COLLINSVILLE - The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Festival will return to Collinsville on Saturday, June 20, from 2 to 7 p.m. at Old Herald Square, with this year’s event marking the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and the 77th birthday of the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle historic landmark. The festival will feature the Giant Idaho Potato Truck Tour and the Great Race Route 66 Road Rally. Organizers said the event will include activities such as the Princess Tomato and Sir Catsup
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After Donald Trump signed a bill that gifts $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today highlighted a list of ways this money could be used to lower costs and improve lives of Illinoisans instead. Duckworth and Durbin have repeatedly opposed any more funding for ICE and Border Patrol in their push for commonsense
ST. LOUIS - A sinkhole near Interstate 44 and North Broadway in downtown St. Louis continued to disrupt traffic Sunday, June 14, 2026, as the City of St. Louis and partner agencies, including the Missouri Department of Transportation, responded ahead of the Monday morning commute. In an update issued June 14, 2026, city officials said the sinkhole site has been contained and secured, while multiple street and highway closures remain in place in the area. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources
CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) announced $24.7 million in funding for 434 entities through the Illinois Pharmacy Support Program, an initiative to strengthen access to pharmacy services across Illinois. The program was designed to assist pharmacies around the state most at risk of closure or financial strain, particularly those serving in rural areas,
BELLEVILLE – Designed for rising students in grades 10 to 12, the Crime Scene to Court program introduces students to the investigation of a possible crime, the processing of forensic evidence, and using the analysis of that evidence at a mock trial. Students will process a mock crime scene where they will learn through experience as they collect evidence. They will complete laboratory analyses on some of the evidence acquired and conclude with legal training, to prepare as witnesses
GLEN CARBON - Lyla Hickam was a freshman for the girls soccer team at Father McGivney Catholic High School this season and made key contributions to the Griffins' IHSA Class 1A state championship season as a defender, which ended with a 3-0 win over Pleasant Plains in the final on June 6, 2026, at North Central College in Naperville. During the season, Hickam also scored one goal and had two assists for four points, providing a lift of energy throughout the season as a freshman starter. She
A couple posts an engagement photo, and within minutes the comments fill up: hearts, jokes, blessings, advice, and sometimes even tears from people far away. Love may begin between two people, but it rarely stays private for long. People have a strong urge to make love visible, and that urge says something important about how we live together. Love is personal, but public celebration gives it social meaning. A wedding, an anniversary dinner, a hand held in the street, a Valentine card on a desk
On June 13, 1525, the German reformer Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora, a former nun, in Wittenberg. At the time, the marriage mattered far beyond their household. Luther was already one of the central figures of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that challenged the authority and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. By marrying, he made a public statement about religion, family life, and the role of clergy in Christian society. The event still matters today because it helped reshape
ALTON, Ill. — A person was found dead inside a burning pickup truck after a crash late Sunday in Alton, authorities said. Officers with the Alton Police Department were dispatched at about 11:22 p.m. Sunday, June 14, 2026, to the 2200 block of State Street for a traffic crash involving a vehicle on fire. When officers arrived, they found a pickup truck fully engulfed in flames in the front yard of a residence. A preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle was traveling northbound
On June 15, 1215, King John of England agreed to the Magna Carta at Runnymede, a meadow beside the River Thames. At the time, it was meant to settle a crisis between the king and a group of rebel barons who were angry about heavy taxes, failed wars, and what they saw as arbitrary rule. The agreement did not create democracy in the modern sense, and it did not immediately bring peace. Even so, it mattered because it put into writing the idea that a ruler’s power could be limited by law.
ALTON — Emergency crews responded to a traffic crash late Sunday night in the 2200 block of State Street after a truck reportedly struck several parked vehicles before coming to rest in the front yard of a residence. The crash occurred just before midnight, prompting a response from the Alton Police Department and Alton Fire Department. According to initial reports from the scene, the truck traveled along State Street, hitting multiple parked cars before leaving the roadway and stopping
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police have identified the man killed in a shooting Friday night in the 10100 block of Winkler Drive as Grady Rhodes, 44, of the 10200 block of Green Valley Drive in St. Louis, Missouri 63136. The St. Louis County Police Department said in a release dated June 13, 2026, that Bureau of Crimes Against Persons detectives are investigating the shooting, which resulted in the death of an adult male. Officers from the St. Louis County Police North County Precinct
EAST ST. LOUIS - Illinois State Police said Sunday, June 14, 2026, that officers arrested 24 people and filed 40 criminal charges during a violent crime suppression detail conducted June 11-12, 2026, in St. Clair and Madison counties, with a focus on East St. Louis and nearby Metro East communities. The operation, announced in a June 14, 2026, release, targeted what state police described as known high-crime areas, violent offenders, and structured criminal groups. Illinois State Police
GRANITE CITY – A Granite City woman accused of bringing over 100 grams of meth into Illinois from out of state faces major felony charges. Stephanie D. Mills, 49, of Granite City, was charged with one count each of methamphetamine trafficking and unlawful possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine, both Class X felonies. Mills is accused of knowingly bringing over 100 grams of methamphetamine into the State of Illinois for the purpose of delivering the controlled substance
ST. LOUIS - No injuries were reported after multiple water main breaks triggered sinkholes near Interstate 70 and The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis on Saturday, June 13, 2026, prompting major road closures downtown and in the near-north area, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Missouri Department of Transportation. The collapses emerged near the Broadway and Biddle Street/Cass Avenue exits, blocking lanes and disrupting traffic on I-70
GRANITE CITY – An area sex offender accused of failing to register on multiple occasions faces his latest felony charges in Madison County. Traveonne M. Clark, 40, listed as homeless out of Granite City, was charged on June 12, 2026 with two counts of unlawful failure to register as a sex offender, both Class 2 felonies. As a sex offender who lacks a fixed address in Madison County, Clark allegedly failed to report weekly in person to the Granite City Police Chief as required under the
Flag Day is not a federal holiday, yet it helped shape one of the most familiar symbols in American life. Every day, people pass flags outside schools, post offices, car dealerships, front porches, and stadiums without thinking much about how that custom took hold. Flag Day is the moment when the United States pauses to focus on the flag itself—where it came from, what it has meant at different times, and why it still stirs strong feelings. Its history is not just about one date on a calendar
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States. At the time, this was a practical and symbolic step during the American Revolution. The colonies were trying to define themselves as a separate political community, and a shared flag helped represent that goal at sea, in military camps, and in diplomacy. Its long-term importance goes beyond one country’s national symbol. The decision showed how flags can become powerful markers
GODFREY -Twelve area youth spent four days learning construction skills and creating hands-on projects during Lewis and Clark Community College's annual Construction Camp, hosted June 8-11 through the college's Adult Education program at the Scott Bibb Center. Campers, ages 12-15, worked alongside nine YouthBuild AmeriCorps student leaders in the construction shop, receiving one-on-one instruction while building a variety of projects. Throughout the week, participants constructed wooden mancal
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Despite advancing the very same provision through the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) last year, SASC Republicans blocked U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s (D-IL) provision to provide IVF coverage for our servicemembers from being included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Duckworth’s provision—which mirrors her IVF for Military Families Act —would have required TRICARE coverage of fertility
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