Riverbender 🕸

WOOD RIVER — The Wood River Fire Department responded to a structure fire Friday afternoon, Jan. 30, 2026, in the 300 block of South Tenth Street. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the house, prompting a box-alarm response. Additional crews from Roxana, East Alton, and Edwardsville assisted at the scene. During firefighting efforts, multiple windows were broken. Firefighters were observed on the roof spraying water through a small attic window to contain

O’FALLON, IL. - Salon Ludic and Extension Lounge, an O’Fallon-based small business, is giving back to the community it calls home. Through monthly SLAK Campaigns, Salon Ludic Act of Kindness, small businesses in O’Fallon, and the surrounding area, will be chosen at random as the recipient of a Salon Ludic Act of Kindness. For each monthly Act, Salon Ludic will purchase a $200 gift card from a small business, which will be used for its own customers until the money runs out.

ALTON - James Sehorn and Nathanael Rich are the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club Students of the Month for January 2026. Sehorn is the son of John and Sarah Sehorn. Dedicated to his studies, he has achieved a GPA of 4.74, with many AP and Honors classes. He has always taken the most difficult classes while maintaining a spot on the High Honor Roll. Outside of academics, James has stayed very involved with athletics, playing Varsity Basketball and Baseball since freshman year. As a sophomore, he won

ALTON - Nathanael Rich of Alton High School and James Sehorn of Marquette Catholic High School were honored as Students of the month for January 2026 at a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey at the Gentelin’s on Broadway Restaurant. Rich, a 17-year-old senior at Alton High School, is the son of Joshua and Kelly Rich. He expressed his gratitude to the Rotary Club for the honor and acknowledged their continued support of students and the community. Nathanael also shared appreciation

EDWARDSVILLE/GLEN CARBON - Albert Cassens Elementary School fourth graders are pleased to announce they would thrive in an extreme survival situation. The students recently learned about survival in their “Wit and Wisdom” unit, where they read survival stories and wrote their own personal narrative about weathering a storm. But beyond that, the teachers emphasized the importance of hope and perseverance, noting that you can always count on yourself. “You’re your

EDWARDSVILLE — Scout, a local dog from Edwardsville, is competing in the nationwide America’s Favorite Dog competition, highlighting beloved pets and the communities that support them. The contest, which aims to celebrate the bond between pets and their owners, also benefits a charitable cause. As of Friday afternoon, Jan. 30, 2026, Scout had risen to fifth place in America's Favorite Dog ratings, his owner said. Danielle Schwab, Scout’s owner, said the competition has brought

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Erica Harriss (56th–Glen Carbon) is pushing for legislative reforms to strengthen accountability and transparency at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), particularly regarding foster youth who go missing while under state supervision. Senate Bill 2869 would require DCFS to consistently track and publicly report information on missing foster youth, allowing lawmakers and the public to better understand the scope of the problem

ST. LOUIS - A Florissant, Mo., man was sentenced Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, to more than 14 years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material, including content he produced or solicited, U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey ruled. Patrick Neistat, 24, pleaded guilty in October to one count of receipt of child pornography. The investigation began on Sept. 8, 2022, after St. Louis County Police detectives received an urgent Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

EAST ALTON – Helmkamp Construction Co., alongside EPCM partner Graycor Construction Company, recently celebrated a major construction milestone at Wieland’s East Alton expansion with a topping-out ceremony marking the placement of the final structural beam on the new main building facing Route 3. The ceremony highlights the progress of the 387,000 sq. ft. building visible along the Route 3 corridor and symbolizes continued momentum on Wieland’s multi-phase modernization and

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Erika L. Morton, a former kindergarten teacher from Farmington, Mo., pleaded guilty Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material. The 37-year-old admitted to sending illegal images through the Kik Messenger app, according to court documents. In February 2025, the Missouri State Highway Patrol received a cybertip reporting that a Kik user had uploaded several video files containing images of minors engaging in sexually explicit

