Riverbender 🕸

MATTOON – Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced that Rural King will invest $75 million to construct a new Store Support Center Campus in Mattoon, where the company's leadership and support departments will be based, including merchandising, IT, finance, operations, marketing, human resources, legal, and other key business functions. The company broke ground on the project today, which will create 100 new full-time

ALTON – A Missouri resident accused of traveling to an Alton Walgreens to meet who he believed was a 13-year-old girl is currently in custody. James K. Nelson, 37, of St. Peters, Mo., was charged on June 9, 2026 with one count each of indecent solicitation of a child, traveling to meet a minor (both Class 3 felonies), solicitation to meet a child, and grooming (both Class 4 felonies). Nelson allegedly knowingly solicited a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl on June 7, 2026 with

ALTON - The Alton Police Department has named Officer Lane Lawson its Officer of the Month for March 2026, citing his proactive police work, assistance in a multistate suspect apprehension, and recognition for community service in Alton. The department announced the recognition for Lawson’s work throughout March 2026, saying his selection reflected more than a single incident and instead was based on “exceptional initiative, dedication, and professionalism while serving the citizens

TROY - The Troy-Edwardsville Shrine Club will host their annual Smoke N for the Kids Barbecue Festival to raise money for Shriners Children’s Hospital. On Aug. 15 and 16, 2026, community members can come out to Tri-Township Park in Troy for the event. While barbecue masters grill and compete, the public can enjoy food vendors, a bags tournament, live music, a car show and more. All proceeds from the event go toward the Shrine Club’s activities, including their sponsorship of Shriners

BRIGHTON - A giant church founders’ family tree is now featured on a wall at the new St. John’s Church Museum and Family Heritage Center in Brighton. The church was founded in 1870 by German immigrants living in the Brighton area. The public is invited to visit the museum and heritage center on Sunday, June 14, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Some of the surnames included in the new wall display for the church family founders’ tree are Bohn, Bott, Brummer, Geisler, Heidemann, Lauck, Oertel

GLEN CARBON – A plan to renovate and reorganize the Glen Carbon Police Department building is set to enter its next phase as the project gets closer to construction. Village Board members unanimously approved two items related to the Glen Carbon Police Department renovation project on June 9, 2026. These include a Master Service Agreement between the village and FGM Architects, Inc. and a second project authorization resolution to renovate the GCPD building. $2.1 million has been budgete

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in pressing the Trump-Vance Administration on the impacts that foreign aid cuts and the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) have had on the United States’ ability to protect Americans from Ebola and hantavirus. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State

EDWARDSVILLE – State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) is announcing that fire departments and fire protection districts throughout the 56th Senate District have been awarded more than $323,000 through the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal's (OSFM) 2026 Small Equipment Grant Program. "Our firefighters and first responders work tirelessly to protect our communities, often operating with limited budgets and resources," said Senator Harriss. "These grants help ensure departments

BELLEVILLE — St. Clair County has announced the postponement of its Community Donation Drive supporting deployed Airmen from Scott Air Force Base. Originally scheduled for Thursday, June 11, the event will now take place on Thursday, July 9, 2026, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Hosted in partnership with local military supporters, the donation drive aims to collect comfort items and care package essentials to boost morale for Airmen serving overseas. Community members are encouraged to

HARDIN - Illinois American Water has issued an immediate boil water order for about 400 direct water customers in the Village of Hardin because of improvements at the village’s water treatment plant. Customers should bring tap water to a rolling boil for five minutes before using it for drinking or cooking, according to the utility. The order took effect immediately and will remain in place until testing confirms that water samples meet all drinking water regulatory standards. The utility

O'FALLON, Ill. - A 51-year-old O’Fallon, Ill. man pleaded guilty Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in St. Clair County Court to involuntary manslaughter and obstructing justice in connection with the 2023 death of 31-year-old Allison Hartmire of O’Fallon, according to the O’Fallon Police Department. David S. Shovlin entered a guilty plea on June 9, 2026, for his role in Hartmire’s death on Oct. 23, 2023, police said. The charges were involuntary manslaughter, a Class

CHICAGO — If you purchased a Lucky Day Lotto ® ticket in Oswego yesterday, you might want to check your numbers—you could be the state’s newest millionaire. The winning ticket was purchased at a BP gas station, located at 2791 US 34 in Oswego, Illinois. The ticket matched all five numbers in the Thursday, June 11 evening drawing to score the game’s $1,300,000 jackpot. The winning numbers were 1-13-19-27-35. For selling the jackpot-winning ticket, the

ALTON - The Old Bakery Beer Company will offer their fifth annual Pride Market to support LGBTQ+ artisans. From 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, 2026, community members can stop by Old Bakery Beer to shop local artisans and crafters who identify as LGBTQ+ community members or allies. There will be food and drink specials as well as custom merchandise for shoppers to enjoy. All vendor fees will support Alton Pride, and shoppers and diners can also round up at the register for

ALTON - Madison Avenue in Alton is closed to through traffic between Belle Street and Gesche Street through Monday, June 15, 2026, for street repairs by Burns & Gillihan, contractors for the City of Alton, according to a road closure notice. The closure began on June 10, 2026, and affects Madison Avenue from Belle Street to Gesche Street. The work is being done for street repair, the notice said. Detour signs are in place, and signs were posted before traffic pattern changes on side streets,

ALTON — The Alton City Council on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, rescinded the appointment of Human Relations Director Sonya Bailey, and the action took effect immediately. Alton Mayor David Goins confirmed that Bailey’s appointment had been “rescinded” but said he could not provide any other comments on a personnel matter. Mayor Goins said the City Council went into executive session at the conclusion of its regular meeting. He said the council vote regarding Bailey’s

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced a weekend lane closure on eastbound Interstate 64 between Illinois 157 and Illinois 159 in St. Clair County. Beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, June 12, eastbound I-64 traffic will be reduced to one lane. Two lanes will reopen by 7 a.m. Monday, June 15, weather permitting. The lane closure is required for road construction as part of ongoing improvements in the corridor. Motorists should expect delays and are

ALTON - A motorcyclist crashed into the back of a vehicle Thursday afternoon, June 11, 2026, at East Broadway and East Landmarks Boulevard in Alton, sending the motorcycle to the ground. Still, no major injuries were reported, Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford said. The collision happened on June 11, 2026, when the motorcyclist ran into the rear of the vehicle on East Broadway at East Landmarks Boulevard. The impact caused the motorcycle to slide into the nearby vehicle and fall to the ground.

GLEN CARBON – A shared use path connecting Glen Carbon residents to the Edwardsville High School campus and beyond is moving ahead with village approval. On June 9, 2026, trustees unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement between the Village of Glen Carbon, the City of Edwardsville, and the Madison County Transit District to build a shared use path on Route 157. The Village Board also approved a related agreement with TWM, Inc. for the Route 157 shared use path. Public Works

WOOD RIVER - Cameron Thornton, a senior at East Alton-Wood River High School, has been recognized as Midwest Members Credit Union Male Athlete of the Month for soccer after what he described as building strong connections with teammates on and off the field and maintaining his focus on faith, family, and academics. Thornton, who has played soccer for three years, said he enjoys “how fun it is to play and how competitive it can be.” He pointed to relationships with teammates as a

BETHALTO — The Bethalto Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 200 block of St. Marys Place on Friday, June 12, 2026. When firefighters arrived, they encountered heavy smoke inside the home. Crews initially searched for the source of the fire but were unable to locate it. “We were unable to locate the fire at first, so we called a box alarm,” Bethalto Fire Chief Jay Grant said. “We were afraid the fire would take off on us before we found it. After walking