Riverbender 🕸

ALTON - The James Killion Beautification & Enhancement Committee is inviting the public to James Killion Day 2026 on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at James Killion Park for a pre-Memorial Day celebration honoring the legacy of James Killion Jr. and highlighting this year’s youth-focused theme, “It’s All About the Children — Invest in Them Now!” The all-day event will feature an afternoon ceremony from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday and an evening community concert from 6 to 8 p.m.,

ALTON - Vintage Voices is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and you are invited to audition to be a part of the tours. Auditions will be held Saturday, June 6, 2026, at YWCA Southwestern Illinois, 304 E 3rd St, Alton, Illinois 62002. Actors interested in auditioning should reserve a time slot in advance. Auditions will take place from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Click here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0549AEA62AA7FCC25-62725093-vintage#/ . The 25th Anniversary tours will feature eight

MARYVILLE - The Village of Maryville will show off its new entertainment pavilion and celebrate America’s 250th anniversary at a Memorial Day event. On Saturday, May 23, 2026, community members from across the region are invited to Firemen’s Park in Maryville for a day of barbecue, games, live music and more. There will also be a ribbon-cutting at 5 p.m. to mark the installation of the new American Legion Entertainment Pavilion. Mayor Wayne White encourages people to come out an

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12) today applauds the passage of H.R. 1041, the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act. This legislation introduced by Bost prevents the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from stripping veterans of their Second Amendment rights solely because they require financial assistance in managing their benefits. “Tonight the House passed my Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act. No veteran should lose their Second Amendment rights simply because

GRANITE CITY – A Granite City man accused of impregnating a 16-year-old and possessing child sexual abuse material of the same victim currently remains in custody. Eli L. Winters, 26, of Granite City, was charged May 19, 2026, with one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault (a Class X felony), one count of criminal sexual assault (a Class 1 felony), and three counts of child sexual abuse material, including two Class X felonies and one Class 1 felony. From Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024,

FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced ramp and lane closures at the Interstate 64 and Illinois 159 interchange in St. Clair County for ramp maintenance work. Starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, the following ramps will close: Southbound Illinois 159 to westbound I-64 Northbound Illinois 159 to westbound I-64 Westbound I-64 to Illinois 159 At the same time, northbound Illinois 159 will be reduced to one lane at I-64. Two northbound lanes are

EDWARDSVILLE/MITCHELL/PONTOON BEACH - With conversations about a possible sale of Special Service Area No. 1 to Illinois American Water, the Madison County Board heard from several residents, and Chairman Chris Slusser addressed “false information” surrounding the potential sale. Illinois American Water has offered $35 million for SSA #1, which serves customers in the Mitchell and Pontoon Beach areas. During the Madison County Board’s regular meeting on Wednesday, May 20,

Growth is one of the few things people almost never leave unmarked. A toddler’s first step gets applause. A teenager’s graduation brings speeches and photos. A company that hits a major goal throws a party. Even a person who quietly sticks to a new habit may reward themselves with a special meal or a day off. We do not just grow. We notice it, name it, and celebrate it. That instinct says something important about human life. Growth can be slow, uneven, and hard to see while it i

On May 22, one of the most consequential events in modern world history is the 1960 earthquake in Chile, the strongest ever instrumentally recorded. Known as the Great Chilean Earthquake, it measured 9.5 in magnitude and struck near Valdivia, causing widespread destruction across southern Chile. Entire communities were damaged or swept away, thousands of people were killed or injured, and the disaster triggered tsunamis that crossed the Pacific and caused deaths as far away as Hawaii, Japan,

GODFREY – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced the closure of Cook Street between Greenwood Lane and the midpoint of the main entrance to the Evangelical United Church of Christ beginning Tuesday, May 26, weather permitting, for road reconstruction. During the closure, access to the Evangelical United Church of Christ will be maintained from Pierce Lane using the west portion of Cook Street. The east portion will be closed to traffic. Work is expected to be completed

