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ALTON - Alton Main Street presents First Fridays, a late night art and shopping experience which spans 20 locations across the Downtown Alton district. This series is held on the First Friday of October, November and December, providing shoppers with an opportunity to check out new shops and galleries and visit familiar favorites to experience art and great specials at each business. Participants are offering a variety of discounts, refreshments, and giveaways. Every time you make a purchase

WOOD RIVER — Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells provided an update at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, on a crash that occurred earlier in the afternoon at the intersection of Illinois Route 111 and Memorial Lane in Wood River. Chief Wells said the crash involved two vehicles. He said unit two in the accident was traveling southbound on Route 111 and carried a mother and her two children. He said the mother sustained lacerations and was airlifted to a hospital in St. Louis as a precaution

WOOD RIVER — Two individuals were airlifted with serious injuries following a two-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 4, 2025, at Illinois Route 111 and Memorial Lane, Wood River Deputy Police Chief Tim Gegen said. The collision occurred around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday and involved one vehicle traveling on Route 111 that appeared to strike another vehicle, Gegen said. Two people were transported by ARCH helicopters with serious injuries, Gegen said, while two others were taken to area hospitals

ALTON — Nathan Woods, 41, was taken into custody on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, after he allegedly set fire to a woman’s house on Gilham Avenue in Alton on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. The Alton Police Department arrested Woods and he has been charged with Aggravated Arson, a Class X felony, and Residential Arson, a Class 1 felony. The Aggravated Arson charge alleges Woods knowingly set the fire while someone was inside the home. According to charging documents, Woods ignited the front porch

WOOD RIVER - Mason Shewmake, a senior at East Alton-Wood River High School, has been recognized for his achievements in soccer, earning a spot on the Cahokia Conference All-Conference Team for 2025. Shewmake has played soccer since he was three years old and currently plays club soccer for Gateway Rush. Shewmake is also a Midwest Members Credit Union Male Athlete Of The Month. “I’ve been playing since I was 3, and what I like most about playing soccer is how it has shaped me to do

ST. LOUIS – Communities in the tri-state Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) St. Louis Division safely disposed of 25,726 pounds of unneeded and expired medications, October 25, at the 29th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Nationally, the DEA and its law enforcement partners removed 571,054 pounds of medication at 4,317 collection sites. Nearly 150 law enforcement partners across Kansas, Missouri and Southern Illinois joined the DEA in hosting 216 Take Back Day locations.

EDWARDSVILLE — Edwardsville School District #7 offers a unified sports program to promote inclusion by allowing students with and without disabilities to play together on the same team. Unified sports are currently offered at the middle school and high school levels, with some sports open to students as young as eight years old. This year’s unified sports lineup includes flag football, soccer, bowling, dance, bocce, bags, esports, basketball, and track and field. Looking ahea

BELLEVILLE - Althoff Catholic High School’s math team secured first place in its division for the fall season, capping off their successful run with strong individual and team performances at the final competition. The event, held recently as part of the fall math competition series, saw several Althoff students achieve top rankings. Freshman Marlena Youngmeyer placed first individually, followed closely by fellow freshman Marshall Hagene in second and Mason Barnhart in fourth. Sophomor

ALTON — Joseph Roberts, an Air Force Airman from Alton who served from 1967 to 1973 during the Vietnam War, is honored in a Veteran Salute. Roberts earned the National Defense Service Medal and the AFM 900-3 Vietnam Service Medal in recognition of his military service. The salute was submitted by Gwen Clark-Roberts, who included a message expressing gratitude: “Thank You for your service.” The Veteran Salute form allows community members to recognize and thank local veterans

TROY - The Triad High School Math Team delivered a strong performance Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, at the Southwestern Illinois Math Conference competition, finishing second overall in their division. Eleven of the 12 participating Triad students earned awards, marking a successful conclusion to the season. Triad students demonstrated their mathematical skills against other schools in the region. Triad award winners included Brooklyn Carter, Carter Mallette, Wes Bruns, Brody Busch, Caden

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 15 attorneys general and two cities, filed a comment letter opposing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to rescind the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The program is designed to collect accurate and comprehensive data on greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial sources across the United States. Its primary purpose is to provide policymakers, businesses, researchers and the public with

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office announced today that fire departments across the state are beginning the transition to the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS)—a secure, cloud-based platform built to modernize how emergency incidents are reported and analyzed. Departments across the country are onboarding to NERIS as part of a phased national rollout led by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), the Department of Homeland Security Science

CHICAGO – Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul co-led a multi-state coalition in filing comments opposing a proposed federal rule that would sharply limit the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) ability to hold employers accountable for known hazards in inherently risky professions. The coalition’s comments urge OSHA to withdraw its proposal, which seeks to reinterpret the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The

GLEN ELLYN — Governor JB Pritzker joined local, state, and community leaders today to celebrate the opening of a new facility at the Philip J. Rock Center and School, the only publicly funded residential school for deaf-blind children in the nation. The new facility will provide residency and education for up to 20 full-time students. This project was made possible by a $21.5 million investment from the Governor’s Rebuild Illinois capital program. “For nearly 50 years, the Philip

CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker has proclaimed November as Adoption Awareness Month , joining the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in recognizing the remarkable commitment of thousands of families across the state who have welcomed 20,313 children into their homes over the past decade—providing love, stability and belonging when it was needed most. “Every child deserves a home where they feel loved, supported and safe,” said Governor JB Pritzker.

SPRINGFIELD – Marking a significant step forward in criminal justice reform, State Senator Christopher Belt supported a transformative approach to providing second chances while maintaining critical public safety protections. "The Clean Slate Act gives hope to those looking to start over and do better," said Belt (D-Swansea). "It is important to note that this bill only includes offenses that are currently sealable, we are simply making this process automatic." House Bill 1836 –

SWANSEA - At a Village Board meeting in Swansea, three police officers were recognized for their lifesaving efforts following a serious traffic crash. Swansea Officer Clayton Proffitt and O’Fallon Officers Benjamin Sosa and Michael Shewmaker received Lifesaving Awards for their critical care in assisting a victim who suffered severe injuries to her lower extremities. The officers’ quick assessment and application of multiple tourniquets were credited with playing a key role

ROXANA – State Representative Amy Elik (R-Alton) and experts from Chestnut Health Systems are hosting a FREE Narcan Seminar and Giveaway. There will be two separate seminars and following each presentation attendees will receive Naloxone to take home and use in an emergency. “Opioid overdoses are becoming all too common,” said Rep. Elik. “Naloxone has already saved countless lives, and I’m proud to be teaming up with Chestnut Health Systems to educate the community

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Director Jerry Costello II was selected to receive the Honorary American FFA Degree, an award given to those who advance agricultural education and FFA through outstanding personal commitment. The National FFA Organization works to enhance the lives of youth through agricultural education. Without the efforts of highly dedicated individuals, thousands of young people would not be able to achieve the success that, in turn, contributes

EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County Clerk Linda Andreas announced today that her office has begun utilizing data from the office of Coroner Nick Novacich to ensure that deceased residents are promptly and accurately removed from the county’s voter registration rolls. The collaboration reinforces Andreas’ commitment to election integrity and transparency. “Utilizing this information from the Coroner’s Office, rather than relying on information from the state alone, allows