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EDWARDSVILLE - The League of Women Voters and the NAACP hosted a candidate forum ahead of the primary election on March 17, 2026. Candidates for Illinois’s 13th Congressional District — Dylan Blaha (D), Jeff Wilson (R), and Joshua Loyd (R) — introduced themselves and shared information about their platforms. Incumbent Nikki Budzinski (D) was unable to attend. Blaha described himself as “a pro-peace U.S. Army veteran and former cancer research scientist” who live

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today hosted a celebration to commemorate Black History Month and honor leaders in the African American community. The event, held at the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office in the Marine Bank Building in downtown Springfield, was an opportunity to reflect on the great achievements of Black leaders. The eight Downstate Illinois honorees included a Springfield dentist, the CEO and President of the Springfield Urban League,

GRANITE CITY - The Granite City Warriors’ season of significant progress ended Wednesday night, Feb. 25, 2026, with a 42-39 loss to the Collinsville Kahoks in regional play, closing a turnaround year that saw Granite City improve to 16-15 after going 9-23 in 2024-25. The basketball boys are Stillwater Senior Living Male Athletes of the Month for Granite City. “Last year, the year before, we graduated nine seniors, and last year, we were 9-23," he said. "So, we’re happy with

ST. CLAIR COUNTY – The Illinois Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting to discuss a study for the proposed improvements on Illinois 177 in Mascoutah. The meeting will be held: Wednesday, March 18 4-7 p.m. Mascoutah High School 1313 W. Main St., Mascoutah The project involves replacing the existing pavement on Illinois 177 in Mascoutah that was originally constructed in 1921 and last rehabilitated in 2002. The project will also evaluate intersection

ALTON – 1st MidAmerica Credit Union will award five $1,000 scholarships to area high school seniors in May. Applications are available online here . Applications are due Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Over 130 area youth have benefited from the 1st MidAmerica Credit Union scholarships, which were introduced in 2005. Scholarships may be applied to tuition, fees or other educational expenses. Eligibility Requirements Applicant must be a member of 1st MidAmerica, a primary accountholder an

Bob “Spider” Purcell admits he doesn’t move as fast as he used to. But he’s OK with that. At 96, Purcell is more than content getting in his exercise by swimming laps nearly every morning at the YMCA in Ottawa, Illinois. “I'm a slow swimmer,” says the Ottawa resident and retired high school teacher. “I just freestyle for a half hour, and that's it. It keeps me going in the morning, really. I can feel down or not ready to do anything, but I get in that

GODFREY – Anderson Healthcare has donated a lead gift of $1,000 to a fundraiser by Mandie Clark, a hospital employee and alumna of Lewis and Clark Community College’s Nursing program. Clark collected donations to start the True North Nursing Scholarship for students at LC. Her fundraising efforts ran in conjunction with an inaugural Galentine’s Day Celebration for the public that was held Saturday, Feb. 7, at Post Commons in Alton. True North Aesthetics Co., founded

EDWARDSVILLE - The League of Women Voters and the NAACP hosted a candidate forum ahead of the primary election on March 17, 2026. A candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives for the 109th District, Zachary Meyer, presented his platform. Incumbent Charlie Meier, a Republican, was unable to attend the forum on Feb. 25, 2026. Meyer, also a Republican, introduced himself and his ideas. Meyer explained that he is an attorney and a professor. He started his own law firm and grew it

ALTON – The Alton Amphitheater seeks to expand its event offerings for 2026 with a new production company and a newly appointed member. At the Feb. 23, 2026 Committee of the Whole meeting , Rob Honke with the Alton Amphitheater Commission announced the group’s plans to partner with a new production company as part of their efforts to revitalize the venue. Honke said the Amphitheater Commission is developing a new long-term strategy, shifting from “auto-pilot” to

EDWARDSVILLE - The League of Women Voters and the NAACP hosted a candidate forum ahead of the primary election on March 17, 2026. Candidates for the Illinois Senate 56th District — Marsie Geldert-Murphey and Kevin Hall — introduced themselves and spoke about their platforms. During the candidate forum on Feb. 25, 2026, Democrats Geldert-Murphey and Hall shared more about their decision to run for Illinois Senate to represent the 56th District. Hall explained that he is a Glen

O’FALLON, Ill. — O’Fallon Township High School Principal Dan Howe recently told the school board that vaping remains a persistent problem in high schools, including at OTHS, where staff are increasing supervision and information campaigns while enforcing strict discipline for students caught with nicotine or THC vapes. Howe spoke to the school board recently in-depth about vaping, the problem of it in all high schools, and O’Fallon’s deterrents. Howe said vaping

EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State Police’s (ISP) crime reduction efforts in the Metro East continue to make communities safer with the fewest number of homicides in East St. Louis in at least 45 years . In 2020, to combat the seemingly intractable problem of gun violence in East St. Louis and ensure investigations are handled professionally and with integrity, ISP created the Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG), a national urban policing model. PSEG is reducing crime

EDWARDSVILLE - The League of Women Voters and the NAACP hosted a candidate forum ahead of the primary election on March 17, 2026. Candidates for Madison County Clerk and Recorder — Linda Andreas and Kurt Prenzler — spoke about their platforms. During the candidate forum on Feb. 25, 2026, Republicans Andreas and Prenzler introduced themselves and answered questions about the job. Andreas, the incumbent, shared that she comes from a military family and has a nursing and education

EAST ALTON — The East Alton Fire Department had another busy day Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, responding to a brush fire in the 200 block of Virginia Street. As firefighters were leaving the station, heavy black smoke was visible from the area, prompting a request for mutual aid. Wood River Fire Department and Roxana Fire Department also responded to assist. Upon arrival, crews encountered smoke and flames coming from a brushy area next to a house. It appeared that brush and junk were

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