Riverbender 🕸

CHICAGO – The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has been nationally recognized for its transformative approach in tackling some of the state’s toughest housing challenges: affordable homeownership and homelessness prevention. At the 2025 National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) Annual Conference, IHDA received two Annual Awards for Program Excellence: Homeownership: Empowering New Buyers with IHDA’s Access Plus Financing Initiative. Special Needs Housing: Combatting Homelessness with IHDA’s Court-Based Rental Assistance Program (CBRAP). “Here in Illinois, we’re focused on creating new, innovative pathways to affordable and accessible housing — and I’m proud that IHDA has been recognized as a national leader in that effort,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Whether it’s helping our working families achieve their dreams of homeownership or providing lifeline rental assistance to Illinoisans who nee

Continue Reading

BETHALTO - Morton claimed the championship title at the Civic Memorial Fall Classic Varsity Volleyball Tournament held this weekend in Bethalto. The Morton team secured the top spot by defeating Carrollton in the final match with set scores of 25-18 and 25-17. The tournament featured eight teams competing on Saturday, with Morton, Carrollton, Carlinville, Civic Memorial, Jacksonville, Roxana, Metro East Lutheran (MELHS), and Litchfield participating. Carrollton finished second, while Carlinville took third place after beating Civic Memorial 25-19, 25-17. In the fifth-place match, Jacksonville defeated Roxana 25-18, 25-16. Metro East Lutheran secured seventh place by overcoming Litchfield 25-13, 25-16. The all-tournament team included standout players from various schools: Emalee Pool from Jacksonville; Landry Robeen and Alexis Martin from Carrollton; Madeline Murphy from Carlinville; Rebekah Stock and Abby Van Meenen from Morton; Daisy Daugherty from Roxana; and Jailyn Hunt from

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) today announced the opening of the application period for the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Law Enforcement Camera Grant. This grant provides over $56 million in state funding available to equip police agencies across Illinois with essential video technology. This program is crucial for assisting local agencies in meeting accountability and transparency goals while providing officers with modern tools for evidence collection and training. Individual awards through this opportunity can be up to $3 million. The Law Enforcement Camera Grant program is designed to support comprehensive implementation and ongoing use of law enforcement video systems. Funds may be used for: Officer-worn body cameras s and associated technology In-car video cameras for law enforcement vehicles Data storage and licensing costs directly related to officer-worn cameras Training for law enforcement personnel on the proper

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE – “They cleaned my teeth really good, and now they feel a lot better,” said eight-year-old Kazan Mohammad who visited Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) during Give Kids A Smile (GKAS), a day of free comprehensive dental care for children aged three to 13. This day of care, which involved all D1 through D4 students, many graduate students, alumni, dental and biomedical faculty, is in its 20th year. The total value of treatment: $89,352. “We’ve been calling around for almost two years trying to find a dentist for him. A lot of places have really long waiting lists, or they’re not taking new patients,” said Kazan’s father, Eddie Mohammad. “A few clinics we tried even closed down. When we saw the flyer from his school about this event, we signed up right away.” “We really are grateful for the opportunity to take time to reach out to our community and provide these dental services,

Continue Reading

MOZIER - On July 22nd 2025, at approximately 2:55 PM, Deputies with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on Illinois Highway 96 near Fox Creek, in Mozier, Calhoun County, Illinois for the offense of Speeding and Suspended License Plates. During the traffic stop, suspected illegal substances and contraband were located in the vehicle and submitted to the Illinois State Police crime lab for analysis. On September 26th 2025, a passenger, Heather C Rodhouse, aged 44, of Jerseyville, Illinois, was charged for the offense of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine (Less than 5 Grams). On the date of the incident, Rodhouse was arrested without incident and transported to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, where she was released with a Notice to Appear at the Calhoun County Courthouse; as is required under House Bill 3653, also known as the SAFE-T Act. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

