Riverbender 🕸

ALTON - Brian Morris was presented the Hometown Star Award by John Hopkins at a recent Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey meeting. Brian is the owner of Shiver’s Frozen Custard in Godfrey. Accompanied by his parents, Gary and Mary Ann Morris, Brian described his path to success as an entrepreneur in our community. Born and raised in Alton, he attended Alton schools, graduating from Alton High School in 2007. While pursuing his career path, he enrolled in Lewis and Clark, studying computer technologies, but concluded that area was not his passion. While in high school, Brian worked part-time at Shiver’s Frozen Custard, which at the time was just beginning as a business on Godfrey Road. The business struggled and finally closed. The owner of Caesar’s Pizza bought the business and, while examining the records in the office, came across a list of former employees with Brian’s name and phone number, resulting in a call asking Brian to return to work at Shiver’s. Afte

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today on the Senate floor requested unanimous consent (UC) to schedule confirmation votes on two U.S. Attorney nominations being held by U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH)—Rebecca C. Lutzko, nominated to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio; and April M. Perry, nominated to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. U.S. Attorneys are empowered to prosecute all federal criminal offenses and are an integral part of our justice system. Despite these nominees’ eminent qualifications, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) once again objected to the unanimous consent request. Last month, Durbin attempted to confirm these two nominees, as well as Todd Gee, nominated to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi; and Tara McGrath, nominated to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, by UC

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate approved today an amendment patterned after legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12) to protect veterans’ Second Amendment rights. Bost, the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced legislation earlier this year that would end the Department of Veterans Affairs’ practice of automatically submitting veterans’ names for background checks when they need help managing their finances. “Until now, a veteran who needed help managing their finances wouldn’t be able to go deer hunting because their name would have been submitted for a government-run background check that restricted their Second Amendment rights without due process,” said Bost. “It’s taken Congress over 30 years to right this wrong. I appreciate the bipartisan work the Senate has done on this issue, and in partnership with the House, I look forward to it being enacted in the final version o

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Rotary Club has chosen to honor Edwardsville High School student, Kaitlyn DeVries, with the Student of the Month Award for the month of October. Kaitlyn DeVries was nominated by English teacher, Ms. Heather Haskins, of Edwardsville High School. Kaitlyn is the daughter of Erin and Bill DeVries. She is involved in many extracurricular activities, such as Key Club, National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, Debate Club, and the OMG Pickleball Club. In addition, she is a nominated student leader in Thirst Project, German Club, National English Honor Society, and Ethics Bowl; she is also the president of the German Honor Society. Kaitlyn’s achievements also include: receiving several medals in competitive pickleball at a 4.0 rating, maintaining a 4.64 GPA through several AP and Honors classes, and holding a first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys writing short stories, reading, archery, practicing the bo

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resource (IDNR) is reminding deer hunters of locations where deer can be tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD) free of charge during the 2023-2024 hunting season. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal disease of the central nervous system in deer and elk. It was first detected in a suspect adult female deer from northwest Boone County in 2002. Since then, 162,099 wild deer have been sampled statewide, and 1,752 individual deer tested positive for CWD. The disease is currently confined to a 19-county area in the northern third of Illinois. Wildlife biologists monitor the geographic distribution and intensity of CWD primarily through testing of hunter-harvested deer. Chronic wasting disease is not transmissible to humans; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend consuming CWD-positive venison, or deer meat. Hunters can visit participating vendors, including taxidermists and meat processors, or

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County is asking people to donate materials, or tell their stories, related to the coronavirus pandemic, as a way to preserve this moment in history. Director of the Madison County Historical Museum Jon Parkin said that an historic event is taking place all around us right now, and he is asking people to share their stories, so it will be preserved for future generations. The museum is also looking for objects, and paper or digital items, that document the current crisis. “We want to include the heroic efforts of first responders, the plight of victims, the effects on businesses, schools, and cultural groups; and the creativity borne of isolation,” Parkin said. The museum will collect paper memorabilia, like flyers, postcards, signs, emails, drawings, or anything that shows how county residents are handling the current situation. Other items the museum will accept include household objects that reflect life under quarantine. “The different

Continue Reading

CHICAGO – Three Illinois Lottery players tried their luck with a $10 scratch-off ticket and wound up in the lottery winner’s circle - each scoring a $250,000 top-prize win. One of the winners was at the MotoMart store at 1117 Camp Jackson Road in Cahokia. The three lucky players each won a quarter of a million dollars on a $250,000 Crossword game. The winning scratch-off tickets were purchased at lottery retail locations across the state - ranging from Northern Illinois all the way down to a suburb outside of St. Louis. The manager at MotoMart in Cahokia shared his excitement from selling one of the winning tickets. Photo courtesy: MotoMart, 1117 Camp Jackson Rd, Cahokia, IL (Google Maps) “It’s quite thrilling that someone won a big prize right here in Cahokia,” exclaimed John Fraser, manager at the Cahokia MotoMart. “Our regular customers tend to think the big wins happen in Chicago, so we’re very delighted that someone

