Riverbender 🕸

ALTON - Alton has become very known for its Annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration over the years. On June 17, the 32nd Annual Juneteenth will be held at James H. Killion Park (formerly Salu Park) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Set up begins at 7:30 a.m. and opening ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m. Abe Lee Barham, one of the organizers of the event, said: "The Juneteenth Celebration is a community effort to celebrate the memory of 1865 freedom for African Americans in the history of the United States. Our ancestors were slaves/property in 1776 when independence was declared for the United States - July 4). Barham said all pastors, praise dancers, choirs, soloists, praise teams, poets, food vendors, storytellers, creative artists, musicians craft/merchandise vendors and those who portray famous black Americans should sign up for the event. "This is a most commemorative event and if you plan to participate contact Marquato Rattler (618) 910-7422, Anne Johnson at (618) 466-9369 or Lee Barham at (618

Continue Reading

WOOD RIVER - Wood River City Council members voted to delay the reappointments of Sara Hall, Sheila Angel, and Shelly Fitzgerald, as well as the new appointment of Kristen Burns, to the city’s Planning Commission. Jesse Daniels was to be appointed as Chairman and Councilman Bill Dettmers was to be appointed as Ex-Officio before the council voted 3-2 to table the item until the next meeting. After the motion to approve Mayor Tom Stalcup’s recommended appointments to the commission was made, Councilman David Ayres moved to table the item until the next meeting, stating he suggested the council meet about this topic twice since their first meeting, but no such meeting had taken place. Councilman Bill Dettmers said the goal of reviewing and limiting these committee appointments is based on “several cities” which have tried to limit the size of their committees, adding that the Wood River Planning Commission is the largest committee in the city. He said the

Continue Reading

ALTON - Jack Keller has always been one to serve his community and country. This past Memorial Day, he was honored with one of his biggest accomplishments - he was the grand marshal for the historic Alton parade. Jack rated the day as "quite an honor." "It was very kind of them to do that," he said. "I always loved doing community service type of work and my work with East End Improvement Association," one of the parade sponsors. East End also is a coordinator of the Alton Halloween Parade and Jack has been involved in both for years upon years. Jack and his wife, Joan, both rode together in the parade. He describes Joan as "the love of my life." Jack is now 92 years old. Jack was a 3rd Class Petty Officer during the Korean War and was based in Key West, Fla. Keller spent much of his time aboard a submarine and part of a crew. He said he retained friends from those days for the rest of his life. Jack returned home to raise his children and now loves not only his children but also

Continue Reading

ALTON - Legendary Alton attorney Robert Ryan today reflected on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day. Ryan, now 99 years old, had an interesting perspective on that historic day, as he was a prisoner in a Nazi prison camp. Ryan is a Marquette graduate and entered the U.S. Army Air Corps at age 19. When he came back home, he returned to school and graduated with a law degree from St. Louis University. Later in the day of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, Ryan said he joined several other Allied prisoners for a gathering inside the prison camp. “Some of the German officers called us together and stepped out and said the invasion had begun and that the slaughter of Allied troops was terrible,” Ryan said. “I thought to myself that day, ‘We will be here for another 10 years.’ I was devastated that day, it was a very depressing day." Ryan also said he and the other prisoners were greatly impacted by the thought of the loss of American lives in the invasion.

Continue Reading

WOOD RIVER - Wood River is reporting higher property values and lower property taxes this year, including the largest one-year tax rate decrease since 1970 and the city’s lowest tax rate since 1996. City Manager Steve Palen said Madison County was being “conservative” with last year’s equalized assessment valuation (EAV), and that the new EAV is a nearly $12 million or 8.13% increase over last year, making it the highest EAV in the city’s history. “With the EAV increase, we have an expected tax rate of 1.5509 … versus 1.6674, which was projected,” Palen said. “Therefore, the tax rate decrease from the ‘21 levy is 0.1266 - this is the largest one-year decrease since at least 1970 and the lowest tax rate since 1996. “Since the EAV increased nearly $12 million, the city now has the highest EAV in its history, exceeding last year’s previous high mark of $147 million. The approximate effect on a $100,000 home

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 has announced the hiring of Amy Boscolo as Athletics Director beginning with the 2023-24 school year. Ms. Boscolo’s hire was approved on June 5, 2023, by the District #7 Board of Education. Ms. Boscolo comes to District #7 from Highland High School where she has been the Athletics Director/Assistant Principal for the past five years. In 19 years of education, she has also served as a junior high assistant principal, physical education and health teacher, and athletic trainer for various school districts throughout Illinois. “Amy brings a variety of experiences to District #7 and will be able to build on the solid foundation and growth in the athletic program established by Alex Fox,” said Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton. “She brings a student-centered approach to Edwardsville and will be able to continue the wonderful support our athletic programs have received within the

Continue Reading

ALTON - Alton Police Department officers are investigating a report of two injured in a shooting around 10 a.m. at the Rent-A-Center in Alton. A woman apparently entered the location and hit an employee in the face with a weapon, then another employee fired and hit the woman with three bullets. The woman departed in a vehicle but was discovered at Claire and Seminary streets in Alton and was eventually transported to Alton Memorial Hospital, then taken by Arch helicopter to a St. Louis hospital. Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford said more information on the shooting will be released Tuesday afternoon. Alton Battalion Chief Derrick Richardson said he didn't know the exact location of the bullet wounds, but there were three bullet wounds. He said she was in serious condition at the scene from the wounds.

