2026.
GODFREY - I got into a car accident and the other driver said, “You didn’t even signal!” I said, “I did. I screamed.” Regardless of the circumstances, the car now has to be fixed……………Who you gonna call? Well, Freer Auto Body in Godfrey comes highly respected and “wreck-o-mended” as an I-CAR gold class facility. I-CAR is a nonprofit organization that provides technical services and courses for collision repair professionals.
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