Continue Reading

LOS ANGELES, CA. — On Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, an intruder was arrested after climbing a fence at the residence of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Protectors from Gavin de Becker & Associates (GDBA) detected and detained the intruder, who asked to see the candidate. The intruder was turned over to the LAPD. After being released from police custody, the man immediately returned to Kennedy's residence and was arrested again. The candidate was home at the time of both arrests. GDBA had notified the Secret Service about this specific obsessed individual several times in recent months and shared alarming communications he had sent to the candidate. Over several months, the campaign submitted formal requests for Secret Service protection, yet U.S. Department of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas has refused to approve the protection. Every presidential administration for 55 years has afforded early protection to candidates who requested it. The Biden administration is the sol

Continue Reading

ALTON - The Alton City Council gave their final approval to several items passed by the Committee of the Whole earlier this week, including new stop signs and other traffic safety improvements on Alby Street, property bids and demolitions, and more. The council unanimously gave final approval to an ordinance placing stop signs on northbound and southbound Alby Street at East 20th Street. According to the ordinance, the intersection at Alby and East 20th Street will be converted from a two-way stop with a blinking yellow light overhead to a four-way stop with a blinking red light overhead. The intersection will also feature LED lights illuminating the stop signs and painted stop lines on the roadway. While the City Council passed the ordinance without debate on Wednesday, the item was the subject of some discussion during the Committee of the Whole meeting earlier this week. At that meeting, Alderwoman Stephanie Elliott asked if placing two more stop signs at the intersection

Continue Reading

ALTON - The Alton City Council voted 6-1 to officially approve an $8.1 million redevelopment agreement for the new Route 3 and Buckmaster Business District, also known as Alton Circle Plaza, which was passed by the Committee of the Whole earlier this week . The redevelopment agreement has been made between the City of Alton and Missouri-based Valcour Development Company. The total cost, which the city has agreed to reimburse up to half of, covers several interior and exterior renovation projects around the newly established Route 3 and Buckmaster Business District, which roughly covers the area encompassing Big Lots, Goodwill, and other stores, but excludes the new Starbucks location. The city plans to reimburse Valcour through new sales tax revenue generated by a 1% sales tax increase on most retail items sold within the newly established district. Mike Batchelor has repeatedly and publicly criticized the city’s decision to raise sales taxes in the area, noting it

Continue Reading

ALTON - Halloween is almost here and with it comes an abundance of trick-or-treating, parades and fun outside. This Halloween is going to be much cooler than normal around the region. Ben Herzog, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in St. Louis, said temps on Halloween night and the night before will likely be in the lower to mid-30s. The projection by the NWS is a high of 45 and a low of around 29 on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, and a high of 46 and low of around 27 degrees on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, Halloween night. “Temperatures are going to drop well before next week,” Herzog said. “We have a cold front that will come through on Friday. We will have pretty warm temperatures during the day on Friday, but by Friday night, temps in the St. Louis area are going to fall into the mid and upper 40s.” Herzog predicted on Halloween night temps would be around the mid-30s, but he said people would be fine if they dressed in layers for the night's fun activities.

Continue Reading

EAST ALTON/WOOD RIVER - Woodrow Peterson and his group the Backpack Bandits have been busy recently with a massive Community Cleanup in October. Peterson also saw a request from the Madison Police Department when they didn’t have any additional NARCAN for patrol officers and he helped fulfill that urgent need with a donation of 20 cases. NARCAN is a nasal spray designed to rapidly reverse the effects of a life-threatening opioid emergency. The recent Community Cleanup Day in East Alton and Wood River were very successful, Peterson said. He also commended the East Alton-Wood River High School volunteers who showed up to help. He singled out Ed Ringering, the former East Alton Street Department director, for his help with a tractor during the cleanup. “Some of the grass was five feet tall,” he said, but with the tractor and all the volunteer help, they were able to attack and remove it. The cleanup group addressed the needs of an elderly person in the area and i

Continue Reading

ALTON - The Overnight Warming Center received a portion of the proceeds from the Mayor’s Fundraiser and Charity Ball. Alton Mayor David Goins and First Lady Sheila Goins met with Overnight Warming Center organizers at Deliverance Temple Church of God in Christ in Alton . They made their donation alongside Dawn Elliott, the mother of Alton native and NFL star Zeke Elliott, who donated several pounds of food on Zeke’s behalf. “People come in agitated, freezing,” organizer Peter Hough said. “Give somebody a snack and treat them nice, it’s better. Everything gets better. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference.” The Overnight Warming Center provides food and shelter for people when the temperature reaches below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Anyone who needs a place to sleep for that night can come to Deliverance Temple at 1125 E. 6th Street in Alton. Hough and Tyler Dreith, the nonprofit’s operations director, said they

