PIASA - Josie Hagen closed her senior softball season at Southwestern High School with a .467 batting average, 31 RBIs and a college commitment to Southwestern Illinois College, helping lead the Piasa Birds to 18 wins and a deep regional run in late May 2026. Hagen, a multi-sport athlete and infielder for Southwestern, was a key contributor in the cleanup spot during her final high school season. She also hit one home run. Josie is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athlete Of
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a coalition of 19 attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), challenging its rule that would weaken regulations designed to phase out the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in commercial equipment. HFCs are chemicals used for refrigeration and cooling that are potent drivers of climate change, trapping up to 10,000 times more heat in the atmosphere than the equivalent amount of
CAHOKIA HEIGHTS - Approximately 30 high school students spent the morning of July 11, 2026, at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia Heights exploring aircraft, meeting aviation professionals and taking discovery flights as part of the final day of the Southwestern Illinois College Aviation Summer Sampler Camp, a three-day program aimed at introducing students to careers across the aerospace and aviation industry. The airport visit concluded the camp, which was coordinated by ROE40, Southwestern
ALTON - During their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, the Alton Community Unit School District #11 Board of Education approved the graduation date for 2027. This year’s senior class will graduate at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, 2027, at Alton High School. Community members are invited to celebrate these students as they complete their senior year. The Board also approved the purchase of real property for vocational training. They agreed to spend $55,000 on two lots in Woodlands
EDWARDSVILLE - The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said members of the agency, both active and retired, joined other police agencies from Madison County in the 2026 Cycle Across Illinois ride, a July 9-12, 2026, event held from Edwardsville to Chicago to honor fallen law enforcement officers and support their families. The sheriff’s office said the annual ride “once again took to the road for our fallen HEROES” this year. The office said the event has been held
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, sentenced a woman who defrauded Missouri Medicaid with false home health care claims to 15 months in prison. Camille S. Childress, 41, was also ordered to repay $174,496 to Missouri Medicaid. Childress submitted fraudulent documents to enroll her home health care company, Inspiring Angels LLC, with Missouri Medicaid. The paperwork falsely claimed that someone else owned the company. Childress was trying to conceal
BETHALTO – A local man accused of threatening to “shoot up” Bethalto schools and the Bethalto Police Department faces major felony charges in Madison County. Mark J. Schrader, 35, of East Alton, was charged on July 21, 2026 with three Class X felony counts of making a terrorist threat and two Class 3 felony counts of threatening a public official. On July 10, 2026, Schrader allegedly told employees of St. Anthony’s Hospital in Alton that he “intended to shoot up
ST. LOUIS - A man was seriously injured Monday night, July 20, 2026, in a crash in the Penrose neighborhood, where investigators said a Dodge Charger lost control during a turn, struck a curb, and overturned. The crash happened around 8:15 p.m. July 20, 2026, according to a preliminary investigation. Authorities said the Dodge was traveling southbound on North Bircher Boulevard when it lost control while making a left turn onto Penrose. The vehicle then struck a curb and overturned, coming to
ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Division is asking the public for help in a 1980 homicide in south St. Louis, saying investigators hope someone who remembers the case will come forward with information that could help bring justice and closure to the victim’s family. Police said 21-year-old Jerome Williams suffered blunt force trauma during an assault around 2 a.m. on Aug. 30, 1980, outside his residence in the 2700 block of Rutger. He died from
EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that northbound Interstate 55 between the I-55/I-64 split and Exchange Avenue will be reduced to one lane on weekdays beginning Monday, July 27, to perform road maintenance, weather permitting. The lane closures will be in place from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday for approximately five weeks. Motorists should expect long delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers are
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS - A 3-year-old boy from Fairview Heights, Ill., is drawing attention in a Toddler of the Year competition benefiting Marine Toys for Tots, where he is currently in first place in his group, as his fascination with tractors, lawn equipment and skilled trades resonates with supporters online. Grant, featured in a three-minute documentary shared on YouTube , has been captivated since before he could walk by tractors, lawn mowers, construction equipment and the people who operate
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director James Jennings is announcing the next EV Rebate Program application cycle will open Saturday, August 1, 2026, and run through Thursday, December 31, 2026. Forms and instructions on submitting a rebate application are available on the Illinois EPA’s EV Rebate Program webpage beginning today. Applications postmarked or received prior to August 1, 2026 will not be accepted. “Illinois continues to see an increase
CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 17 attorneys general, today filed comments opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rollback on drinking water regulations for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of widely used toxic chemicals that do not naturally break down in the environment, more commonly known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” The rollback means public drinking water systems will not be required by
CARLINVILLE – Blackburn College has announced its Dean’s List for the Spring 2026 semester. Students named to the Dean’s List must earn a grade point average of 3.6 or higher for the semester. Area students include: Alton, IL Alexis Weber Taylor Weber Brighton, IL Gavin Custer Cassidy Gaither Carrollton, IL Jamie Varble Godfrey, IL Christian Windham Granite City, IL Breann Bailey Jerseyville, IL Molli Bohannon Ashley DeSherlia Abigail Droege Ayden
Heat does more than make people uncomfortable. It quietly shapes what they eat, wear, build, celebrate, and even the words they use. That idea sounds simple at first, but it explains a surprising amount of human behavior. In places where heat is intense or long-lasting, traditions often develop as practical answers to daily life. Over time, those answers become habits, then customs, and finally part of cultural identity. A meal that cools the body, a midday pause, a style of clothing, or a nighttim
On July 22, 1942, the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp began, marking one of the most devastating phases of the Holocaust. German authorities presented the action as “resettlement,” but it was in fact part of a systematic plan to murder the Jewish population of occupied Poland. At the time, the deportations shattered one of the largest remaining Jewish communities in Europe. Their importance has only grown with time, because they
JERSEYVILLE – The Jerseyville Police Department gained a new member on Tuesday night, while the Jerseyville Fire Department commended one of its own for his lifesaving use of CPR. The Jerseyville City Council’s July 21, 2026 meeting saw the swearing in of newly hired Patrolman Austin Laing. City Clerk Denise Hayes administered the Oath of Office for Laing, who Police Chief Danny Green said is already proving to be impressive. “We just did our testing and he was number one on
WEST ALTON, MO. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Rivers Project Office is announcing a managed Deer Hunt for Active-Duty Military Members and Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, West Alton MO on November 17,18, and 19. A total of five applicants will be randomly selected to harvest one deer of either sex per hunter, with a maximum of five total deer harvested over the entire hunt. “This hunt at Riverlands is part of the Riverlands
ALTON - A local woman has created a nursing scholarship in honor of her niece, and now, she’s asking the community to help her support single mothers in the nursing field. Jacquesa Taylor was a single mom and nursing student. After Taylor’s passing at age 34, her aunt, Lynn Lumpkins Fulton, decided to create a scholarship in her name. Fulton has awarded three scholarships out of her own pocket with the help of her family's fundraising efforts, and she has gone on to mentor these
EDWARDSVILLE - Sammy Huber was one of Metro East Lutheran’s key performers during the Knights’ 2026 baseball season, batting over .500 with 38 hits and 26 RBIs while finishing his career with a batting average over .400. Game after game, Huber produced at the plate for Metro East Lutheran, prompting head coach Reed Harmon to describe his performance in simple terms during the season. Huber is a BJ's Printables Male Athlete Of The Month for the Knights. “He has been hitting
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