On August 18, the most widely remembered turning point in world history is the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920, which prohibited denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. The amendment was the result of decades of organizing, petitioning, public protest, and political negotiation by women’s rights campaigners and their allies. At the time, it mattered because it expanded formal political participation to millions of women in one of th
The familiar “first-day outfit,” the sharpened pencils, the photo at the front door, the dreaded summer-reading essay—none of these rituals appeared by accident. Back-to-school traditions grew out of practical needs, social expectations, and a long effort to turn children into students on a schedule. School feels routine now. Families buy supplies, teachers decorate classrooms, and children compare schedules as if these things have always existed. But many of the customs linked
WOOD RIVER – The construction of a new park in downtown Wood River is moving forward at a lower cost than previously estimated. Wood River City Council members voted unanimously on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026 to approve a $1,189,990 bid from Pfund Construction to construct City Center Park. City Manager Steve Palen said this marks the result of a rebidding process prompted by the previous constructions bids being rejected after coming in significantly higher than estimated. Previously rejected
RANDOLPH COUNTY – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced a Coulterville, Illinois man was sentenced to 18 years in prison today for possessing child sexual abuse material. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online. Kelly Kane, 41, was sentenced today in Randolph County Circuit Court after
BELLEVILLE - A 44-year-old man died after being taken to a local hospital following a traffic accident at Old St. Louis Road and Westfield Plaza Drive, the Belleville Police Department said on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. The department said the man “succumbed to his injuries and passed away” after the crash. The Belleville Police Department and the Illinois State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident. Belleville
ALTON - Community members are invited to the ultimate date night on the river at Alton’s Jazz and Wine Festival. From 6–10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, the Alton Amphitheater will host the festival featuring performances by Kasimu Taylor, Playadors, and Butcher Brown. Wine and charcuterie will be available for purchase. Amphitheater Commissioner Abby Haynes explained that this year’s festival serves as a tribute to Miles Davis. “Miles should be celebrated,”
GRANITE CITY – Residents of Granite City and Missouri have been charged with stealing thousands from the same elderly victim for nearly two months. Todd D. Morris, 45, of Granite City, and Branton D. Eldridge, 43, of Florissant, Mo., were both charged on Aug. 13, 2026 with one count each of aggravated identity theft (both Class 2 felonies) and theft by deception (both Class 3 felonies). From July 1 to Aug. 31, 2025, Eldridge allegedly knowingly used the personal identifying information
DOW - Community members can enjoy a 35-year tradition at the Tri-County Antique Club’s annual Olden Days Festival. From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, the Tri-County Antique Club will host its 35th festival for families to enjoy. Live entertainment, a car show, tractor pulls, demonstrations, and a flea market all headline the festival, with plenty more planned. It’s such a good event, such a family-oriented event,”
EDWARDSVILLE - A woman caring for her neighbors’ dogs was taken to a hospital after being bitten and suffering numerous wounds on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Edwardsville, according to Cathy A. Hensley, communications coordinator for the City of Edwardsville. Hensley said officers and Edwardsville Fire Department paramedics responded about 6:45 p.m.on Aug. 14 to the 500 block of North Buchanan Street in Edwardsville. She said the injured woman was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
ALTON — The Alton Police Department has completed renovations to its Command Center at the department after more than 25 years of continuous operation, a project intended to improve workspace functionality, equipment, and support for police and emergency services. The Alton Police Department said the Command Center is fully operational and serves as its operational hub. The room houses the 911 phone system, dispatch terminals, emergency communications equipment, CCTV monitoring systems,
BETHALTO - The Bethalto Community Unit School District #8 has officially opened the Eagle Nation Community Box, a way to combat food insecurity. Located behind the Central Office in Bethalto, the Community Box allows people to leave and take food items, school supplies, hygiene products, and other necessities. Civic Memorial High School Principal Justin Newell helped oversee the project, and he is pleased to report it’s already working. “Believe it or not, I’ve already
A calendar can tell you the date, but it cannot fully explain why some months feel busy, hopeful, slow, or restless. For that, people have long relied on something larger and more visible: the changing rhythm of the year. Seasons do more than describe temperature or daylight. They help us organize work, food, celebration, memory, and even emotion. Why seasons matter beyond the weather Most people think of seasons as a simple part of nature: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. But for humans,
On August 17, the event with the widest and most lasting global impact is the beginning of Indonesian independence in 1945. On that day, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed that Indonesia was free from colonial rule, just days after Japan’s surrender in the Second World War. At the time, the declaration did not end conflict right away; it began a difficult struggle against returning Dutch control. Even so, it mattered immediately because it gave millions of people across a vast archipelago
ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Metropolitan Police District 4 detectives are investigating after a 34-year-old man was critically injured in a shooting that followed a dispute with a 35-year-old man he knew, authorities said on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. The dispute began in the 2700 block of Howard and continued into Downtown St. Louis, where gunfire erupted near Olive and Tucker. A preliminary investigation found the 34-year-old man, driving an Infiniti, pursued the 35-year-old man, who was driving a Toyota
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias today launched a new statewide public awareness campaign encouraging Illinoisans to become organ and tissue donors and pass along something meaningful: the gift of life. The new campaign begins airing today on broadcast and cable television, radio, digital and social media platforms across Illinois to increase awareness and encourage more residents to join the state’s Organ/Tissue Donor Registry. “We pass down
ALTON — The Alton Police Department will join more than 200 law enforcement agencies across Illinois from now through the early morning hours of Sept. 8, 2026, in a Labor Day traffic safety effort aimed at stopping impaired, distracted and unsafe driving. The department will participate in the statewide “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” “Drive High. Get a DUI” and “Click It or Ticket” campaigns. Officers will focus on impaired driving, seat belt enforcement
JERSEYVILLE – Felony charges have been filed against one of the suspects in an alleged mob action and public battery incident in Jerseyville. 18-year-old Hayden M. Womack of Grafton was charged on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 in Jersey County court with one count each of aggravated battery in a public place (a Class 3 felony) and mob action (a Class 4 felony). Charging documents state Womack knowingly gathered with two other individuals, including another 18-year-old and a minor, and engaged i
BELLEVILLE — Belleville City Council members are scheduled to vote at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, on a winter safety plan that would provide overnight shelter at the McCormick Center at the Cathedral of St. Peter within the Catholic Diocese for people with no place to go when temperatures fall to 20 degrees or below. The plan is intended to protect people on the coldest winter nights and address safety concerns in the city, according to Kara Moore, a social worker who is chairwoman
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police’s (ISP) new Bicycle Response Team is on a roll this summer as it hits the streets of the Illinois State Fair for the first of many large-scale events the Team is expected to attend in support of ISP’s mission of protecting public safety. The Bicycle Response Team was established to increase operational mobility, visibility, and service during events where traditional patrol vehicles are less effective due to crowds and environmental restrictions
SPRINGFIELD – Invasive carp sampling crews removed several hundred small silver carp from the Marseilles Pool of the Illinois River, about 80 miles from Lake Michigan, on Thursday and Friday as part of routine intensive monitoring of the upper river. The fish ranged in size from about 4 to 6 inches long, and the discovery marks the first time invasive carp of this size have been found this far upriver since the monitoring program began in 2010. The location indicates a spawning event
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