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ALTON - The Alton Branch of the NAACP on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, offered condolences to the family of Terrance R. Johnson, a 21-year-old Alton man who died after a Friday night shooting in the 200 block of West Delmar Avenue, as Alton police continue to investigate the killing. In a statement dated Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Leon Smallwood-Bey, president of the Alton Branch of the NAACP, said the organization was extending its “deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and

ST. LOUIS - A motorcyclist was killed Tuesday night, July 28, 2026, in a crash on Interstate 44 at South 7th Street in St. Louis, and authorities are investigating what led up to the collision. According to preliminary information from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the crash happened shortly before 9:30 p.m. July 28, 2026, when an unidentified male motorcyclist was traveling westbound on I-44, and the motorcycle suddenly swerved across the lanes, possibly to exit onto 7th Street.

ALTON - Community members can learn more about estate planning and taxes at a free educational dinner. At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, Stephens Planning will host the dinner at The Wedge in Alton. Curtis Stephens, in collaboration with Elizabeth Heller of Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C., will go over estate planning mistakes, the effects of estate taxes, strategies to protect your assets, and more. “In a world where we have so much information at our fingertips and a lot

Suspect vehicle has been seized. Anyone with information about the vehicle, or the possible occupants of the vehicle, should contact police. ST. LOUIS, MO. — St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department District 6 officers and federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were fired on just after 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, 2026, during a traffic stop near Thekla Avenue and Riverview Boulevard, police said, in what detectives believe may have been an attempted

GLEN CARBON – The Riverbend region’s latest child solicitation sting has yielded felony charges against a Glen Carbon man now in Madison County custody. Michael W. Beland, 55, of Glen Carbon, was charged on July 28, 2026, with one count each of indecent solicitation of a minor, traveling to meet a minor (both Class 3 felonies), solicitation to meet a child, and grooming (both Class 4 felonies). The day prior, on July 27, 2026, Beland allegedly knowingly solicited an individual he

COLLINSVILLE - The Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 is inviting the public to a first look at the Marching Kahoks’ 2026-2027 show during a free community preview at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, at Kahok Stadium. The annual event, called the Marching Kahoks Community Preview Night, is open to the public, according to information released on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, by the district. District information said the students have been preparing throughout the summer for the

SPRINGFIELD – State Treasurer Michael Frerichs has announced the winning photographers for the 2026 Cream of the Crop Photography Contest, which provides Illinois students with a creative opportunity to share their vision of agriculture in our state. The top nine photographers, ages 8 to 18, will be awarded Bright Start 529 college savings scholarships. “Congratulations to the young Illinoisans who explored their surroundings, tapped into their creativity, and experimented with

Your body can quietly cut your pace without asking your permission. Tasks feel heavier. Patience gets shorter. Even small decisions can seem oddly expensive. What looks like laziness is often biology doing exactly what it was built to do. People often notice this shift in themselves. Work feels slower. Exercise takes more effort. The couch becomes more appealing. It is easy to blame motivation or routine. But humans slow down for real reasons. Heat changes how the body uses energy, how the brai

July 29 is tied to major shifts in power and identity. In 1567, James VI was crowned king of Scotland after the forced abdication of his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots. He was still an infant, so the country was ruled through regents, but his reign proved historically important. James would later become James I of England in 1603, joining the crowns of Scotland and England under one monarch. That union did not erase the two kingdoms, but it changed the future of the British Isles and helped shape

O’FALLON, Ill. – HSHS Medical Group welcomes Veronica Contasti, MD, an internal medicine physician, to HSHS Medical Group Family Medicine - O’Fallon at 1512 N. Green Mount Road. Dr. Contasti provides adult primary care with a focus on prevention, routine care and support for ongoing health needs. Patients can see her for wellness visits, health screenings, new health concerns and chronic condition management, including support for high blood pressure and diabetes. Her care

