GRAFTON - According to Mayor Mike Morrow, Grafton’s soldiers have arrived home. On Monday, May 11, 2026, a small crowd gathered at the site of the National Memorial of Military Ascent (NMMA) in Grafton to welcome a truck carrying several life-sized statues. These 500-pound statues will be installed on the face of the bluff over the next few days. “Today, the National Memorial of Military Ascent soldiers are deploying to Grafton, Illinois, for duty,” Morrow said. “What
JERSEYVILLE - Paxton Weirich delivered a no-hit performance and helped power Jersey to a 15-0 win over rival Marquette Catholic on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Jerseyville. Weirich, a sophomore, pitched four innings for the no-hitter, striking out eight Marquette batters as Jersey improved to 14-8. Weirich is a Sparklight Female Athlete of the Month for the Jersey Panthers. Jersey built the rout early, scoring five runs in the first inning. The Panthers added one run in the second, erupted for
ST. LOUIS – A woman from Lake St. Louis turned herself in Monday to face an indictment accusing her of embezzling $1.2 million from her employer. Kari Bertels, 44, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on April 29 with five counts of wire fraud. She turned herself in on Monday, May 11, 2026, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty. The indictment accuses Bertels of using her company credit card to make purchases for herself and relatives from Oct. 9, 2018, to Jan. 12,
ROXANA - The Riverbend East Rotary Club recently recognized the Roxana High School April Service Above Self award winners-Keelan Crawford and Kylee Slayden. Photo-Rotary President-Elect Patti Anderson presents Service Above Self certificates to Keelan Crawford and Kylee Slayden Keelan Crawford Keelan is a Senior who has seemingly spent his high school career in constant motion. A standout multi-sport athlete, Keelan has competed in Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Soccer, all while serving
EDWARDSVILLE — Thanks to the generosity of the Metro East community, State Senator Erica Harriss’ 2026 Mother’s Day Diaper Drive collected hundreds of essential baby and toddler items for local families in need. On Friday, donations gathered throughout the drive were delivered to Safe Families for Children Metro East to help support moms and children across the region ahead of Mother’s Day. “The response from the community was incredible,” said Senator Harriss
JERSEYVILLE – Three Macoupin County residents face felonies in Jersey County for their alleged involvement in a string of retail thefts across two Jerseyville stores. The following individuals were each charged on May 6, 2026 with three counts of retail theft, including two Class 2 felonies and one Class A misdemeanor: Avery W. Heyen, 18, of Girard, Ill. Brandon A. Whitworth, 18, of Carlinville, Ill. Jonathan E. Walch, 20, of Atwater, Ill. The three allegedly knowingly stole
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County police detectives are investigating the drowning death of a 64-year-old man whose body was recovered Monday from Spanish Pond Lake after witnesses reported he may have fallen into the water while boating. Officers from the St. Louis County Police Department’s North County Precinct responded about 4:03 p.m. Sunday, May 10, 2026, to the 12500 block of Spanish Pond Road in Spanish Lake Park for a possible drowning, police said. At about 10:20 a.m. Monday,
JERSEYVILLE — Jersey Community High School's FFA chapter was recognized for a “successful year” at the Section 15 Banquet, where Jerseyville earned top Greenhand and Discovery team honors and placed second overall in the varsity team standings among 16 schools. Jersey Community Unit School District 100 shared the results in a post, saying FFA members Mary Jones and Lucy Boes “were also recognized for their achievements this year with their SAE projects.”
