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EDWARDSVILLE - The City of Edwardsville has begun construction of The Courthouse 618 at Plummer Family Park. On Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, community leaders gathered at Plummer Family Park for a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the construction of The Courthouse 618, an indoor recreational facility that will be located within the park. The 50,000-square-foot facility will host the Parks & Recreation Department’s youth and adult basketball leagues with five high school regulation-size

MADISON – A local woman faces felony charges after allegedly throwing a “Molotov cocktail” towards an occupied home in Madison. Kimberley A. Watson, 60, of Madison, Ill., was charged on Feb. 19, 2026 with one count each of attempted aggravated arson and possession of an explosive or incendiary device, both Class 1 felonies. Watson is accused of possessing a flammable liquid within a glass container which charging documents state is “commonly known as a Molotov cocktail,”

QUINCY/ALTON - 89 years ago, on Feb. 25, 1937, Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. of Quincy, Illinois, enlisted as a cadet in the Army Air Corps, a step that preceded his later role as the pilot of the Enola Gay. He is shown in front of the famed aircraft above. This aircraft dropped the first atomic bomb in history on Hiroshima during World War II. Tibbets, who later became a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, attended Western Military Academy in Upper Alton, Illinois, in the late 1920s

EAST ALTON - Chris Carpenter, a 20-year-old from East Alton, is undergoing multiple surgeries for severe second- and third-degree burns after a fire destroyed his family’s home, and relatives have launched a GoFundMe to help cover medical costs and the family’s homeowners' insurance deductible as they begin rebuilding. The fundraiser was organized by Nathan-Janae Hausman and Marissa Carpenter. In the GoFundMe description, the organizers wrote that Steve Carpenter and his wife,

ST. LOUIS – Today, Mayor Cara Spencer warned that St. Louis residents should expect significant service cuts and mass layoffs for City staff if the budget certified by the state-controlled Board of Police Commissioners for the Police Department is finalized at its current amounts. The budget certified today by the Board would balloon the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department budget to over $250 million. This $250 million figure does not include the required retirement costs, like FICA

MILWAUKEE, WISC. - Saputo Cheese USA Inc. (SUSA or Saputo) is voluntarily recalling select cottage cheese products produced by SUSA due to the possibility of liquid dairy ingredients used in the items not being fully pasteurized according to state regulatory standards. While no illnesses or hospitalizations associated with the recalled products have been reported to date, consuming products that are not fully pasteurized can pose a significant health risk, especially to the young and elderly

ALTON – Time is running out to be part of one of the region’s most inspiring and impactful evenings of the year. YWCA Women of Distinction Celebration returns on Thursday evening, March 12, 2026, at LCCC “The Commons” — and this is the final call to reserve your seat. This year’s powerful theme, “The Power of Her,” honors the extraordinary strength, leadership, and influence of women who are shaping our communities and changing lives. More than

JERSEYVILLE - Community members can support athletics in Jersey County while watching local kids compete in a 3v3 basketball tournament. Starting at 8 a.m. on Sunday, March 1, 2026, kids in third through eighth grade will compete in the tournament at Jersey Community High School. Parents and community members are invited to watch at $5 per person, with free tickets for children ages 5 and under and military. Proceeds go back to Junior Panther Athletics, a group that aims to provide athletic

Red can make a heartbeat feel louder. Think about how often love is shown in red: roses, hearts, lipstick, Valentine’s cards, even the little notification badge on your phone. It’s so common that it feels natural. But the link between red and love isn’t just a design habit. It comes from how our bodies react to red, what red signals in nature, and the stories and traditions people have built around it for centuries. Red feels like the body, not just a color One reason red

This morning starts off mostly sunny with temperatures near 33 degrees. The air feels just a bit colder at 29, so a light jacket is a good idea if you're heading out early. By the afternoon, expect mostly sunny skies with highs reaching around 58 degrees. Light southeast winds will blow at about 6 mph, with gusts nearing 9 mph, making it a comfortable day to be outside. The sun will set around 5:50 p.m., bringing clear skies into the evening. Overnight, temperatures dip back down to a low near 3

