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ALTON – An Alton man accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old remains in custody on felony charges. Clarence Estelle, 34, of the 400 block of 3rd Street in Alton, was charged on Sept. 3, 2025 with one count each of criminal sexual assault (a Class 1 felony) and aggravated criminal sexual abuse (a Class 2 felony). On Aug. 30, 2025, Estelle allegedly committed an act of sexual conduct upon a 16-year-old victim “by use of force or threat of force,” according to charging documents. According to the state’s petition to deny Estelle’s pretrial release from custody, the Alton Police Department responded to a reported criminal sexual assault on Aug. 30, before Estelle “fled the scene to avoid police contact.” After being taken into custody, Estelle reportedly admitted to committing the act of sexual conduct during an interview with authorities. He was also reportedly on parole at the time of these offenses. The Alton Police Department presented

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TROY - Canine Social of Troy is officially open and ready to cater to you and your dog. Located at 7725 Plummer Business Drive in Troy, Canine Social is a boarding, daycare and grooming facility for dogs. Owner Kate Redenius emphasized that the experience is “upscale and luxury” for the pets, giving their humans peace of mind. “Our dogs are spoiled from the moment they arrive,” Redenius said. “They have a blast with our staff.” Canine Social has no crates or kennels. They offer “upscale, luxury suites” for dogs to rest and sleep when they board there. Otherwise, the dogs are “running around indoors and outdoors,” playing with ball pits, snuffle mats, splash pools, and playgrounds. Redenius prides herself on the “big, beautiful play yards” and the many enrichment activities that Canine Social provides. In addition to daycare and boarding, the grooming side of the business is just as “top-notch.”

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ALTON - The Alton High School Band had a very busy 1925 summer break. Despite the fact that the band had only been in existence for less than a year, they were very much in demand and travelled all over the area to perform. (The first Alton High School Band concert was on September 19, 1924, which you can read more about here: https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/100-years-ago-alton-high-school-band-plays-first-concert-75932.cfm ). An Alton Evening Telegraph article on August 26, 1925, described the band’s various recent activities. Director B.L. Johnson was gone on an all-summer honeymoon tour of the West, and so originally the band had decided to pause playing together during the summer and resume at the start of school in the fall. But there were so many opportunities to perform that George A. Reider, choir director at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, stepped in as leader for the summer. They had regular practices at the high school and then, when repairs in the hig

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CARLINVILLE - Macoupin County Safe Families will sponsor their third annual Domestic Violence Awareness Walk next month. On Oct. 4, 2025, community members are invited to Carlinville Square in Carlinville for the walk, complete with a guest speaker, raffle prizes, giveaways and more fun. Juliet Milton with MCSF noted the importance of supporting domestic violence survivors and raising awareness. “We try to make it as engaging and family-friendly as possible. The topic of domestic violence and intimate partner violence can be a little bit of a darker topic, but we don’t want that stigma to follow our victims and survivors. We want it to be something that they can positively work out of and heal from,” Milton said. “One of the best ways to do that is to show that camaraderie between the community, the organizations, friends, family. This is a great way to foster those relationships, get information, get resources, and then just come out and do something that's

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Stan Kroenke, a Missouri native, strategically maneuvered his way into full ownership of the Rams, setting the stage for the team's relocation from St. Louis to Los Angeles, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of sports fans in St. Louis.

SPRINGFIELD - The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) announced today that the application period is now open for the Small Equipment Grant Program. A total of $6 million will be awarded to eligible fire departments and ambulance services to assist with the purchase of small firefighting and ambulance equipment. This year, departments will be required to apply online only with applications due no later than November 14, 2025. “As first responders, it's vital that firefighters and EMS providers in every corner of Illinois have the necessary funding and equipment they need to serve their communities,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I'm proud to support our state's dedicated emergency service workers, and I encourage all eligible departments to take advantage of this successful state program.” “This grant program is essential for fire departments and EMS providers, allocating critical funding for equipment that not only protects our firefighters but

