EDWARDSVILLE - Several Edwardsville High School coaches have received recognition for their work with students. During the regular meeting of the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education on Feb. 23, 2026, coaches Mike Sabatino, Kirk Schlueter, Dave Lipe and Mark Heiderscheid were honored with awards on the national and state levels. Athletic Director Amy Boscolo introduced each coach, noting their dedication to the athletes. Sabatino is the high school’s pitchin
The urge to get cozy isn’t just a preference—it’s a quiet survival instinct wearing a soft sweater. When temperatures drop and daylight shrinks, many people notice the same shift: they crave warm drinks, heavier meals, familiar shows, thicker blankets, and time with people they trust. It can feel like “just a mood,” but there are real reasons behind it. Comfort-seeking during cold months is a mix of biology, psychology, and culture. And once you see the pattern,
The hardest part of meeting someone new usually isn’t what you say—it’s the first ten seconds before anyone says anything at all. That tense pause is exactly what the phrase “breaking the ice” is built for. It describes the moment when a conversation shifts from stiff and uncertain to easier and more human. We use it at job interviews, first dates, team meetings, and awkward family gatherings. But the expression didn’t start as a cute way to talk about small
On February 24, 1582, Pope Gregory XIII announced a new calendar system that would soon reshape how much of the world measured time. The change, now known as the Gregorian calendar reform, aimed to fix a slow drift in the older Julian calendar that was throwing off the timing of seasons and religious observances, especially the date of Easter. At the time, this mattered because agriculture, navigation, and public life depended on reliable seasonal timing, and churches needed a consistent way
TROY - Triad Community Unit School District #2 recently broke ground on a construction project at Triad High School to add a performing arts center, additional classrooms, and renovated career and technical education spaces. The project includes construction of the Triad Center for the Performing Arts, which Triad Community Unit School District Superintendent Jason Henderson said will “elevate our music, theater, and performance programs to the level our students deserve and will serve
EAST ALTON — Firefighters battled a large overnight blaze that broke out around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Wilshire Village strip mall in the 600 block of Berkshire Boulevard. The East Alton Fire Department responded to the scene and was assisted by multiple surrounding departments as crews worked to contain heavy flames that tore through a Chinese restaurant and several vacant storefronts. Fire officials said a Dollar General located in the strip mall sustained smoke and water damage
ALTON – Efforts are underway to update the Alton Comprehensive Plan as community members seek to shape the city’s future over the next 20 years. Adam Jones, a consultant with Stantec, gave a presentation on the ongoing Alton Comprehensive Plan update at the Feb. 23, 2025 Alton Committee of the Whole meeting. Jones said he’s been meeting with members of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC), a group of local residents, business owners, school district personnel,
TROY, IL. – The Tri-Township Public Library and its Board of Trustees are proud to announce a landmark update to its membership policy. Following a unanimous vote during the board meeting on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the library has officially approved the expanded Cards for Kids Act. This initiative ensures that every child between the ages of 5 and 18 within the community now has access to the library’s full suite of resources at no cost. By removing financial and residency
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the Jeremy Schumacher of Carbondale, Illinois, will be her personal guest to President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address. Schumacher’s story is all too common across our state and country: this year his family’s health insurance costs jumped 288%—an $11,000 increase for deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs—after Trump and Republicans refused to extend Affordable
O’FALLON, Ill. — HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital is proud to announce the 100th Aquablation therapy procedure, marking a significant milestone in the advancement of minimally invasive urologic care in the region. Introduced locally in 2023, Aquablation therapy is an advanced, robotic treatment for men suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate. As the number one reason men visit their urologist, BPH affects approximately one
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that he will host Tereza Lee as his guest for President Trump’s State of the Union Address. Tereza was Durbin’s inspiration to write the Dream Act in 2001 when he learned of her story after outreach by Ann Monaco, Tereza’s teacher at the Merit School of Music in Chicago. Tereza was a musical prodigy who had played as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She had been accepted into several
ST. LOUIS - Dr. Bruce Vest's group returned to the streets of St. Louis once again during the Mardi Gras Parade, aiming for a third consecutive first-place float prize at the city’s event. This time, the family-backed float effort was dedicated to the memory of his late son-in-law. Vest’s entry, Float No. 53, competed in the Bud Light Grand Parade on Feb. 14, 2026, in St. Louis. His float finished first in the Wheel Division, followed by Vices & Virtus in second and St. Louis Santos
EDWARDSVILLE - As 2026 ensues, Madison County Board Chairman Chris Slusser promises the county has “a lot of good things going on.” “I’m just very, very excited about the region. I’ve never been more excited. Not just because I’m in office, but just in general, what I’m seeing, the excitement about Madison County,” he said. Slusser shared that, after he was elected in 2024, one of his first goals was to “straighten out the chaos”
EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is collaborating with the 40 Days of Nonviolence initiative in East St. Louis for the second consecutive year. The committee aiming to curb and eliminate violence in the city and support local youth, kicked off its campaign with a press conference on the holiday celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Jan. 19). “This year’s theme connects deeply to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a nation committed to nonviolence,
WOOD RIVER - KayLynn Buttry signed to continue her academic and basketball career at Greenville University on Friday morning, marking a milestone after a record-setting senior season at East Alton-Wood River High School. Buttry’s senior year included 19.5 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. She scored 624 points, the highest single-season total in EAWR history, and finished her career with 1,533 points, listed as second all-time at EAWR for boys or girls. She is a Midwest Members
TROY, IL. - A fundraiser campaign organized by Stormy Biehl has been launched to support Cory Huebner and his four sons after Cesilie N. Huebner, 35, died Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, following a crash on Scott-Troy Road. Huebner, of Ellington Drive in Troy, died at 2:45 p.m. on Feb. 18, 2026, in the emergency room at St. Elizabeth Hospital in O’Fallon. The GoFundMe fundraiser describes the family as facing “the sudden loss of Cesilie,” along with “funeral expenses,
ALTON - Jack Beaber is heading into what he expects to be a strong season in track and field at Marquette Catholic, and he has already taken his next step for college. Beaber, a Marquette Catholic student-athlete, signed a letter of intent this past week at Marquette to attend the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for track and field. He is also a Tucker’s Automotive Repair & Tire male athlete of the month. “I chose the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater because of the athletic
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced that she will bring Laura Petty, a constituent from Alton, Illinois, whose family has been impacted by rising healthcare costs, as her guest to President Trump’s State of the Union next Tuesday. “I am honored to bring Laura as my guest to highlight the impact of Republican healthcare cuts on working families in my district. Laura and her husband Rick reached out to my office last Fall to share the difficult
CHICAGO — Excitement is building in the small town of Harvard, Illinois after a $1.15 million winning Lucky Day Lotto® ticket was purchased at a local convenience store over the weekend. The winning ticket was sold at Chemung Country Store, located at 24102 IL Route 173, for the February 21 evening drawing. The winning numbers were 2-15-28-31-43. “Our store has been a staple of the community for over 38 years,” said Mark Smith, co-owner of Chemung Country Store. “Ou
ALTON – Even though 2025 is fading in the rearview mirror, OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center is still beaming with pride and humility in comprehending the milestones and benchmarks that the previous calendar year brought to its health care Ministry in the Riverbend region. “Our Mission of ‘serving with the greatest care and love’ fuels our motivation with a special purpose to provide for the total well-being of those we serve,” says Lisa
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