Riverbender 🕸

BETHALTO - Brianna Wooley has always had a passion for helping others, and teaching was an obvious next step. Wooley is a special education teacher for eighth grade students at Trimpe Middle School in the Bethalto Community Unit School District. This Teacher Appreciation Week, she is proud to know she is making a difference. “From a young age, I felt drawn to helping people overcome obstacles, find confidence in themselves, and succeed. I’ve always wanted to inspire others,

ALTON - For Gina Frye, school has always been “a positive place.” Now, she’s creating that space for her students. Frye teaches second grade at Eunice Smith Elementary School in the Alton Community Unit School District #11. This Teacher Appreciation Week, she is remembering the experiences that convinced her to become an educator. “Growing up, school was always a positive place for me,” she shared. “I looked up to my teachers and wanted to be like them

ALTON - Anjanette Baumgartner cares about supporting her students. Baumgartner teaches kindergarten at Gilson Brown Elementary School in the Alton Community Unit School District #11. This Teacher Appreciation Week, she is reflecting on how much she loves working with students and her colleagues to support the next generation of learners. “It is the most important job I know. A kindergarten teacher shapes and molds young children. She has a lasting impact on each student,” Baumgartner

GRANITE CITY - Misty Scott, whose 13-year-old daughter Serenity McMillan lost both legs after being run over by a train in a 2024 rail crossing accident in Granite City, has an ongoing GoFundMe to help with the family’s expenses. The accident occurred in the 2900 block of Missouri Avenue in Granite City. The accident occurred on Friday, April 5, 2024. Serenity and her sister, ages 13 and 12 at the time, were apparently walking home from the Granite City Soccer Complex. Scott identified

WORDEN/EDWARDSVILLE - Worden Elementary School met its newest learners during a special “Worden Welcome” event. On Friday, May 1, 2026, second graders from Midway and Hamel Elementary Schools were bused to Worden, where they will attend third grade next year. Students had the chance to meet each other, tour the building, talk with current third graders and hear from Principal Dana Morton. “This allows them to kind of put a face with a name,” Morton said. “It

Mother’s Day didn’t start as a card-and-flowers holiday. In the United States, it began as a public campaign led by a woman who later spent years trying to undo it. That twist matters because it reveals what Mother’s Day has always been: a mix of love, politics, grief, and culture. The day we recognize with brunch reservations and last-minute grocery-store bouquets grew out of real family stories and social movements. Understanding that history can make the holiday feel less

A bouquet can say “I’m sorry” without using a single word—and most people will still understand it. That’s the strange power of flowers. They are just plants, yet they carry emotional meaning in a way few objects do. We use them when we’re in love, when we’re grieving, when we’re proud, and when we don’t know what else to say. So why do flowers, of all things, become stand-ins for feelings? Flowers speak when words feel risky Emotions ca

A mother’s work is often most visible when she’s not in the room. The packed lunch appears. The permission slip is signed. The birthday candle is found at the last minute. When a job is done well enough, it can look like it happened on its own. Traditions that honor mothers push back against that illusion. They make care visible. Why mothers are singled out in tradition Most traditions are built around what a community cannot afford to lose. Food, safety, belonging, and identity

On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen shot and killed four students and wounded nine others during a protest at Kent State University in the United States. The crowd had gathered in response to the Vietnam War and the recent expansion of U.S. military action into Cambodia. The deaths quickly became a national shock, not only because the victims were young and unarmed, but because they highlighted how deeply divided many societies can become during wartime. At the time, the shootings intensified

ST. LOUIS — Police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a man in his 20s following an overnight dispute outside Busch Stadium in St. Louis, where two contractors were working, authorities said. The stabbing happened about 2:45 a.m. Monday, May 4, 2026, on the property outside Busch Stadium in the 700 block of Clark Avenue, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Police said the incident involved two third-party contractors working overnight at the stadium. Officers

ALTON - The Alton Police Department has filed felony charges against a 20-year-old Alton man in connection with a shooting at Salu Park that police said followed a physical altercation on April 27, 2026. Police said officers were dispatched at about 12:47 p.m. after receiving a 911 call reporting a fight at the park and a firearm being discharged. Officers determined that after the fight, a male retrieved a handgun and fired multiple shots in the direction of several individuals, according t

ALTON – An Alton area man remains in custody after reportedly firing shots at two people in James H. Killion Park. Jacob C. McAfoos, 20, listed as homeless out of Alton, was charged on May 1, 2026 with two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm (both Class 1 felonies) and one count each of possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number (a Class 3 felony), aggravated unlawful possession of weapons, and reckless discharge of a firearm (both Class 4 felonies). McAfoos is accused

ALTON/GRAFTON/HARDIN - As previously predicted, the Mississippi River and Illinois River levels are dropping. Grafton Ferry officials said it will resume operations Sunday, May 3, 2026, after being closed since the middle of last week because high water affected the Missouri-side landing in St. Charles County, Mo. However, river levels along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers were forecast to fall, according to recent reports citing the National Water Prediction Service. Flood warnings for

On May 3, 1947, Japan’s postwar constitution took effect, reshaping the country from an empire at war into a parliamentary democracy under the rule of law. It mattered immediately because it set new ground rules for political power, civil rights, and the relationship between the state and the individual after the devastation of World War II. It still matters today because it continues to define how Japan governs itself, how citizens understand their freedoms, and how the country approaches

ALTON - Sam Roberts, a retired Marine Corps sergeant major and longtime Alton business owner, has been selected as grand marshal of the 159th Alton Memorial Day Parade, which is scheduled to step off at 10 a.m. Monday, May 25, 2026, from Alton Middle School in Alton, Illinois, parade organizers announced. The Alton Memorial Day Parade Committee of the East End Improvement Association, Alton Area Optimist Club, and the RiverBend Growth Association, sponsors of this year’s parade, said Robert

SPRINGFIELD– State Senator Christopher Belt advanced a measure that would prohibit retailers from refusing cash payments up to $500. “Cash is still a reality for millions of families, seniors and small-business owners,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “No one should feel excluded from participating in routine transactions simply because they choose to pay with cash.” Belt’s measure would prohibit retailers from refusing cash payments up to $500 or posting signage that

DECATUR – State and local fire safety experts gathered at the Decatur Fire Department to raise awareness about the importance of working smoke alarms in homes and to highlight a no-cost smoke alarm installation program in place for city residents. “Working smoke alarms save lives, it’s that simple! The OSFM is a proud partner in the “Be Alarmed!” Smoke Alarm Installation Program, a proven lifesaving initiative. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the dedicated

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 11 attorneys general, filed an amended complaint against Nexstar Media Group Inc. (Nexstar) and Tegna Inc. (TEGNA) in the ongoing challenge of the broadcast giants’ merger. Last month, Raoul and seven attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging the merger of Nexstar and TEGNA , a deal that is expected to create the largest broadcast station group in the United States, put more broadcast programming

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced changes to his office’s leadership team. Starting May 1, former city of Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg joins the office as chief of staff. “I am excited to welcome Deborah Witzburg to the Attorney General’s office. Deborah served the city of Chicago with distinction, and her experience as inspector general and a former prosecutor gives her perspective to lead the office prioritizing efficiency and

ALTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project, in partnership with Jacoby Arts Center, Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau, and Mooneyham Art LLC, is excited to announce its second annual Plein Air art competition, “Mississippi Riverscapes.” This event is an open-air painting and drawing competition at Rivers Project recreation areas throughout the month of May and is open to all amateur and professional artists ages 16 and up. Artists will compete for regional