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ST. LOUIS – Today, Mayor Cara Spencer announced a plan to invest the remaining $12 million in allocated Rams interest funds for tornado relief, with the vast majority going to debris removal and housing. “Private property debris removal and intermediate housing remain top priorities for the Recovery Office,” said Mayor Spencer. “These funds are a starting point to a larger tranche of funding to ensure we remove all debris from our communities and ensure our impacted residents have access to safe housing by winter.” The remaining $12 million in Rams interest funds for tornado relief will support efforts in the following areas. $5.35M Private property debris removal: Dumpsters and for non-profits and community groups, and consulting services for right-of-entry and site assessments to allow City-supported demolition and private property debris removal. $5M Intermediate housing: This will fund repairs to make hundreds of affordable, public and non-profit

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CHICAGO — Attorney General Kwame Raoul today joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) proposed federal rule that would eliminate abortion care and counseling at VA facilities and from benefits packages for veterans and their families. “Those who have served in the military have made countless sacrifices to protect our freedoms and deserve the protection of their rights to reproductive freedom,” Raoul said. “That’s why I am joining my fellow attorneys general to advocate for access to abortion care for veterans and their families, regardless of what state they live in. I will not stop defending their rights, and the rights of all women, to access abortion care.” In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the Biden administration implemented the “Reproductive Health Services Rule,” which currently allows veterans

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Eric Johnson, 51, was killed late Wednesday in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood.

The SLMPD Missing Persons Unit needs help locating 45-year-old Angela Robinson-Jimerson. She was reported missing in mid-August and was last seen in the 9600 block of Halls Ferry. She is described as 5’2″ and approximately 165lbs. Robinson-Jimerson has mental health issues and is known to ride the Metro Bus. Anyone with information on Angela’s whereabouts […]

The post MISSING PERSON: Angela Robinson-Jimerson appeared first on St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Federal tax credits have brought project costs down 30 to 50 percent, advocates say.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS SCOREBOARD BOYS SOCCER Belleville Althoff Catholic 4, Quincy 1 Lebanon 3, Waterloo Gibault Catholic 1 Mascoutah 0, Chicago Von Steuben 0 GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Columbia 25-25, Bloomington 14-17 Edwardsville 25-25, Decatur Eisenhower 14-7 Mascoutah 25-25, Edwardsville JV 15-11 O'Fallon 25-25, Lincoln 13-20 New Lenox Lincoln-Way West 20-25-15, Freeburg 25-20-10 Breese Central 25-19-17, Washington 18-25-15 Freeburg 25-25, Nashville 20-20 Breese Central 25-25, Edwardsville 23-15 Columbia 25-25, Lincoln 14-22 Mascoutah 25-25, Pleasant Plains 15-13 O'Fallon 25-25, Bloomington 12-16 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL San Francisco Giants 8, St. Louis Cardinals 2 Chicago Cubs 11, Washington Nationals 5 Chicago White Sox 7, Detroit Tigers 5 Milwaukee Brewers 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 2 New York Mets 5, Cincinnati Reds 4 Baltimore Orioles 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1 Toronto Blue Jays 7, New York Yankees 1 Philadelphia Phillies 9

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ST. LOUIS - St. Louis is coming together in a big way this fall for the Mayor's Celebration of Businesses. It is set to take place on Friday, October 3rd, with a theme of "Rebuilding STL Together 2025." The event, hosted by the St. Louis Development Corporation, aims to bring the community together to focus [...]

Columnist Bill McClellan writes: Give this new Department of Justice credit. They’re not doing things under the cover of darkness.

ST. LOUIS - Light rain across our southern and southeastern counties is exiting the region early this morning. Clearing skies from northwest to southeast will continue through the morning with sunshine eventually returning area wide. Northwest winds will keep temperatures comfortable, in the mid to upper 70s this afternoon. Mostly clear and chilly overnight as [...]