WOOD RIVER - Gina Truax, a senior at East Alton-Wood River High School, is being recognized for track and field after a record-setting career, and she said she hopes to “finish off strong and get a state qualifying time” as her high school career continues. Truax, who recently competed at a meet in Wood River, said hurdles remain central to her identity as an athlete and as a person. “The hurdles are still my favorite event," she said. "Hurdle races definitely define who
COLLINSVILLE – On Wednesday, April 15, 2026, Collinsville High School social studies students were honored with an opportunity to meet Tony Foulds and hear his personal story of lifelong gratitude for a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) air crew that spared his life during World War II. Foulds, 90, was visiting St. Louis this week from England. The journey involved his first airplane flight and his first time in the U.S. His trip is the culmination of 82 years of gratitude and paying
ALTON - Community members can check out local resources and speak with expert panelists at an upcoming Mental Health Awareness Educational Workshop. From 3–5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at Alton Square Mall outside of Hayner Library, community resources will gather to share information about their work. Attendees can learn about local mental health and crisis services and join an interactive Q&A discussion with three mental health professionals. “One of the most important
ALTON — Alton High School freshman Leah Hubbard has opened the 2026 track and field season with a series of personal-best performances, including an athlete-of-the-meet honor at the Granite City Freshman-Sophomore Invite. Hubbard was named the Granite City Freshman-Sophomore Invite Top Track Athlete after winning the 100 meters in 13.04 seconds, a personal best. She also placed second in the 200 meters (27.09) and second in the 400 meters (1:00.70) at the meet. Leah is an Auto Butler Female
SPRINGFIELD – With construction across the state in bloom this spring, the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police, Illinois Tollway, industry partners, labor, local agencies and frontline construction workers today teamed up for National Work Zone Awareness Week to remind the public that “Safe Actions Save Lives.” “At IDOT, we are doing more than ever this year to fix and modernize roads and bridges. Please remember to remain alert for work
SPRINGFIELD – Reservations for campsites and shelters at Illinois state parks and historic sites will transition to an updated platform beginning May 1, offering park users a more user-friendly system for making reservations and securing permits. Users will continue to use exploremoreil.com – the customer service platform of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources – to make campsite and shelter reservations, but they will notice an improved interface. To accommodate
ALTON - Sacred Spaces of CARE will offer a free situational awareness training for people who want to learn basic self-defense techniques. From 10–11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2026, community members can come to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for the training, hosted by Sacred Spaces in partnership with the Alton Police Department. Participants will learn more about situational awareness and navigating crisis situations while protecting their own safety. “We’re jus
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 22 states secured a federal court order blocking an unlawful attempt by the Trump administration to threaten health care providers who treat youth with gender dysphoria. A federal district court issued a written opinion and judgment, granting the plaintiff states’ summary judgment motion. “This is another sharp reminder to the Trump administration that Illinois and our partner states will not stop fighting
CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the recipients of $31.8 million in loans through Round III of the Cannabis Social Equity Loan Program. Through the program, 95 qualified, licensed social equity businesses across all license types – craft growers, dispensaries, infusers, and transporters – are receiving Direct Forgivable Loans (DFL) financed by the State of Illinois. Recipients were determined
CHICAGO — Attorney General Kwame Raoul today recognized National Crime Victims’ Rights Week by highlighting the work of his office’s Violence Prevention and Crime Victim Services Division and the services available for victims . Since taking office, Raoul has strengthened the Violence Prevention and Crime Victim Services Division by expanding access to crime victim services and implementing a trauma-informed, more victim-centric approach to assisting survivors and families.
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul applauded the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California after it granted a preliminary injunction halting the merger of Tegna Inc. (Tegna) and Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nexstar) while litigation in this case proceeds. Raoul and a coalition of eight attorneys general requested an emergency order when the companies recently received merger approval from the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice.
SPRINGFIELD – Land of Lincoln Honor Flight will be taking Mission #77 on May 5, 2026 from Springfield Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. Mission #77 will serve 95 veterans - 5 Korean and 90 Vietnam era Era Veterans - from 54 Illinois home towns of Alton, Ashland, Athens, Bath, Benld, Bethalto, Bloomington, Carlinville, Cerro Gordo, Champaign, Chandlerville, Chatham, Chicago, Danville, Dawson, Decatur, Donnellson, Downs, Edwardsville, Effingham, Elgin, Elkhart, Glen Carbon, Granite City,
ROXANA — Roxana senior Sean Maberry is being recognized for his spring performance with the Shells baseball team, adding to a multi-sport career that Athletic Director Mark Briggs said will be remembered among the program’s best. Maberry is a Midwest Members Credit Union Male Athlete of the Month for his work as an outfielder and hitter for Roxana baseball this spring. He also played forward for the Shells’ basketball team and running back and linebacker for the football team
JERSEYVILLE – A Jerseyville man accused of harassing a Jersey County Sheriff’s Deputy expected to testify as a witness faces his latest felony charge for alleged offenses against law enforcement officials. Lloyd A. Hawes, 75, of Jerseyville, was charged on April 14, 2026 with one count of harassment of a witness, a Class 2 felony. The day prior on April 13, Hawes allegedly yelled outside the Jersey County Sheriff’s Office after being told to leave in an attempt to harass o
GODFREY - Perhaps when traveling Tolle Lane, you have noticed all the racks of steel and large buildings and wondered, what is that place? That place is the home of Hamilton Fabrication and Steel, Inc. Founded on the premise of an exceptional work ethic combined with a genuine desire to provide a valuable service, Hamilton Fab & Steel Supply is a leading steel company in Madison County. Being the third generation of professional steelworkers, the owners of Hamilton Fab & Steel Supply, John
GLEN CARBON - Kindergarteners at Glen Carbon Elementary School learned more about how to identify and report bullying. On Monday, April 20, 2026, school counselor Emily Webb stopped in the kindergarten classrooms for a conversation about bullying prevention. The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 is committed to providing each student with a great space to learn, and teaching students how to prevent and handle bullying is part of this mission. “A big part of bullying preventio
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police are investigating a double shooting that left one man dead early Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in the 1100 block of Congress Avenue, after officers responded to a ShotSpotter activation, authorities said. The shooting happened at about 2:40 a.m. April 21, 2026, according to the St. Louis County Police Department. Officers from the department’s North County Precinct arrived and found two adult males suffering from apparent gunshot injuries, police
A person can lose a job on Friday and be updating their résumé by Monday with a strange mix of dread and energy. That jump—from “it’s over” to “maybe this is a new start”—is one of the clearest signs that humans don’t just accept endings. We try to turn them into beginnings. That impulse is the heart of why humans celebrate rebirth. Rebirth can mean a literal return to life in religious stories, a symbolic reset like a new year, o
On April 21, 753 BCE—according to Roman tradition—Rome was founded. The story centers on Romulus marking out a new city beside the Tiber River, a moment that later Romans treated as the start of their civilization. Whether the founding happened exactly as the legend says mattered less than what the date came to represent: a shared origin story that helped unify a growing community and justify its institutions. Over time, Rome expanded from a small settlement into a republic and then
ALTON – Plans to install planters along Broadway in Alton are moving forward as some call for the city to expand its beautification efforts to help businesses beyond downtown. After much discussion, committee members unanimously approved a resolution to consider an ordinance authorizing the purchase of Earth Planter containers for Broadway Street in downtown Alton using Food and Beverage Tax funds. According to the proposed ordinance, these planters are meant to promote beautification
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