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I-55/70 Closure In Madison County Begins June 13

3 weeks 6 days ago
COLLINSVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that a full closure of Interstate 55/70 northbound/eastbound between Illinois 157 and Illinois 159 in Madison County will start, weather permitting, at 9 p.m. Friday, June 13, 2025, for bridge repairs. The closure is expected to remain in place for 17 calendar days. During that time, motorists should follow the marked detour as follows: Northbound/eastbound I-55/70: Take I-255 northbound to I-270 eastbound to reconnect with I-55 northbound, I-70 eastbound, or I-55/70 southbound/westbound. All lanes are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, June 30. Motorists should allow extra travel time for trips, especially during the first few days of the closure, and pay attention to additional signage on the marked detour route. Drivers are encouraged to use alternate routes, and are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices

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Mo. House speaker calls for special session on property taxes

3 weeks 6 days ago
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson is asking Governor Mike Kehoe to call for a new session with a focus on increases to property tax assessments across the state. "I do intend to appoint an interim committee to focus especially on property taxes," Patterson said.  Patterson claims the property tax hikes are [...]
Mark Zinn

Medicare and Medicaid Informational Sessions Will Break Down Coverage Options

3 weeks 6 days ago
ALTON - Medicare can be complicated. A local broker aims to demystify it and help her clients access all the benefits they’re entitled to. At 6 p.m. on June 25, July 30, and Aug. 27, 2025, community members can come to the RiverBender.com Building at 200 W. 3rd Street in Alton to learn about Medicaid and Medicare. Jamie Goble, who works with Medicare Insurance Techs, will break down the process of working with clients and answer questions about Medicare and Medicaid coverage. “It’s just important to me that get that type of help and they’re not left alone,” Goble said. “There’s somebody fighting for them, too.” Goble has worked with Medicare Insurance Techs since 2018. In her experience, a lot of people don’t know what they’re eligible for and therefore miss out on several benefits. To address this, Goble sits down with her clients one-on-one and goes through their medications, doctors, and health conditions.

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Dawn Mushill Celebrates 25 Years Of Leadership With Local Chamber of Commerce

3 weeks 6 days ago
TROY — For Dawn Mushill, the past 25 years as President & CEO of the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce have been more than just a career—they’ve been a dream come true. “There are very few jobs where you can ride an elephant, give a high school commencement speech, appear in a rap video, perform a dance routine with the mayor, and drive a ‘Chambermobile,’” said Mushill with a smile. “Everything I love—connecting people, building relationships, providing resources, and planning events—is part of what I get to do every day.” When Mushill took the role in 2000, she had just moved to Troy and didn’t know a single person in the community. With no clear roadmap, she brought her own vision and energy to the job. “In each of my interviews, I brought suggestions and ideas. By the third round, the Board President told me, ‘Now put those ideas to work’—and I did.”

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Full Moon Float

3 weeks 6 days ago

With Big Muddy Adventures, you can spend a magical evening on the Mississippi River. In a 29-foot voyageur canoe, you’ll paddle to a beautiful, uninhabited river island in time for […]

The post Full Moon Float appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

Rachel Huffman

FBI’s School Safety Initiative aims to prevent school violence

3 weeks 6 days ago
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - With students out of class for summer break, safety efforts are growing to prevent violence on school grounds. The FBI and local public schools are collaborating on this initiative to help to keep children safe. "You have a lot of generational trauma that occurs when a disaster strikes at a [...]
Jeff Bernthal

