Riverbender 🕸

On May 22, one of the most consequential events in modern world history is the 1960 earthquake in Chile, the strongest ever instrumentally recorded. Known as the Great Chilean Earthquake, it measured 9.5 in magnitude and struck near Valdivia, causing widespread destruction across southern Chile. Entire communities were damaged or swept away, thousands of people were killed or injured, and the disaster triggered tsunamis that crossed the Pacific and caused deaths as far away as Hawaii, Japan,

GODFREY – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced the closure of Cook Street between Greenwood Lane and the midpoint of the main entrance to the Evangelical United Church of Christ beginning Tuesday, May 26, weather permitting, for road reconstruction. During the closure, access to the Evangelical United Church of Christ will be maintained from Pierce Lane using the west portion of Cook Street. The east portion will be closed to traffic. Work is expected to be completed

ALTON/JERSEY – A Jerseyville man charged with fleeing from police and a Brighton man accused of assaulting someone with a vehicle face felonies in separate cases. Cody L. Wells, 33, of Jerseyville, was charged with a Class 4 felony count of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer on May 13, 2026. Wells allegedly knowingly attempted to elude an Alton Police officer who had signaled for Wells to stop the vehicle he was driving on March 26, 2026. His attempted flight from

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County prosecutors have charged two teenagers in connection with a shooting that damaged multiple homes and vehicles, authorities said Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said May 20, 2026, that Malachi Lane, 19, of the 8400 block of Concord Place in St. Louis, and Courtenay Rogers, 18, of the 11000 block of Sugar Pines Court in Florissant, Mo., were each charged with unlawful use of a weapon, subsection 9 —

GRANITE CITY – A Madison man who allegedly shot at an occupied vehicle with an illegally possessed handgun is currently in custody. Montez L. Fuller, 43, of Madison, Ill., was charged with two Class 1 felony counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one Class 2 felony count of felon in possession of a weapon on May 14, 2026. Two days earlier, on May 12, Fuller allegedly knowingly discharged a firearm in the direction of a vehicle that he knew or should have known was occupied by

ALTON - As Alton Middle School’s eighth graders completed their final day of school, the community gathered to congratulate them. On Thursday, May 21, 2026, families and community members lined the sidewalks of Alton Middle School to honor the Class of 2030 as they prepare to transition to Alton High School. Principal Dr. Brian Saenz noted that it was “emotional,” with some “anxiety” about next year, but also a lot of excitement. “All the tears that yo

GRAFTON — The 37th annual Two Rivers Family Fishing Fair will be held Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pere Marquette State Park near Grafton on Illinois 100, offering free fishing, outdoor activities, and entertainment for families. “We want to get kids hooked on fishing, and the Family Fishing Fair helps connect kids and families to fun outdoor activities,” said IDNR Urban Fishing Coordinator Scott Isringhausen. “Thanks to our generous sponsors, we can

ALTON - The crowd was fired up as Alton Middle School students took on staff members in an end-of-year basketball game. On Thursday, May 21, 2026, the school celebrated the start of the summer with a major game between staff members and the boys and girls basketball teams. Alton Middle School Athletic Director Scott Harper said they were competing for “some bragging rights fun,” but it was an intense game as students and staff battled it out on the court. The eighth grade basketball

GODFREY – An internet company’s plans to build a new underground fiber optic network in Godfrey were shut down by Village Board members this week. Trustees voted 0-6 in a unanimous rejection of a Right of Way license agreement with Socket Telecom LLC (or “Socket Fiber”) at their May 19, 2026 meeting. The agreement would have covered the installation and restoration requirements involved in installing a fiber optic network within the village. According to a memo from

A LTON - First Presbyterian Church of Alton will host a jazz soiree and open house to celebrate its 195th anniversary. From 3–6 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026, community members are invited to First Presbyterian Church in Alton for the event. Pastor Ian Caveny is excited to celebrate the church’s history and share its presence with the Alton community. He emphasized the importance of connecting with the congregation and the Riverbend community. “I’m just here

WITT, ILLINOIS – We all know what a tremendous save looks like in sports — a diving catch, a last-second block, a play that changes everything. But what does a tremendous save look like in natural gas safety? In Witt, Illinois, it started with a quiet alert from advanced metering technology and ended with a coordinated response that prevented what could have been a devastating explosion. A Warning Before Anyone Knew The incident began not with a customer call, but with data.