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Representative Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Representative Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), and Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL) announced the establishment of a new Congressional Caucus focused on educating policymakers and uplifting the needs of Predominantly Black Institutions. The Congressional Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) Caucus will unite policymakers who share the goal of understanding and advancing policies to support PBIs. PBIs were established in 2007 via P.L. 110-84, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, to expand access to important federal grants to assist institutions with limited institutional wealth to include colleges and universities serving large percentages of low-income African American students. Prior to 2007, these support grants assisted only a subset of institutions that educate low-income students who are underrepresented in higher education, including: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions

Continue Reading

COLLINSVILLE – Illinois State Police (ISP) Troop 8 Commander, Captain Casey Faro, announces the ISP will conduct Nighttime Enforcement (NITE) patrols in Madison and St. Clair County during November. NITE patrols allow the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to impaired driving and occupant restraint violations especially between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. The number of unrestrained drivers killed in traffic crashes is significantly higher at nighttime and combined with impaired driving means even more traffic deaths during these critical hours. Officers will strictly enforce violations including: - Driving Under the Influence (DUI); - Safety Belt and Child Restraint use; - Speeding; - Distracted Driving; and, - All Illinois Vehicle Code and Criminal Violations. Alcohol and drug impairment are factors in more than 30% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. Over half of all fatal crashes in Illinois occur at night.

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – With the regular waterfowl seasons about to open this fall, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is reminding hunters to be aware that they could encounter highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, again this year. IDNR will monitor for outbreaks of HPAI during the fall bird migration. Members of the public are encouraged to report large concentrations of 20 or more deceased birds found one location. Reports can be made to the local IDNR district wildlife biologist . IDNR first announced HPAI was detected in wild Canada geese in Illinois in March 2022 in a joint notice with the Illinois Department of Agriculture. IDNR reminds waterfowl hunters to take precautions by thoroughly cooking game meat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Hunters also should avoid handling sick or dead waterfowl found in the field, and they should not allow dogs or other pets to consume waterfowl that died from unknown causes. Rubber gloves and a mask

Continue Reading

BETHALTO - “Surviving the Holidays,” a special free event for those in area communities who are grieving the loss of loved ones, will take place at Zion Lutheran Church, Bethalto , on Sunday, November 12, 2023, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Adults and teens are invited to hear a presentation about resources, strategies and tools for coping with grief during the holiday season. “Grief and loss are always hard to deal with during the holiday season,” said Rev. Brandon Metcalf of Zion. “Whether the loss was recent or many years ago, this can be a hard time of year, and we want to help and offer hope.” The presentation will focus on how to cope with grief, what to be aware of as the holidays are approaching, and how to find hope in the midst of loss from a Christian viewpoint. Participants will hear from people who have recently experienced a loss and are dealing with grief, as well as from Zion’s pastors, Rev. Kale Hanson and Rev. Brandon Metcalf,

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12) issued the following statement today regarding U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) being elected the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives: "I was proud to cast my vote today for the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Speaker Johnson is a consistent conservative with the steady hand to lead the People’s House through consequential times. "I share his conservative vision for America and value the respect he inspires from all corners of the Republican Conference. We’ve got a lot of work to do, from securing the border to passing conservative spending bills and aiding Israel. The time to get back to work is now; and we’ve got the right leader for the job.” Statement from Rep. Robin Kelly on Election of Rep. Mike Johnson as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) issued the following statement on the election of Rep.

Continue Reading

BALTIMORE, MD. - On Tuesday night, upon returning from her conference visit in Baltimore, St. Louis Mayor Jones took a COVID test as a standard precautionary measure after traveling and received a positive test result. While she is experiencing mild symptoms, Mayor Jones will be working from home and holding meetings virtually over the next five days to protect the health and safety of her staff and others around her. The individuals she was in contact with this week have been notified as well. Mayor Jones is fully vaccinated and boosted, and will continue to test according to CDC guidelines. She urges any St. Louisan who is not fully vaccinated and boosted to take the steps to do so, and find opportunities on the City of St. Louis Department of Health’s website and vaccines.gov .

Continue Reading

MARYVILLE – Intensive Care Unit Nurse, Adam Quitmeyer, RN, of Anderson Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. The nomination submitted read: “I was in the hospital following an ER visit and emergency Pace Maker implanted. Adam was the Nurse on the ICU level at night during my stay. He was just exceptionally kind, constantly checked on me, answered tons of questions, and continuously went above and beyond. I was quite scared considering my heart had such a large issue, but Adam kept checking on me, letting me know he would return, and offering his assistance with every little thing including making sure I was hydrating, checking my hydration levels, getting me food, and preparing me for all of my tests. "My family was not able to stay at the hospital and thanks to Adam I didn’t

Continue Reading