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BRUSSELS - The Illinois State Police District 18 is investigating a single-vehicle fatal traffic crash that involved a 2002 orange Yamaha motorcycle and an 18-year-old at 8:38 p.m. Monday at Illinois Route 100 southbound at the Brussels Ferry in Jersey County. This is preliminary information being released by ISP: DRIVER : Unit 1- 18-year-old male from O’Fallon, IL – Deceased. PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling on Illinois Route 100 southbound, just north of the Brussels Ferry Entrance. The driver of Unit 1 lost control and went off the roadway to the right and struck a guardrail. The driver of Unit 1 was ejected from the motorcycle. The driver was transported to an area hospital and later pronounced deceased.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High School's Class of 2022 endured an unprecedented 26 months at EHS with the COVID-19 Pandemic, Principal Dr. Steve Stuart said after the graduation. "Since March of their sophomore year, they have not known normal, but this has not deterred them from trying to make the most of their time here," he said. "Throughout all of it, this class has shown that Tiger spirit and has made us proud along the way. They were excited when we were able to open up athletic events, plays, and concerts, and even have a full prom this year. They looked for ways to get involved with our community as well by volunteering and collecting goods to support local pantries." Dr. Stuart said the class will have many lessons learned from this experience they use in the future. "As they move forward, whether it is on to college, the military, or joining the workforce, it is our hope that our graduates take what they have learned during their time at EHS and apply it in their

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ALTON - Alton School Superintendent Dr. Kristie Baumgartner described the Alton High Class of 2022 as "a very special and remarkable group of students." "The resilience, persistence, and academic strengths displayed by our seniors are all significant indicators of what lies ahead in regards to their future success," she said. "We wish all of our graduates the very best!" Alton High School's graduation was Friday night. Above is a video from the event, plus within are pictures. Click here for the graduate list.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Alton track runners Christian Kotzamanis and John Krafka proved to be a very lethal one-two punch for the Redbirds in the 800-meter runs this past track and field outdoor season. On Apr. 23 at the Winston Brown Invitational meet in Edwardsville, Krafka came in third with a time of 2:03.81, while Kotzamanis was right behind in fourth at 2:05.29. Then, in the Southwestern Conference meet at Edwardsville on May 11, Kotzamanis had a time of 2:04.84, while Krafka came in at 2:05.26. Both have been coming close to running sub-two-minute times in the event. For their efforts on the track this season, both Kotzamanis and Krafka have been named the Auto Butler male Athletes of the Month for their school. Kotzamanis and Krafka, who run for head coach Jeff White, both set personal records in the 800 recently and both felt they ran well on the day. "I think I did alright," Kotzamanis said as part of a joint interview conducted during the meet. "I lost in the last race, but altogether,

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EDWARDSVILLE - Alton sophomore softball pitcher Grace Presley had a great performance against the Kahoks on May 24, striking out 10 batters and allowing four runs on nine hits in the Redbirds' 4-2 loss in the second semifinal of the IHSA Class 4A regional tournament at the Edwardsville District 7 Sports Complex. Presley got key outs in the game, including getting out of a one-out bases-loaded jam in the fifth to keep the game close. The Redbirds did play well, but missed opportunities were very costly in the end. Presley is the Auto Butler Female Athlete of the Month for Alton High School. For her performance in the game and in the season, Presley has been selected as the school's Riverbender.com Auto Butler female Athlete of the Month for May 2022. Presley, who plays for head coach Dan Carter, felt that her team played well and did everything that the Redbirds needed to do in the game. "I feel good about our game," Presley said during a postgame interview. "They were a really

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ALTON – The first Annual James Killion Day at Killion Park at Salu on Saturday was an overwhelming success, with a capacity crowd and remembrance of the legendary Alton man and also other past and present veterans on Memorial Day weekend. The City of Alton Mayor, David Goins, presented a memorable proclamation to the members of the Killion Family. Local veterans shared their service stories and DJ Love was the main entertainment of the day. Doves were released in reverence of veterans who have died. Also, event attendees enjoyed food, and drinks and took home a commemorative frisbee, as well as had the opportunity to win tickets to a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. There were birthday cakes and cookies in Killion’s memory. James’ immense contributions to the Alton region were recognized. James' son, Jim Killion Jr., spoke at the event and said Killion Park has strong memories for all of his families and was a special place for his father. Jim Killion Jr. acknowledged

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JERSEY COUNTY – A woman was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital after an accident at 9:58 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at Delhi Road and Schaefer Road. The crash was a single-vehicle accident and the woman had to be extricated to be airlifted, Jersey County Sheriff Mike Ringhausen said. Ringhausen said this weekend was much less eventual for his sheriff’s office, although he said Illinois Police will have a release about a tragic accident near the Brussels Ferry sometime today.