ALTON/JERSEY – A Jerseyville man charged with fleeing from police and a Brighton man accused of assaulting someone with a vehicle face felonies in separate cases. Cody L. Wells, 33, of Jerseyville, was charged with a Class 4 felony count of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer on May 13, 2026. Wells allegedly knowingly attempted to elude an Alton Police officer who had signaled for Wells to stop the vehicle he was driving on March 26, 2026. His attempted flight from

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County prosecutors have charged two teenagers in connection with a shooting that damaged multiple homes and vehicles, authorities said Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said May 20, 2026, that Malachi Lane, 19, of the 8400 block of Concord Place in St. Louis, and Courtenay Rogers, 18, of the 11000 block of Sugar Pines Court in Florissant, Mo., were each charged with unlawful use of a weapon, subsection 9 —

GRANITE CITY – A Madison man who allegedly shot at an occupied vehicle with an illegally possessed handgun is currently in custody. Montez L. Fuller, 43, of Madison, Ill., was charged with two Class 1 felony counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and one Class 2 felony count of felon in possession of a weapon on May 14, 2026. Two days earlier, on May 12, Fuller allegedly knowingly discharged a firearm in the direction of a vehicle that he knew or should have known was occupied by

ALTON - As Alton Middle School’s eighth graders completed their final day of school, the community gathered to congratulate them. On Thursday, May 21, 2026, families and community members lined the sidewalks of Alton Middle School to honor the Class of 2030 as they prepare to transition to Alton High School. Principal Dr. Brian Saenz noted that it was “emotional,” with some “anxiety” about next year, but also a lot of excitement. “All the tears that yo

GRAFTON — The 37th annual Two Rivers Family Fishing Fair will be held Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pere Marquette State Park near Grafton on Illinois 100, offering free fishing, outdoor activities, and entertainment for families. “We want to get kids hooked on fishing, and the Family Fishing Fair helps connect kids and families to fun outdoor activities,” said IDNR Urban Fishing Coordinator Scott Isringhausen. “Thanks to our generous sponsors, we can

ALTON - The crowd was fired up as Alton Middle School students took on staff members in an end-of-year basketball game. On Thursday, May 21, 2026, the school celebrated the start of the summer with a major game between staff members and the boys and girls basketball teams. Alton Middle School Athletic Director Scott Harper said they were competing for “some bragging rights fun,” but it was an intense game as students and staff battled it out on the court. The eighth grade basketball

GODFREY – An internet company’s plans to build a new underground fiber optic network in Godfrey were shut down by Village Board members this week. Trustees voted 0-6 in a unanimous rejection of a Right of Way license agreement with Socket Telecom LLC (or “Socket Fiber”) at their May 19, 2026 meeting. The agreement would have covered the installation and restoration requirements involved in installing a fiber optic network within the village. According to a memo from

A LTON - First Presbyterian Church of Alton will host a jazz soiree and open house to celebrate its 195th anniversary. From 3–6 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026, community members are invited to First Presbyterian Church in Alton for the event. Pastor Ian Caveny is excited to celebrate the church’s history and share its presence with the Alton community. He emphasized the importance of connecting with the congregation and the Riverbend community. “I’m just here

WITT, ILLINOIS – We all know what a tremendous save looks like in sports — a diving catch, a last-second block, a play that changes everything. But what does a tremendous save look like in natural gas safety? In Witt, Illinois, it started with a quiet alert from advanced metering technology and ended with a coordinated response that prevented what could have been a devastating explosion. A Warning Before Anyone Knew The incident began not with a customer call, but with data.

ST. LOUIS – A teenage felon from St. Louis on Thursday admitted being caught with a machine gun after a police chase. Juanell Carter, 19, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. On the afternoon of Aug. 26, 2025, the St. Ann Police Department was alerted about a stolen 2024 Nissan Altima on Page Avenue. A St. Ann police lieutenant spotted the vehicle backing into a parking spot at a convenience store. Carter was behind