ALTON - A few Alton High School students were recognized for their participation in a national competition. During the regular Alton Community Unit School District #11 Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2026, the Board honored Lily Burns, Lillian Fazio, Carter Stahl and Trenton Wilson for their success in the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) program. Kelsie Davison, who teaches Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) at Alton High School, introduced the
ALTON - Community members who want to learn more about taxes in retirement can join an upcoming free lunch and learn. At 12 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, Stephens Planning will host a free informational lunch and learn at The Wedge in Alton. Financial planner Curtis Stephens will answer common questions about retirement planning and taxes. He encourages people to come out and learn more, adding that there’s no right or wrong place to start. “It’s always one day at a
GODFREY – More than 600 guests, including 365 incoming students, converged on Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey Campus on Thursday, Aug. 20, for Trailblazer Welcome Day. The annual event is a chance for students and their families to learn about student services, clubs and activities, meet instructors, and find their classes in preparation for the semester, which begins Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. "It was great welcoming so many students with their friends and family
ALTON – Two people charged in separate cases involving damage to AT&T cables face felonies in Jersey and Madison Counties. Robert C. Kenshalo, 50, of Alton, was charged on Aug. 14, 2026 with a Class 3 felony count of theft and a Class 4 felony count of tampering with communication services for remuneration (a Class 4 felony). Kenshalo allegedly stole over $500 worth of telecommunications wire or cables belonging to AT&T on April 7, 2026 before using, concealing, or abandoning the property.
ALTON — Club Car Wash has begun demolition at the former Auto Butler site on Homer Adams Parkway in Alton, where it plans to build a new car wash facility with the latest technology after Auto Butler closed permanently following 20 years in business. Auto Butler owners Lisa Heims-Stout and Gary Stout retired and Club Car Wash purchased the property, Lisa Heims-Stout said Saturday, June 20, 2026. She said Club Car Wash purchased the property where Auto Butler had operated, but not the business
EDWARDSVILLE — A Madison County jury found an Alton man guilty of attempted murder after prosecutors said he shot another man four times outside a Locust Street residence in Alton, Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. The jury found Samuel J. Chatman, 31, guilty of attempted murder, a Class X felony; aggravated battery with a firearm, a Class X felony; possession of a firearm by a repeat felon, a Class X felony; and aggravated discharge of
HARDIN - The Calhoun County Fair promises a fun weekend featuring a carnival, live music, 4-H displays, pageants, a parade and plenty more. From Sept. 10–13, 2026, community members can stop by the Calhoun County Fairgrounds for a weekend of “classic” fair entertainment, said organizer Patrick Simon. He added that the greater community is welcome to join the fair and check out what they have to offer, and he hopes all attendees enjoy visiting Hardin and experiencing the fair
GRANITE CITY – A man from Granite City has been charged with various financial crimes stemming from an alleged fraudulent scooter purchase using an elderly victim’s personal information. Jeffrey F. Pointer Jr., 38, of Granite City, was charged on Aug. 11, 2026, with one count each of continuing a financial crimes enterprise (a Class 1 felony), aggravated identity theft, identity theft (both Class 2 felonies), financial institution fraud, and misappropriation of financial institution
BETHALTO - Community members can help Civic Memorial High School students by donating their unused calculators. Bethalto Community Unit School District #8 is hosting its first Calculator Drive. People who have calculators they no longer use can connect with Civic Memorial to donate these tools. The goal, explained Principal Justin Newell, is to ensure no student lacks the supplies they need to learn. “That’s one of the biggies that kids need,” he said. “Getting calculator
ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is joining Facing Fentanyl , to unite families, communities and organizations across the country in recognizing National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, Friday, August 21. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the national observance which honors and remembers the lives lost to fentanyl poisoning. This year’s theme, “Power of the Parent,” recognizes the critical role parents and families play in shaping
