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GRANITE CITY – A man from Granite City has been charged with various financial crimes stemming from an alleged fraudulent scooter purchase using an elderly victim’s personal information. Jeffrey F. Pointer Jr., 38, of Granite City, was charged on Aug. 11, 2026, with one count each of continuing a financial crimes enterprise (a Class 1 felony), aggravated identity theft, identity theft (both Class 2 felonies), financial institution fraud, and misappropriation of financial institution

BETHALTO - Community members can help Civic Memorial High School students by donating their unused calculators. Bethalto Community Unit School District #8 is hosting its first Calculator Drive. People who have calculators they no longer use can connect with Civic Memorial to donate these tools. The goal, explained Principal Justin Newell, is to ensure no student lacks the supplies they need to learn. “That’s one of the biggies that kids need,” he said. “Getting calculator

ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is joining Facing Fentanyl , to unite families, communities and organizations across the country in recognizing National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, Friday, August 21. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the national observance which honors and remembers the lives lost to fentanyl poisoning. This year’s theme, “Power of the Parent,” recognizes the critical role parents and families play in shaping

The mind often gets louder just as life starts getting quieter. That shift helps explain why late summer so often sparks reflection. The calendar has not fully turned, yet something feels as if it is already changing. Long plans begin to wind down. Vacations end. School routines return. Gardens fade. The days still hold warmth, but there is a subtle sense of narrowing. In that in-between space, many people find themselves looking back as much as they look ahead. Reflection during late summer

On August 21, one of the most important events in world history is the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, where Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III and took the English crown as Henry VII. At the time, this battle ended the long and damaging Wars of the Roses, a struggle between rival royal houses that had weakened England for decades. It mattered immediately because it brought a new ruling dynasty, the Tudors, to power and restored a measure of political stability. It still matters today because

ALTON - Riverbend residents will have a chance to watch most of the moon slip into Earth's shadow next week as a partial lunar eclipse crosses the night sky. The eclipse will take place Thursday night, Aug. 27, into the early morning hours of Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, and will be visible across much of North and South America as well as portions of Europe and Africa. NASA lists the event as a partial lunar eclipse. For viewers in Alton and the surrounding Riverbend area, the eclipse will begin

This Day in Music History: Aug. 21 On Aug. 21, 1935, Benny Goodman and his orchestra opened at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, a date widely recognized as the start of the swing era. The engagement was a decisive reversal for a band that had spent months on a difficult cross-country tour after its coast-to-coast radio run on NBC’s “Let’s Dance.” At the Palomar, Goodman’s tightly arranged, hard-driving dance music found the young audience it had been seeking.

ALTON — Alton Police are investigating a shooting that left one person seriously injured Thursday afternoon, Aug. 20, 2026, in the 800 block of East Sixth Street. Officers were dispatched at about 1:52 p.m. Aug. 20, 2026, for a report of shots fired and a person shot, according to the Alton Police Department. Police said officers secured the scene and rendered aid to the victim until Alton Fire Department personnel arrived. The victim was taken to a local hospital and later transferred

EDWARDSVILLE – An East Alton man with a prior theft conviction faces new theft charges after allegedly taking tip jars from a series of Edwardsville restaurants. Sheldon D. Williams, 31, of East Alton, was charged on Aug. 13, 2026 with three counts of theft (each Class 4 felonies) and one count of driving while license is suspended (a Class a misdemeanor). Williams allegedly stole tip jars containing cash from three different restaurants in Edwardsville on July 8, 2026. These included Pok

WOOD RIVER – Wood River officials are exploring ways to encourage development in a mostly vacant section of the city. City Council members approved two items related to the establishment of a new Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district on Aug. 17, 2026. These include a feasibility study for the proposed TIF 4 area and an agreement with PGAV planners to determine whether any or all of the area would be eligible under the TIF Act. The resolutions indicate Wood River city staff will conduct

