Riverbender 🕸

ALTON - In celebration of the Mississippi River Network’s Mississippi River Days of Action, the Three Rivers Project of Sierra Club Illinois is calling for volunteers to help stencil storm drains throughout Alton on June 17. Volunteers will receive storm drain stenciling kits provided by Sierra Club Illinois and stencil storm drains and apply plaques that say, “No Dumping, Drains to River!” to aid in the protection of the Mississippi River. To register to participate in the Storm Drain Stenciling Project, visit bit.ly/stormdrainstenciling23 . “Storm drain stenciling is a fun and interactive way to explore Alton and get involved in the local community while also protecting our important waterways,” says Christine Favilla, co-Coordinator of the Three Rivers Project of Sierra Club Illinois. “Downtown Alton’s storm drains flow directly into our local waters, depositing whatever they pick up along the way directly into the Mississippi River. We

Continue Reading

CHICAGO - Someone could jump-start June 2023 as a multi-millionaire. The Lotto jackpot for tonight’s drawing has swelled to a mouth-watering $16.55 million. If a player wins tonight’s jackpot, it will surpass the last record-making Lotto jackpot won in June 2020 of $16.5 million. While a couple of $1 million Lotto prizes were won by lucky winners in Romeoville and Oak Forest in April, the jackpot is still up for grabs. In total this year, nearly 3.5 million winning Lotto tickets have been sold, netting players over $14 million in prizes. Lotto is an Illinois-only game that is played three times a week on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. About the Illinois Lottery Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $24 billion (since 1985) to the state’s Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund and to special causes. For more information, visit IllinoisLottery.com .

Continue Reading

GRANITE CITY - GCS Credit Union recently announced their new name, Revity Credit Union, which will take effect on July 1, 2023. GCS noted this rebranding project has been a deliberate process and they deeply respect their roots, dating back to 1941. Honoring their history is important, and this revitalization will help bridge the past and future while connecting to GCS Credit Union’s entire 18- county field of membership. While members will see a new name and look, the Credit Union’s values and mission have not changed. The same great people will be there to serve membership just as they have always done. GCS is honored to be the neighborly credit union the community has come to know for over 80 years. “We are proud of our 82-year history and mission. We know change is constant, and we must adapt to our members’ needs. We will always stay true to our mission of serving our members, and are excited for this revitalization of the future,” said Keith Burton,

Continue Reading

ALTON - The Alton Municipal Band is excited to announce its 133rd season of Concerts in the Parks. Each summer, on Thursdays and Sundays, the band performs a variety of programs featuring singers, instrumentalists, and music for everyone in the family. This year, conductors Jennifer Shenberger and David Drillinger have planned an exciting concert series, with old favorites and new friends joining the band. The season will kick off at Riverview Park on Thursday, June 8th. This 7:30 p.m. concert will feature local favorite Susan Stanard, along with the members of the band. The Hayner Public Library District will be on hand with a card table for the kids, and the entire family can take in the breathtaking views from atop the bluffs. Then, on Sunday, June 11th, the concert will repeat at Haskell Park. The earlier start time at 7 p.m. makes this concert a perfect weekend event for the entire family. The Mobile Tropical Snow will be at Haskell Park providing tasty treats for purchase,

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Following Memorial Day, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, spoke on the Senate floor highlighting democratic nations’ commitment to defend peace and freedom as Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war in Ukraine continues. Durbin said, “On Memorial Day, we remember those who gave their lives for this country. And on this Memorial Day, we were reminded, once again, that the struggle to defend freedom is never over. The peace and freedom for which more than one million American service members gave their lives in World War II is now threatened by a delusional despot, drunk on the fantasy of reclaiming a bygone Russian empire. And once again, the free nations of the world are united in our determination to defend peace and freedom.” During his speech, Durbin highlighted the stark contrast between Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky, who spoke at the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia, where he

Continue Reading

GLEN CARBON - When Girl Scout Cadettes focus on an issue they care about, learn the facts, and take action to make a difference, they gain the confidence and skills that will catapult them to lifelong success. It all adds up to the Girl Scout Silver Award – the highest honor a Cadette in grades 6-8 can achieve. Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is pleased to announce this year’s class of Silver Award Girl Scouts who were honored at the annual Recognition of Excellence ceremony on Sunday, May 21. Congratulations to all our Silver Award Girl Scouts! Troop #130 from the Alton/Godfrey/Wood River/Roxana area Project: Shelter Helpers – A Project for Partners for Pets Somona Acheson, KayLynn Buttry, Hope Carter, and Melina Luebbert Troop #792 from the Alton/Godfrey/Wood River/Roxana area Project: Care for Critters Julia Heil and Elisabeth Preston Troop #819 from the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area Project: Medical Equipment Help Hadasah Hunter, Doreen

