GODFREY – A Godfrey man faces major felony charges after allegedly sexually abusing and assaulting the same victim for four years from ages 8 to 12. 56-year-old Ernest L. Smith, of the 4700 block of Village Drive in Godfrey, faces three Class X felony counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and three Class 1 felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in a case filed on Feb. 26, 2026. Smith is accused of committing various acts of sexual assault and abuse against
EAST ST. LOUIS - A former police chief in Carlyle, Ill., has been indicted on federal charges accusing him of embezzling more than $100,000 in public funds for personal benefit, according to prosecutors. A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Mark A. Pingsterhaus, 52, of Carlyle, with two counts of wire fraud and two counts of theft of government funds. The case was announced in East St. Louis. According to the indictment, Pingsterhaus is accused of embezzling funds
COLLINSVILLE - Illinois State Police will conduct Occupant Restraint Enforcement Patrols in Madison and St. Clair counties during March to focus on safety belt and child safety seat laws, according to ISP Troop 8 Commander Capt. Casey Faro. The patrols, known as OREPs, are intended to increase compliance with occupant restraint requirements through education, child safety seat inspections, and enforcement. “OREPs allow the ISP to focus on safety belt and child safety seat laws,” Far
EDWARDSVILLE - First graders at Nelson Elementary School in Edwardsville completed their first report on a famous African American for Black History Month. Tamara Johnson has taught first grade for 27 years, and she always assigns a major Black History Month presentation to her students. Not only does the project encourage them to learn about a famous Black American, but it also teaches them the basics of writing and presenting information to their classmates. “They were so excited
ALTON - The Alton Police Department has announced that Officer Mathew Wilson graduated from the Illinois State Police Academy last Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, and will work alongside officers on patrol. “The Alton Police Department is proud to share that Officer Mathew Wilson graduated from the Illinois State Police Academy last Friday,” Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford said in a statement. Chief Ford said Wilson “will now begin our Field Training Program here in Alton,
BELLEVILLE - Officer Rodney Wilson is retiring from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office after 20 years of service that began Feb. 19, 2006, according to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department. Wilson started his career with the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department as a member of the Auxiliary Deputy Program and later served with the Auxiliary Deputy Mounted Patrol. Over the years, he also served as an intelligence officer assigned to the jail, a firearms range master,
BELLEVILLE - Officer Mark Harris is retiring from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department after a career that began Aug. 6, 2001, in Belleville, where he served as a correctional officer and later worked in inmate transport and equipment support roles, the department said in a statement. The department announced Harris’ retirement and congratulated him and Officer Rodney Wilson, who is also retiring. See the other story about Wilson's retirement. “For 26 years,
A lucky charm can make people perform better—even when the charm has no real power. In one study, golfers who were told their ball was “lucky” sank more putts than those who weren’t. The ball didn’t change. The mind did. That small twist helps explain why beliefs about luck have lasted so long: they don’t just sit in the background of culture. They shape how people feel, decide, and act. Superstitions about luck show up everywhere. Someone avoids walking unde
On March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt took the oath of office as president of the United States in the middle of the Great Depression and used his inaugural address to signal a major shift in how government would respond to national crisis. The economy was collapsing, banks were failing, and unemployment was widespread. Roosevelt’s message—best remembered for the line about having “nothing to fear but fear itself”—mattered because it tried to steady a shaken public
JERSEYVILLE – Jerseyville city officials have laid the groundwork for this year’s Farmers & Artisan Market . At their March 3, 2026 meeting, City Council members unanimously approved a rental agreement with the Jersey County Business Association (JCBA) to use City Center Plaza for the 2026 Farmers and Artisan Market. This year’s market will be held every Tuesday from June 2 to Sept. 1, 2026 from 4 to 7 p.m., excluding July 14, 2026 to accommodate the Jersey County Fair Parade.
ALTON - The Sierra Club will host a speakers series event on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at Old Bakery Beer Co. in Alton focused on how Illinois’ Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act could affect utility bills. The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Old Bakery Beer Co., 400 Landmarks Blvd., Alton. The theme for the event is “Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) Impact on Utility Bills.” The announcement said Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Clean and Reliable
ALTON - Alton High School student journalists and artists have a lot to be proud of. On Feb. 25, 2026, the staff of “The Tatler” and “Redbird Word,” the school’s yearbook and newspaper, were recognized by the Southern Illinois Scholastic Press Association. Students mailed in copies of their work and competed in on-site journalism competitions, and several students took home impressive prizes for their work. “We were so excited,” said “Tatler”
FREEBURG - State Representative Kevin Schmidt (R-Millstadt) has pledged to donate the legislative pay raise he voted against to different local organizations throughout his district to help families in need. This month he donated laundry detergent to the Freeburg Food and Clothing Bank. “Our team was more than happy to help the Freeburg Food and Clothing Bank stock-up on laundry detergent,” said Schmidt. "Small acts of kindness can really make a difference for families and when people
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt advanced a measure that would ban the use of AI tools in teacher evaluations. “A teacher may get a bad performance review, just to find out that it was AI that gave them the bad review with no way to challenge the outcome,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “I think we can all agree that there’s nuance in the classroom, and we shouldn’t dehumanize it.” Senate Bill 2909 would prevent school administrators fro
EDWARDSVILLE - Senior Vivian Panico and junior Alexandra Hill battled through the IHSA Regional to earn spots in the IHSA Bowling Sectional, giving the Edwardsville High School girls' bowling team two qualifiers for the next round. The Tigers' Hill finished 10th with 856 total pins, and Panico finished fourth with 985 pins to advance to the sectional. The sectional is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon, where Panico and Hill will represent EHS. The two
CARLYLE - The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis was activated Tuesday morning, March 3, 2026, in Carlyle, Illinois, after Carlyle police responding to a welfare check found a woman dead at a residence, authorities said. The squad was activated at about 10 a.m. March 3, 2026, at the request of Carlyle Police Chief Herzing, according to Lt. Andrew Pierson, the squad’s public information officer. Carlyle officers had been called at about 8:10 a.m. to a home in the 2100 block of Fairfax
GRANITE CITY - State Representative Amy Elik’s office will be hosting mobile office hours in Nameoki Township on Monday, March 9 to meet with constituents who need help with issues concerning a State of Illinois agency. Rep. Elik’s staff will be available to meet with constituents from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM. at the Nameoki Township Building, located at 4250 Highway 162 in Granite City. Mobile office hours are open to the public. Appointments are encouraged but not required, however
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing. Durbin first pressed Secretary Noem about her labeling Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Marimar Martinez as “domestic terrorists,” and refusing to apologize to their families. Both Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti were shot and killed by federal
On MS NOW’s The Rachel Maddow Show last night, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) slammed Donald Trump for having no clear justification or end-state for his unlawful war of choice against Iran that has already tragically taken the lives of six U.S. servicemembers. Video of the interview can be found on the Senator’s YouTube . Key Quotes: “What they’re telling me makes absolutely no sense. Rubio basically said, ‘Well, we knew that
MARYVILLE, IL. – HSHS Medical Group welcomes Courtney Garrison, APRN, to Family and Internal Medicine Maryville at 2401 S. Center St. in Maryville. Garrison is accepting new patients and provides family medicine care for individuals and families across the lifespan, with an emphasis on preventive care, routine screenings, women’s health exams and chronic disease management. She has a special interest in supporting patients managing common long-term health concerns, including
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