CASEYVILLE — Authorities arrested Anthony D. Mays less than three hours after an armed robbery at a BP service station on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, the Caseyville Police Department reported. Caseyville Police officers responded to the BP station located at 2 Rauckman Drive in Caseyville following a report of an armed robbery. After investigating, they identified Mays as the suspect and took him into custody at a residence in Washington Park. The case was presented to the St. Clair Count

BUNKER HILL — The Bunker Hill Fire Department responded quickly to a camper fire on the 500 block of North Washington Street around 10 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, preventing the blaze from spreading to nearby campers and buildings. Firefighters launched an offensive fire attack upon arrival, bringing the fire under control rapidly. Their swift actions prevented significant property loss and a potentially more dangerous situation for multiple property owners. Battalion Chief

ST. LOUIS – A former official with a St. Louis-based non-profit circus on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, admitted embezzling over $123,000 from December 2022 through at least September 2023. George S. Pace, 63, of Ladue, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to four counts of wire fraud. He admitted using a credit card that he’d obtained without the knowledge or approval of the circus to pay thousands of dollars of personal expenses, including payments to nail salons, restaurants,

The “minute” on your phone is not a natural thing. Nothing in the sky divides an hour into 60 equal parts. Humans invented that slice of time—and then built machines and habits strong enough that the whole world agreed to live by it. Measuring time sounds simple until you try to do it well. The sun moves, but not at a constant speed across the sky. Seasons change the length of daylight. Clouds hide the stars. People travel. Armies need schedules. Farmers need to know when t

On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany, a political turning point that quickly reshaped Europe and, within a few years, much of the world. At the time, the appointment was presented as a legal step within Germany’s parliamentary system, made amid economic hardship, political violence, and deep public frustration after World War I. It mattered immediately because it placed a mass political movement with authoritarian aims at the center of government power.

Friday morning starts cold with temperatures in the low single digits near 2 degrees. The day will stay frigid, peaking at a high of 18 degrees with a brisk north wind gusting up to 22 mph, making it feel even colder. Cloud cover will be mixed with occasional sunshine throughout the afternoon. By evening, temperatures will plunge again as light snow flurries develop with a 41% chance, and a low around 2 degrees overnight. Saturday will be mostly sunny and very cold, reaching a high of 20 and a

GRANITE CITY — The Granite City girls basketball team has made a notable turnaround in the 2025-2026 season under head coach Ron Twichell, winning 16 of their first 22 games. The team members who are Stillwater Senior Living Female Athletes of the Month are aiming to reach the 20-win mark by the end of the campaign. The Granite City girls face 15-10 Jersey at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in the Carrollton Invitational Tournament. Granite City’s varsity roster includes Taliyah Sykes,

EDWARDSVILLE – Felony and misdemeanor charges have been filed against the latest St. Louis woman accused of burglary in Edwardsville. Brittney L. Sawyer, 31, of St. Louis, was charged on Jan. 21, 2026 with a Class 2 felony count of burglary and a Class A misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property. Sawyer allegedly knowingly and without legal authority entered the Schnucks location at 2222 Troy Road in Edwardsville while the building was not open to the public for business with th

ALTON – Local businesses in Alton have launched a food drive to restock the Salvation Army’s food pantry, running from Feb. 9 to Feb. 20, 2026. Donations can be dropped off at participating locations, including Freer Auto Body, Arrow Signs and Outdoor Advertising, the Alton Memorial Hospital gift shop, Carrollton Bank’s Alton branch, Evergreen Senior Living, Persnickety by Jen Farley, Simmons Hanly Conroy, and Nicki G’s Catering. Gloria Vaughn of the Salvation Army emphasize

SULLIVAN, Mo. — A helicopter carrying four people crashed into powerlines and plunged into the Meramec River near Meramec State Park Thursday afternoon, Jan. 29, 2026, officials said. The crash occurred around 1 p.m. on Jan. 29, 2026, while a group of state park team members and the pilot were conducting an ecological survey of the area, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. All four occupants — the pilot and three passengers — were rescued from the river