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June 20th has been a date marked by remarkable moments throughout history, spanning politics, science, culture, and beyond. Looking back, June 20th holds many noteworthy events that have made their mark on history. In 1789, during the early stages of the French Revolution, members of the Third Estate took the famous Tennis Court Oath. This bold declaration vowed that they would not disband until a new constitution was established, symbolizing a critical step toward democracy and the reshaping of French society. The oath represented an assertion of popular sovereignty and challenged the traditional authority of the monarchy. Moving into the 19th century, June 20, 1837, marked the opening of the first Canadian Parliament in Toronto. This event signaled important progress in Canada's journey toward self-governance and parliamentary democracy. The establishment of a formal legislative body was essential in laying the foundation for modern Canadian political institutions and fostering

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ALTON – OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center invites the public to join them for a truly unique musical experience as Estonia’s top handbell ensemble, Arsis, brings their shimmering sound “From Bach to Pärt” to the Riverbend region as part of the ensemble’s summer U.S. tour. The FREE concert will be held on Saturday, July 12, 7 p.m., in the Benjamin Godfrey Memorial Chapel on the campus of Lewis & Clark Community College (5800 Godfrey Rd, Godfrey, IL). Seating is “first come, first served,” and free-will offerings will be accepted. Concert goers can expect dazzling arrangements of classical favorites (Bach, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky) and powerful works by Estonian masters, including Arvo Pärt. Music lovers won’t want to miss this rare opportunity to hear one of Europe’s most celebrated handbell groups live on stage. More information on this FREE concert can be obtained by calling (618) 474-6101.

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An article printed in the Alton Evening Telegraph on June 24, 1925, mentioned that a newspaper in St. John, New Brunswick, Ontario, Canada, had recently printed a photo of an Upper Alton resident on the front page. William L. Hughson (72) of Washington Avenue was pictured with his 77-year-old brother Winslow Hughson of St. John. The brothers had not seen each other in 48 years. In 1877, four Hughson brothers “set out from home into the world” after their hometown of Havelock was destroyed in a devastating fire. Winslow went to St. John and never left. William went to New York, then to St. Louis, and eventually made it to Alton. He worked at the Beall shovel plant on Piasa Street for over 20 years and had just quit his job there three months before his trip north. William’s wife, Alice Etta Wood Hughson, had died the previous year, and after her death, William corresponded with his brother in St. John. The two had not talked much for many years. Winslow planned

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Author's note: between being interviewed for this story and its publishing, Sister M. Christine Crowder passed away . JERSEYVILLE - Wally Fisher, an 87 year-old from Jerseyville, Illinois, is adding her voice to those marking 100 years since the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George came to St. Louis, Missouri . The Sisters eventually established what today is OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center in nearby Alton, Illinois. Fisher’s story Fisher hails from northern Germany. After eighth grade, her parents said her school days were over, and helping on the family farm would be her profession. But turning 18 afforded her some freedom. Fisher says she met the Sisters, who introduced her to nursing and recruited her to come to America and work at Saint Anthony’s. “I think they thought we would become nuns,” Fisher says with a smile. Instead, it was the start of a long career serving the sick at Saint Anthony’s &ndash

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BETHALTO - The nonprofit Bethalto Spirit will host the Bethalto Farmers’ Market throughout the summer. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday until Sept. 28, 2025, community members are invited to Bethalto Central Park for the market, where they can shop for produce, baked goods, homemade crafts and more. Jane, who oversees Bethalto Spirit, explained that the goal of the organization is to support the community through events like the market. “Our primary function is to provide education, arts and events for the Village of Bethalto,” she said. “As a 501(c)(3), we’re able to provide those wonderful things to the village.” Of the 20 vendors who come every week, Jane explained that some vendors are signed up for a half season, while others plan to stay in their spot until September. Bethalto Spirit also welcomes drop-in vendors. “We’re always looking for new vendors,” she said. “We love to give people opportunities.

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JERSEY - Jersey Community High School’s Marching 100 Band is concluding its fundraising campaign for new uniforms and equipment on Monday, June 23, 2025, after receiving strong community support and donations totaling $18,524.72, which included an $8,000 matching donation. The campaign, led by the JCHS Band Boosters, aimed to raise funds to replace worn uniforms and purchase new instruments for the band’s approximately 90 students, including freshmen through seniors, color guard members, and several other ensembles such as concert, symphonic, and jazz bands. The band is also preparing for a trip to Disney next year. Band director Erin Bittles has earned acclaim for the Marching 100's presentation, which has much innovation involved. Sheri McDuffie, president of the Band Boosters, said the campaign has exceeded expectations. “It has just been tremendous community support and beyond it. We never imagined getting this much support,” McDuffie said. The group set

