O'FALLON, IL. - Tracey Ritzel of O’Fallon Township High School District 203 has received the Illinois State Board of Education’s Award of Meritorious Service in the Student Support Personnel category and will be honored at the 52nd Annual Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards Banquet in April, the district said. “Big congratulations to Tracey Ritzel,” O’Fallon Township High School District 203 said in a statement announcing the recognition.
EAST ST. LOUIS - Students and staff at Dr. Katie Harper-Wright Elementary School in East St. Louis School District 189 marked Black History Month with a theme centered on a “time machine” journey through 100 years of Black excellence, highlighting influential African American individuals and movements from 1926 to 2026. The school’s Black History celebration invited each grade level to “travel through time” by preparing a performance honoring a notable
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor today following the U.S. strikes on Iran this weekend, which killed Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. During his speech, Durbin announced support for Senator Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) war powers resolution. Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution states that the power to declare war is an explicit power of Congress and Congress overwhelmingly reaffirmed this constitutional provision
The urge to clean can hit like a switch: one moment you’re stepping over shoes and ignoring dusty shelves, and the next you’re scrubbing baseboards and reorganizing a closet you haven’t opened in months. It can feel random, almost like a personality change. But “spring cleaning” isn’t just a cute phrase. It’s a predictable human response to a mix of biology, history, culture, and simple psychology. The brain likes a “fresh start” more than
On March 3, 1875, the first organized indoor ice hockey game was played in Montreal, Canada, at Victoria Skating Rink. It looked like a simple experiment—taking a fast outdoor winter game and moving it inside—but it helped turn a regional pastime into a modern sport with rules, venues, schedules, and eventually professional leagues. At the time, playing indoors made hockey more predictable and easier to watch, which mattered in a city where winter weather could be harsh and uneven.
WOOD RIVER – Vehicle owners in Wood River may face fines for parking on certain surfaces. At their March 2, 2026 meeting , City Council members unanimously approved an ordinance adding a new section to the City Code “Prohibiting the Parking of Motor Vehicles on Non-Improved Surfaces.” According to the ordinance, Police Chief Brad Wells reports the city has been “having problems” with people parking motor vehicles on unpaved surfaces within city limits, which
HAMEL/EDWARDSVILLE - Students at Edwardsville elementary schools had a special visit from a new children’s book author, but for Hamel Elementary School Principal Matt Sidarous, the experience was a reunion with an old friend. On Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, author Zach von Zonk read his book “E-I-UFO: Old MacDonald Had a Farm” to Hamel students, encouraging them to sing along to a familiar song with an extraterrestrial twist. But his bigger message urged students to follow thei
PIASA - Southwestern boys basketball coach Jason Darr has spent the past 12 years coaching members of the Robinson family, and he said it will be very nice to have junior Cason Robinson returning for the 2026-2027 season. Darr, the head coach of the Piasa Birds, reflected on Robinson’s 2025-26 season and the team’s progress after a difficult start. “Cason had a good season; he had some big games and had to fight through the adversity of other teams guarding him so tightly.
