Riverbender 🕸

Did you know that the average American couple spends over $200 on a single date night? While memorable experiences are priceless, the pressure to splurge can turn a romantic evening into a stressful financial burden. But what if the best date nights didn’t require breaking the bank? Planning a budget-friendly summer date night is not only possible—it can be just as magical, if not more so, than an extravagant outing. Rethinking the Value of a Date Night A date night is often seen as an opportunity to impress, leading many to assume that expensive dinners, fancy venues, or elaborate activities are necessary. However, the essence of a successful date night lies in connection, creativity, and shared enjoyment rather than cost. By shifting the focus from spending to experience, couples can foster intimacy and build memories without financial strain. Choosing the Right Activity: Fun Meets Affordability Selecting activities that are both enjoyable and budget-conscious is th

Continue Reading

Every minute, the world produces about 1 million plastic bottles, and a staggering 91% of plastic waste is never recycled. This alarming statistic highlights the vast scale of plastic pollution, a crisis that has silently escalated over decades. Plastic, once hailed as a revolutionary material for its versatility and durability, has become one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. The Ubiquity and Persistence of Plastic Plastic’s widespread use is undeniable, permeating nearly every aspect of modern life—from packaging and consumer goods to medical devices and automotive parts. Its appeal lies in its low cost, light weight, and resistance to degradation. However, these same qualities also make plastic a persistent pollutant. Unlike organic materials that decompose naturally, most plastics can take hundreds to thousands of years to break down, fragmenting into microplastics that contaminate ecosystems globally. Environmental Consequences of Plastic

Continue Reading

What if you were told that within a single decade, humanity could go from barely flying beyond Earth's atmosphere to setting foot on another celestial body? The moon landing on July 21, 1969, was not only a marvel of engineering but also a testament to human ambition and ingenuity. It marked a pivotal moment in history when the impossible became reality, reshaping our understanding of exploration and technology. The Race to the Moon: Context and Motivation The moon landing was the climax of the Space Race, a fierce competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957, the world witnessed the dawn of the space age. The United States, determined to assert technological and ideological superiority, set an ambitious goal: to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth before the decade’s end. President John F. Kennedy’s famous 1961 speech galvanized the nation with this objective, stating,

Continue Reading

July 21 has been a date marked by extraordinary achievements, groundbreaking discoveries, and pivotal moments that have shaped the course of history across the globe. Arguably the most iconic event associated with July 21 is the historic Apollo 11 mission's moonwalk in 1969. One day after the lunar module Eagle landed on the surface of the Moon, astronaut Neil Armstrong took humanity’s first steps outside Earth’s atmosphere, uttering the now-legendary phrase, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” This monumental achievement not only marked a triumph in the Space Race but also expanded our understanding of space exploration and inspired generations to dream beyond our planet. But the significance of July 21 extends far beyond this space milestone. In 1944, during the height of World War II, the Battle of Guam concluded with American forces recapturing the island from Japanese occupation. This victory was a strategic turning point

Continue Reading

July 19 and 20 have witnessed numerous pivotal moments throughout history. Moving back in time, on July 19, 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention concluded in New York, a landmark event in the women’s rights movement. The convention, which began two days prior, was the first women's rights convention in the United States and produced the Declaration of Sentiments, a document demanding equal social, civil, and religious rights for women. This event laid the foundation for the long struggle for women's suffrage and equality, influencing advocacy and legislation for decades to come. In political history, July 19, 1870, marked the start of the Franco-Prussian War when France declared war on Prussia. This conflict reshaped European politics dramatically. The war resulted in the defeat of France, the fall of the Second French Empire, and the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership. The consequences of this war reverberated well into the 20th century, setting the stage for World

Continue Reading

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a multistate coalition of 20 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of a challenge to the Trump administration’s abrupt termination of funding for legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children. In their brief , filed in Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, et al. vs. United States Department of Health and Human Services, et al., Raoul and the attorneys general urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to affirm the preliminary injunction issued by the district court, arguing that the Trump administration’s termination of federal funding for legal representation endangers the rights and safety of unaccompanied children. “Unaccompanied immigrant children are especially vulnerable without access to legal services,” Raoul said. “Holding these children in federal custody for prolonged periods of time further traumatizes them and does not represent the morals

Continue Reading

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced he joined a multistate coalition in filing a lawsuit challenging an unlawful final rule the Trump administration introduced, which would govern federal and state health insurance marketplaces and create significant barriers to obtaining health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The final rule announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also excludes coverage of gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit (EHB) under the Administrative Procedure Act (ACA). In the lawsuit , Raoul and the attorneys general argue the rule is unlawful and would cause significant harm to local governments and residents because it imposes burdensome and costly paperwork requirements, limits the opportunities to sign up for health coverage, increases cost-sharing limits, and forces exchanges and consumers to spend hundreds of millions of dollars t