Continue Reading

JERSEYVILLE - Members of Jersey Community Unit School District No. 100’s high school choir and band earned selections to the Illinois Music Educators Association District IV ensembles, marking a record year for the school’s music program. A total of 19 students from the high school were named to the ILMEA District IV Band and Jazz Band for Jersey Community High School. This represents the highest number of students the school has chosen in a single year. The band members selected include Harmony Jantzen (junior band/alto sax), Lana West (junior band/trumpet), Carter Butler (senior band and jazz/alto sax), Jayden Greham (senior band/trumpet), Islee Hileman (senior band/jazz/trombone), Payton Mooney (senior band/flute), Abigail Wedig (senior band/clarinet, jazz II/piano), Cooper Gillis (jazz band III/guitar), Sophie Hetzel (jazz band III/piano), Jack Trexler (jazz band III/vibes), Benjamin Westfall (jazz band I/trombone), Hayden Longley (jazz band II/drum set), Myles McDuffie

Continue Reading

HARDIN - On August 10th 2025, at approximately 9:37 PM, Deputies with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on Park St., near the Joe Page Bridge in Hardin, Calhoun County, Illinois. During the traffic stop, suspected illegal substances and contraband were located in the vehicle and submitted to the Illinois State Police crime lab for analysis. On September 26th 2025, the Calhoun County State’s Attorney’s Office issued criminal charges against the following suspects: The driver, Chelsi N. Griffin, aged 37, of St. Louis, Missouri, was arrested for the following offenses: Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance (Crack Cocaine), Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. A passenger, John D. Baker, aged 60, of St. Louis, Missouri, was also arrested for the following offenses: Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance (Crack Cocaine), Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. On the date of the incident, Griffin and Bake

Continue Reading

MARYVILLE – Eva Baumann, RN, of Anderson Hospital was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. The nomination submitted read: “When Eva walked into my husbands room she asked all the same questions that every nurse asks but she heard the anxiety in my husband's voice. She talked to him about how important it was for him to have an MRI. He becomes so very claustrophobic in a closed MRI machine that he was telling Eva that I could drive him to Mercy South because they have an open MRI machine. Eva went along with him and let him know that that was an option but that time was an essence. He needed it done asap. She explained how drugs such as Valium could help to relax him. And, he agreed to try. Thank God she did. We found out that Ray did have a stroke. "When we found out the results, Eva pointed out all the positives in the report.

Continue Reading

GODFREY - Pride, Inc. will host a unique fundraising event meant to raise money for their beautification projects. On Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, community members are invited to the Alton-Wood River Sportsmen’s Club in Godfrey for “The Great Mouse Race Extravaganza." Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and betting starts at 6 p.m. Attendees can bet on the mouse races, enjoy raffles and 50/50 drawings, and mingle while supporting Pride, Inc. “I understand it is just outrageous fun,” said Karen Wilson, a volunteer with Pride, Inc. “I’ve never heard anybody say they didn’t have a good time. And it goes towards area beautification.” Wilson noted that the mouse races will be a lot of fun for everyone involved. She joked that she hopes no mice escape from their racetrack. “I’ll squeal like a second-grader if it runs around my feet,” she laughed, adding, “No mice will be harmed during this event.” As an organization,

Continue Reading

ALTON/GODFREY - Captain Geech & The Shrimp Shack Shooters will headline the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club's (AGRC) 13th Annual Benefit Concert on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at the Ann Whitney Olin Theater in the Hatheway Cultural Center at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey. The concert will feature Captain Geech & The Shrimp Shack Shooters in a stage performance featuring Top 40 hits of the 70’s and 80’s along with a salute to military veterans. Donna Bemis, president of the AGRC, says the club is excited about the concert. “We’re thrilled to have Captain Geech & The Shrimp Shack Shooters this year. They are wrapping up their 25 th anniversary tour and jumped at the chance to partner with Rotary for the good of our community. The Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club has a long history of service to the community, and we are grateful that Captain Geech & The Shrimp Shack Shooters have enthusiastically agreed to perform in concert to support the