Pond-O-Rama Garden Tour to Feature 29 Gardens in St. Louis Metro

3 weeks 6 days ago
SAINT LOUIS - The St. Louis Water Garden Society will host their 25th annual Pond-O-Rama garden tour. You can enjoy the two-day tour of 29 gardens around the St. Louis Metro area from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 21 and 22, 2025. Tickets cost $25 for non-members, while SLWGS members receive one ticket for free. Proceeds support the Jewel Box in Forest Park, which SLWGS maintains. “This year, our tour is really special,” said Ginny Mueller, Pond-O-Rama co-chair. “Everybody is just excited to meet the people who come. I think our gardeners are absolutely the best people in the world.” Mueller and her co-chair, Don Richardson, are eager to show off their own gardens on the tour this year. They noted that creating a water garden is “a labor of love.” Some of the gardens are “teeny tiny,” while others are “astounding” in their size. The tour features gardeners who built their own ponds alongside those who had their gardens

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Wood River Man Faces Felonies After Fleeing Police In Stolen Car

3 weeks 6 days ago
WOOD RIVER – A man from Wood River faces multiple felony charges after fleeing from police at high speeds and more in a vehicle stolen from an ex-partner. Tremayne L. Brown, 30, of Wood River, was charged on May 27, 2025 with one count of unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle (a Class 2 felony) and two counts of aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer (both Class 4 felonies). Brown was allegedly in possession of a Hyundai Santa Fe with an Illinois registration number which he knew to be stolen on May 27, 2025. He was additionally accused of failing to stop after being signaled to stop by police, fleeing at at least 21 mph over the legal speed limit and disobeying two or more traffic control devices. A petition to deny Brown’s pretrial release was filed by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office. According to the petition, Brown drove the vehicle of an ex-partner without permission, then fled from an attempted traffic stop by

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Burglary suspect used obituaries to prey on grieving families: Police

3 weeks 6 days ago
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Prosecutors are alleging that a 33-year-old man tracked local obituaries and burglarized homes of the deceased. According to officials, Brandon Welch scanned obituaries and searched addresses to identify victims. Court documents also say that Welch used death notices to identify victims and burglarize their homes. Maria Portell, a neighbor of [...]
Kelley Hoskins

Granite City, Wood River Men Charged With Stolen Motorcycle Possession

3 weeks 6 days ago
GRANITE CITY/WOOD RIVER – A pair of stolen motorcycles have yielded felony charges against residents of Wood River and Granite City. Larry D. Garrison, 41, of Wood River, and Clinton E. Garrison, 41, of Granite City, were each charged on June 2, 2025 with two Class 2 felony counts of unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle and one Class A misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property. Larry and Clinton allegedly knowingly possessed two stolen motorcycles, both with Illinois registration numbers – a 2023 Honda Grom and a 2023 Kawasaki BR125. They were also accused of damaging the headlight and ignition of the Honda motorcycle. T he Wood River Police Department presented the cases against Larry and Clinton, both of whom were granted pretrial release from custody. All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Alton Couple Celebrates 75 Years of Marriage on June 7

3 weeks 6 days ago
ALTON - Marion and Wilma Greene of Alton marked their 75th wedding anniversary on Saturday, June 7. The couple was married on June 7, 1950, by the Reverend Ross Partridge at the Park Avenue Church parsonage in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Marion Greene retired from Jefferson Smurfit and also worked at Peyton Olds-Cadillac and Upper Alton Cemetery. Wilma Greene was employed for 19 years at Losch Greenhouses. The couple has two daughters and sons-in-law: Susan and Mike Carroll of Alton, and Barbara and Mike Montgomery of Godfrey.

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STL County Animal Care faces overcrowding

3 weeks 6 days ago
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Officials with the St. Louis County Animal Care and Control Center said that its shelter is over capacity. "I really want to get dogs out of the shelter and into homes because we have to provide humane housing and here, unfortunately, I don't have the spacing to do that," Kanika [...]
Mallory Thomas

Live Nation builds new music venue in Missouri

3 weeks 6 days ago
RIVERSIDE, Mo. -- Live Nation announced on Tuesday that the entertainment company will be investing $1 billion into building 18 new live music venues, including one in Missouri. According to a press release, within the next 18 months, Live Nation will open doors or break ground on the new venues, ranging from intimate clubs to [...]
Kamy Smelser