ALTON - Sarah Jones loves to celebrate her students. Jones is a special education teacher for the fifth grade at East Elementary School in the Alton Community Unit School District #11. This Teacher Appreciation Week, the district is taking a moment to turn the tables and celebrate her for the difference she makes in kids’ lives every day. “I decided to become a special education teacher because I wanted to make a meaningful difference for students who learn differently,”
ALTON - Sarah Boyd has always loved working with kids, so education was a natural pathway for her. Boyd teaches at North Elementary School in the Alton Community Unit School District #11. This Teacher Appreciation Week, she is thankful for the opportunity to engage with students and help them grow. “I love watching kids learn!” she said. “There is something rewarding about knowing that, as a teacher, you touch kids’ lives in ways beyond what you teach in class. I lov
HIGHLAND - St. Paul Catholic School in Highland recently hosted their annual Baseball Day to build the school’s sense of community. Abbey McGinley, a kindergarten teacher, explained that she did a Baseball Day at her previous school and decided to bring the tradition to St. Paul. The eighth grade students played baseball against the teachers while younger students provided entertainment between innings. “What kid doesn't love the Cardinals?” McGinley said. “It’s
A festival can make strangers hug, sing in the street, and spend money on things they would never buy on a normal Tuesday. That’s a strange power for something that often boils down to food, music, lights, and a shared calendar date. Festivals aren’t just “fun events.” They scratch several deep human itches at once: the need to belong, the need for meaning, the need for a break, and the need to feel something together. When you look closely, it becomes easier to see wh
On May 6, 1954, a simple but powerful message traveled between two computers, helping to prove that machines could “talk” to each other over a shared network. That day, researchers successfully demonstrated packet switching in a way that pointed toward a new kind of communication system—one built to move information efficiently, even when lines were busy or parts of the network failed. At the time, this mattered because governments, universities, and laboratories were looking
ALTON - Dr. Katie Dudley will speak in Alton about how time spent outdoors, not memorizing scientific names, helped shape her commitment to conservation and how recreation can open broader pathways into environmental stewardship. Dudley, a Community and Economic Development Specialist with University of Illinois Extension, will give the talk, titled “You Don’t Have to Name the Tree to Love the Forest,” at the Old Bakery Beer Company. Attendees are invited to
WOOD RIVER - Jerald Downs, a junior at East Alton-Wood River High School, is being recognized for his baseball skills, crediting his ability to stay calm in high-stress situations and remain focused as his best traits. Downs said he has played baseball since he was 7 and is drawn to the sport’s unpredictability and challenge. Downs is a Midwest Members Credit Union Male Athlete of the Month. “I love how anything can happen at any time, and it's a game of failure,” he said.
ST. LOUIS – A former U.S. Postal Service supervisor on Monday admitted stealing 89 checks from the mail. Benita D. Randle, 43, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of theft of mail by a U.S. Postal Service employee. John W. Harrison, 26, of Black Jack, Missouri, pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, 2026, to one count of possession of stolen mail matter. Randle was a supervisor at the St. Louis Processing and Distribution Center, which processes, sorts and distributes
PONTOON BEACH - Madison County Coroner Nicholas P. Novacich on Monday identified two female passengers who died after a two-car crash late Saturday night, May 2, 2026, in Pontoon Beach. The victims were Janecia N. Gardner, 32, of Pontoon Beach, and La Traya N. Hughes, 17, of Alton, Novacich said in information on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The crash occurred at about 11:27 p.m., May 2, 2026, north of 2188 Illinois State Route 111 in Pontoon Beach. Madison County Coroner’s Investigator Samual
O’FALLON, Ill. – HSHS Medical Group is pleased to welcome two new providers bringing advanced specialty care to the O’Fallon area. Brandy Holthaus, MSN, FNP-C – HSHS Medical Group Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Brandy Holthaus, MSN, FNP-C, has joined HSHS Medical Group Orthopedic and Sports Medicine, located at 670 Pierce Blvd. in O'Fallon. Holthaus is accepting new patients and brings a focused interest in hand surgery and upper extremity care to the practice. Holt
