a Better Bubble™

Aggregator

Wedge Innovation Center Receives New Clock and Globe with Hidden Message

9 months 1 week ago
ALTON - Several Alton residents braved the cold on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, to watch the installation of a new clock at the historic Wedge building. Located at 620 E. Broadway in downtown Alton, the Wedge building has been transformed into The Wedge Innovation Center. The building, owned by AltonWorks, previously had a clock situated at its highest point. The Wedge restoration includes a new clock, installed at 1 p.m. on Feb. 14 above a crowd of onlookers. “The installation of this clock at The Wedge marks more than just the passage of time — it symbolizes Alton’s renaissance,” said John Simmons, founder of AltonWorks. “Just as the original clock witnessed the vitality of downtown Alton’s past, this new timepiece will mark the moments of innovation and community growth that lie ahead. We chose Valentine’s Day for this installation because at its heart, The Wedge represents our love for this community and our commitment to Alton’s brigh

Continue Reading

When John Met Jayne: John Simmons Shares Story of Proposal and Coming to Alton

9 months 1 week ago
ALTON - At a recent North Alton-Godfrey Business Council meeting, John Simmons spoke about AltonWorks and his vision for Alton. But first, he told the story of how he met his wife. Simmons explained that he and Jayne were both born in the Alton a few years apart, but they didn’t spend much time in the city as John grew up in the East Alton/Rosewood Heights area and Jayne grew up in the Wanda/South Roxana area. They met at Roxana High School, and Simmons immediately new Jayne was the girl. He proposed. He was 14. “I just knew she was the one. Why mess around, you know?” he laughed. “She didn’t say yes, but she didn’t say no, either. It was one of those, ‘So you’re saying there’s a chance?’” One day, the two of them were driving to a visit a friend in Fairmount in Alton. Jayne, who had her license before Simmons, was driving her Chevy Chevette as they looked for the address. They were “toodling around Fairmount,”

Continue Reading

Drugs Have Won The War On Drugs: Drugged-Up Rat Infestation Edition

9 months 1 week ago
Perhaps the only headline just as repeatable as “‘No Way to Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens” is this other banger from The Onion: Drugs Win Drug War. 50+ years of hardline prohibition have only resulted in better prices, better purity, and a slew of states legalizing or decriminalizing personal use amounts […]
Tim Cushing

Trial Begins for Bryce V. Andrews in Gruesome Double Murder Case

9 months 1 week ago
EDWARDSVILLE — The trial of Bryce V. Andrews commenced today at the Madison County Justice Center, with Judge Neil Schroeder presiding. Andrews, who is facing multiple charges related to the deaths of his adoptive father and his father’s husband, opted for a bench trial instead of a jury trial. He is represented by Ginny Smith and Mary Copeland from the Madison County Public Defenders Office. During opening statements, the Assistant States Attorney outlined the prosecution's case, stating that evidence would reveal the victims were stabbed 117 times. The prosecution alleged that after the killings, Andrews attempted to bury the bodies in the backyard, but due to frozen ground, he instead set fire to the house and the bodies. They further claimed that Andrews stole his father’s vehicle and traveled to St. Louis, where surveillance footage captured him parking the vehicle in an abandoned lot. In her opening statement, defense attorney Ginny Smith acknowledged that

Continue Reading

The Queensberry Dilemma

9 months 1 week ago
Today on TAP: Should liberals and federal judges take the high road against Trump and get pummeled?
Robert Kuttner