JERSEYVILLE — Jersey Community Unit School District No. 100 is marking National Assistant Principals Week by spotlighting Kadie Benz, dean of students at Jersey Community High School. Benz reflected on her school experience, saying she did not have a single favorite subject in high school but did have “favorite teachers — including Mr. Roth.” Benz also shared a detail she said students might find surprising: “I can officially say that I attended Duke University
GRANITE CITY - A Granite City church has had a series of unfortunate incidents over the past year, including stolen air-conditioning units, a failing roof, and a vehicle crash that damaged the church building. Shekinah Glory Church is attempting to cover more than $90,000 in repairs and replacements after the incidents. The church’s four air-conditioning units were stolen, resulting in “a loss of approximately $45,000,” the church pastors said. The pastors said the units
On April 11, 1945, U.S. forces liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany, revealing to the outside world the scale and machinery of Nazi imprisonment and mass death. For the people held there, liberation meant the end of a system built to punish, exploit, and erase human beings. For the wider world, the scenes documented at Buchenwald became some of the clearest evidence of crimes that could not be explained away as rumor or wartime propaganda. The event mattered immediately
ALTON - An Alton High School student received a new bass guitar through The Bud Summers Music Foundation. Junior Quinn Halliday has always been a musician, but now she will get the chance to learn and perform on the electric bass thanks to a music scholarship from the band Porch Cafe and The Bud Summers Music Foundation. The band and the organization come together to host the Porch Cafe Music Festival in Honor of Bud Summers every fall, and they were eager to give back to an Alton student throug
MADISON - The Madison Fire Department responded to a fire Friday afternoon at 10 Fox Industrial Drive in Madison. The fire broke out at Interco Trading Company, prompting mutual aid from the Granite City Fire Department, Mitchell Fire Department, and Long Lake Fire Department. The Madison County Emergency Management Agency also assisted at the scene. According to scanner traffic, the fire involved batteries inside a storage unit. Firefighters remained on scene for several hours
ALTON - The Alton First Responders Springfest will run throughout the next week. On April 10, 2026, the Springfest carnival opened at 5 p.m. and drew a small crowd for its first night at the Alton Amphitheater. The carnival will continue through April 19, 2026, and community members are encouraged to come by and enjoy the fun. Hosted by Luehrs’ Ideal Rides, the carnival includes rides, games, food and more. The carnival’s hours are as follows: Friday, April 10: Opens a
O’FALLON, Ill. — High school students interested in a career in health care are invited to apply for the Summer 2026 High School Healthcare Bootcamps at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese, HSHS Holy Family Hospital in Greenville and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. The bootcamps are designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in a career in health care to experience a realistic look into
ALTON – An Alton man accused of stealing a refrigerator while burglarizing a local church last week faces felony charges. Braden E. Phillips, 36, of Alton, was charged on April 6, 2026 with one count each of burglary, a Class 1 felony, and theft, a Class 4 felony. Phillips allegedly knowingly entered Harvest Fellowship Christian Church at 3316 Hillcrest Ave. in Alton without legal authority and with the intent to commit a theft on April 3, 2026. On the same date, Phillips reportedly
ALTON - Alton Community Unit School District #11 students came together for a celebration of neurodiversity at Autism Sports Day. On Friday, April 10, 2026, elementary and middle school students traveled to Lovejoy Elementary School for a day of bounce houses, snacks, games and fun. This event was hosted by the Alton High School’s cooperative work training program, overseen by Joe Michalski and Tammy Wood. High school students played with and helped the younger kids throughout the day
EAST ALTON — The East Alton Fire Department responded Friday afternoon, April 10, 2026, to a shed fire in the 100 block of Ohio Street, where the shed was fully involved, and a neighboring fence had melted. Firefighters arrived to find the shed on fire and moved quickly to get the blaze under control. The shed was a total loss. Wood River and Roxana fire departments were called in for mutual aid. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was unknown.