The most far-reaching event tied to February 26 is the 1991 expulsion of Iraqi forces from Kuwait City during the Gulf War. After Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait in August 1990, a U.S.-led coalition assembled under United Nations resolutions to push Iraqi troops out. By late February 1991, coalition ground forces had moved quickly, and on February 26 Kuwait’s capital was effectively back under Kuwaiti control. It mattered immediately because it ended the occupation’s central grip

ALTON – A section of Fosterburg Road in Alton is one step closer to receiving improvements. Alton City Council members unanimously approved a Joint Funding Agreement between the city and the Illinois Department of Transportation for improvements to Fosterburg Road at their Feb. 25, 2026 meeting. The funding agreement covers the first two phases of preliminary engineering for pavement widening and resurfacing on Fosterburg Road. These improvements will span 0.46 miles from 0.1 miles

EAST ALTON - East Alton Fire Chief Jeremy Diveley reflected on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, about the massive fire in the Wilshire Strip Mall early Tuesday morning, Feb. 24, 2026. One point he wanted to emphasize was how important all the fire agencies were when the box alarms went out for the fire. He also stressed the importance of the system for East Alton and other departments in the region. “The mutual aid system we utilize is vital to small departments like ours,” Diveley said

EAST ALTON - East Alton Fire Chief Jeremy Diveley said the fire in the Wilshire Strip Mall area early Tuesday morning, Feb. 24, 2026, was devastating for not only residents and those who still worked and owned businesses in the buildings. He pointed out that residents depend on the businesses at the Wilshire Strip Mall, as the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office investigates a fire that broke out Tuesday at the East Alton shopping center. Drone photos above are by Doug Booten. Diveley

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Wednesday sentenced a Mexican national to 18 years in prison for sexually abusing a minor. Giovanni Falcon, 41, began messaging a 15-year-old girl on Instagram in 2024 using an alias. In July and August of that year, Falcon sent the victim images of his genitals. Falcon then repeatedly engaged in sexual contact with the victim. On Aug. 13, 2024, the victim’s father contacted the St. Ann Police Department after discovering the explici

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. - In recognition of outstanding academic achievement, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, Illinois, released the college's Dean's List for Fall 2025. Brighton's Madison Seymour is on the Dean's List for the fall at Trinity Christian College. The Dean’s List is Trinity Christian College’s highest academic honor. It is recognized for traditional undergraduate students who achieve a semester GPA of 3.5 or better in 12 or more credits with grade points.

BELLEVILLE - College students and community members can come together for a Take Back the Night walk. On Thursday, April 30, 2026, Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) in Belleville will host the annual demonstration and resource fair, which aims to raise awareness about sexual assault prevention and resources during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The walk starts at 7 p.m. on SWIC’s Quad and will progress throughout campus, followed by a few speakers in the theater. “It’s

MASCOUTAH - Joshua Veath, a fifth-grade teacher at Mascoutah Elementary School, has been named one of 30 finalists statewide for the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, selected from nearly 600 nominations in Illinois, according to Mascoutah School District 19. The district said Veath, who teaches math, science and social studies in Mascoutah, was recognized for the impact he is making in the classroom. Mascoutah School District 19 congratulated him in a post identifying

JERSEYVILLE – A man and woman from Jerseyville face felony charges in two separate cases of domestic battery filed in Madison County. Robert W. Reed, 44, of Jerseyville, was charged on Feb. 17, 2026, with a Class 2 felony count of aggravated domestic battery and a Class 4 felony count of his second or subsequent offense of domestic battery. Reed allegedly intentionally committed an act of domestic battery against a household or family member on Feb. 13, 2026, without legal justification.

EAST ST. LOUIS - Meonshai Houston, a fourth-grade English Language Arts and social studies teacher at Annette Harris Officer Elementary School in East St. Louis, has been named one of 30 finalists for the 2026 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, selected from nearly 600 nominations statewide. The East St. Louis School District 189 said Houston was recognized for the impact she is making in the classroom at the East St. Louis school. “Congratulations, Mrs. Houston! Your dedication