Riverbender 🕸

EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville voters will have a chance next spring to make their stance on video gambling known to city leaders. Edwardsville City Council members on Tuesday approved adding a non-binding referendum on the March 17, 2026 General Primary Election Ballot regarding video gambling in Edwardsville. The exact wording was amended after a lengthy discussion between council members and will appear on the ballot as follows: “ Shall the city of Edwardsville allow video gambling,

EDWARDSVILLE – Award-winning asbestos litigation firm, The Gori Law Firm, recently welcomed four new attorneys to its offices in Edwardsville, Illinois, and Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Mary Jo Guinn, Karey Lakin, and Madelyn Foster join the firm’s asbestos litigation and personal injury teams in Illinois, while Jeffrey Carey leads the firm’s expansion into the Missouri market. “Our growth is a testament to the outstanding services we continue to provide to our

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office sent a letter to rental car companies, reminding them that swapping or altering license plates is illegal and they can be held liable under Illinois law if their vehicles are used in this manner. Additionally, a cease-and-desist letter was issued to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, making it clear that all vehicles registered in Illinois, regardless of who is driving, must comply with state law. When the office’

EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Municipal Band will perform its annual Christmas Concert on Saturday, December 6, at 7:00 p.m. at the historic Wildey Theatre in downtown Edwardsville. The event is free and open to the public, with doors opening one hour prior to the performance at 6:00 p.m. This year's concert features a collaboration with 5th through 8th-grade band students from ECUSD 7, Edwardsville Catholic Schools, and Trinity Lutheran. These students will join the Municipal Band on stage,

EDWARDSVILLE – Greece, Iceland, Guatemala, El Salvador. These are just a few of the remote locations available for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s faculty-led travel study program. Locations such as Mexico City for sociology research and Peru for a course titled Honors, Business and International Studies are a sample of the opportunities SIUE’s faculty experts have on the 2026 schedule. Johanna Schmitz, PhD, professor of Theatre History in SIUE’s Department

ALTON/GODFREY - Great Rivers Choral Society will perform their annual holiday concert next weekend to help everybody feel the Christmas spirit. “Silver Glow: A Christmas Celebration” will encourage holiday cheer while reflecting on the choir’s silver anniversary. GRCS members noted their excitement to share their hard work with the community “I think everybody needs a little uplifting right now in this day and age,” said member Pat Stewart. “It'll be

PONTOON BEACH – An area man and woman face charges in connected felony cases after an alleged storage unit burglary in Pontoon Beach. Travis T. Pillman, 37, of Bunker Hill, and Ashley J. Fulmer, 29, of Kampsville, were both charged on Nov. 20, 2025 with two counts each of burglary, all Class 2 felonies. The two allegedly knowingly and without authority entered the same storage unit building in the 4000 block of Pontoon Road in Pontoon Beach with the intent to commit a theft on Oct. 2,

SPRINGFIELD — Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) is using AI to transform chance discoveries of early lung cancer into second chances for patients. Thanks to Eon Health’s AI-driven platform that scrutinizes radiologists’ notes to flag abnormalities unrelated to a lung cancer scan’s original purpose – aka “incidental” findings – patients are diagnosed with lung cancer before they even experience symptoms. Early detection is key to overcomin

COLLINSVILLE - During this past fall, 23,000 students from elementary, junior high and high schools around Illinois participated in a virtual audition process and of those auditions, more than 7,000 students were selected to participate in district festivals celebrating student musicians in bands, orchestras, choruses and jazz ensembles. Students in grades 7-12 who participated in the ILMEA District Festivals are also eligible to be selected into ILMEA’s Junior and Senior All-State Student

A December 4, 1925 article in the Alton Evening Telegraph announced that “Jake Schneider of the Broadway Market has a whole Buffalo on display at his market.” He had received it (already slaughtered) the day before. Schneider had purchased the buffalo (technically an American bison) from the famous Scotty Philip herd at Fort Pierre, South Dakota. After several days on display, the buffalo was skinned, cut up, and buffalo steak, buffalo roast, and “buffalo this and that”