The mind often gets louder just as life starts getting quieter. That shift helps explain why late summer so often sparks reflection. The calendar has not fully turned, yet something feels as if it is already changing. Long plans begin to wind down. Vacations end. School routines return. Gardens fade. The days still hold warmth, but there is a subtle sense of narrowing. In that in-between space, many people find themselves looking back as much as they look ahead. Reflection during late summer
On August 21, one of the most important events in world history is the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, where Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III and took the English crown as Henry VII. At the time, this battle ended the long and damaging Wars of the Roses, a struggle between rival royal houses that had weakened England for decades. It mattered immediately because it brought a new ruling dynasty, the Tudors, to power and restored a measure of political stability. It still matters today because
ALTON - Riverbend residents will have a chance to watch most of the moon slip into Earth's shadow next week as a partial lunar eclipse crosses the night sky. The eclipse will take place Thursday night, Aug. 27, into the early morning hours of Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, and will be visible across much of North and South America as well as portions of Europe and Africa. NASA lists the event as a partial lunar eclipse. For viewers in Alton and the surrounding Riverbend area, the eclipse will begin
This Day in Music History: Aug. 21 On Aug. 21, 1935, Benny Goodman and his orchestra opened at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, a date widely recognized as the start of the swing era. The engagement was a decisive reversal for a band that had spent months on a difficult cross-country tour after its coast-to-coast radio run on NBC’s “Let’s Dance.” At the Palomar, Goodman’s tightly arranged, hard-driving dance music found the young audience it had been seeking.
ALTON — Alton Police are investigating a shooting that left one person seriously injured Thursday afternoon, Aug. 20, 2026, in the 800 block of East Sixth Street. Officers were dispatched at about 1:52 p.m. Aug. 20, 2026, for a report of shots fired and a person shot, according to the Alton Police Department. Police said officers secured the scene and rendered aid to the victim until Alton Fire Department personnel arrived. The victim was taken to a local hospital and later transferred
EDWARDSVILLE – An East Alton man with a prior theft conviction faces new theft charges after allegedly taking tip jars from a series of Edwardsville restaurants. Sheldon D. Williams, 31, of East Alton, was charged on Aug. 13, 2026 with three counts of theft (each Class 4 felonies) and one count of driving while license is suspended (a Class a misdemeanor). Williams allegedly stole tip jars containing cash from three different restaurants in Edwardsville on July 8, 2026. These included Pok
WOOD RIVER – Wood River officials are exploring ways to encourage development in a mostly vacant section of the city. City Council members approved two items related to the establishment of a new Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district on Aug. 17, 2026. These include a feasibility study for the proposed TIF 4 area and an agreement with PGAV planners to determine whether any or all of the area would be eligible under the TIF Act. The resolutions indicate Wood River city staff will conduct
EDWARDSVILLE — Police and fire crews responded about 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, to Troy Road at Franklin Avenue after a motor vehicle crash in which a green SUV appeared to have been rear-ended by another vehicle that left the scene, City of Edwardsville spokesperson Cathy Hensley said. An adult female passenger in the SUV was taken to a local area hospital for evaluation and treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening, Hensley said. The crash report has not been completed,
EDWARDSVILLE — A woman was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a two-vehicle crash about 1:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, at New Poag Road and North University Drive, according to Cathy Hensley, a spokesperson for the City of Edwardsville. The Edwardsville Police Department and Edwardsville Fire Department responded to the crash, which involved a black Acura SUV and a white Chevrolet passenger car, Hensley said. The woman was transported by an Edwardsville
GRANITE CITY - Madison County Coroner Nicholas P. Novacich on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 20, 2026, identified Linda Ellis, 76, as the Granite City area woman who died early this morning at Gateway Regional Medical Center after she was removed from her Johnson Road residence following a structure fire. The Granite City Fire Department was responding to an unrelated medical call when firefighters observed flames coming from the windows of Ellis’ residence, according to the coroner’s
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