ALTON — Effective May 11, 2026 , the public boat launch ramps at Alton Marina are officially closed due to low water. As of today, the river level at Alton Marina stands at 413 feet above sea level , providing approximately 3-4 feet of water within the harbor . According to the latest forecast from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) , water levels are expected to remain steady at 413 feet for the next seven days. During this period, the public launch ramps will remain closed
ALTON - Alton Police Department members took to the basketball court at the YWCA Southwestern Illinois in Alton for one of their beloved community events called “Ballin' With a Cop” on Saturday, May 9, 2026. The Alton Police Department said the main purpose of the gathering was to connect with local youth. “Today was all about community, connection, and basketball at Ballin' With a Cop,” the Alton Police Department said in a statement. “Members of the Alton Police
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS - Fairview Heights Police Chief Steve Johnson on Monday released a message from a citizen praising an officer’s response to a reported wallet theft at a local Lowe’s store. In the release dated Monday, May 11, 2026, Johnson shared an email in which the citizen said they were “the victim of a wallet theft at our local Lowe’s” and the writer credited Fairview Heights Police Officer Jacob Montagnani with quickly locating a suspect and recovering
EDWARDSVILLE – The Edwardsville Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies across Illinois for the 2026 “Click It or Ticket” campaign running May 15-26, 2026 during the Memorial Day travel period. In addition to regular duties, officers will be conducting high-visibility patrols targeting seat belt violations. Buckle up or expect to be stopped and cited. Illinois law requires all drivers and passengers to wear seat belts. While usage increased to 93% in 2025, unrestrained
GODFREY - Gerard Fischer is excited to see how Godfrey will grow in the next few years. Fischer, a village trustee, is also heading the committee overseeing the recreation center. As Godfrey takes more steps towards building a recreation center, he believes the “dream” is becoming closer to a reality. “The more and more we talk and the more and more we have meetings, after the meetings, I’m saying to myself, ‘Wow, this might really happen,’”
CHICAGO – The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) is now accepting applications from units of local government for grant funding dedicated to supporting local affordable housing needs and community revitalization efforts across Illinois. Offered through IHDA’s Strong Communities Program (SCP), this initiative provides financial assistance to allow local governments to address vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated residential properties within their communities. Through leveragin
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced Illinois has been named a “high-performance” state for emergency preparedness, the highest ranking a state can receive, in a newly released report by Trust for America’s Health. The annual report evaluates states on their ability to respond to various public health emergencies using ten key indicators including incident management, patient safety, and health security surveillance, among othe
CHICAGO – In a case brought by Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 24 state attorneys general, a court entered an order invalidating President Trump’s latest efforts to impose illegal tariffs on products purchased by American consumers and businesses. Calling Trump’s actions “contrary to law,” a federal court granted summary judgment, striking down those tariffs. “I applaud this judgement, holding President Trump and his administration accountable
CASEYVILLE - Charges were filed Friday, May 8, 2026, against a Missouri man after Caseyville Police said he fled from officers during a traffic stop tied to a reported order-of-protection violation, leading authorities on a 24-minute pursuit that ended on Interstate 270 near the Chain of Rocks Bridge in Illinois. Ramon L. Chillers, 44, is charged with felon in possession of a weapon, aggravated battery, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated fleeing police, criminal
CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi today announced $12 million in grants for projects that will help boost the health and safety of children by making walking, biking, and rolling to school safer and more accessible, boosting quality of life throughout the state. The popular Safe Routes to School program is funding 68 proposals by local governments and schools that range from improving neighborhood infrastructure to supporting community educational
EDWARDSVILLE — State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) is pleased to announce a new round of Traveling Office Hours taking place throughout May, providing residents with additional opportunities to connect with her office and receive assistance with state services. “These Traveling Office Hours are an important way for my team to stay connected with the communities we serve,” said Senator Harriss. “Whether you need help navigating a state agency or simply want to
MADISON – The Illinois Department of Transportation is continuing multiple coordinated improvements along the Interstate 55/70 corridor in St. Clair County to improve safety, mobility and road conditions. Beginning Monday, May 18, lane closures will be in place at the following locations to allow for pavement and structure repairs. Eastbound I-55/70 Between Exchange Avenue and Black Lane, traffic will be reduced to: Two lanes during peak hours (approximately 4 p.m. to 6 p.m
stLouIST