COLLINSVILLE – Illinois State Police (ISP) Troop 8 Commander, Captain Casey Faro, announces the ISP will conduct Roadside Safety Checks (RSCs) in Madison and St. Clair counties during December. The use of RSCs combine a strong sense of public awareness and enforcement in order to save lives of the motoring public. The ISP has zero tolerance for impaired driving in Illinois. Officers working the detail will be watchful for motorists who show signs of impaired driving, operating vehicles

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul secured a preliminary injunction in an ongoing lawsuit to block the Trump administration from enforcing the “Defund Provision” in the recently enacted federal budget reconciliation law. The Defund Provision was designed to exclude Planned Parenthood facilities and other health centers that provide abortions from receiving federal Medicaid reimbursements for other essential health care services like cancer screenings, testing for and treatmen

GODFREY - Community members can support local dancers at the upcoming DK Dance Productions Holiday Show. On Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Hatheway Hall at Lewis and Clark Community College, dancers of all ages will perform to holiday songs. Dancers from the DK Dance Productions Alton location will perform at 11 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. performance by the Florissant dancers and a 3 p.m. performance by the Jerseyville dancers. “It is really just showcasing our holiday spirit,” sai

ALTON/GRANITE CITY - Over 700 local kids will receive a new pair of shoes this month through All God’s Children Shall Have Shoes. This organization allows kids in need to choose a pair of brand new shoes and a packet of socks. Every December, Sue Wooden organizes monetary donations and coordinates visits from area schools to Famous Footwear in Alton. She noted the importance of empowering the kids to choose their own shoes. “For a lot of the kids, this is their big Christmas

ST. LOUIS - With the holiday season in full swing, it’s easy for spending to snowball. First Mid Bank & Trust (First Mid) is sharing tips to help people make smart financial choices to keep spending under control and avoid post-holiday debt. “Holiday spending tends to creep up every year, and while prices rise with inflation, paychecks don’t always keep pace,” said Stas Wolak, Chief Retail Banking Officer at First Mid. “When wages don’t rise at the

GRANITE CITY – Three men from Granite City have been charged in separate cases of stolen vehicle possession, including one man who fled from officers at high speeds into St. Louis. Douglas S. Ray, 45, of Granite City, was charged on Dec. 9, 1979 with one count each of offenses related to motor vehicles (a Class 2 felony) and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer (a Class 4 felony). On Nov. 2, 2025, Ray was allegedly knowingly in possession of a 2022 Dodge Durango

COLUMBIA - At the Columbia City Council meeting this week, emergency medical personnel from Columbia and Dupo were recognized for their successful resuscitation of a patient in cardiac arrest. Columbia EMS Paramedics Jason Nonn and Brandon Layton, along with Dupo EMS Captain Melissa Schertz and EMT Shelly Acord, received the ZOLL Clinical Save Award for their coordinated efforts. ZOLL's Clinical Save Award Program celebrates the success stories of our customers who have saved a life using

SMITHTON - An East St. Louis woman died in a two-vehicle crash in Smithton Wednesday night, Dec. 3, 2025, authorities said. Estelle Stamps, 34, of the 600 block of South 42nd Street, was identified as the victim by the St. Clair County Coroner's Office. Illinois State Police said the crash occurred at about 10:22 p.m. Wednesday on Illinois 159 just north of Douglas Road. Stamps was pronounced deceased at the scene, the coroner's office said. Another person suffered injuries in the crash and

EDWARDSVILLE – Two New York residents face major felony charges in Madison County after bringing over 5,000 grams of cannabis into Illinois. Zachary M. Parise, 21, of Long Beach, N.Y., and Victor S. Parise, 49, of New York, N.Y., were both charged on Nov. 19, 2025 with one count each of cannabis trafficking and unlawful manufacture or delivery of cannabis (each Class X felonies). On Nov. 17, 2025, the two allegedly knowingly possessed and brought over 5,000 grams of cannabis from the

EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High School announced its students selected for the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Conference, scheduled for Jan. 29-31, 2026, in Peoria. The list, released Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, includes band, choir, and orchestra participants who earned spots to represent the school at the statewide event. Victoria Voumard, Edwardsville High School’s Orchestra Director and Fine Arts Department Chair, confirmed the selections and shared a group photo