Continue Reading

ST. LOUIS - Transit safety is a top regional priority, and leadership continues to take a very active role in addressing challenges, implementing changes and helping the community regain confidence in the system that serves the St. Louis region. Today, a virtual “Talking Transit” event was held by Citizens for Modern Transit to serve as a forum for transit security updates. Those in attendance received valuable insights and updates on the $52 million Secure Platform Plan, a metal detector pilot program, efforts to increase law enforcement presence on MetroLink and MetroBus and other means to address challenges and implement change. The discussion featured Taulby Roach, President and CEO of Bi-State Development; Kevin Scott, General Manager of Security for Bi-State Development; Catina Howard, Vice-President of the ATU Local 788 and Kathy Osborn, President & CEO of the Regional Business Council. The forum was moderated by Kimberly Cella, Executive Director of Citizens for

Continue Reading

WOOD RIVER - East Alton-Wood River High School announced its second semester Honor Roll lists. To view them, please click the link below. EAWR Second Semester Honor Roll

Continue Reading

MADISON – The Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois State Police are reminding the public and everyone planning to attend this weekend’s Enjoy Illinois 300 about traffic and travel impacts in the Metro East, advising people to plan ahead even if you’re just passing through the area. More than 65,000 people are expected to attend the NASCAR Truck Series race, NASCAR Cup Series race, concerts and other special events at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison on June 2, 3 and 4. “Enjoy Illinois 300 is a showcase event for our state. By taking a few minutes to plan your schedule and prepare, you can help ensure another safe and successful weekend for everyone,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “Whether you’re attending the Enjoy Illinois 300 events or traveling through the area, we want you to buckle up, drive sober and be patient so everyone makes it to their destination safely.” For motorists traveling

Continue Reading

GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College Athletics, along with former NBA standout Kenny Battle and former University of Illinois standout and Alton native Larry Smith, are joining forces this summer to offer a Future All-Stars Camp for aspiring basketball players. “These kids are going to have the best experience of any basketball camp they have ever attended, plus they get to meet me and I am a lot of fun,” Battle said. “At the end, everyone will walk away with the knowledge of what it takes to become a professional athlete.” The camp, which is geared toward boys and girls entering grades 1-8, will run from June 12-15, in the George C. Terry River Bend Arena on L&C’s Godfrey Campus. Each day will start with a morning session from 9 a.m. – noon, followed by a lunch break, then an afternoon session from 1-3 p.m. Lunch will be provided, but parents of children with known food allergies should plan to send a lunch with their child each day.

Continue Reading

BETHALTO - Civic Memorial High School released its Honor Roll lists. To view them, please click the link below. CM Fourth Quarter Honor Roll

Continue Reading

MADISON - Members of the Granite City Rotary Club, Granite City Police Department, Lebanon Rotary Club, and the City of Granite City spent the afternoon on Tuesday at World Wide Technology Raceway picking up trash along 203 in Madison prior to this weekend's NASCAR races.

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - A piece of Route 66 history in Edwardsville is coming back to life as a Mother Road interpretive center with the grand opening of the West End Service Station, 620 St. Louis St., on Friday, June 9. Local officials will celebrate the grand opening of the station with a formal ceremony as part of a series of events showcasing Route 66 in Edwardsville. The West End Service Station will serve as a Route 66 interpretive center and museum. It will be open Fridays through Sundays each week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Originally slated for demolition, the historic building gained new life when the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau received a $919,000 Route 66 grant in 2022. A total of $460,000 was earmarked in the grant, allowing the City to purchase and retrofit the vacant building into an interpretive center showcasing Edwardsville’s place on the famous highway. “There are so many great stories along the Last 100 Miles of Route 66 in Illinois and we want to bring

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE – Dozens of sponsors, food and market vendors, performers and, of course, classic cars are lined up and ready to make this year’s 25th Annual Route 66 Festival an all-day celebration to remember. Festival events are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, June 10, 2023, in and near City Park in downtown Edwardsville. The festival celebrates Route 66, the iconic 2,440-mile trek that ran from Chicago to the Pacific Coast – and for several decades passed through Edwardsville. This popular event will get underway at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 10, with the Metro Milers 10k run/walk. The festival kicks into high gear at 10 a.m., when the Roadside Marketplace opens for business with at least two dozen artisan and boutique vendors offering a variety of clothing, hand-crafted goods, pet-related items and more. Feed your appetite with selections from 10 food and beverage providers. There’s fun for all ages in the family zone, with three face-painting artists,