Continue Reading

GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College invites both students and members of the public to a Career Fair this November. Those seeking full-time, part-time or seasonal employment are encouraged to bring their resumés and take advantage of the opportunity to interact with roughly 40 area employers that have positions to fill. The Career Fair will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 6, in The Commons, located in the McPike Math and Science Complex at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey. According to LC Career Resource Specialist Terri DeWerff, the decision to hold a fall Career Fair, in addition to the regular spring event, came in response to area employers inquiring about on-campus recruiting options. “Our goal is to provide an event for local employers and community partners to showcase their organizations and to connect job seekers with employment opportunities and resources,” DeWerff said. “We look forward to

Continue Reading

CHICAGO – Today, Governor Pritzker released the following statement condemning Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration for withholding federal funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as part of the Republican government shutdown. If Republicans don't adopt a deal to reopen the federal government, 1.9 million hardworking Illinoisans who rely on this critical food assistance could lose access to their benefits starting November 1. “Working families across Illinois are about to go without food assistance because Trump and Congressional Republicans want to score political points and refuse to reach a deal that reopens the federal government. Nearly two million Illinoisans rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table, including households with children, older adults, and people with disabilities. “Why is it that they can find the money during a shutdown to pay their masked federal agents wreaking havoc in our communities but not hel

Continue Reading

ST. CHARLES, MO. — A 33-year-old man was fatally shot by a St. Charles County Police officer on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, after a domestic disturbance call led to an armed confrontation on the front porch of a residence, authorities said. At approximately 6:37 p.m. Friday, St. Charles County Emergency Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a domestic disturbance in progress in the 600 block of Hickory Dale Drive. Officers arrived to find a man armed with a knife engaged in a physical altercation with a woman, both kneeling on the porch. According to police, the officer drew his firearm and issued multiple commands for the man to drop the knife and for the woman to move inside for her safety. The man did not comply, broke free from the woman’s attempted restraint, stood up, and advanced toward the officer while still armed. The officer retreated while continuing to order the man to drop the weapon. The subject ignored commands and maneuvered around barriers to close the distance

Continue Reading

ALTON – More details behind the circumstances that lead to a shooting in Alton last week have come to light as the three individuals involved remain in custody. The following individuals were charged with one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm, each Class X felonies: Chelsea N. Stout, 35, of Alton Stacey T. Samuels, 47, of Alton Rico F. Long, 45, of Madison, Ill. Stout was additionally charged with a Class 3 felony count of battery and a Class 4 felony count of obstructing justice. Long was also charged with a Class X felony count of possession of a firearm by a repeat felony offender, while Samuels was additionally charged with a Class 3 felony for possessing a weapon as a felon. The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed petitions to deny pretrial release for all three individuals. The petition to keep Stout in custody states she “had two men come over to her residence to batter her boyfriend.” “Those individuals

Continue Reading

ALTON - Gordon Moore Park in Alton has undergone many upgrades in the past few weeks. Parks and Recreation Executive Director Lyndsey Younger shared that all eight tennis courts will be resurfaced by Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. Additionally, “a new little playground” was installed by the tennis courts on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, and a new pavilion has been added. “We do have a lot of new stuff that just went in at Gordon Moore,” Younger said. The tennis courts are being completely resurfaced, repainted and restriped. Younger said the courts look “beautiful” with these improvements. The new playground is for children ages 2–12 and is located by pavilions four, five and six by the tennis courts. Younger shared that most of these additions were paid for through the Madison County Park Enhancement Program (PEP) grant. Tennis courts one and two were paid for entirely by the Madison County PEP grant, as was the new pavilion. The remaining

