PIASA - Maci Timpe signed a letter of intent to play softball at Lewis and Clark Community College, marking the next step in her athletic career after her time at Southwestern High School. Timpe has played softball since sixth grade and has made an impact since her freshman year, according to her coach, Amanda Edwards. She is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athlete Of The Month for the Piasa Birds. “Timpe has played softball since sixth grade and has been a tremendous
ST. LOUIS - The National Park Service will turn off the Gateway Arch’s exterior lights at night from Friday, May 1, through Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis as part of an effort to protect birds during spring migration. The agency said it will not illuminate the monument throughout May to help ensure migrating birds’ safe passage during heavy migration periods. According to the National Park Service, 40% of the nation’s migratory waterfowl use
CHICAGO – With several strong storms causing damage across Illinois recently, Attorney General Kwame Raoul today warned Illinois residents to be on alert for scammers looking to exploit homeowners and business owners who may need repairs from storm-related damage. Raoul cautioned residents that scammers often move quickly into communities to take advantage of people with damage to their homes or businesses. Raoul noted these “storm chasers” use the opportunity to pressure
COLLINSVILLE – State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) has teamed up with the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office to host an ICASH event Monday at the Mississippi Valley Library District. Constituents are encouraged to stop by to check if they are owed unclaimed property and receive assistance filing a claim. ICASH Event Details Who: Senator Erica Harriss; Illinois State Treasurer’s Office When: Monday, May 4, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Whe
ALTON - Eric Sykes, the executive director of Alton Little Theater, recently took to social media to address “a narrative circulating online that Alton Little Theater is somehow an unsafe space.” Over the past year, a former performer has been vocal about sexual misconduct they said they experienced with a former leader in the theater. Additionally, Sykes’s Twitter account has attracted attention because of comments that some say were offensive to the LGBTQ+ community.
SPRINGFIELD - State Representative Kevin Schmidt (R-Millstadt) is raising concerns over a proposal from Governor JB Pritzker to keep the Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) share rate flat at 6.23% for FY27. Schmidt warns that the move could shift the burden onto local taxpayers and force communities to make difficult financial decisions. Schmidt argues that local governments should not be penalized for years of fiscal mismanagement at the state level, cautioning that stagnant LGDF funding
You pack a jacket, then regret it. You skip the jacket, then regret that too. April has a talent for making normal planning feel like a gamble. That “unpredictable” feeling isn’t just in your head. It comes from a mix of fast-changing air patterns, big temperature contrasts, and the way people talk about April as if it has a personality. Add in school schedules, holidays, and the pressure to switch routines, and the month can seem like it can’t make up its mind. Here’s
On April 30, 1975, the Vietnam War came to an end when North Vietnamese forces entered Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, and the South Vietnamese government collapsed. The moment mattered immediately because it ended a long, costly conflict that had drawn in global powers, reshaped politics across Southeast Asia, and displaced millions of people. It still matters today because it influenced how countries think about military intervention, alliance commitments, refugees, and postwar rebuilding.
WOOD RIVER – A convicted felon from St. Louis remains in custody after an alleged armed assault incident at a Wood River residence. Christopher E. Browning, 36, of St. Louis, was charged with three counts of felon in possession of a weapon (each Class 3 felonies) and two counts of aggravated assault (both Class A misdemeanors) on April 23, 2026. The day prior on April 22, 2026, Browning allegedly knowingly pointed an Adams Arms Model AA-15 short barreled rifle at two other individuals.