Continue Reading

WOOD RIVER - Ceremony Chairperson Mary Roberts thanked members of the Wood River City Council and several other local organizations for their help and participation in the Wood River Memorial Day Service, which was held on Memorial Day, May 29, in the Round House Recreation Center. She spoke during the Public Comment portion of the last City Council meeting. “It was a fitting tribute to our men and women who put on the uniform to serve our country and died for our freedom,” Roberts said of the event. “I want to thank Mayor Tom Stalcup for giving me the opportunity to chair this committee to honor these heroes. “I want to thank Councilman Jeremy Plank for being our Emcee, and Councilmen David Ayres and Bill Dettmers for attending our service.” Roberts also thanked the Marine Corps Ladies Auxiliary Unit 488 Chaplain/Judge Advocate Lola Cochran and Marine Veteran Daphine Kappos for reading the names on the Memorial and chiming a bell after each name

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and other state regulators have taken legal action against crypto exchange platform Coinbase Global, Inc. and Coinbase, Inc. for violations of securities laws. “This action will protect consumers and investors to ensure they can make informed and safe decisions in Illinois and across the nation,” Giannoulias said. “Illinoisans who invest their money in Coinbase or any other digital asset trading business deserve both security and transparency and my office intends to hold crypto companies to the highest standards.” The Illinois Secretary of State’s Securities Department is a member of a task force alongside nine other state securities regulators charging Coinbase for its violation of securities laws in connection with the company’s staking offerings. Staking is the process of holding a certain number of digital assets on a blockchain to facilitate processing transactions and to earn

Continue Reading

GLEN CARBON - Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is pleased to celebrate the outstanding volunteers who earned awards at our second annual Recognition of Excellence ceremony. These volunteers exemplify our mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The ceremony was held on Sunday, May 21 at the DoubleTree Inn in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Volunteer of Excellence Award The Volunteer of Excellence Award recognizes volunteers who have contributed outstanding service while partnering directly with girls to implement the Girl Scout Leadership Experience through the use of the national program portfolio or who have contributed outstanding service in support of the council’s mission delivery to girl and adult members. Emily Collins from Troy Serving the Troy/St. Jacob area Michelle Cocran from Troy Serving the Troy/St. Jacob area President’s Volunteer Service Award In 2003, the President’s Council o

Continue Reading

DUBUQUE, Iowa (June 6, 2023) - The University of Dubuque congratulates the following student - Sasha Daughrity of Glen Carbon - on being appointed to the Spring Semester 2023 Academic Dean's List. Full-time students in good academic standing (registered for and have earned 12 or more letter grade credits for the term) who earn a term grade point average of 3.5 or above and who do not have any grades of Incomplete for the term are named to the Dean's List. Once grades have been submitted for any Incompletes, the Office of Academic Affairs will review eligibility again for possible placement on the Dean's List for the given term.

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD —Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director John J. Kim today announced $12.6 million is being awarded to 10 applicants for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The grants will fund 348 new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) ports at 87 locations throughout Illinois. The awards are based on a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) issued in the fall of 2022 seeking publicly accessible locations in the three priority areas outlined in the Volkswagen (VW) Beneficiary Mitigation Plan (BMP). These grants were made possible after the Pritzker Administration committed to focus Illinois’ remaining VW Settlement allocation on electric transportation and infrastructure. “Here in Illinois, we are proud to boast a nation-leading EV ecosystem—from EV manufacturing and tax credits for companies and customers alike to a rapidly-growing EV charging infrastructure,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Today, I couldn’t be

Continue Reading

ALTON - Community members are coming together to end gun violence following several deadly shootings over the past few months. East Elementary School teacher Candice Wallace is leading the charge. Wallace has lost two young relatives to gun violence, most recently in a May 2nd shooting in Alton that claimed the life of her 15-year-old nephew. “I just want this community to be a safer place for all of its residents. We all deserve that,” Wallace said. Following her nephew’s death, Wallace created a Facebook group called “Alton’s Be the Change.” More than 70 people have joined the group with the intention of improving the community. The “Be the Change” group is currently focused on gun violence. There were at least three deadly shootings throughout May in Alton. They have organized several events for June, which is National Gun Violence Awareness Month . The group’s first “Stop the Violence” event will

