ALTON - Duke Bakery marked its 75th anniversary on July 1, 2026 , at Haskell Park during the “250 on the Mississippi” Festival, where city officials proclaimed Duke Bakery Day in Alton and the business introduced its new “Duke on the Go” mobile trailer. The celebration featured a ceremonial cutting of a 75-foot-long cake, along with live music, contests and patriotic activities. The event highlighted the bakery’s long history in the community. Mayor David Goin
ALTON - Duke Bakery, a full-line retail bakery with a 75-year history in Alton, marked its milestone anniversary at a celebration event at Haskell Park on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, and said the turnout and community response was overwhelming. Founded in 1951 by Christ and Helen Doucleff, Duke Bakery has grown across generations while continuing to serve the Riverbend area with bakery items including wedding and specialty cakes, doughnuts, pastries, pies, breads, buns and cookies. Amy Hollis,
EDWARDSVILLE — Glen-Ed Pantry has received a $500,000 gift from Gordon and Holly Broom to support the nonprofit’s capital campaign to build a new facility, a project the organization says will expand its ability to serve individuals and families experiencing food insecurity throughout the region. The donation was announced as Glen-Ed Pantry works to raise $3 million by the end of 2026 for the new building. The pantry broke ground on the facility in May 2026 and expects construction
GRANITE CITY — Xavier Harris, a rising sophomore guard on the Granite City High School boys basketball team, is focused on helping the Warriors in the 2026-27 season after contributing as a freshman and continuing his development during summer play, according to coach Gerard Moore. Xaiver is a Stillwater Senior Living Male Athlete Of The Month. Harris, a 6-foot guard, said his approach entering the season is centered on doing his part as Granite City looks ahead to the new campaign.
EDWARDSVILLE – Madison County Clerk, Linda Andreas, announced that the recent United States Supreme Court decision regarding vote-by-mail ballots does not require any changes to how vote-by-mail ballots are administered or counted in Madison County. The court upheld the authority of states to count vote-by-mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day and received within the time period established by state law. Illinois has long provided that vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before
ALTON - Community members can learn how to protect their financial futures at an upcoming seminar. From 12–1 p.m. on Friday, July 10, 2026, at The Wedge in Alton, Stephens Planning will host an Estate & Tax Planning Lunch & Learn. Curtis Stephens with Stephens Planning and Elizabeth “Liz” Heller with Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C., will share information about basic estate planning mistakes, how estate taxes can impact your family, and how to transfer wealth effectively.
JERSEYVILLE - July 2, 2026, marked 15 years since Jared Hanna, a Jerseyville man who was 28 at the time, disappeared without a trace after he was last seen July 2, 2011, in Centralia in Clinton County. Hanna, a 28-year-old father of two from Jerseyville, was last seen on the morning of July 2, 2011, when he left his home. Later that day, surveillance video captured him purchasing a soft drink at a convenience store before leaving the area. Cell phone records later showed his phone near East
CHICAGO — Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined legislators and community members at Sway Dispensary to celebrate the passage of SB 3222, landmark legislation that prohibits the sale of intoxicating hemp to minors and advances safety, equity, and oversight in the cannabis industry. Signed into law last month , SB 3222 provides commonsense regulations around intoxicating hemp products — including Delta-8, THC-P, and HHC — that had previously been sold outside Illinois' regulated
FERGUSON, MO. - A local family is grieving after a beloved mother was shot and killed in Ferguson, Mo., on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, after getting caught in crossfire at a BP gas station. The loved ones of 35-year-old Shakeela Martin, identified as the victim, are now turning to the community for help. Martin is a mother of five. Loved ones have asked the region for help with funeral costs and support for her children. According to a GoFundMe organized by Whittley Anderson , Martin had taken
AVISTON - Bryce Wieter struck out six en route to throwing a five-inning no-hitter as the Aviston Post 1239 Express totally shut down Alton Post 126, taking a 10-0 win over the Legionnaires in a District 22 American Legion baseball game played Tuesday night, June 30, 2026, at Aviston. Post 126's Senior Legion team is now 12-8 overall as the calendar turns to the Fourth of July weekend, with an important Fourth of July weekend tournament around the corner, and the District 22 playoffs coming
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that lanes that have been closed for construction will reopen, where possible, for the Independence Day weekend to minimize travel disruption. Non-emergency closures will be suspended from 3 p.m. Thursday, July 2, to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 5. The following lane closures will remain in place during the holiday weekend. The public can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through these areas. Drivers
ALTON – For young adults who left high school before earning a diploma, Lewis and Clark Community College's YouthBuild program offers more than a path back to the classroom. It provides career training, leadership development and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the community. Serving students ages 16 to 24, YouthBuild combines high school diploma instruction with hands-on construction training, paying students while they learn and preparing them for careers in the skilled trades.
SPRINGFIELD – “Dangerously high heat and humidity is expected to continue across Illinois over the holiday weekend, and we have several weeks of summer remaining,” said Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Doug Scott. “We want Illinoisans to stay cool and safe, without putting themselves at financial risk of being unable to afford their electric bills.” Consumers can keep their homes and businesses cool while lowering the energy impact of peak summertime electric
CHICAGO – As communities across the state continue to clean up and rebuild after multiple rounds of damaging spring storms, Attorney General Kwame Raoul 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 into communities to take advantage of people with damage to their homes or businesses. Raoul noted these “storm chasers”
SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) officially begins operations as Illinois’ first agency focused entirely on early childhood programs and services. The agency joins together programs previously administered by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD). “As a long-tim
SPRINGFIELD – With extremely high temperatures and humidity impacting the entire state, the Illinois Department of Transportation is cautioning the public to be on the lookout for pavement failures on roads and to stay alert for crews making emergency repairs. Pavement failures, buckling and blowouts occur with little warning during periods of prolonged heat and humidity, resulting in uneven driving surfaces. While it’s impossible to predict where or when these failures might
Fireworks began as a failed kitchen experiment. According to a long-told story from China, an early alchemist mixed saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal while searching for something far more valuable: a potion for eternal life. Instead, the mixture burned fast and violently. That mistake helped create one of the world’s most recognizable forms of celebration. What started as sparks and noise in ancient China eventually became the organized, colorful sky shows seen at national holidays, weddings,
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution declaring that the American colonies were free and independent from Great Britain. Although July 4 later became the better-known date because it was attached to the public adoption of the Declaration of Independence, July 2 was the day the formal break was decided. At the time, this was a major turning point in the Atlantic world. It transformed a colonial rebellion into a struggle for statehood and helped inspire
NASHVILLE, Ill. — A Nashville Community High School baseball coach and local teacher, Chad E. Malawy, was charged in Washington County Circuit Court after an investigation by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Nashville Police Department into alleged sex crimes, authorities said. He entered a not guilty plea on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. T.J. Matthes, of the St. Louis-based firm Rosenblum, Schwartz, Fry and Johnson, is representing Malaway in the case. Malawy, 54
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - Munyaradzi Chiturumani has been taken into custody without incident, authorities said, after St. Louis County Police investigated a child abduction and stabbing tied to a domestic incident Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in the 1400 block of Shadycreek Court. The St. Louis County Police Department said additional information will be disseminated as it becomes available. According to previously released information, officers from the Central County Precinct responded at about 5 p.m.
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