BENTON — A St. Clair County tax return preparer who owned and operated several tax preparation businesses pleaded guilty in federal court in Benton to charges that she intentionally made false statements on tax return forms and committed wire fraud, according to court documents and federal officials. Dormeshia A. Haire, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of false statements on a tax return, one count of wire fraud, and three counts of aiding and abetting in submitting false and fraudulent returns
TROY - The Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce is inviting professionals from across the region to attend a Business Builder Series workshop focused on presenting, networking and leadership skills on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the Tri-Township Public Library in Troy, Illinois. The “Business Builder Series: Presenting, Networking & Leading with Impact Workshop” is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The chamber said the interactive, hands-on format is designed to
ROXANA - Roxana High School senior Dalton Carriker is concluding his athletic career in style this spring for the Shells baseball team as a key player. He earned All-Conference honors in baseball and football and was the 2025 Baseball Offensive Player of the Year, according to information provided by Stephanie Carriker. Carriker, a Roxana athlete and straight-A student, has also earned Academic All-State recognition in football. In baseball, he has “already broken multiple Roxana records”
EDWARDSVILLE - The American Legion Riders Post 199 rode more than 400 miles as part of its annual Haven Ride, including a stop at a traveling wall of remembrance at the Mt. Vernon Airport, and presented a $1,000 check to The Haven, a day camp for veterans on Crab Orchard Lake in Southern Illinois. The ride involved members of American Legion Riders Post 199, whose annual event included visiting the traveling wall of remembrance and making a donation to The Haven. The Haven serves veterans, primarily
ST. LOUIS – Eight people, including six who entered the country illegally, were arrested Wednesday on charges including trafficking in firearms and cocaine. The eight are: Ivan Said Henriquez-Corea, 34, of St. Louis. Jose Edwardo Maldonado-Vargas, 21, a.k.a. Oscar Rodriguez-Lopez, of St. Louis County. Manuel DeJesus Hernandez-Maldonado, 47, of St. Louis. Heber Marcelino Figueroa-Bardales, 27, of St. Louis. Edgar Cruz-Ramirez, 36, of St. Louis County. Thomas Allen Hull, 37,
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Joshua M. Divine on Wednesday sentenced a former bartender who admitted possessing child sexual abuse material and installing hidden cameras in the bedroom and bathroom of a former residence to 13 years in prison. Judge Divine also ordered Anthony Thomas, 49, of St. Charles County, to pay $104,500 to victims who appeared in the child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that he downloaded. Thomas possessed thousands of media files containing CSAM and thousands
JERSEYVILLE – Jerseyville officials are asking the public to keep grass clippings away from public sidewalks and streets as lawn mowing ramps up amid the spring season. Mayor Kevin Stork issued a reminder regarding mowing season at the April 28, 2026 City Council meeting. “It’s mowing season and we know that with all this heavy rain we’re getting, if we can eliminate the grass clippings in the road that end up in our storm ditches, it’s greatly appreciated,”
ALTON - The Hayner Public Library District invites the community to join them for a special dedication ceremony and party to celebrate the library. From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2026, library staff and members from the Illinois State Historical Society will be at the Jennie D. Hayner Park outside of the downtown library for the ceremony. The library will receive an official Illinois State Historical Society marker that will share information about the district’s history.
ALTON - Marquette Catholic High School has named Sam Rea and Addie Bryson as prom king and queen for “Prom 2026 - Lights, Camera, Prom,” according to a school announcement. The Marquette Catholic administration congratulated the prom court and highlighted Rea and Bryson for their prestigious king and queen honors. The court, pictured above from left to right, includes CJ Steib, Addie Bryson, Sam Rea, Livia Mallory, Elijah Heru, Sofia Lamere, Cameron Golike, Jami
ST. LOUIS, MO. - As daily air quality forecasting resumes for the 2026 season on May 1, the American Lung Association’s newly released “State of the Air” report reveals that, even after decades of efforts to clean up air pollution, millions of Americans — including residents across the St. Louis region — continue to be exposed to unhealthy air. The report, which covers the period of 2022-2024, finds that 44% of people nationwide, or 152.3 million individuals, are
ALTON – Two local men accused of battering someone at a laundromat in Alton face felony charges in connected Madison County cases. Richard A. Heil, 47, of Alton, and Derek M. St. Peters, 47, of Wood River, were both charged on April 23, 2026 with one count each of aggravated battery (both Class 3 felonies) and mob action (both Class 4 felonies). The two are accused of knowingly acting together to strike another individual victim in the face multiple times, causing injury to the victim
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