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), U.S. Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and their colleagues in reintroducing the Child Care for Working Families Act, comprehensive legislation to ensure families across America can find and afford the high-quality child care they need. “For most working parents, affordable child care isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity,” said Duckworth. “Donald Trump ran on a promise to lower costs for working families—and yet, he and Republicans are prioritizing tax breaks to their billionaire donors, leaving families to fend for themselves. If Republicans really cared about lowering costs and supporting middle-class families, they’d help us pass this legislation to help solve our child care shortage and make quality, affordable care more accessible to every family who needs

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced that her bipartisan, bicameral legislation – the Better Outfitting Our Troops (BOOTs) Act – has been successfully included as an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. The BOOTs Act would strengthen existing uniform requirements to ensure that combat boots worn by U.S. servicemembers are fully manufactured in the United States using American-sourced materials, including those in the 13th District. “As China continues to flood the market with low-quality imports, we cannot afford to compromise troop safety or support for local manufacturers – like the Belleville Boot Company in my district,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “This legislation is a crucial step to not only protect good-paying manufacturing jobs at home, but ensure our troops receive the highest quality gear while serving our great nation. I’m proud to have worked

Continue Reading

CHICAGO - Today, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in Illinois will continue to provide mental health support services for LGBTQIA+ youth, after the federal government ended funding last month for specific support on the 988 Lifeline. “The Trump Administration’s decision to end these specialized services is a cruel reversal of proven practices,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “Unequivocally, in Illinois, we stand side by side with each member of the LGBTQIA+ community, including transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming youth. If you need help and you call 988, you’ll be met with the compassion, competence and respect.” After its launch in 2022, the 988 Lifeline developed a subnetwork of crisis counselors trained to work with LGBTQ+ youth and adults under 25 who are disproportionately at risk for suicide and other mental health struggles. Suicide is the second leading cause

Continue Reading

MARYVILLE - The Home Builders and Remodelers Metro East Association (HBRMEA) is hosting a raffle to support their work in the community. Community members can buy a raffle ticket for $20 or six tickets for $100 for the chance to win $1,500 cash. Second place will take home $500 and third place will win $250. Shannon Stelling with the HBRMEA explained that proceeds from the raffle will support the organization’s work to help the local housing industry. “There’s so many good things that the HBR is doing to help support the housing industry in our local community,” she said. “You’re helping support the local association, and that money goes toward things like helping us with legislation, helping us fight regulatory issues, helping us fight unfair practices when it comes to inspections or getting permits. All of those things we’re working on the forefront of. And then we’re also working with several communities on infill programs.”

Continue Reading

ST. LOUIS — The American Red Cross urges all donors to give blood or platelets now to keep the blood supply strong this summer. Type O blood products are most needed on hospital shelves – especially in the face of summer challenges that can quickly cause blood and platelet reserves to drop. In addition to summer fun and holidays, severe summer weather can have a sudden impact on the ability to collect blood and platelets.?Scheduling and keeping donation appointments are crucial this month to ensure blood products are constantly available in the weeks to come for all patients, including those in trauma situations that may require several lifesaving transfusions. All blood types are needed, and donors who don’t know their blood type can learn it after donation. Book a time to give blood or platelets by visiting RedCrossBlood.org , calling 1-800-RED CROSS or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App. For those who come to give July 15-31, 2025, the Red Cross will say thank

Continue Reading

ALTON - Dustin Terry captured the pole position in the main Formula 1 category, while Mark Schmerbauch won the pole in the F-Light division, and Cole Wehring won the pole in the Tri-Hull class in the qualifying races at the Alton Midwest National Powerboat Races on Saturday afternoon along the Alton riverfront. The main events all take place on Sunday, July 20, 2025, on the Alton riverfront in all three classes. In earlier qualifying races, in the main F1 class, Chris Rinker won the race, with Jeremiah Mayo coming in second, Dylan Anderson was third, Andrew Tate came in fourth, Spencer Love placed fifth, Terry came in sixth, Jared Jensen was seventh, Aiden Bennett finished eighth, Grant Schubert was in ninth, and Travis Yates was 10th. The average lap time for Rinker was 37.732 seconds for 13 laps. In the F-Light class, Shelby Love won the race with an average time of 35.281 seconds, with Schmerbauch coming in second, Treiden Schleicher was third, Brandon Bobalik came in fourth,