JERSEY COUNTY - A driver lost his life in a crash on Sunday in Jersey County. At 11:38 a.m. on Sunday, May 3, 2026, the Jersey County Sheriff's Office received a report of an accident with injuries on Delhi Road near Hill Drive. Jersey County Sheriff Nick Manns said the investigation determined that it was a one-car accident. "The vehicle left the roadway as it was traveling downhill and struck a tree," Sheriff Manns said. "The driver, a 56-year-old male from Jerseyville, was killed. A 33-year-old
WOOD RIVER — A vehicle crashed into a parked car and then a house Tuesday afternoon, May 5, 2026, at the intersection of East Acton and 1st Street in Wood River. “A vehicle was traveling down the road and struck a parked car and then struck a house,” Wood River Deputy Fire Chief Nate Kamp said. The Wood River Fire Department, along with Alton Memorial Ambulance, responded to the scene. The driver was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. The Wood River Police
EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville city officials are moving forward with plans for a new subdivision for future development known as “University Pointe Plaza.” Aldermen unanimously approved a preliminary plat for the University Pointe Plaza subdivision at their May 4, 2026 meeting. The proposed 24.5 acre subdivision is located at the corner of Illinois Route 157 and University Drive. The site would include seven lots and two common area lots, according to a city staff report o
GLEN CARBON - Father McGivney Catholic High School’s boys volleyball team earned a second-place finish at the First Baptist Academy Eagle Classic, with several players receiving tournament honors recently. The Griffins have eight wins this season and are 4-2 in Gateway Metro Conference play for second, and they are scheduled to host Savoy Lutheran at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The Griffins boys volleyball team members are Byron, Carlson, Petri & Kalb Male Athletes of the
GLEN CARBON — Avery Grenzebach, a Father McGivney senior, signed a letter of intent Monday to play softball at the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota, turning a four-year varsity career into an opportunity at the NJCAA Division I level. Grenzebach will join the Manatees and plans to study exercise science. Grenzebach is a Byron, Carlson, Petri & Kalb Female Athlete of the Month for the Griffins. “Signing today just relays how hard I have worked in the past to get to this
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a settlement with Vee Pak LLC, doing business as Voyant Beauty (Vee Pak) that resolves allegations the manufacturing company entered into no-poach agreements with several temporary staffing agencies. The settlement requires Vee Pak to pay $625,000 to compensate temporary workers impacted by the unlawful activity. Vee Pak is the last remaining defendant in a lawsuit Raoul’s office filed against it and six staffing agencies i
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a multistate coalition of 22 attorneys general, opposed an unlawful proposal by the U.S. Postal Service to allow individuals to send certain firearms by mail, endangering the public and harming state and local budgets. For almost 100 years, federal law has barred the Postal Service from mailing certain concealable firearms, and that statute has stood without any court finding it invalid. In January 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice
ALTON - Several young brainiacs competed in the Alton Community Unit School District #11 annual math contest. On Saturday, May 2, 2026, students in fourth through eighth grades packed Alton High School for the contest. Brett Hentze, a high school math teacher who has organized the event for the past 24 years, shared that the fun is in watching the students show off their skills and their excitement for math. “It’s amazing to see how much these kids get into it and how excited
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced the U.S. Supreme Court entered an administrative stay to pause a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit that would restrict access to mifepristone, a safe and effective abortion medication. The order was entered shortly after Raoul and a coalition of 22 attorneys general and the governor of Pennsylvania filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in the case. Raoul and the coalition argued in their brief the 5t
MASCOUTAH – State Representative Kevin Schmidt (R-Millstadt) has pledged to donate the legislative pay raise he voted against to local organizations across the 114th District to help families in need. For the month of April, he donated essential food items, including sugar, brown sugar, cooking oil, and egg noodles, to the Mascoutah Food Pantry & Concerned Christians. “Helping the community is a priority of mine, and I’m proud to support local food pantries that serve families
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