ST. LOUIS – A teenage felon from St. Louis on Thursday admitted being caught with a machine gun after a police chase. Juanell Carter, 19, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On the afternoon of Aug. 26, 2025, the St. Ann Police Department was alerted about a stolen 2024 Nissan Altima on Page Avenue. A St. Ann police lieutenant spotted the vehicle backing into a parking spot at a convenience store. Carter was behind

COLLINSVILLE/GRANITE CITY- Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the Collinsville community, Jimmy Ford and the Madison County Republican Party successfully collected over 100 suitcases, along with canned goods and toiletries, at their donation drive held Saturday, May 16, at American Legion Post 365. All donations went directly to The Good Samaritan House in Granite City, an emergency shelter dedicated to serving women and families in crisis across Madison County. The event, which ran from

GODFREY –As it continues its every-other-month cycle of recognizing excellence proven by its member small businesses, the RiverBend Growth Association has chosen its May shoutout. King Air Conditioning and Heating Inc. of Godfrey has been chosen for Small Business Excellence recognition this month by the RBGA. Owned by Mike and Karen Edwards for the past 35 years, the company itself has been in business for 52 years now. The Edwardses purchased it in September 1991, when two of their

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12) today announced that Congress has approved a Department of Veterans Affairs budget request of $1.6 billion to modernize the John Cochran Veterans Hospital in St. Louis. The VA funding bill, which is expected to be signed into law by President Trump, provides for the construction of a new bed tower, a mental health and substance abuse clinic, administrative facilities, parking garages, and a central utility plant. "Our veterans deserve

EDWARDSVILLE – A restaurant and bar in downtown Edwardsville is allowed to continue selling alcohol under its new ownership. Edwardsville City Council members on May 19, 2026 unanimously approved a Class C liquor license for Suhas Mandavalli, the current owner of the Foundry Public House at 126 N. Main St. in Edwardsville. Alderwoman Elizabeth Grant asked if Mandavalli is the Foundry Public House’s new owner, which Mayor Art Risavy confirmed. Risavy also said the establishment’s

CHICAGO — A western Illinois woman is celebrating a life-changing win after claiming a $1 million prize on Powerball ® . Diana of Carman matched all five white ball numbers — 3, 19, 35, 51 and 67 — in the April 29 Powerball drawing to win the $1 million prize. “I couldn’t believe it — I picked these numbers randomly,” said Diana. “I’ve won smaller prizes before, but this is the first time I’ve won a million dollars.”

GODFREY - Madison County Sheriff’s deputies responded at 9:40 a.m. Thursday, May 21, 2026, to a traffic collision on West Delmar Avenue just east of High Meadow Drive in Godfrey involving a passenger vehicle and an Illinois Department of Transportation mowing tractor, authorities said. When deputies arrived, they found a black minivan overturned on its side, Madison County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Marcos Pulido said today. Pulido added that the driver, an adult woman, removed herself

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche requesting immediate information regarding President Trump’s misuse of taxpayer dollars to line the pockets of January 6 insurrectionists and Trump’s political allies through a nearly $2 billion Department of Justice slush fund. The DOJ and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) settlement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth joined fellow U.S. Senators Andy Kim (D-NJ), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) along with Afghanistan Veteran Max Rose and VoteVets Veterans to call out Donald Trump for breaking promise after promise to the American people, chastising the President for ensnaring America in yet another expensive war with no clearly defined end-state. Duckworth spoke about the rising costs our servicemembers and Americans are