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BETHALTO - The Village of Bethalto and Bethalto Spirit will host their Music in the Park series at 7 p.m. every Thursday this summer through August. Community members are invited to Bethalto Central Park to hear a variety of music every Thursday night until Aug. 21, 2025. Trella, with the Bethalto Spirit nonprofit, explained that Music in the Park started in the 1980s, but “kind of just fizzled out” until she and a friend revived it three years ago. “It’s just grown a little bit every year,” Trella said. “This is the third year, I believe, that I’ve done it, and that has been my goal, to just make it a little better every year.” When Trella and Bethalto Spirit first started talking about restarting Music in the Park, they knew they needed to fundraise. They held a few yard sales to raise money, and Trella’s friend hid the money under her mattress until the time came to pay the bands. These days, Bethalto Spirit has “ver

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — An adult male bicyclist was fatally struck by a vehicle Thursday afternoon, June 19, 2025, in the 9900 block of Big Bend Boulevard near Grant’s Trail, St. Louis County Police said. Officers from the Affton Southwest Precinct responded at 12:27 p.m.Thursday to a report of a motor vehicle crash. Upon arrival, they found the bicyclist with life-threatening injuries. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died, according to the St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Crimes Against Persons and Accident Reconstruction detectives. The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities ask anyone with information about the incident to contact the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210. Additional details will be released as they become available.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) wrote to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pressing him on his recent reckless decisions to slash funding for critical vaccine development. In May, the Trump Administration announced that it would cut off millions of dollars that the federal government had committed to the development of the critical bird flu vaccine, and HHS abruptly ended an over-$250 million program to develop an AIDS vaccine. “This is a grievous mistake that threatens to leave the country unprepared for what experts fear might be the next pandemic – and there appears to be no rationale for this decision other than your ill-informed and dangerous war on vaccines,” wrote the Senators. In January, HHS championed the development of new vaccines to make sure "Americans have the tools they need to stay safe.” Now, the RFK Jr.-led HHS is ripping those tools

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GLEN CARBON – Glen Carbon Police have charged a Fenton, Mo., man in a domestic battery case involving an elderly victim. David M. Pace, 46, was charged on June 9, 2025, with a Class 3 felony count of aggravated battery and one count each of domestic battery and violation of pretrial release, both Class A misdemeanors. On June 8, 2025, Pace allegedly threw an object which shattered, causing bodily harm to a 65-year-old victim. Pace was charged with violating the conditions of his pretrial release from a domestic violence case filed earlier this year, as he contacted the protected party and was present at the protected residence. The state’s petition to deny Pace’s pretrial release in this latest case states Pace “began damaging property around the residence” before throwing the object, which struck the victim in the face and shattered. After being placed under arrest, Pace reportedly admitted to throwing the object. The petition notes that at the time

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EDWARDSVILLE - Abby Packer, a graduated senior for Metro East Lutheran High School, qualified for the 100 meters at the Class 1A IHSA State Track and Field Meet with a time of 12.69. Packer was sixth in the Riverton Sectional in the 200 meters with a time of 29.51. The MELHS star sprinter placed 31st at state with a time of 13.10 for the 100 meters. Abby is a BJ's Printables Female Athlete of the Month. Coach Mike Cook was exceptionally proud of Packer's efforts this season. He said that Abby was his best sprinter and a leader for the team in 2025. Rob Stock, an assistant principal for MELHS, who is involved in coaching multiple Knights girls' sports, said he was very proud of Abby's efforts this year to obtain a state berth. He said her strong work ethic was an inspiration to all the MELHS female athletes this past year.

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WOOD RIVER - Wood River’s Farmers’ Market opens today and runs through the end of the summer. The farmers’ market is open from 4–7 p.m. every Thursday starting on June 19 through Aug. 28, 2025, in downtown Wood River. Kristen Burns, director of Wood River Main Street, expressed her excitement to kick off the season. “We’re excited to have our first one this week on Thursday,” Burns said. “Hopefully the weather is going to be great.” To start the farmers’ market fun, Spencer McDole will perform throughout the evening on June 19. Klausti’s Kitchen and Downtown’s WestEnd & Courtyard will both be out with food and drinks for community members to enjoy. Burns noted that she is especially excited for The Rolling Honeysuckle, a mobile flower shop where you can make your own bouquets or purchase pre-made bouquets. This “cute little concept” will be out at the market every week. Burns acknowledged

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WOOD RIVER - Wood River Main Street has unveiled a new website with the goal of helping promote local businesses. Kristen Burns, director of Wood River Main Street, said the website launched last week. The website allows business owners to build their own profile pages, with a directory that can take users to all the pages for businesses in Wood River. Burns explained that the design aims to promote these local businesses. “It’s really geared toward all of our downtown businesses and all of our businesses in Wood River. It’s a really, really cool concept,” Burns said. “I’m super, super excited to have this up and running. It’s been a long time coming and it was a lot of work to get it going, but it’s going now.” Every business can input information about their hours, services and more on their individual profile pages. They can also upload coupons or job postings. This free profile is similar to a website for eac

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ROXANA - Jenny Brown emerged as the ace pitcher for Roxana's girls' softball team, which closed with a big regional win. Roxana beat Marquette Catholic 8-7 in a regional game before losing in its next game. In an April 6-5 loss on April 7, 2025, to Jersey, Brown recorded nine strikeouts, one of her best games on the mound over the season. Jenny is a Midwest Members Credit Union Female Athlete of Month. "Jenny has a lot of pitches and keeps the ball low," Pat Brannon, Roxana head girls' softball coach, said. "Jenny became our ace as the season moved on." Brannon said Jenny has "unlimited potential" for the future and he said this past year should be a "confidence builder" for the pitcher.

