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ALTON - As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 717 State Street, Alton, Illinois will be celebrating a special Blue Mass to honor current, retired, and deceased first responders and military. This Mass will be held at Saints Peter and Paul Church at 6:00 pm on Thursday, September 10th with Father Jeff Holtman as celebrant. This special Mass will serve as a solemn and inspiring opportunity to pray for the safety, strength, and guidance of those

ALTON - Alton Middle School students have a new opportunity to start training in the medical field. New this year, the middle school is offering a class called Medical Detectives that will allow students to study diseases and simulate diagnosing patients while using real medical equipment. The class is part of Project Lead the Way, which encourages students to think about their career options. “It’s still early in the semester, but I have high hopes for it,” said teacher

CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) launched Illinois' Opportunity Zones 2.0 – a statewide initiative to identify and nominate the next group of federally designated Opportunity Zones that will help attract private investment to communities across Illinois. When a low-income community is designated as a Qualified Opportunity Zone through the federal program, it encourages private investment that promotes job creatio

CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing portions of President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting mail-in voting to take effect: “The Supreme Court’s decision allowing Donald Trump and the U.S. Postal Service to move forward with this unprecedented attempt to interfere in our elections is deeply troubling. “We are weeks away from voting in the midterms and the President i

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC)—led her fellow SASC Democratic colleagues in urging Committee Chairman Wicker to hold a hearing to investigate the Trump Administration’s failures to support our servicemembers who are carrying out indefinite extended deployments in the unauthorized, disastrous Iran war that President Trump cannot seem to end. In a letter to Chairman Wicker, the Senators

EAST ST. LOUIS/FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — Kiante M. Brooks, 32, appeared in federal court last Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, and will remain detained pending trial on a federal bank robbery charge after authorities said he allegedly robbed a bank Aug. 13, 2026, in Fairview Heights, Illinois. Brooks is facing one count of federal bank robbery. According to court documents, Fairview Heights police received a call around 5 p.m. on Friday from a local bank teller who advised police that a co-worker was being

A new job, a breakup, a move across town, even a child starting school can leave a person oddly unsettled long after the event itself is over. The change may be small on paper. Yet the mind often treats transition as something much bigger: a loss of what was familiar, a test of identity, and a search for what comes next. Why transition feels harder than it looks People often talk about change as if it were a simple event. You quit, move, graduate, marry, retire, recover, or begin again. But

This Day in Music History: Aug. 25 Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run arrived on Aug. 25, 1975, as the record that changed a talented but commercially uncertain New Jersey songwriter into a major American rock voice. His third album, released by Columbia Records, paired crowded, cinematic arrangements with stories of restless young people seeking a way out. The result gave Springsteen and the E Street Band a defining statement, reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and eventually earned a

On August 25, 1830, Belgium’s path to independence began with a night of unrest in Brussels that grew into a wider revolution. What started after a performance at the opera house soon became a political break from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, the state created after the Napoleonic Wars to unite present-day Belgium and the Netherlands under one crown. The revolt mattered at the time because it challenged a settlement designed by Europe’s major powers and showed that local

ALTON – Alton is considering new rules that would allow pop up shops to operate on city sidewalks while protecting current businesses. Committee of the Whole members voted unanimously on Aug. 24, 2026 to approve a resolution allowing “sidewalk pop up shops” in the City of Alton. The city would require sidewalk pop up shops to obtain special event permits before operating under the proposed resolution. These permits would be valid for up to 15 days within a calendar year.

GODFREY/ALTON - Vitality Women’s Clinic and CALC have partnered to support students and community members. Vitaliy Women’s Clinic offers free pregnancy and STI tests and ultrasounds to individuals experiencing unplanned pregnancies, as well as resources like support groups, parenting classes and more. As a faith-based, pro-life clinic, they do not provide or refer for abortions. CALC Institute of Technology has several career paths and educational tracts for students to pursue.

EAST ALTON — East Alton Fire Chief Jeremy Diveley has confirmed the death of a 13-year-old victim in a fire from Friday night, Aug. 21, 2026, as Cayden Schaaf. Diveley said according to Cayden's obituary, he died at 4:25 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, after being rescued from a fire in the 300 block of Monroe Street on Friday night. Crews responded at about 8:50 p.m. Friday to a 1 1/2-story home, where heavy fire was showing from the back of the house, Divele

COLLINSVILLE — Comic book fans, cosplayers and pop culture collectors are expected to gather Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, at the Gateway Convention Center for the 11th annual MC St. Louis Comic Con , also known as Mighty Con. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the convention center, One Gateway Drive in Collinsville, Illinois. Admission is $12 per person; children 12 and under are admitted free, and parking is free. The convention will feature comic book dealers, toy and trading

GRANITE CITY — As of 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, officers remained at the scene where an armed person was shot in the 2000 block of Edison Avenue in Granite City after the person did not comply with officer demands to drop their weapon. Granite City police and Madison County Sheriff’s Office deputies converged on the scene just before 10:20 a.m. The armed person was transported to an area hospital in critical condition, Illinois State Police authorities at the scene said.

ALTON — The Alton Amphitheater Commission hosted its annual Food Truck Festival from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, at the Alton Amphitheater, bringing 20 area food trucks, live music and family activities to the riverfront. The festival was once again a big success, said Abby Haynes, chair of the Alton Amphitheater Commission. The festival’s theme was centered on the Route 66 centennial, with added elements intended to honor the Mother Road. “This has been kind o

GRANITE CITY — Illinois State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Granite City after local law enforcement officers responded to a report of an armed suspect, authorities said. The Granite City Police Department and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office requested the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 6 investigate the shooting, which occurred Aug. 24, 2026, in the 2000 block of Edison Avenue. Authorities said

JERSEYVILLE – The first 18-year-old charged in connection with a video-recorded mob attack in Jerseyville has been released from custody after pleading guilty. Hayden M. Womack , 18, of Grafton plead guilty to a Class 3 felony count of aggravated battery in a public place and a Class 4 felony count of mob action in Jersey County court on Aug. 24, 2026. Womack has since been released from custody with an ankle monitor and has been ordered to reside with a family member. His sentencing

EDWARDSVILLE — The Daughters of Isabella O’Reilly Circle No. 218 in Edwardsville presented a $1,000 check to the Glen-Ed Pantry to help address community need as families face added back-to-school costs, the group said. The date of the presentation was not provided. The Daughters of Isabella also raised $600 for the Glen-Ed Pantry Brown Bag Buddies program at its spring meeting. The program serves area children with free summer support lunches. The Daughters of Isabella is a Catholic

GODFREY – Demonstrating a commitment to student success, Lewis and Clark Community College and the Lewis and Clark Community College Foundation have awarded nearly $720,000 in scholarships to approximately 212 students for the 2026–2027 academic year. These driven individuals were selected from a competitive pool of more than 550 applicants, all striving to chart their educational paths. Designed to elevate students of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and career aspirations,

WHITE HALL - Community members can join a Family Fun Day while learning more about an organization that helps children experiencing abuse or neglect. From 12–3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, at Whiteside Park in White Hall, Great Rivers CASA/GAL will host their first Family Fun Day complete with games, a bounce house, food, prizes and more fun. The goal is to raise awareness about Great Rivers CASA/GAL, an organization that provides support for families and kids affected by the foster