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois youth deer hunters set a new record for the season, harvesting a preliminary total of 4,714 deer Oct. 11-13. Top harvest counties include Randolph, 259; Pike, 164; Adams, 155; Jefferson, 155; and Marion, 135. Comparatively, youth hunters took 4,097 deer during the season in 2024. Youth hunters with an unfilled, valid youth deer permit may still hunt with the permit during the upcoming firearm deer seasons Nov. 21-23 and Dec. 4-7. This is the first year that unfilled youth permits are valid for both segments of the firearm season. A table of preliminary Illinois firearm deer harvest totals by county for the 2025 youth deer season and comparable totals for the 2024 and 2023 seasons is below: County 2025 2024 2023 Adams 155 147 153 Alexander 17 8 16 Bond 35 42 36 Boone 7 6 4 Brown 73 70 80 Bureau 31 22 32 Calhoun 46 39 64 Carroll

Continue Reading

ALTON - The koi pond at Gordon Moore Park in Alton is currently overgrown, but Parks and Recreation Executive Director Lyndsey Younger says it’s going to be back in good shape soon. “We didn’t purposely intend for it to get to that point,” Younger said. “We’re fixing it. We want it to look good, too. That’s one of our beautiful parks. Those volunteers spent many hours and time and effort building that for the park, so we appreciate it, and we’re going to do what we can to make it right.” Younger said the Parks Maintenance employees maintain the koi pond alongside the Park Supervisor. She explained that, according to the Park Supervisor, the pond has not been stocked with koi for “four or five years.” Their goal was to restock the pond “after they got the lily pads under control.” Younger said the lily pads often overgrow, so the employees work to remove them as needed. With renewed conversations

Continue Reading

WOOD RIVER – Starting next week, pennies will no longer be an acceptable form of payment at Wood River City Hall. The city announced on Wednesday that this decision stems from a Federal Reserve announcement that penny production is officially ending, noting the federal agency will no longer accept the one-cent coins for deposit. “Because we can no longer deposit them, the City of Wood River will no longer accept pennies for any payments made at City Hall effective Monday, Oct. 20, 2025,” the city announced. While payments made online or by credit/debit card will still accept exact amounts, there will be some slight changes for those paying their bills with cash. Cash payments will still be accepted at City Hall, but residents are asked to round “up or down” to the nearest nickel. Late fees and other penalties will not be imposed on payments that are short by four cents or less. President Donald Trump instructed the U.S. Treasury Department in February

Continue Reading

EAST ST. LOUIS — East St. Louis School District 189 highlighted positive achievements at Gordon Bush Alternative Center for September 2025, recognizing staff and students who exemplify respect and contribute to a positive school environment. Catrice Johnson, a social worker at the center, was named Staff of the Month as part of the Golden Cadet Awards. Students Jasmine Hagens, representing the high school, and Syllas Renaud, from the middle school, were also honored as Students of the Month for demonstrating the core character trait of respect. In addition, special recognition was given to Dr. Kenya Cody, Kennedy Streeter, and student Ta'Niya Walker as “Bright Spots” for their positive impact within the school community. East St. Louis School District 189 shared these acknowledgments as part of its ongoing effort to celebrate the accomplishments and positive contributions of individuals at Gordon Bush Alternative Center.

Continue Reading

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — The Fairview Heights Police Department is warning residents after a report of an unknown man claiming to be an Ameren employee who attempted to gain entry to a home. The incident occurred recently when the individual knocked on a resident’s door and said he needed to “check some codes," Fairview Heights Police said. The resident denied entry and contacted Ameren, which confirmed it did not have any employees working in the area at that time. Fairview Heights Police urge caution when approached by anyone claiming to represent a utility company or business, particularly during unannounced visits. The city enforces a strict solicitor policy requiring anyone conducting door-to-door business to obtain a permit from the city and display it visibly at all times. “If you encounter a suspicious individual or notice someone soliciting without a visible permit, please contact the Fairview Heights Police Department immediately,” the department

Continue Reading