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Bethalto Teacher Named Illinois's Southern Regional Teacher of the Year

1 week 2 days ago
BETHALTO - A local teacher has been named Illinois’s Southern Regional Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Illinois State Board of Education’s 2026 Teacher of the Year award. Angie Neilson, an educator at Civic Memorial High School in the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8, says it’s “humbling and shocking” to be recognized. As she waits to learn if she has received the Teacher of the Year honor, she is focused on continuing her work and helping

Top Police Fundraiser Across State: O'Fallon PD Raises More Than $33,000 For Special Olympics

1 week 2 days ago
O'FALLON, IL. - Members of the O’Fallon Police Department and community participants took part Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in a long-running fundraising plunge for Special Olympics Illinois athletes, raising more than $33,000 in the process. The O'Fallon Police said the team’s total made it the top police fundraiser “in the region and the state.” The event continued “a long tradition of taking the plunge for Special Olympics Illinois athletes,”

Lane Closures on Illinois 159 in St. Clair County Begin March 9, 2026

1 week 2 days ago
BELLEVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that repairs on northbound and southbound Illinois 159 between Washington Street and the junction of Illinois 13/Illinois158 in St. Clair County will require intermittent lane closures beginning Monday, March 9, weather permitting. All lanes will remain open in both directions on weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m. The project is expected to be completed this summer. Motorists should expect

Boost The Blood Supply: Red Cross Offers Free A1C Testing As 1 In 5 Donors Have Levels In Prediabetic or Diabetic Range

1 week 2 days ago
ST. LOUIS, MO. — The American Red Cross urges donors to help the national blood supply recover from a severe blood shortage and empower their health by making an appointment to give blood or platelets in March. As a thank-you for helping save lives, successful donations will receive free A1C testing , commonly used to screen for prediabetes and diabetes, in March (one result per calendar year). New Red Cross data reveals 1 in 5 blood donors have elevated A1C levels — a sign that

Why Spring Feels Like a Fresh Start

1 week 2 days ago
People are more likely to start a new habit when their surroundings change—even if the change is small. A different route to school, a new schedule, a rearranged room. It’s not just motivation. It’s the brain noticing, “Something is different,” and treating that difference like an opening. That’s why spring so often feels like a fresh start. The feeling isn’t only poetic. It’s built from biology, memory, culture, and the way we organize our lives.

Why Humans Look Forward to Spring

1 week 2 days ago
A strange thing happens to people when the light changes: they start making plans again. The same person who felt perfectly fine staying in and “keeping it low-key” suddenly wants long walks, fresh starts, and a calendar full of ideas. It can feel like a personal decision, but much of it is biology, memory, and culture working together. Humans look forward to spring because it signals relief and possibility. It offers a clear “before and after” moment that our bodies

Spring Training

1 week 2 days ago

This year, the St. Louis Aquarium is going bigger, brighter, and longer. For the first time, with two teams, freshwater grit meets saltwater flow. Two waters. One splashy showdown. Cheer […]

The post Spring Training appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

Myranda Levins

The History of Saying "March Comes in Like a Lion"

1 week 2 days ago
You can hear it in a school hallway, a grocery store checkout line, or a group chat: someone looks out the window, shakes their head, and says, “March comes in like a lion.” It sounds ancient and obvious—like it must have been said forever. But the phrase has a surprisingly traceable past, and it didn’t start as a cute way to complain about a rough start to the month. A saying that feels older than it is “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb”

This Day in History on March 2: Puerto Ricans Become U.S. Citizens

1 week 2 days ago
On March 2, 1917, the United States Congress passed the Jones–Shafroth Act, granting U.S. citizenship to people born in Puerto Rico and reshaping the island’s political relationship with the United States. At the time, it mattered because it changed legal rights and civic life for millions of Puerto Ricans, including how the island was governed and how residents could participate in U.S. institutions. It still matters today because the act sits at the center of ongoing questions abou

Missouri cannabis regulators target rule-breakers, delays in ownership approval

1 week 2 days ago
Missouri cannabis regulators want more power to penalize bad actors in the marijuana industry, according to drafts of proposed rules released last week. The sweeping revisions to Division of Cannabis Regulation rules also aim to streamline the process for ownership changes, allow publicly traded companies to own cannabis licenses, and establish recall procedures of marijuana […]
Rebecca Rivas