GLEN CARBON – Four more streets and other improvements have been added to Glen Carbon’s 2026 Street Program , marking over $1 million in upgrades for the year ahead. A resolution authorizing a change order of an additional $163,891.10 from Christ Brothers Asphalt for the 2026 Street Program was unanimously approved at the Village Board’s July 28, 2026 meeting. Public Works Director Scott Slemer said village officials decided to leave out certain projects during the final design

ALTON - Madison County Coroner Nicholas P. Novacich on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, identified a 56-year-old Waterford, Pennsylvania, man who died in an industrial accident on July 20, 2026, at Alton Steel Inc. in Alton. The man was identified as Andrew J. Bengel, according to the coroner’s office. The incident happened Monday morning, July 20, 2026, at Alton Steel Inc., 5 Cut Street, and the coroner said preliminary evidence indicates a lifting hook fractured, causing Bengel to be struck by

EDWARDSVILLE - An upcoming event invites community members to enjoy local breweries while supporting honor flights for veterans. Hops & Heroes will take place at the Edwardsville Moose Lodge from 12–4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026. With over 20 breweries represented and five bands on the schedule throughout the day, the event promises to be a ton of fun. All proceeds go toward honor flights for St. Louis area veterans through the Greater St. Louis Honor Flight organization. “They’re

EAST ALTON – An East Alton man with a history of fleeing police and other offenses remains detained after eluding an Alton officer at over 110 mph. Michael C. Ault, 42, of East Alton, was charged with a Class 4 felony count of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer on July 23, 2026. Ault allegedly knowingly fled from an Alton Police officer who had given him a signal to stop the vehicle he was driving on March 23, 2026. His flight from the officer reportedly reached speed

BRIGHTON - Community members can stop by Altonized Community Federal Credit Union in Brighton for a fun open house complete with a foam party, a petting zoo, free treats and more. From 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, Altonized Community FCU hopes to welcome both members and nonmembers to the event at 200 North Main Street in Brighton. Attendees can learn more about the credit union and their mission to serve the community while enjoying a variety of fun activities. “We

ALTON – Halpin Music is helping band students and parents start the next school year with savings by offering a limited-time giveaway during “Early Bird” instrument rentals through Aug. 7, 2026. Mark Landon with Halpin Music Company stopped by Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to highlight everything band students and parents should know about instrument rentals and more before school starts again. For decades, Halpin has made access to musical instruments more affordable

ST. CLAIR COUNTY - Bret Michaels has canceled his scheduled Friday, July 30, 2026, performance at Fair St. Clair in St. Clair County, Illinois, after doctors instructed him to take three to four weeks of post-operative recovery following surgery for a complicated obstructing kidney stone, according to a statement posted on Michaels’ Facebook page. Fair St. Clair announced the cancellation in a concert update, saying Michaels would not perform “due to medical reasons.”

EDWARDSVILLE - Summer construction projects are on track for the first day of school in Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7. During the regular Board of Education meeting on July 27, 2026, Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan provided an update on the summer’s projects and noted that almost all of the projects are finished. The Edwardsville High School parking lot was repaved this summer. It is now striped and ready for students’ first day on Aug. 19, 2026. The Midway

CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker signed into law SB 2427, instituting a statewide cell phone and personal device framework to create distraction-free classrooms, encouraging students to connect more deeply with curriculum and each other, and allowing educators to focus on teaching. The law requires school districts to develop and implement a “bell-to-bell” policy, restricting access to cell phones between the hours of the first arrival bell to the final dismissal bell.

GODFREY — A lightning strike is believed to have caused a small rooftop fire at International Mulch on Tolle Lane on Monday, July 27, 2026, about an hour after multiple power lines went down in three locations after a storm hit with heavy winds, according to Ben Hamberg, assistant fire chief for the Godfrey Fire Protection District. Hamberg said the fire at International Mulch was believed to have been caused by a lightning strike. He said there was a very small fire and “little smoke&rdquo