GODFREY - A local patient shared that Vitality Women’s Clinic has supported her through her motherhood journey, and she hopes other people can benefit from the clinic’s work. Taylor Pierson is a local mother of six who first came to Vitality 15 years ago in search of baby food. Since then, Pierson has engaged with Vitality’s parenting classes and resource shop, and she has utilized their services through every pregnancy. Pierson and Jackie Duty, Vitality’s executive
On July 21, 356 BC, according to ancient tradition, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was destroyed by fire. In the ancient world, this was more than the loss of a famous building. The temple was one of the great religious and cultural centers of its time, known across the Mediterranean for its scale, wealth, and artistic importance. Its destruction mattered then because temples were not only places of worship but also symbols of civic pride, identity, and stability. It still matters today because
ALTON – Alton officials are looking into making the city’s top attractions easier to navigate to and from. On July 20, 2026, Committee of the Whole members approved a Professional Services Agreement with RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture totaling $38,500 for the “Alton Wayfinding Program.” Alderwoman Rosie Brown was absent. The proposal consists of two phases: preliminary services totaling $4,500 and schematic design services totaling $34,000. Phase 1 would include
ALTON - The Alton Police Department said today that Willie L. Carter, 53, of Alton, has been charged in connection with a series of armed robberies and business break-ins in the Upper Alton area during the summer of 2026, including two robberies in June, an attempted burglary later that month and a burglary in July 2026. Carter was taken into custody July 17, 2026, and the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office subsequently issued the charges today, police said. Carter has been
GLEN CARBON - Oberweis opened a new ice cream store on July 17, 2026, at Orchard Town Center in Glen Carbon, Illinois, expanding the brand’s presence near Edwardsville and across the St. Louis region under parent company Hoffmann Family of Companies. A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, 2026, with activities planned from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the official ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. Guests can spin a prize wheel throughout the day. The first 100 guests
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois has reported 309 confirmed and probable cases of Cyclospora as of 7 a.m. on July 17, 2026, including 24 hospitalizations and no deaths, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, as national outbreaks have been linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce from Central Mexico. The intestinal parasite outbreak in Illinois includes 152 acquired through domestic travel cases, 125 cases involving travel outside the United States, and 32 cases with unknown travel status,
ST. LOUIS - A woman believed to be in her 30s was struck and killed early Saturday, July 18, 2026, while crossing Gravois Avenue near Ohio, and Accident Reconstruction investigators are now leading the investigation, authorities said. St. Louis District 3 officers were called to the 2700 block of Gravois near Ohio at about 2:40 a.m. Saturday, July 19, 2026, for a report of a person hit by a car. When officers arrived, they found a female pedestrian who had been struck. She was taken to a hospital,
WOOD RIVER - Mikayla Miller, a junior volleyball player at East Alton-Wood River, has been recognized as a Midwest Members Credit Union Female Athlete Of The Month for the Oilers, an honor she said reflects years of work in the sport and support from her parents and coaches. Miller, who has played volleyball since sixth grade and club volleyball for three years, said the recognition is meaningful because of the effort behind it. “Starting an athletic career young has led to moments like
ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Metropolitan Police homicide detectives are investigating after skeletal remains were found Friday afternoon, July 17, 2026, behind the 5500 block of Genevieve or in the Walnut Park East neighborhood, authorities said. District 6 officers were called to the area at about 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 17, 2026, and homicide detectives were later requested, according to police. The remains were located to the rear of the block. The cause of death is unknown, St. Louis Metropolitan
MILLSTADT - Buttercup Ranch will host their annual triathlon and balloon glow to support first responders, known as Patriots’ Weekend Extravaganza. Saturday, Sept. 12, and Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, promise to be fun days at the farm in Millstadt. The sixth annual CiderMan Sprint Triathlon is planned for 7 a.m. on Sept. 12, 2026. You can also check out the hot air balloon glow, carriage rides, plenty of food and activities from 2–9 p.m. both days on the farm. Proceeds go to local
RIVERBEND - People across North America are taking precautions as wildfire smoke from Canada travels through the continent, and Riverbend residents should do the same. As of 2 p.m. on Monday, July 20, 2026, the air quality in Alton and Wood River was rated as “unhealthy” by the Environmental Protection Agency. AccuWeather also rated the air quality as “unhealthy” and warned that sensitive groups are susceptible to symptoms. With the heat advisory currently in effect
EAST ALTON - Airline Care Clinic is offering affordable back-to-school and sports physicals. Nurse practitioner Elizabeth “Betsy” Dykeman understands that summer is a busy time, and the back-to-school season can get expensive as families purchase school supplies and clothing for their kids. That’s why she is offering $40 physicals to fulfill the back-to-school and sports requirements so kids can return to the classroom healthy and ready to learn. “It makes me really
CHICAGO – Secretary of State and State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias, the Illinois Literacy Foundation and the Chicago Cubs are launching Illinois Reads Together, a statewide summer reading challenge that gives students who complete their local library’s summer reading program the chance to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field. The initiative builds on the free summer reading programs already offered by public libraries across Illinois. Students who complete the
ALTON - The Sierra Club Illinois’ Three Rivers Project, Alton Main Street, and Jacoby Arts Center are calling for proposals for artist grants for the 20th annual Mississippi Earthtones Festival. The festival, which will be held from 12:00 to 10:00 PM on Saturday, September 19, 2026, brings together thousands of community members in celebration of the Mississippi River through art, music, and conservation. Local artists are invited to submit proposals via this form by Friday, August 21 t
SWANSEA – State Senator Christopher Belt announced the Illinois Workforce Pell, a new program expanding on the federal Pell Grant by allowing eligible students to use grant funding for short-term workforce training programs aligned with in-demand occupations, is now accepting applications. “This is an opportunity to develop unique skills while putting students in line for high-demand jobs,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “The Workforce Pell is a smart investment in Illinois’
If you've gotten a letter about municipal electric aggregation, you're not alone. My office keeps hearing the same questions: Is this a scam? What is this? What am I supposed to do? Electric bills keep climbing, and years of flawed energy policy in Springfield are a big reason why. That's part of why these notices are getting so much attention right now. So let's break down what municipal electric aggregation actually is. It's a program where your city or village negotiates the electricity suppl
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul and a coalition of 24 states won a key ruling today declaring the Trump administration illegally misused its regulatory authority to unlawfully pull billions of dollars in federal funding that Congress had set aside for crucial state programs and services. The decision explained that five words in U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, referencing situations where a grant “no longer effectuates … agency priorities,”
CHICAGO — After the landmark bipartisan 21st Century Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act became law without President Donald Trump’s signature, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today visited a Chicago-based modular home developer to discuss how the new law could help supercharge their work building more homes for Illinoisans. During the Senator’s visit with Inherent Homes , Duckworth discussed how this groundbreaking law will help expand acces
SPRINGFIELD - Following the Chicago Tribune’s reporting on the lack of action by House Speaker Emmanuel “Chris” Welch after receiving reports of sexual harassment against former State Representative Harry Benton, State Representative Amy Elik issued the following statement: “Members of the Illinois General Assembly must be held to the highest ethical standards, but under Speaker Chris Welch’s leadership we’ve seen a total lack of accountability. Sexual
CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, today sent a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin urging them to end the improper application of certain civil penalties in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to law-abiding
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