SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is reminding taxpayers about changes announced by the United States Postal Service (USPS) regarding postmarks that could affect tax filing deadlines in 2026. Under the updated USPS procedures, postmarks will continue to reflect the date of the first automated processing operation, however, they may no longer indicate the date a piece of mail was dropped off at a local post office. This distinction may impact time-sensitive materials,
EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) will host their annual “One Day, One SIUE” celebration and fundraising campaign. On Thursday, April 23, 2026, community members are invited to SIUE’s new Health Sciences Complex for the fifth annual event. Starting at 6 p.m., attendees can enjoy food, drinks, hot air balloons, and live music by the Charles Glenn Band. Julie Babington, Senior Director of Annual Giving, explained that the event is a fun way to
BELLEVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that rehabilitation of a crossing by Norfolk Southern railroad on Lebanon Avenue between West Boulevard and Grove Avenue in St. Clair County will require a full closure beginning Tuesday, April 14, weather permitting. A posted detour will be in place to safely guide motorists around the closure, which is expected to conclude Friday, April 17. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through
MADISON/ST. CLAIR COUNTIES - Illinois State Police will conduct Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement patrols in Madison and St. Clair counties during April, a stepped-up effort aimed at preventing and detecting impaired driving and other vehicle code violations, Troop 8 Commander Capt. Casey Faro said in a statement from Collinsville. The patrols, known as ACE, allow state police to “focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to violations associated with impaired
ALTON - The Sierra Club will bring wildlife ecologist Dana Ripper to Alton, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, to discuss “The Risks of Microplastics” during a speaker series event at Old Bakery Beer, 400 Landmarks Blvd. The program is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Ripper focuses on conservation through ecosystem health. She has a master’s degree in ecology from Arkansas State University and worked on wildlife research projects across the United States before making Missouri
GLEN CARBON - The Village of Glen Carbon is continuing a municipal electricity aggregation program with Homefield Energy. This program was previously approved by referendum by the voters in each of the 27 participating communities. The Village’s primary goal is to protect residents from the continued rise in electric supply rates and spikes in the energy market. Residents and businesses are able to opt-out of the program if desired. The new rate for the Village of Glen Carbon
COLLINSVILLE – Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site will host its annual Spring Native American Market April 24-26, 2026, bringing together some of the nation’s most talented Native American artists. The market will take place in the gallery space at the site’s interpretive center. Although the interpretive center museum remains closed to the public for renovations, the gallery will be open for the event. No artifacts will be on display during the market. Artists representing
ST. LOUIS – Republic Services is set to pay $200,000 to settle a federal lawsuit alleging sex discrimination in the company’s hiring practices. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the lawsuit settlement on Friday, April 10, 2026 against Allied Services, LLC, doing business as Allied Waste Services of the Ozarks / Republic Services of the Ozarks. The EEOC states in a news release the company “provides waste management services nationwide.”
EAST ST. LOUIS - A growing number of East St. Louis Senior High School students will begin attending Southwestern Illinois College full-time while still in high school after qualifying through GPA requirements and ACCUPLACER placement scores, with School District 189 covering all program costs. This summer, eight sophomores and one junior will start at SWIC, the East St. Louis School District said. They will join four current juniors already enrolled in the program, bringing the expected
JERSEYVILLE — Jersey Community Unit School District No. 100 is marking National Assistant Principals Week by spotlighting Kadie Benz, dean of students at Jersey Community High School. Benz reflected on her school experience, saying she did not have a single favorite subject in high school but did have “favorite teachers — including Mr. Roth.” Benz also shared a detail she said students might find surprising: “I can officially say that I attended Duke University
GRANITE CITY - A Granite City church has had a series of unfortunate incidents over the past year, including stolen air-conditioning units, a failing roof, and a vehicle crash that damaged the church building. Shekinah Glory Church is attempting to cover more than $90,000 in repairs and replacements after the incidents. The church’s four air-conditioning units were stolen, resulting in “a loss of approximately $45,000,” the church pastors said. The pastors said the units
On April 11, 1945, U.S. forces liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany, revealing to the outside world the scale and machinery of Nazi imprisonment and mass death. For the people held there, liberation meant the end of a system built to punish, exploit, and erase human beings. For the wider world, the scenes documented at Buchenwald became some of the clearest evidence of crimes that could not be explained away as rumor or wartime propaganda. The event mattered immediately
ALTON - An Alton High School student received a new bass guitar through The Bud Summers Music Foundation. Junior Quinn Halliday has always been a musician, but now she will get the chance to learn and perform on the electric bass thanks to a music scholarship from the band Porch Cafe and The Bud Summers Music Foundation. The band and the organization come together to host the Porch Cafe Music Festival in Honor of Bud Summers every fall, and they were eager to give back to an Alton student throug
MADISON - The Madison Fire Department responded to a fire Friday afternoon at 10 Fox Industrial Drive in Madison. The fire broke out at Interco Trading Company, prompting mutual aid from the Granite City Fire Department, Mitchell Fire Department, and Long Lake Fire Department. The Madison County Emergency Management Agency also assisted at the scene. According to scanner traffic, the fire involved batteries inside a storage unit. Firefighters remained on scene for several hours
ALTON - The Alton First Responders Springfest will run throughout the next week. On April 10, 2026, the Springfest carnival opened at 5 p.m. and drew a small crowd for its first night at the Alton Amphitheater. The carnival will continue through April 19, 2026, and community members are encouraged to come by and enjoy the fun. Hosted by Luehrs’ Ideal Rides, the carnival includes rides, games, food and more. The carnival’s hours are as follows: Friday, April 10: Opens a
O’FALLON, Ill. — High school students interested in a career in health care are invited to apply for the Summer 2026 High School Healthcare Bootcamps at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese, HSHS Holy Family Hospital in Greenville and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. The bootcamps are designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in a career in health care to experience a realistic look into
ALTON – An Alton man accused of stealing a refrigerator while burglarizing a local church last week faces felony charges. Braden E. Phillips, 36, of Alton, was charged on April 6, 2026 with one count each of burglary, a Class 1 felony, and theft, a Class 4 felony. Phillips allegedly knowingly entered Harvest Fellowship Christian Church at 3316 Hillcrest Ave. in Alton without legal authority and with the intent to commit a theft on April 3, 2026. On the same date, Phillips reportedly
ALTON - Alton Community Unit School District #11 students came together for a celebration of neurodiversity at Autism Sports Day. On Friday, April 10, 2026, elementary and middle school students traveled to Lovejoy Elementary School for a day of bounce houses, snacks, games and fun. This event was hosted by the Alton High School’s cooperative work training program, overseen by Joe Michalski and Tammy Wood. High school students played with and helped the younger kids throughout the day
EAST ALTON — The East Alton Fire Department responded Friday afternoon, April 10, 2026, to a shed fire in the 100 block of Ohio Street, where the shed was fully involved, and a neighboring fence had melted. Firefighters arrived to find the shed on fire and moved quickly to get the blaze under control. The shed was a total loss. Wood River and Roxana fire departments were called in for mutual aid. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was unknown.
MARYVILLE - A newly constructed roundabout at the intersection of Illinois Route 162 and Keebler Road opened to traffic on April 9, 2026, in Maryville, Illinois, following more than a decade of planning that local and state leaders pursued after a fatal crash at the site. The Village of Maryville announced the opening, saying the project was developed in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Transportation, neighboring communities, Juneau Associates, Inc., P.C., Engineering Firm, and
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