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EAST ALTON - Women are invited to enjoy a prom night while supporting local kids in foster care. On June 28, 2025, community members can check out “Mom Prom,” a prom night for women 21 and older complete with a meal, DJ, silent auction, raffles, carriage rides, photo ops and more. Proceeds from the night will go to Dream Home Charities, a local nonprofit that provides Christmas gifts for families impacted by the foster care system. “We just need people now, honestly,” said Sherry Gilleland, founder of Dream Home Charities, who organized the Mom Prom. “It’s just going to be so much fun. We just really, really, really need the community to help us, support us. Buy tickets and just come and have a fantastic time.” The Mom Prom will run from 5–11 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, at Julia’s Banquet Center in East Alton. Gilleland promises the prom’s “A Night to Remember” theme will ring true. She noted that some

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BETHALTO — Lucky S. Nance, 20, of Bethalto, was charged Wednesday, June 18, 2025, with multiple counts related to child pornography and unauthorized video recording, according to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office. The charges, filed on June 18, 2025, include four counts of child pornography classified as felonies ranging from Class 3 to Class X, as well as one count of unauthorized video recording, a Class 3 felony. The full list of charges against Nance is as follows: Count I: Child Pornography (Class X Felony) Count II: Child Pornography (Class X Felony) Count III: Child Pornography (Class 1 Felony) Count IV: Child Pornography (Class 1 Felony) Count V: Child Pornography (Class 3 Felony) Count VI: Child Pornography (Class 2 Felony) Count VII: Unauthorized Video Recording (Class 3 Felony) The investigation began on May 15, 2025, when the Bethalto Police Investigation Division received information from the Illinois Department of Children and Family

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ALTON - Oasis Women’s Center has lost a force in the passing of Margarette Trushel, the center’s executive director for the last 40 years. Trushel was part of the team of women who founded the shelter in the 1970s. She worked hard all her life to protect and support survivors of domestic violence. As the center grew, so did Trushel’s devotion to the community. She leaves behind a legacy of kindness. “She was whip-smart, stubborn as a mule, but she had a big heart and she worked incredibly hard all her life for this agency and for the community,” said Marcy Jacobs. “She was really fierce in her belief in this work and her belief that victims could be safe and that our community needed to change so that victims could be safe.” Jacobs joined Oasis Women’s Center five years after Trushel. She has spent her career working with Trushel to advocate for survivors. The original Oasis Women’s Center team “worked really hard”

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O'FALLON - The O'Fallon-Shiloh EMS announced the promotion of Nick Fensom to EMS Supervisor and Officer Benjamin Callahan to Sergeant, recognizing their dedication and leadership within the organization. The announcement, made recently by O'Fallon-Shiloh EMS, highlighted Fensom’s commitment to the team and community, noting his work ethic and contributions. “We’re incredibly proud and excited to see Nick step into this well-deserved role,” the O'Fallon-EMS statement said. “Thank you, Nick, for everything you’ve already done — and we can’t wait to see the amazing things you’ll accomplish in this new chapter.” In addition, Officer Callahan received a promotion to Sergeant. The EMS expressed appreciation for his service, and said, “Your commitment to protecting and serving never goes unnoticed, and we’re proud to see you take this next step.” O'Fallon-Shiloh EMS emphasized the value of both individuals’

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CHICAGO HEIGHTS – Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced Thursday that the Heights Crematory of Chicago Heights has had its license permanently revoked through a consent order. “The practical effect of this order is that Heights and its owners will never operate a crematorium in the state of Illinois again,” Comptroller Mendoza said. The consent order comes in response to a complaint from the Office of Comptroller alleging that Heights misrepresented and concealed material facts, engaged in dishonorable, unethical, and unprofessional conduct of character likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public, acted in an incompetent manner, and committed gross malpractice, in violation of state law. In February, the IOC was notified that Heights had bodies piled on top of each other, not in proper containers. Arriving at the crematory, our auditors confirmed they were storing bodies in inoperable refrigerated trailers and coolers, and/or were stacked in improper

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ALTON - Logan Hickman, an upcoming senior at Alton High School, has a bright future ahead as a Redbirds baseball player. Hickman, an infielder and pitcher, played a big part in the Redbirds' success this season. He was strong at the plate and in all his roles for the team and an exceptional base runner. Alton's baseball squad posted a 20-15 overall record under head coach Scott Harper in 2025. Hickman is an Auto Butler Male Athlete of the Month. He is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect. "He was a junior this past year so he is coming back again for next year," coach Harper said. "I expect him to come back and play an even bigger role next year for the team."

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