EDWARDSVILLE - Community members can access laundry and hot showers at First Baptist Church of Edwardsville. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Friday, the church offers these services to community members who need them. Allison Bell, the youth director, noted that this new program has helped many neighbors in need, and they hope to reach more people in the future. “We’re very blessed, and I’m grateful to be able to offer this service to people who need it,” she said.
Thunder was once treated like a voice with intentions. That idea may sound distant now, but it shaped stories, warnings, rituals, and everyday habits in many cultures. A sudden flash and a shaking sky are hard to ignore. Before science explained pressure systems and electricity, storms felt personal. They seemed like signs of anger, power, protection, or change. Summer storms in particular stood out because they arrived with force, often after heat and tension had built for hours. That dramatic
On June 25, the most far-reaching event in global history is the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. What began as a civil and regional conflict quickly became an international war, drawing in the United States, China, and forces from many other countries under the United Nations flag. At the time, it mattered because it turned Korea into the first major battlefield of the Cold War and showed that tensions between rival
ALTON – Alton officials took action this week to tighten the city’s regulations on short-term rental units. A resolution amending zoning regulations for short-term rental units was unanimously approved at the June 24, 2026 Alton City Council meeting, following a positive recommendation from the city’s Plan Commission. The newly approved amendments aim to strike a balance between preserving the character of Alton’s historic neighborhoods while promoting tourism and
EAST ST. LOUIS - East St. Louis School District 189 Superintendent Arthur Culver told families the district was recently notified of the arrest of Chad D. Gray Jr. of New Baden, Illinois, on charges that reportedly include traveling to meet a child, grooming, indecent solicitation of a child, and solicitation to meet a child, according to a letter sent after the district was informed by a partner organization Go International. In the letter, Culver said Gray was not employed by the district
EAST ALTON – An East Alton man facing his latest felony domestic battery charge in Madison County was recently brought into custody. Eli Z. Steele-Moss, 34, of East Alton, was charged on June 11, 2026 with his second or subsequent count of domestic battery, a Class 4 felony. Steele-Moss allegedly knowingly caused bodily harm to a household or family member on the same date after previously being convicted of domestic battery in 2014, also in Madison County. At the time of this latest
GODFREY - Vitality Women’s Clinic has expanded to offer much more than medical resources for individuals experiencing unplanned pregnancies. At 10 a.m. every Monday, community members are invited to come together for a grief support crafting group. The group, called “Pennies From Heaven,” fosters connection between widows, people recovering from miscarriages, and other folks who are grieving. Vitality also offers a “Grandma Gang” group that writes letters
GILLESPIE/CARLINVILLE - A Carlinville man was charged May 18, 2026, by the Macoupin County State’s Attorney’s Office with aggravated assault on a peace officer and resisting a peace officer after authorities alleged he attempted to strike a Gillespie police officer with a baseball bat a day earlier and refused lawful commands during his detention, according to the Gillespie Police Department. The defendant was identified as James J. Chapman, 53, of Carlinville. According to
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a bipartisan coalition of 25 attorneys general and the city of New York, welcomed Shopify’s decision to ban the sale of all vaping products, including e-cigarettes, through its e-commerce platform. The decision is a direct response to the coalition’s November 2025 call for stronger safeguards . “I am pleased that Shopify was responsive to our efforts in banning the sale of all vaping products, which are highly addictive
JERSEYVILLE – July 4, 2026 is set to be a busy day in Jerseyville. Jerseyville City Council members approved a road closure for the July 4 Rock the Block concert at their meeting on June 23, 2026. Mayor Kevin Stork also shared key details of various other events also coming up on July 4. The city’s next Rock the Block concert will feature local artist Mattie Schell and will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on July 4 in the parking lot under the water tower at Washington and Arch Street.
CHICAGO — Today, on the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Governor JB Pritzker joined community members, legislators, and reproductive health advocates to sign the Reproductive Health Records Privacy Act, HB 5295, into law. Championed by State Rep. Mary Beth Canty and State Senator Celina Villanueva, the new law will safeguard patient privacy and prevent sensitive medical information from being shared out of state for those seeking safe and legal reproductive healthcare in Illinois.
The Edwardsville Municipal Band continues its summer concert season this Thursday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. The performance, A Tribute to Leroy Anderson, will take place at the Cleaon Etzkorn Bandstand in City Park. Leroy Anderson is an American composer famous for writing fun, light classical music. His songs are known for catchy rhythms, memorable tunes, and creative sound effects. Thursday’s program highlights his unique style by using everyday objects, like sandpaper and a manual typewriter,
ALTON - As the Alton River Dragons adjust to a new field manager and prepare for the second half of the season, two players are reflecting on their goals for the year. Hayden Wilson and Ethan Wielt are both new River Dragons players who are eager to join the team. They noted that the field manager mixup mid-season is “different” for a college summer league, but they’re excited to see where it takes them. “That’s part of the business of baseball,” Wilson
TROY, Ill. - Triad High School’s debate team made its first appearance this year at the National Speech & Debate Tournament in Richmond, Va., where students Connor Pearce, Morgan Barnett, and Daniel Winfield represented both the school and the Greater Illinois District in World Schools Debate, becoming the first team from Southern Illinois to advance to the event’s elimination rounds. The National Speech & Debate Tournament brings together competitors from across the United
ALTON – Alton may tighten its rules on short-term rental units in an effort to balance neighborhood character with economic and tourism benefits. City Council members are set to consider a resolution at their June 24, 2026 meeting which would amend a section of the City Code regarding zoning regulations for short-term rental units. In 2023, the city divided short-term rental units into two categories: “Type A” short-term rentals, which are owner-occupied, and “Type
EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Sheriff Marcos D. Pulido has graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, completing an invitation-only leadership program for experienced law enforcement officers, the sheriff’s office announced. Pulido was among 255 law enforcement officers who graduated from the academy’s 298th Session. The group included officers from 46 states and the District of Columbia, along with 29 international members
CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement marking the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: “Four years ago, American women lost their constitutional right to an abortion after Donald Trump’s Supreme Court justices did what he hand-picked them to do: overturn Roe v. Wade. “With abortion rights under assault across the country, I have fought to make Illinois a safe
EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 has named Shanyra Cox assistant principal of Woodland Elementary. Her appointment was approved by the District 7 Board of Education on June 22, 2026. Cox brings more than two decades of educational experience to the role, having served students, families and staff in a variety of instructional positions throughout District 7. Most recently, she has served as an instructional technology coach since 2022. “This opportunity
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As our nation experiences an alarming surge of near misses and continues to grapple with the tragic DCA mid-air collision that killed 67 people, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Commerce Subcommittee (CST) on Aviation, Space and Innovation—today stressed the importance of implementing the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) safety recommendations and putting our aviation workforce at the center of any efforts
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general, today filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to carefully scrutinize the parties’ conduct and claimed settlement agreement in Trump v. IRS. In the brief , Raoul and the coalition argue the lawsuit and subsequent settlement were a collusive fraud engineered to avoid the constitutional limits on presidential authority. The brief also emphasizes
stLouIST