ALTON - A free community health screening offering take-home colorectal cancer tests and other screenings for adults is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 21, 2026, at the Church of the Living God, 101 W. Elm St., in Alton. The event is being conducted in recognition of Colorectal Awareness Month. Services offered will include colorectal cancer take-home tests, health education materials, a prostate cancer blood test, and blood pressure screening. "Too many are dying at a young
ILLINOIS - The Illinois primary is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Here are the legislative races that are on the ballot. The Illinois Senate 56th District is currently represented by Republican Erica Harriss. Two Democrats are on the primary ballot to see who will challenge her during the general election on Nov. 3, 2026. Marsie Geldert-Murphey will face Kevin Hall . You can click here to read more about their platforms. The Illinois 15th Congressional District is currently
GODFREY – The RiverBend Growth Association has adjusted its awards programs in 2026, which includes moving to an every-other-month cycle of recognizing member businesses in the Riverbend for proven excellence. The Small Business Excellence shoutout for March goes to Pruitt Mechanical Services LLC in Bethalto. In business for 17 years now, owner Joe Pruitt says he started the business because he “wanted to build something that stood for more than just ‘getting the job done.’”
JERSEYVILLE – The Jerseyville Public Library has been notified that a library employee was detained by law enforcement on Thursday, March 12, 2026. According to authorities, the individual is currently being held on pending charges related to alleged internet child pornography material possession. Upon receiving this information, the library immediately took steps to ensure the employee no longer has access to library facilities, resources, or patrons. The employee’s primary role
EAST ALTON/WOOD RIVER - The Riverbend East Rotary Club has recognized East Alton-Wood River High School seniors Emma Glenn and LeBron Reed as its February Service Above Self award winners, honoring their leadership and service at the school, the club said. The recognition was recently announced by the Riverbend East Rotary Club in the Riverbend area. The awards highlight students who demonstrate “the values of responsibility, leadership, and service” and reflect “the spirit o
A plain sheet cake can make an ordinary Tuesday feel like a turning point. Add a few candles, write a name in frosting, and suddenly people show up, take photos, and speak as if something important just happened. The funny part is that the “something” is often just a number changing—another year, another month, another day. Humans celebrate milestones because they help us make sense of time, effort, and change. They turn blurry stretches of life into clear chapters. They also
COLLINSVILLE — Dayton Freight Lines, Inc., a provider of supply chain services, has opened a new Service Center in Collinsville, expanding its operations in the St. Louis-area market. The new, state-of-the-art facility is located on more than 100 acres and includes 100 doors, a heated dock, a snow scraper, a shop and advanced technology “designed to support operational excellence,” the company said. The Service Center is positioned at the Interstate 255 and Interstate 55 interchange,
A strange thing happens when jealousy shows up: we talk about it as if it has a color. Not red like anger or blue like sadness, but green—an oddly specific shade for a feeling that lives in the mind. “Green with envy” is one of the most common English idioms for jealousy. It paints envy as something visible, almost physical, as if it could tint your skin. But why green? And what does the phrase really mean in everyday life? What “green with envy” actually means
On March 16, 1926, American rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard launched the first successful liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts. It was a short flight—only a few seconds and a modest height—but it proved something that had never been demonstrated in practice: a rocket using liquid fuel could lift itself under controlled power. At the time, the idea of reaching high altitudes, or even space, still sounded like science fiction to many people. Goddard’s test mattered becaus
BELLEVILLE - Belleville Police officers are investigating a homicide after a 20-year-old man was shot and later died Sunday afternoon, March 15, 2026, and two suspects were taken into custody following a vehicle crash and a foot pursuit, police said. The shooting was reported at about 3:50 p.m. March 15, 2026, when officers from the Belleville Police Department were dispatched to the 5800 block of Belleville Crossing “in response to a subject shot,” according to the
ALTON – An Alton Police Lieutenant says the department is working daily to educate local residents who commonly misunderstand state cannabis laws. At this week’s City Council meeting, Alderman John Meehan said his “sensitive nose” has been detecting the smell of cannabis coming from cars in traffic. He asked Lieutenant Emily Hejna with the Alton Police Department whether such a strong smell coming from someone’s car would give officers enough authority to pull
On March 14, 1883, Karl Marx died in London, closing the life of a thinker whose ideas helped reshape modern politics, labor movements, and debates about how economies should work. During his lifetime, Marx was best known as a journalist and critic of industrial capitalism, writing about how factory work, wages, and ownership were changing everyday life in Europe. After his death, his books and arguments—especially about class conflict and the power of economic systems to shape society—spread
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting for the bipartisan 21st Century Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act, which passed the Senate by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 89-10. The Senate-passed legislation would tackle our nation’s housing crisis by lowering costs for middle-class families, incentivizing municipalities to create more affordable housing, preventing private equity from buying
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) celebrated the Senate passage of their bipartisan resolution to honor the YMCA ahead of the organization’s 175th anniversary. Headquartered in Chicago, the YMCA has about 2,600 locations, serving more than 10,000 communities across the country. The resolution was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Boozman (R-AR), Todd Young (R-IN), and Lindsey
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today met with members of the Illinois Soybean Association and the American Soybean Association to discuss the severe downturn in the farm economy. Topics ranged from the importance of a full, five-year Farm Bill, strong crop insurance programs, and the financial harm caused by federal trade policies that have damaged the Chinese market for Illinois soybeans.
GODFREY, IL – For Lewis and Clark Community College Alumna Destini Lednicky, making the decision to attend L&C was a turning point. What began as a local and affordable option quickly became the place where she built the confidence and support system that has been an integral part of getting her to where she is today in her career.?? “I just really appreciated Lewis and Clark for giving me the confidence to be able to go on to a four-year university,” Lednicky said.
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF), in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), invites Illinoisans to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day by participating in the Run for the Trees: Happy Little 5K, a nationwide virtual event inspired by the PBS series “ The Joy of Painting ” featuring the late painter Bob Ross. Participants can complete a 5K course on their own schedule anytime from April 18-26, 2026, a week that includes Earth
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) has introduced legislation to restore a policy allowing the State of Illinois to recover incarceration costs from inmates when appropriate. Senate Bill 3958 reinstates language previously removed from state law that allowed the Illinois Department of Corrections to pursue reimbursement for incarceration expenses on a case-by-case basis when incarcerated individuals have the ability to contribute. “This is about
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police (ISP) today announced that in 2025 the agency conducted just over a thousand firearm enforcement details statewide to help ensure individuals who are prohibited from having a firearm and pose a threat do not have firearms in their possession. ? Additionally, local law enforcement agencies supported through state agency enforcement grants reported almost 11,000 compliance checks during fiscal year 2025, the highest number since the state began
EDWARDSVILLE - Members of the Edwardsville High School Orchestra and Orchestra Director Victoria Voumard provided a memorable performance at the Edwardsville City Business Forecast Breakfast at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville on Tuesday morning, March 10, 2026. The following students performed with the EHS Chamber orchestra at the event: Paige Muskopf, violin. Elise Larrew, violin. Elisabeth Preston, violin. Jonah Tinge, violin. Ian Kim, viola. Lily Reynolds, cello. Jayla
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