ALTON - From talks with award-winning authors to artificial intelligence FAQs and more, Hayner Public Library District will offer a variety of programs in the next month. Executive Director Mary Cordes joked that the spring newsletter — which will hit mailboxes in the next few weeks — might be a bit long, but it’s “a nice problem to have” because it means the library has tons of free programs and events for community members to enjoy. “There’s
EDWARDSVILLE — A Madison County jury has awarded $241 million to the family of a courier who died after transporting dry ice in Missouri, finding Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. and related entities liable nearly a decade after the 2016 incident, according to information released on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, by the family’s attorneys. The verdict, returned Feb. 27, 2026, includes $49.5 million in compensatory damages and $191.5 million in punitive damages. The case stems from the death of
CHICAGO – The Task Force on Black Immigrants, housed within the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) and was convened in response to a Joint Resolution of the Illinois House of Representatives, has formally filed the Report of the Task Force on Black Immigrants with the General Assembly. At a time when the federal landscape around immigration remains uncertain and often divisive, Illinois leaders show this work is not rhetorical but about responsibility. The Task Force was convened
SPRINGFIELD – Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization released the following statement after the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) rescinded a recently published Interim Final Rule (IFR) , which changed how veteran disability ratings would be evaluated. The IFR, which VA published on February 17th, 2026, would allow the department to reduce ratings based on the effects
ALTON/GODFREY - Local men can come together for a workout group that aims to promote fitness, fellowship and faith. F3 Nation is a nationwide workout program, but a local chapter has created a tight-knit community here in the Riverbend. The men will work out together, give each other nicknames, and enjoy the camaraderie, often meeting for coffee or spending time together outside of the morning program. Each workout ends with a Circle of Trust, where the leader shares an inspiring message fo
BLOOMINGTON — Roxana’s Chloe Skiles emerged as the area’s lone state champion wrestler over the weekend, winning the 110-pound title at Grossinger Motors Arena as the Shells placed fourth as a team in the state tournament. Skiles went 4-0 in the 110-pound bracket. She won her semifinal match over Valeria Pesantes of Elk Grove by fall at 3 minutes, 23 seconds, then captured the championship by fall in 41 seconds over Zoey Dodgers of Franklin Park-North Lake Leyden. Roxana
GRANITE CITY – The Rotary Club of Granite City recognized juniors Lily Booker and Shelby Morgan as Students of the Month for March. Students were nominated by teachers, and were chosen on the basis of academics, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and civic honors and awards, and organization membership and leadership. Each honoree will receive a framed certificate and a gift card, and will be recognized at the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on March 24, 2026. LILY
WOOD RIVER - Five Lewis & Clark Junior High School student athletes were recognized by the LCJH District 15 school board on Feb. 24, 2026, in Wood River, Illinois, for earning spots on the Boys Basketball All Academic Team, an honor created this year by Coach Overton and Kraig Daniels. The board recognized Malik Turner, an eighth-grader, and seventh-graders Lincoln Brame, Harrison Hawkins, Gabriel Daniels and Hudson Gonzales during the recent board meeting at Lewis & Clark Junior High School.
GLEN CARBON – A 1,500-acre piece of mostly vacant farmland in Glen Carbon is set to become the site of several future developments within the village. Trustees unanimously approved the establishment of a STAR Bond District in Glen Carbon at their Feb. 24, 2026, Village Board meeting. The district’s purpose is to finance the development of future entertainment, retail, and tourism projects through Sales Tax And Revenue (STAR) bonds, according to the village’s STAR Bond District
EDWARDSVILLE - Tucker Lindstedt is one of the five seniors on this year's Edwardsville High School boys basketball team, and has been very supportive of his teammates as well as being a talented forward in the 2025-2026 season. The Tigers move to the sectional semifinals for a contest against Alton at Mascoutah on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Lindstedt, as one of the club's seniors, is optimistic and confident that Edwardsville can continue on in postseason play with the Alton game ahead next.
ALTON - The Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club is expected to welcome hundreds of people to their 40th annual Chili Chowdown event. On Monday, March 2, 2026, community members could stop by Main Street United Methodist Church in Alton from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 4:30–7 p.m. for a chili meal. A $10 ticket gets you all-you-can-eat chili, a beverage and a dessert. Brad King, this year’s event chair, noted that the “legacy” of the Chili Chowdown and the Rotary Club is all about supportin
EDWARDSVILLE - Gabby Cook is a senior forward for the girls basketball team at Edwardsville High, and provided senior, veteran leadership for the Tigers during the 2025-2026 campaign. In a game against O'Fallon Feb. 6, 2026, at Lucco-Jackson Gym, Cook was one of three players who scored 11 points in Edwardsville's 53-42 loss to the Panthers. Cook averaged over 8 points and 7 rebounds a game for the Tigers and was consistently one of the team's leading scorers game in and game out. Cook is
stLouIST