MARYVILLE - A newly constructed roundabout at the intersection of Illinois Route 162 and Keebler Road opened to traffic on April 9, 2026, in Maryville, Illinois, following more than a decade of planning that local and state leaders pursued after a fatal crash at the site. The Village of Maryville announced the opening, saying the project was developed in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Transportation, neighboring communities, Juneau Associates, Inc., P.C., Engineering Firm, and
MADISON COUNTY, IL. - The Madison County Regional Superintendent, Dr. Robert W. Werden, along with Mannie Jackson and Dr. Ed Hightower, are pleased to announce the winners of the Alma Irene Aitch Scholarship for Madison County, Illinois high school seniors. This award is given in the amount of $1,000 to 11 graduating seniors from across Madison County who displayed high academic achievement, personal drive, success, and excellence in their four-year high school careers. The Aitch Scholarship
EAST ST. LOUIS — East St. Louis School District 189 has reached an important financial milestone that will directly benefit local taxpayers and support upcoming school improvements. Moody’s Ratings has upgraded the School District’s credit rating from Ba1 to Baa2. This two-level increase moves the East St. Louis School District from a below-investment category into “investment grade” status — similar to improving a credit score. Such a two-level upgrade
GRAFTON - Several excited community members boarded the new Grafton Ferry to celebrate its inaugural crossing of the river. On Friday, April 10, 2026, Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow and members of the Grafton ferry taskforce led a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the ferry. Attendees then boarded the ferry and rode it across the river to Missouri and back. “This is going to be absolutely wonderful for the entire region,” Morrow said. The ferry opened at 5 a.m. on April 10. By 10 a.m.,
EAST ST. LOUIS - A 29-year-old Belleville man was shot and killed inside a vehicle in East St. Louis just after 5 a.m. Friday, and state and local police are investigating, authorities said. The shooting happened in the area of South 22nd Street and Market Avenue, according to the Illinois State Police. ISP said the East St. Louis Police Department initially responded to the call and discovered one person dead and another suffering from a gunshot wound. The gunshot wound victim was transported
CHICAGO — Yesterday, Governor JB Pritzker joined a bipartisan coalition of governors across the PJM Interconnection region — the grid operator for Northern Illinois — to call for the operator to ensure data center electricity use does not drive up energy costs. The coalition also called for continued efforts to bolster its consumer protections for working families. “As electricity demand and costs rise across Illinois and the region, our top priority is to put
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police detectives are investigating a double homicide after two adult men were found fatally shot late Thursday, April 9, 2026, in the 5600 block of Gatesworth Avenue in the City of Country Club Hills. Officers from the City of Country Club Hills responded at 10:25 p.m. April 9, 2026, to a call for service reporting a shooting in the 5600 block of Gatesworth Avenue, according to the St. Louis County Police Department. Officers located two adult males suffering
SPRINGFIELD – With gas prices soaring across Illinois and the nation, State Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Murrayville) is backing legislation to suspend the state sales tax on gas for six months. As of the first week of April, the average price of gasoline hit $4.27/gallon in central Illinois. Motorists are being squeezed at the pumps not only because of world events affecting oil prices, but because Illinois has the second-highest gas tax in the nation, currently 48.3 cents/gallon.
THURSDAY, APRIL 9 PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS SCOREBOARD BASEBALL Metro-East Lutheran 14, Maryville Christian 4 Belleville West 6, Collinsville 1 Freeburg 10, Columbia 0 Father McGivney Catholic 13, Centralia Christ Our Rock Lutheran 2 Edwardsville 11, Alton 3 Edinburg 13, Bunker Hill 13 Mascoutah 19, Waterloo Gibault Catholic 2 Belleville Althoff Catholic 9, Marquette Catholic 8 Greenfield Northwestern 15, White Hall North Greene 1 Granite City 7, Quincy 6 Roxana 20, East
ALTON - Alton Community Unit School District #11 invites all incoming kindergarteners to attend kindergarten enrollment, where families can tour the schools, meet the teachers and more. All families with children who will be 5 on or before Sept. 1, 2026, are asked to attend if you are living within the district. Students will take a pre-k assessment while their caregivers complete the enrollment process. Afterwards, families can enjoy a tour of the school, meet with teachers, eat a snack, pos
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