Continue Reading

BETHALTO — A man was taken into custody Saturday afternoon following a police response to a fire and assault at an apartment complex in Bethalto. Bethalto Fire Department and Bethalto Police Department Saturday morning, July 19, 2025, to a report of a truck set on fire and a victim who had been battered at an apartment building in the 300 block of Grant Street. Firefighters arrived to find the truck engulfed in flames and quickly brought the fire under control. Officers located a victim who had sustained injuries from an assault. As a precaution, the apartment complex was evacuated. During the investigation, police learned that a suspect was barricaded inside the building. Bethalto Police used a loudspeaker to order the individual to exit. For safety reasons, the Metro East S.W.A.T. team was called in to assist. The S.W.A.T. team entered the building and peacefully removed the suspect, who was then taken into custody by police. The situation concluded around 2 p.m. The Bethalto

Continue Reading

MADISON – A Madison man with an extensive criminal past has been ordered detained after a domestic stabbing on July 4, 2025. Nathaniel Pryor Jr., 66, of Madison, Ill., was charged on July 7, 2025 with one count each of aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony, and his second or subsequent offense of domestic battery, a Class 4 felony. Pryor allegedly stabbed the victim in the wrist with a knife on July 4, 2025. The victim in this case was a household or family member of Pryor. “Victim reported that defendant became angry and approached him, cutting his wrist with a knife,” according to the state’s petition to keep Pryor in custody. “Officers located the defendant nearby and recovered the knife. The defendant has a history of prior domestic incidents.” A report of Pryor’s criminal history shows he had been previously been convicted of aggravated domestic battery in a Madison County case from 2019. He had also been convicted of domestic battery

Continue Reading

WOOD RIVER — Authorities arrested John Davis early Friday morning, July 18, 2025, after a standoff at an apartment near the Wood River Police Station, following a tip that he was wanted in connection with a homicide in Cahokia Heights. The Wood River Police Department responded to reports that Davis was inside an apartment in the 500 block of Madison Avenue, directly across from the police station. An alert had been issued indicating that Davis could be armed and dangerous. Police contacted the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) tactical team for assistance, and the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office was consulted during the operation. Davis eventually surrendered without incident. “We took the necessary precautions and established a perimeter to make sure everyone was safe. It started about 12:30 a.m. and ended by 5:30 a.m.,” Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells said. Davis and another man, Jovon Hamburgh, are wanted in connection wit

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD - Building on a strong team of diverse experts in their fields, Governor JB Pritzker announced the following appointments in his administration: Illinois Finance Authority Arlene Juracek will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois Finance Authority.* Juracek is the former Mayor of the Village of Mount Prospect, Illinois. During her tenure in city council, she was appointed Chair of the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission, Chair of the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency, and President of the Northwest Municipal Conference. Previously, Juracek served as Acting Director of the Illinois Power Agency, and was responsible for power and energy procurement and planning for the state’s two major electric utilities, ComEd and Ameren. Juracek received a Bachelor of Science from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago and a Masters of Management from Northwestern University. Steven Landek will continue to serve as a Member of the Illinois

Continue Reading

CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker alongside a bipartisan group of nine governors from across the country, issued a letter to PJM Interconnection, the grid operator for Northern Illinois, urging the group to implement governance reforms to meet the ongoing energy affordability crisis and ensure power grid reliability for Illinois working families and businesses. “Illinois has long been a national energy leader and is committed to delivering clean, reliable, and affordable energy to working families and businesses,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “But PJM undermines our efforts and lacks meaningful accountability to the very states it serves. I’m joining Governors from red and blue states to call for reforms that give states a real seat at the table, ensures transparency, and listens to working families and businesses. PJM must evolve and embrace reforms if it is to remain a credible partner and responsible steward for the region.” The letter comes

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) issued the following statement after voting no on the President’s proposed package that slashes more than $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – jeopardizing over 1,500 locally owned public television and radio stations across the country. "With this vote, House Republicans have officially abdicated Congress's constitutional duty to appropriate federal dollars, effectively surrendering that authority to the Executive Branch. Let’s be clear: the funding they just voted to slash was passed with bipartisan support and signed into law. Walking away from those commitments isn’t just irresponsible — it’s reckless. These cuts jeopardize local public broadcasting, strip access to critical healthcare, gut lifesaving emergency programs, and undermine our support for global allies. It doesn’t make us stronger — it makes us weaker.” In addition to gutting fundin

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Labor’s (IDOL) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (IL OSHA), in partnership with the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI), launched an on-demand training course, "Defenses for Firefighters," to help firefighters navigate the challenge of balancing personal safety with effective emergency response. This online training course delivers actionable guidance developed from real-world incidents and highlights the importance of continually assessing and controlling risk. Whether new to the firefighting or a seasoned chief officer, the course empowers learners with the mindset and strategies needed to identify hazards, defend against injury or death, and make risk-informed decisions. “The entire course takes only fifteen minutes. I would encourage all fire departments in Illinois to put their staff through it and then continually reinforce the principles,” said IL OSHA Chief Erik Kambarian. “The goal is clear:

Continue Reading