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ALTON - As the Alton Committee of the Whole prepares to vote on a resolution that will amend city code and affect the business taxes that are allocated to certain organizations in the community , Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau President Cory Jobe asks them to vote against the resolution. The Committee of the Whole will vote during their regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 6, 2026, at Alton City Hall. Jobe encouraged business owners and residents to speak up and request the

JERSEYVILLE – A Jerseyville man accused of damaging two victims’ tires in two days faces criminal charges. Joshua S. Brunaugh, 47, of Jerseyville, was charged on April 2, 2026 with two counts of criminal damage to property. The first count is classified as a Class 4 felony, while the second count is a Class A misdemeanor. Brunaugh allegedly caused over $500 worth of damage to two tires belonging to one victim on March 26, 2026, which were located in the 1000 block of Lexington Driv

TROY, Ill. — Federal investigators joined local authorities Monday, April 6, 2026, in probing a late-night explosion and house fire that killed three people and left another hospitalized with significant burn injuries in Troy, Illinois. Madison County Sheriff’s deputies and the Troy Fire Department were called at 11:14 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2026, to a structure fire with people reported trapped inside a residence in the 8000 block of W. Kirsch Road, according to the Madison County

ALTON - The loss of the two new turf fields at Gordon Moore Park due to the sinkhole has certainly been a setback for the community. However, it also presents an opportunity — not just to replace the fields lost, but to honor the investment already made. The new fields and pavilion at Gordon Moore did not come to be simply from excess funds being identified, payment made, and then fields built in short order, as is often the simple formula in other communities. They were made possible throug

ALTON - Alton Middle School students will premiere their spring play this weekend. At 7 p.m. on Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, 2026, in the middle school auditorium, students will present “Game of Tiaras,” a two-act play that Director Eddie Hitchcock describes as “a combination of ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Lord of the Rings,’ and the Disney princesses all in one.” This comedy promises plenty of fun for audiences, and the cast and crew o

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Louis County on Monday admitted to committing disability fraud and pandemic loan fraud totaling $637,000. Preston Randall, 62, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to five counts of wire fraud, two counts of theft of government property and one count of concealment from the U.S. Social Security Administration. Randall admitted applying to the U.S. Small Business Administration for a series of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for various

GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College Child Development is now offering college course credit for work experience through its Prior Learning Assessment process. Childcare workers interested in pursuing a degree or certificate can save a semester’s worth of courses by participating in an assessment centered on virtual scenarios. The interactive assessment takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete and can be accessed from a tablet or laptop with an internet connection. No

ALTON - Alton elementary school students will come together to show off their LEGO projects at an upcoming showcase. From 5:30–6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2026, students from North, West and East Elementary Schools will present their LEGO builds at the Alton Square Mall. Amy Miller, who oversees the LEGO teams at these schools, explained that the organization works hard to help kids develop engineering and programming skills through LEGOs. “It’s a great chance for

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 24 states, announced a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s unlawful executive order that attempts to interfere with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections by restricting voter eligibility and mail-in voting to lists of voters pre-authorized by the federal government. “President Trump’s unlawful executive order will disenfranchise voters and cause chaos in the administration of

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC)—and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation that would eliminate out-of-pocket costs that Veterans are disproportionately forced to pay for preventative health care services they’ve earned through their military service. The Senators’ bipartisan Copay Fairness for Veterans Act would align the

TROY - Madison County Sheriff’s deputies and the Troy Fire Department responded late Sunday to a house fire in Troy where three people were found dead, and another person was hospitalized with significant burn injuries, authorities said. Madison County Sheriff's deputies and firefighters were called at 11:14 p.m. Sunday, April 5, 2026, to the 8000 block of W. Kirsch Road in Troy, Ill., for a structure fire with people reported trapped inside the residence, according to the Madison

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) Aviation Subcommittee—today demanded the Trump Administration rescind former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s dangerous policy that allows travelers to keep their shoes on at airport security screening checkpoints even after the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) finding that the policy “created a new security vulnerability

When people think about tax relief, they usually think about something they can see: a check, a refund, or a lower bill. But not all tax relief shows up as a check in your mailbox or a deposit in your bank account. Families across Illinois are feeling the strain of rising costs, and they deserve relief, even if it does not always come as money directly into their pockets. Some of the most important bills I file are aimed at reducing costs and preventing waste, saving taxpayer dollars

CHICAGO — State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) recently introduced Senate Bill 2097 in the Senate Revenue Committee, a measure aimed at providing financial relief to foster families across Illinois through a new foster care expense tax credit. “Foster families open their homes and their hearts to children who need stability and support,” said Senator Harriss. “This is a simple but practical way we can better support families and recognize the important role

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in January, up +0.2 percentage point from December, and up +0.2 percentage point from the same month, one year ago, based on data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The revised December unemployment rate was 4.7 percent. Total nonfarm payrolls increased over-the-month in January, up +18,000 (+0.3%) to 6,166,800, and the largest monthly increase

ALTON – OSF HealthCare is pleased to add a new gastroenterologist provider to its staff to better serve Alton and the surrounding areas. The addition of Tarik Firozi, MD, on April 6, 2026, will strengthen patient care by bringing specialized expertise in diagnosing and treating digestive conditions, leading to faster and more accurate outcomes. Dr. Firozi’s addition ensures continued and expanded access to GI care for patients at OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center, while further

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis County Police detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of an adult woman Sunday evening, April 5, 2026, in the City of Northwoods, authorities said. Officers with the City of Northwoods Police Department responded at about 5:30 p.m. April 5, 2026, to a call for service for a shooting in the 6900 block of Pine Ridge Drive, police said. Officers found an adult female suffering from life-threatening gunshot injuries, and she was taken to an area hospital,

A rabbit delivering eggs sounds like a joke—until you realize it’s one of the most widely recognized holiday symbols in the world. Easter traditions often feel like they’ve always been there, but many of them are stitched together from different places: early Christian worship, older springtime customs, medieval church rules, and even modern marketing. That mix is exactly why Easter can look so different from one family to the next. Easter: one holiday, several layers of meaning

A single storm can feel like bad luck—canceled plans, soaked shoes, gray skies. Yet the same rain that ruins a picnic can decide whether a harvest succeeds, whether a river runs, or whether a city’s reservoirs stay full. That tension is exactly why rain has become one of the strongest symbols of growth: it’s inconvenient up close, but life-changing over time. Why rain and growth get linked so easily Growth needs more than hope. It needs conditions. Rain is one of the most

A doctor once wrote a prescription that didn’t list pills, syrups, or bed rest. It simply said: “Watch a comedy.” That idea can sound like a modern wellness trend, the kind you’d see on a poster in a waiting room. But the belief that laughter can heal is much older—and more complicated—than most people expect. Across centuries, laughter has been praised as a way to steady the heart, calm the mind, and even help the body recover. It has also been treated with