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GRAFTON – Children and adults are invited to try their hand at fishing during the annual Two Rivers Family Fishing Fair at Pere Marquette State Park near Grafton. This is the 33rd year for the free event, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11. “We want to get young people hooked on fishing, and the Family Fishing Fair helps connect kids and families to fun outdoor activities,” said Scott Isringhausen, urban fishing coordinator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The Fishing Fair will include a wide variety of outdoor activities: a catch-and-release bluegill pond where young anglers can have their photograph taken with their catch; the popular One-Cast station, where everyone wins a prize; and bow-fishing stations where children can shoot at moving targets in a pool or at a three-dimensional target. Every child who completes at least seven stations will receive a prize and have the chance to catch a trout in the trout pond.

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WOOD RIVER - Baseball has been part of East Alton-Wood River freshman Caleb Handler's life for many years. He started in the sport with tee-ball at age 4 and he just recently completed his season for the Oilers. He will be a sophomore in the 2022-2023 school year. Caleb is a Midwest Members Credit Union Male Athlete of Month for the Oilers. Caleb said besides baseball he doesn't really have any other hobbies. "It's just such a great time getting to enjoy the game with my friends and coaches," Caleb said about playing baseball. Since he's just a freshman, he's not committed to a particular college yet but he dreams of playing for Vanderbilt. But he says he would take a baseball scholarship anywhere. Caleb's head baseball coach Nick Dorsey said Caleb has an extremely high work ethic and certainly deserves the recognition. "Caleb has many qualities that earn this award," coach Dorsey said. "His work ethic is unmatched. Something I tell all of the athletes in the baseball progra

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ALTON - Over six miles of sanitary sewer main is being installed in the Turner Tract, Shields Valley and Piasa Valley areas of Alton. Work kicked off in February 2021 and will continue to progress until 2023. Piasa Valley Area: Alby Street is open to traffic. 9th Street will be closed from east of Alby Street intersection east to Alton Street, with additional closures east as the sewer installation progresses. 12th Street pavement replacement will be starting soon. 10th Street is closed between Alby Street and George Street. Blair Avenue will be closed at the intersections of Henry and Langdon Streets. Brick pavement restoration is currently happening on 8th Street. Please drive carefully in this area, as there is a lot of construction equipment moving around the different work areas. Shield's Valley Area: Pavement restoration has been completed. Sewer separation has been completed for the Shields Valley area and we would like to thank all of the local residents

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PONTOON BEACH - “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” and a relaxing ride on an air-conditioned bus improves a trip to the Muny “in the most delightful way!” Madison County Transit (MCT) is pleased to announce that it will once again operate the MCT Muny Express to every Friday night performance at the magical Muny in Forest Park, offering the best way to access “all that jazz” at this classic St. Louis summertime venue. This fast and affordable express bus service, from 13 convenient Madison County locations, drops passengers off and picks them up right in front of the Muny, so patrons won’t miss a note of their favorite showstoppers. The curtain rises on the 2022 Muny season with “Chicago,” on Friday, June 17 and continues with classic musicals such as: “Camelot,” “Mary Poppins,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Legally Blonde,” “The Color Purple,” and “Joseph and the

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CHICAGO – People will have an additional opportunity to become an organ donor thanks to a measure championed by State Senator Christopher Belt that was signed into law Friday. “Organ donors save countless lives every year,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “After living on dialysis for a year, I received a kidney transplant in January 2010. I know the importance of giving people more opportunities to become organ donors.” House Bill 4696 allows the Department of Natural Resources to offer online hunting license holders the opportunity to be redirected to the First Person Consent Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. On average, 300 people die each year waiting for an organ donation. More than 4,700 Illinois residents are waiting for an organ or tissue donation. In 2020, there were 7 million Illinoisans registered as organ donors. The first-person consent law provides an opportunity to save more lives and ensures that your wish to be an organ/tissue donor is honored.

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MT. VERNON - Holland Construction Services recently broke ground on the new Mt. Vernon Police Station located at Logan and 27th Street in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. The new 25,000 square-foot building will offer all the amenities of a modern police facility with the latest in equipment technology and larger spaces for training, dispatch, and offices. Mt. Vernon Assistant City Manager Nathan McKenna said the current police station, which is a converted car dealership built in the 1970s, no longer fits the department’s needs. “This new facility will be state-of-the-art and wired for new technology,” said McKenna. He added that Holland was selected to build the new station based on the company’s experience with similar project types and their reputation in the region. “We’ve never done a project of this scale, so Holland’s expertise and ability to troubleshoot any issues that might arise was very important to us,” said McKenna. “A lo

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ALTON - There was considerable activity at the new McDonald's construction site on Broadway Tuesday morning. Multiple Kienstra Ready Mix Concrete trucks were delivering to areas around the new McDonald's. The shell of the building for the new McDonald's has been erected. A Kienstra manager at the scene said he expected the concrete for the project to be put in place today. Kienstra workers assisted with traffic flow in the area. The McDonald's on Broadway in Alton is owned by the family of Dick Bold.