EDWARDSVILLE — Police and fire crews responded about 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, to Troy Road at Franklin Avenue after a motor vehicle crash in which a green SUV appeared to have been rear-ended by another vehicle that left the scene, City of Edwardsville spokesperson Cathy Hensley said. An adult female passenger in the SUV was taken to a local area hospital for evaluation and treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening, Hensley said. The crash report has not been completed,

EDWARDSVILLE — A woman was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a two-vehicle crash about 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, at New Poag Road and North University Drive, according to Cathy Hensley, a spokesperson for the City of Edwardsville. The Edwardsville Police Department and Edwardsville Fire Department responded to the crash, which involved a black Acura SUV and a white Chevrolet passenger car, Hensley said. The woman was transported by an Edwardsville

GRANITE CITY - Madison County Coroner Nicholas P. Novacich on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 20, 2026, identified Linda Ellis, 76, as the Granite City area woman who died early this morning at Gateway Regional Medical Center after she was removed from her Johnson Road residence following a structure fire. The Granite City Fire Department was responding to an unrelated medical call when firefighters observed flames coming from the windows of Ellis’ residence, according to the coroner’s

ALTON - A local financial advisor is offering a free “deep dive” on Social Security. From 6–7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, community members can gather at Vera Lee Meeting and Event Venue in Alton for the free workshop, hosted by Bill Kinkel. The workshop will cover basic questions about when to claim Social Security and how that decision can affect other financial concerns. Kinkel hopes he can be informative, but his main priority is to build confidence in attendees t

ALTON — Alton Police were investigating an apparent shooting Thursday afternoon, Aug. 20, 2026, in the area of Sixth and Spring streets in Alton, where one person was transported to a local hospital in an emergency. Information on what led to the incident has not been released. The Alton Police Department is also apparently tracking a suspect in the area, according to the available information. The Illinois State Police canine unit has also been called to the scene, and Highland's canine

GRAFTON – A new committee in Grafton will soon look into ways to regulate food trucks within the city. Mayor Mike Morrow and several other appointees were recently named to a to a special committee to recommend legislation on food trucks in Grafton. The appointments were approved at the Aug. 18, 2026 Grafton City Council meeting with Alderman Richard Mosby absent. The committee also includes City Council members Richard Mosby, Mary Jo Cote, and Rus Roy, as well as former alderman David

ALTON - Three Alton High School FCCLA members were recognized during the Alton School District Board of Education’s August meeting for earning Silver Medals at the FCCLA National Leadership Conference. Carter Stahl, Lilly Burns and Trenton Wilson were invited to attend the meeting, where the board recognized their accomplishments at the national level in their competitive events. Stahl, Burns and Wilson are definite Difference Makers in their community. Stahl earned a Silver Medal in

ALTON/EDWARDSVILLE — Claire Delap, a Liberty Middle School in Edwardsville seventh-grader, attended the Illinois Summer Youth Music program this summer on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus after receiving a full scholarship last spring through her participation with the Alton Youth Symphony. Delap, the daughter of Amy and Kyle Delap, attended the weeklong band camp as part of the ISYM program. Claire plays multiple instruments and began learning piano under the direction

DU QUOIN – Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 7 Special Agents arrested 28-year-old Amanda Russell and 34-year-old Michael Russell of Du Quoin, IL for Involuntary Manslaughter among other charges after the death of their 1-year-old daughter. On August 17, 2026, the Du Quoin Police Department requested ISP’s assistance with a child death investigation in the 700 block of West Park Street in Du Quoin. The child suffered severe burns over a large

TROY, IL — The Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce is inviting residents to responsibly recycle unwanted electronics during three Fall 2026 E-Cycle collection events in Troy, Maryville, and St. Jacob. These events provide a safe, convenient way for residents to dispose of unwanted electronics while helping protect the environment by keeping electronic waste out of local landfills. In addition to E-Cycling, select events will offer document shredding and other specialty