Continue Reading

ST. LOUIS - After hitting historic highs for delivery of modern bulk industrial space in 2022, the St. Louis region now also has the largest amount of manufacturing space available on the market compared to other Midwest cities, along with one of the lowest average asking rents. In addition, the region has trained workers ready to support newcomers to the industrial market with 15% of the region’s workforce within the production and transportation/material moving occupations. The data is included in St. Louis Regional Industrial Real Estate Market Indicators & Workforce Report released on May 26 th by the St. Louis Regional Freightway as part of the annual FreightWeekSTL conference and expo. The real estate information underscores that the St. Louis region has the space and workers needed for manufacturing companies looking for existing places to grow and expand their businesses. The St. Louis Regional Real Estate Market Indicators & Workforce Report emphasizes the significance

Continue Reading

ALTON - Rich Portwood discussed his background in law enforcement, on TV, and more, as well as his latest venture Blue Line Tactical Academy, on an episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com . After starting his career in law enforcement, Portwood said he actively sought additional training and found some success with competitive shooting. Then one day, he got a call from James Towle - who he had never met before - asking Portwood to appear on his new TV show. “ ended up being a guest on eight seasons of Stop The Threat, and it was one of the best experiences of my life - it really was,” Portwood said. Stop The Threat featured a panel of experts, Portwood included, who would analyze videos of citizens using firearms in self-defense and discuss what they could have done better or differently in their situations. Episodes of the show are available on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video . After a 19-year career in law enforcement, Portwood said his battle with

Continue Reading

BETHALTO - Through a diligent joint investigation that involved the FBI and the Bethalto Police Department, the Bethalto Police were successful in identifying possible suspects in the second attempted ATM theft. Evidence collected during the investigation was presented to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois, which successfully obtained an indictment in the case for Conspiracy to Commit Bank Larceny. Today the suspect indicted in connection with the event is in custody on the associated warrant and other unrelated matters in Livingston, LA. He is identified as: Goldie L. Jones Age: 28, of Houston, Texas. "As you all know I like to keep our community updated on the department’s efforts, to both keep you apprised of what type of crime is occurring in the Village and to hold ourselves accountable for solving those crimes," Bethalto Police Chief Mike Dixon said. "For those of you who follow our page, you know our Village was targeted

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s online master’s in healthcare informatics (MSHI) program is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Since the start of the program, 165 students have earned their healthcare informatics master’s degree. "The health informatics program actually started as a non-credit certificate program back in 2008; the popularity of the certificate program provided the motivation necessary to develop the master’s program,” said Frank Lylera PhD, RN, CAHIMS, FHIMSS, professor in the School of Nursing and Graduate School, and director of the healthcare informatics program. “The popularity of the program persists as our 2021 and 2022 fall cohorts have experienced maximum enrollment. We are currently accepting applications for fall 2023 which will be our 20 th cohort.” SIUE developed the program in a corporate partnership with BJC Health Care to ensure its workforce would be well-trained to meet

Continue Reading

ST. LOUIS -The St. Louis area avoided the top 25 most ozone-polluted cities list for the seventh consecutive year but still receives poor grades for overall air quality in a spring release by the American Lung Association. Madison and Jersey County both had low marks in the American Lung Association’s latest “State of the Air” report. Nearly 36 percent of Americans – 119.6 million people – still live in places with failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. Madison County received an F grade, while Jersey and St. Clair County came in with a C grade. St. Charles County also was graded with an F and St. Louis city recorded a D grade. “It’s encouraging to see that St. Louis has once again escaped the list of the most ozone-polluted cities with more counties in the bi-state area receiving a better grade in this year’s annual “State of the Air” report compared to last year,” said Susannah Fuchs,

Continue Reading

ALTON - On the heels of sponsoring two (2) very successful and capacity-packed NARCAN training sessions in February 2023 and March 2023, OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center (1 St. Anthony’s Way, Alton) is continuing its advocacy in addressing the opioid epidemic in southwestern Illinois by hosting a Community Conversation on Opioid Use Disorder. The Community Conversation on Opioid Use Disorder program will be held on Friday, June 16, 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in the hospital’s Perpetual Help Center. The training program is free and lunch will be provided, but registration is required. Registration can be completed by visiting https://AltonConversation.eventbrite.com . According to statistics available through the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), between 2013 and 2021, the number of opioid overdose deaths in Illinois increased by almost 300%. According to provisional data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates more than 108,000

Continue Reading