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All Ages: Read Beyond the Beaten Path 2022 All Ages Summer Reading Challenge Registration Starts May 31 Register at Either Library Location or Online at https://smrld.beanstack.com Pre-register online or with the Beanstack Tracker app starting May 23. Friends of the Library Book Sale Wilson Park Ice Rink Thursday, June 2 – 6 PM to 9 PM Preview Sale. Admission $6.00. Friday, June 3 – 4 PM to 8 PM Free Admission. Saturday, June 4 – 9 AM til Noon Free Admission. A bag of books can be purchased for $6.00. Hardback Books, Paperbacks, & DVDs – $1 Children’s Books – 50 cents Special items are priced separately. Summer Reading Performers 10 AM Johnson Rd & 2 PM Delmar Ave JUNE Friday, June 10 - Butterfly House Friday, June 17 - Mad Science: Walking on the Moon Friday, June 24 - Sword Fights & Sea Shanties JULY Friday, July 1 - Treehouse Wildlife Friday, July 8 - Campfire Stories with Sherry Norfolk

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EDWARDSVILLE - Some scientists estimate that one out of every three foods we eat exists thanks to pollinating animals such as hummingbirds, bats, bees, beetles, butterflies, and flies. Without them, we wouldn't have fruits, vegetables, and nuts….not to mention chocolate and coffee. Over the past few years, certain pollinators like monarch butterflies and bees have experienced significant declines in population. In order to help the small creatures that give us so much, Joe’s Market Basket wants to offer people tips on how to create their own pollinator garden. “It’s nice to have beautiful things in your yard but they can also be functional,” said Joe’s Market Basket General Manager Andy Klos. “One of the best things to do to prevent the decline of pollinators is to make your garden a landing pad for them so they can get their nutrients and sugars to pollinate.” Klos said certain flowers and native plants like salvia, milkweed, butterfly

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Centerstone, a not-for-profit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder treatments, has promoted Megan Klaas to director of credentialing for its operations in Illinois and Tennessee. Previously operations director for Centerstone’s Illinois operations, Klaas joined Centerstone in 2017 as a credentialing manager. In her new role, Klaas leads all credentialing operations in both Illinois and Tennessee, producing high level results in a fast paced, high volume environment. Klaas manages external and internal communications that foster expedited and accountable credentialing processes. Also, Klaas oversees all of the credentialing functions from expedited application management to health plan and regulatory compliance to day-to-day management of the overall effective credentialing process and database and analytics management. “We are very happy for Megan and her new role at Centerstone. Since joining us in 2017, Megan has

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ALTON - Alton Police Department is investigating an attempted vehicular hijacking that was reported at 12:44 p.m. on Monday, May 30, in the area of East Broadway and the Broadway Connector. Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said: "Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim has just driven into Alton, from the State of Missouri after driving across the Clark Bridge. The victim then drove down the Broadway Connector and was stopped at the intersection of East Broadway. At that point, two black males, wearing all dark clothing with their faces partially concealed, exited a black Jeep that had been following the victim. The two suspects, who both were armed with firearms, approached the victim and attempted to remove the victim from the vehicle. The victim was able to safely drive away and the suspect’s attempt at the vehicular hijacking was unsuccessful." The chief added that a witness observed this occurring and watched as the two suspects return to the Jeep, at which point

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(The Center Square) – Conflicting population estimates for Illinois continue to spur debate about whether the state is growing or shrinking as has been estimated for years. Gov. J.B. Pritzker sent President Joe Biden a letter requesting the federal government send Illinois more federal tax money. He said a recent Census survey shows the agency undercounted Illinois by nearly 2%. Democratic members of Illinois’ congressional delegation followed up with a letter to the Census urging the bureau to update the population for funding decisions. “We are writing in regard to the Census Bureau’s Post-Enumeration Survey (PES), which found that Illinois likely was undercounted at a rate of 1.97% in the 2020 Decennial Census,” the Democrats said. “With this knowledge comes the striking fact that Illinois did not lose residents, but rather, the State’s population is now at its largest in history with about 13 million residents. We are concerned about

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CARLINVILLE - After their graduation ceremonies, Blackburn College announces names of local graduates. Here are a few students from around the Riverbend area. Christian Curtner of Carrollton, IL graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Justice Administration from Blackburn College's 153rd Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Brendan Zeller of South Roxana, IL graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport Management from Blackburn College's 153rd Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Ramsey Kerley of Brighton, IL graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science - Cybersecurity Track from Blackburn College's 153rd Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Gabrianna Lucas of Pontoon Beach, IL graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology - Molecular Track from Blackburn College's 153rd Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2022. Emily Moran of Carrollton, IL graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in

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