Continue Reading

Taylor Swift fans have another reason to celebrate: one of her songs could help save the life of someone in cardiac arrest. The American Heart Association says Swift's song “ The Man ” has 110 beats per minute, in the 100-120 beats per minute range for effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). CPR is a life-saving skill. And for Jordan Meeks, a pediatric wellness specialist at OSF HealthCare , it’s a critical skill for young people to learn. “Most cardiac arrests happen in people 40 years and older, a lot of teachers, parents, grandparents, coaches and those that young people are spending a lot of time with,” Meeks says. “And young people are getting to a point where their body is maturing, so they’re able to do those compressions with enough strength to be helpful.” Meeks visits schools across Illinois teaching students hands-only CPR. Recently, she was in Fisher, a small, rural town where it might take first responders a

Continue Reading

WOOD RIVER - A few members of the public responded to the Wood River City Council’s split vote to delay the development and opening of a dispensary in the city’s downtown and place the issue on the ballot next spring, after the council held a special meeting on the subject on May 17. Wood River resident Bill Rogers spoke during the Public Comment portion of the meeting and said he would not support a dispensary opening in Wood River. “As for the referendum that’s listed on the dispensary, my position has not changed - we do not need one, period,” Rogers said. Pastor Dave Landry said the three council members who voted to delay the dispensary - Bill Dettmers, David Ayres, and Jeremy Plank - went against the wishes of the public and are “scaring off investors.” “ are voicing their concerns at the last special meeting on Wednesday . There was a sincere plea from citizens to keep the cannabis dispensary open … but you didn’t

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, conferred doctor of dental medicine (DMD) degrees upon 56 graduates of the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) during their commencement ceremony held Saturday, June 3 at the First Community Arena at the Vadalabene Center on the Edwardsville campus. “We are so impressed with what you have accomplished and how you have persevered during these challenging years,” said Saulius Drukteinis, DMD, MS, PhD, dean of SIU SDM during his opening remarks. “Through your strength, endurance, patience, kindness, service, intelligence, respectfulness and determination to finish what you started, despite every difficulty handed to you, it was you who impressed us.” Ken Rawson, DMD, SIU SDM Class of 2005 graduate and president of the Illinois State Dental Society, served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony. “Your potential to do good is unlimited,”

Continue Reading

NEW YORK - Simmons Hanly Conroy , one of the nation's largest mass torts firms and a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families, is pleased to announce that the firm’s named shareholder Jayne Conroy is a recipient of the Champion of Justice lifetime achievement award from the Public Justice legal advocacy organization. “Jayne is a highly deserving recipient of Public Justice’s Champion of Justice award for her long career of helping plaintiffs secure justice from institutions responsible for injuring or abusing the public,” said Larry Nassif , managing shareholder of Simmons Hanly Conroy. “We are grateful for Jayne’s work as a leader at Simmons Hanly Conroy and for her dedication to the plaintiff’s bar.” The annual Champion of Justice award honors one or more individuals who have demonstrated a history and commitment to fighting injustice and ensuring the judicial system works for everyone.

Continue Reading

AMES, Iowa – More than 9,800 Iowa State University students have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the spring semester Dean’s List. Students named to the Dean’s List must have earned a grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 scale while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded course work. Area students on the list are as follows: Jason Taylor Godi, 4, Mechanical Engineering Bethalto, IL Lin Michael Pizzo, 4, Interior Design Edwardsville, IL Kurt Jacob Brase, 4, Agricultural Engineering John Henry Hilker, 4, Aerospace Engineering Henry Russell Lingafelter, 4, Architecture-Professional Degree Taryn Leigh Trauernicht, 2, Industrial Engineering Adam Donald Walters, 4, Software Engineering Hamel, IL William Reese Kirk, 4, Mechanical Engineering

Continue Reading

ALTON – June is recognized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) month – where It’s estimated that there are currently about 12 million people in the United States living with PTSD. Even though PTSD treatments are effective and accessible, most people don't get the help they need. Everyone with PTSD - whether they are a Veteran or civilian survivor of sexual assault, serious accident, natural disaster, or other traumatic event - needs to know that treatments really do work and can lead to a better quality of life. Even children experience PTSD. “Children who experience PTSD may have nightmares or sleep problems. They may experience intense emotions such as fear, anger and/or sadness,” says Jill Schreiber, LCSW, PhD, psychotherapist, OSF Saint Anthony’s Psychological Services. “They can be triggered by things that remind them of the event. Children often recreate the event in play. It is helpful for children to get professional help to process

Continue Reading

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - On Monday, June 5, 2023, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office issued charges on suspect Lakiesha Holyfield, 31, of the 10500 block of Earl Drive in St. Louis, Missouri 63138, for one count of Murder First Degree. A booking photo of Holyfield is attached. Holyfield is being held on a $750,000 cash only, no 10% bond. Please note, charges are merely an accusation and Defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law. The probable cause statement reads: Police responded to a home in north county regarding a call for a sick case. Upon arrival, police located a deceased female inside the residence. Police spoke with witnesses on scene who provided information that they found the Defendant inside the home with the deceased victim. Police asked Defendant what happened, and she stated " was murdered. Murdered by me." Police spoke with Victim's husband who states that on June 3, the day prior, Defendant sent a text message

Continue Reading