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EAST ALTON – A man from Alton accused of intentionally setting fire to an East Alton residence faces multiple felony charges. Larry D. Greer, 30, of Alton, was charged on July 1, 2025 with a Class 1 felony count of residential arson and a Class 4 felony count of criminal damage to property. On June 29, 2025, Greer allegedly knowingly damaged a residence in the 100 block of Northmoor Place in East Alton by means of fire. He was also accused of causing over $500 worth of damage to various personal property of the property owner. According to the state’s petition to deny Greer’s pretrial release, he was allowed to enter the victim’s home after serving time in prison for a previous domestic battery case against the same victim. After Greer became angry with the victim, she left the residence to stay at a friend’s house before receiving a call from the East Alton Police Department that her house was on fire. “Defendant was arrested, admitting to

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EDWARDSVILLE – A series of “explicit” conversations with multiple minors on Snapchat have led to criminal charges against a man from Edwardsville. Hunter H. Wells, 23, of Edwardsville, was charged on June 27, 2025 with one count of child pornography, a Class X felony, and two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, both Class A misdemeanors. On Dec. 11, 2023, Wells allegedly used Snapchat to have explicit conversations – and in some cases, send explicit photos – to minors under the age of 18. Specifically, he is accused of soliciting a child “whom he believed to be 15 years of age” to appear nude in a Snapchat video, and exposing himself via Snapchat to minors he believed to be 15 and 14 years of age at the time. The State’s Attorney’s petition to deny Wells’s pretrial release from custody details the investigation that led to his arrest. “On March 11, 2024, the Moline, Illinois Police Department received a cybertip

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Silex Rehabilitation and Health Care Center will close by Aug. 31, forcing 47 residents to find new accommodations.

COLLINSVILLE — Collinsville author Thelma Ball has published a new book documenting the history of two major World War II defense plants in Illiopolis. "Illinois Munitions: A News Journal of the Oak & Sangamon Ordnance Plants 1942-1950 Illiopolis, Illinois," explores the development and operations of what were once the largest ordnance plants in the United States. The 354-page hardcover volume recounts the federal government’s 1942 investment of $40 million to build two ordnance plants on 19,000 acres east of Springfield, acquired from local farmers. One plant produced fuses, while the other manufactured ammunition and bombs. At their operational peak, the facilities employed about 15,000 workers, predominantly women ordnance workers from rural communities across central Illinois. Ball’s book details the logistical challenges faced by the plants, including workforce recruitment and retention, transportation via road and rail, and housing shortages. Ammunition

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The fire department said the firefighter was taken to the hospital. His injuries were not life-threatening.

Five people were hospitalized following a collision along a major Festus thoroughfare that sent a car crashing into a fireworks tent.

The fatal crash occurred Thursday morning at Routes 143 and 3, police said.

GODFREY – Godfrey Parks and Recreation Director Chris Logan gave an update on his plans to add more no-smoking signs near park playgrounds and more at the July 1, 2025 Public Safety Committee meeting. Under Logan’s latest recommendation, several new signs will be installed around various park facilities. These include six new signs posted near playgrounds, including three at Glazebrook, one at Homer Adams, one at Clifton Terrace, and one at the Lewis and Clark Baseball Fields Playground. Each of these signs will say, “No smoking within 15 feet of playground surface.” Logan also suggested installing two signs at the splash pad, four at the soccer complex, eight at the baseball/soccer fields, two at the pickleball courts, and one sign each at the small and large dog parks. Each of these signs will feature a generic “no smoking” logo and language calling for “no smoking within 15 feet” of each facility’s fence. Eight other new

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EAST ST. LOUIS — A former bank president and a contractor has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in a scheme that involved falsifying loan applications to obtain funds between 2011 and 2020. Francis Eversman, 74, of Collinsville, and Gregg Crawford, 65, of Columbia, admitted in federal court that they conspired to defraud Tempo Bank in Trenton by recruiting straw purchasers to act as nominal loan applicants on properties that were often highly overvalued. Eversman, a senior loan officer at the bank, facilitated the loan approvals, while Crawford, owner of construction companies in southern Illinois, used the loan proceeds for unauthorized purposes. According to court documents, Crawford provided fake lease agreements to falsely indicate rental income from the properties. When an audit by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency uncovered the suspect loans, Crawford directed a straw purchaser to supply false information to investigators. “The integrity

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FOX 2 News has obtained exclusive videos of a serial robber’s activity that you have to see to believe.

Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast about the latest news in online speech, from Mike Masnick and Everything in Moderation‘s Ben Whitelaw. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Pocket Casts, YouTube, or your podcast app of choice — or go straight to the RSS feed.

GODFREY – The Beverly Farm annual fireworks display, which was postponed due to rain on June 27, 2025, has been rescheduled for Friday, July 11, 2025, at 9:30 p.m. on our campus in Godfrey, Illinois. The event is open to the public and promises an evening full of fun, entertainment, and patriotic celebration. Event Details: Date : Friday, July 11, 2025 • Time : Arrive as early as 8 p.m. Quick Bite Frozen Treats ice cream truck will also be on campus beginning at 8 p.m. Fireworks display begins at approx. 9:30 p.m. • Location : Beverly Farm Foundation, 6301 Humbert Rd., Godfrey, IL 62035 • Admission : Free Arrive as early as 8 p.m. Guests are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets and enjoy the fireworks. The Quick Bite Frozen Treats ice cream truck will be on-site starting at 8 p.m. The Quick Bite ice cream truck offers a variety of frozen desserts priced from $2 to $5 each. Our spectacular fireworks display will begin at approximately 9:30

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MARYVILLE - Lisa Becherer has launched a GoFundMe campaign to support her sister Cheryl Hays-Ridgeway and Cheryl’s husband, John, of Maryville, who have faced a series of serious health and financial challenges over the past decade. The fundraiser aims to provide financial relief to the couple, who are struggling to cover medical expenses, daily essentials, and housing costs. The campaign seeks to help them stay in their home and gain stability after enduring multiple medical crises. John and Cheryl, former small business owners of a portrait studio, encountered a turning point in 2016 when John suffered a stroke that paralyzed his right side, forcing the closure of their business and depleting their savings. Despite John’s progress through rehabilitation, the family’s financial situation worsened. In 2019, Cheryl was diagnosed with tongue cancer linked to medication for Crohn’s disease. She underwent major surgery and daily radiation treatments. The COVID-19

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The Missouri State Highway Patrol and St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office are warning people about the potential dangers out on the roads during Fourth of July weekend.

A record number of Missourians are expected to take a road trip during the Independence Day weekend.

The U.S. Department of Education’s decision this week to hold back $6.8 billion in federal K-12 funds next year has triggered alarm among state education officials, school leaders and advocacy groups nationwide over how the lack of funds will affect their after-school, enrichment and language-learning services. The Trump administration’s decision to freeze the funding has […]