ALTON - Tracy Zerwas has used her passion for art to give back. Zerwas, one of the YWCA’s eleven 2026 Women of Distinction, will be honored at the Y’s annual gala for her commitment to the community. After a 23-year career in the Southwestern Community Unit School District #9 teaching art, she loves to volunteer and has enjoyed working with students across generations. “I just feel like that's so important for children and to give them a place to shine,” Zerwas said
On February 19, 1926, recently retired boxing champion Benny Leonard (born Benjamin Leiner; April 7, 1896 – April 18, 1947) came to Western Military Academy. Leonard held the world lightweight title (under 135 pounds) from 1917 to 1925 and is widely considered to be one of the best lightweight boxers of all time. The son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Leonard learned to fight in the streets of New York. Sportswriter Al Lurie called Leonard, "the most famous Jew in America...beloved by
ALTON - An Alton resident has decided to run the world’s first “Taco Bell 5K” — the 3.7-mile distance between Taco Bell on Landmarks Boulevard and the Taco Bell on Homer Adams Parkway. On March 21, 2026, Ben Herring plans to consume 1,500 calories at one Taco Bell, run to the other, and eat an additional 3,500 calories worth of food for a total of 5,000 calories and a 5K run. In doing so, he is raising money for 5A’s Animal Shelter in Alton through a GoFundMe
Begin Again: 50 Years and Counting marks Laumeier’s 50th anniversary by celebrating five decades of artist commissions and exhibitions. Featuring hundreds of artists and rarely seen works from Laumeier’s collection, […]
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