BELLEVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that improvements at the intersection of Illinois 161 and Illinois 158 in St. Clair County will require daily lane closures beginning Tuesday, March 17, weather permitting. Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while
EDWARDSVILLE – As part of a system-wide initiative, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has partnered with Google and the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) to provide Google Career Certificates to students as co-curricular offerings or embedded into academic programs. SIUE students, faculty and staff now have the opportunity to Grow with Google and earn no-cost training licenses in the form of Google Career Certificates and Specialization. SIUE Online Services
EDWARDSVILLE - The City of Edwardsville has a variety of projects on the table, and Mayor Art Risavy is looking forward to their completion. Risavy and Edwardsville’s Communications Coordinator Cathy Hensley recently spoke about the projects and events happening in Edwardsville. They shared that residents have a lot to look forward to, with plans for two new parks, a new indoor sports facility, a new space for the Edwardsville Arts Center, and more. “We’ve got a lot
RIVERBEND - Your little bunny can hop into some Easter fun with our ultimate Easter egg hunt guide! If you have an Easter egg hunt to add, send it to news@riverbender.com. Godfrey’s Annual Easter Egg-stravaganza When: Sunday, March 22, 2026 Time: 1–4 p.m. Where: Glazebrook Park in Godfrey For more information, click here . Easter Eggstravaganza When: Saturday, March 28, 2026 Time: 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Where: Bethalto Church of God in Bethalto
EDWARDSVILLE - Lt. Brian Stipcak is retiring from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office after more than 25 years of community service, the agency announced on Thursday, March 12, 2026. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said Stipcak, who held the rank of lieutenant, spent his career focused on “the mentoring and growth of fellow officers.” “After 25-plus years of dedicated community service, we congratulate Lt. Brian Stipcak on his retirement,”
ALTON - The Alton Police Department has named Detective Tommy Gattuso its Officer of the Month for December 2025, citing his work since joining the department’s Narcotics Unit in the middle of last year and his role in investigations that led to charged cases and drug seizures in Alton. “The Alton Police Department is proud to recognize Detective Tommy Gattuso as our Officer of the Month for December 2025,” Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford said in a statement.
GODFREY - Godfrey will host its Annual Easter Egg-Stravaganza on Sunday, March 22, 2026, offering a free Easter egg hunt for children at the Glazebrook Park Baseball Diamonds on Stamper Lane. Organizers are inviting families to bring children for an afternoon of activities centered on an egg hunt featuring “colorful eggs” and “prize-filled eggs,” with children divided into age groups on separate fields. Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick said the Park and Recreation Department
EDWARDSVILLE - City officials in Edwardsville, Illinois, hosted the annual Business Forecast Breakfast on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, bringing together more than 220 people connected to the local business community at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Conference Center. The event gave Mayor Art Risavy an opportunity to reflect on the past year and forecast the year ahead, with input from James Arnold, the city’s economic and community development director. SIUE Chancellor Dr.
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday, March 12, 2026, sentenced Kendal “KD” White, one of the men who kidnapped a toddler in St. Louis County, Missouri in a bid to recover missing guns, to 20 years in prison. Cam’Ron Henderson, 21, of St. Louis, was sentenced in January to 130 months in prison. Both men previously pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping. White, 21, of St. Charles, believed that the father of the 2-year-old kidnapping victim
SPRINGFIELD – St. Patrick’s Day brings parades, parties and an important reminder from the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and more than 200 additional law enforcement agencies throughout the state: “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Drive High. Get a DUI.” “Driving after consuming alcohol, using cannabis or becoming impaired by any substance is dangerous and potentially deadly,” said Stephane B. Seck-Birhame,
EDWARDSVILLE - An Edwardsville High School freshman is gaining recognition for placing first in a recent dairy judging competition. Jemma Dorsey’s first competition proved successful when she walked away with the highest score in a pool of over 100 competitors from local high schools. Dorsey explained that she is interested in livestock judging, so she decided to take the leap and compete in a dairy judging competition. She is pleased with her results. “I did my best,”
Rain makes the world smell better—and that scent can change your mood in minutes. The “fresh” smell after a shower isn’t just clean air. It’s a mix of plant oils, ozone, and a compound from soil bacteria called geosmin. Your nose is unusually good at detecting it, even in tiny amounts. That one sensory detail hints at a bigger truth: rain doesn’t just fall on us. It pushes buttons in the brain that link safety, memory, comfort, and attention. More than water:
On March 13, 1996, a mass shooting at Dunblane Primary School in Scotland killed 16 children and a teacher and injured others. It was one of the deadliest attacks on a school in modern British history. At the time, the event shocked communities far beyond the United Kingdom because it struck a place widely seen as safe and ordinary: an elementary school gym. It still matters today because it reshaped public debate about firearm access, prompted major changes to gun laws in Great Britain, and
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS - Fairview Heights Police are warning residents and businesses about fraudulent letters being emailed in the community that claim to come from a city planning commission and seek payments for various fees. The Fairview Heights Police Department said it “has been made aware of fraudulent letters being emailed to residents and businesses claiming to be from the ‘City of Fairview Heights Planning Commission.’” Fairview Heights Police said th
ELSAH - Principia College students and community members recently had the opportunity to engage with the co-founder of the running shoe company HOKA. On March 5, 2026, HOKA co-founder Jean-Luc Diard sat down for a fireside chat with Stuart Jenkins, Principia alum and founder of the company Blumaka. Over 600 students and community members came together to listen to this conversation. Lucia de Paz, Director of Principia’s Center for Business and Computer Science, explained that the event
ALTON - Lillian Fazio of Alton High School, Jeremiah Harrison of Alton High School, and Noah Menke of Marquette Catholic High School were honored as Students of the month for March 2026 at a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey at the Gentelin’s on Broadway Restaurant. Lillian Fazio , a senior at Alton High School, was recognized as the March Student of the Month by the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club. During the recognition, Fazio expressed gratitude to her teachers,
– U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)—co-chairs of the Girl Scouts’ Honorary Troop Capitol Hill—and U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM), John Barrasso (R-WY), Angus King (I-ME) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today introduced a bipartisan resolution to recognize the 114th birthday of the Girl Scouts of America and celebrate its historic legacy of empowering girls and building powerful female leaders across the
SPRINGFIELD, IL — State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) has introduced legislation to strengthen transparency and accountability in the Illinois legislative process by ensuring lawmakers have access to fiscal impact information before voting on legislation. Senate Bill 2094 amends the Illinois Fiscal Note Act to guarantee that when a member of the General Assembly requests a fiscal note on legislation, the request must be honored and cannot be dismissed by chamber vote.
SPRINGFIELD – The 2025-2026 Illinois bobcat season concluded Feb. 15 with 627 bobcats harvested by hunters and trappers. A total of 405 (62%) bobcats were taken by hunting, while trapping accounted for 222 (34%) of the harvest. Twenty-seven (4%) were salvaged by permit holders from circumstances such as roadkill. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) issued 2,000 permits for the 2025 season out of 9,700 bobcat lottery applicants. Hunters and trappers in Jefferson County
CHICAGO – If you played Powerball ® yesterday, you might want to check your ticket – that’s because you could be a millionaire! One lucky Illinois Lottery player matched all five white ball numbers in the Wednesday, March 11 Powerball drawing to win the $1 million prize. The winning numbers were: 3-6-55-58-63. The ticket was purchased at BCD Liquors, located at 10S622 Kingery Hwy, in Willowbrook, Illinois. For selling the winning Powerball ticket, the store will
stLouIST