GRANITE CITY - Johnathon Daniel Klee, of Granite City, a firefighter who served the communities of Madison and Long Lake, died early Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. He was 29. Klee began his firefighting career in 2013 with the Madison Fire Department, where he served for a decade before joining the Long Lake Volunteer Fire Department in 2023. The Long Lake Fire Department announced that he served his community with dignity and respect. They asked the public to keep his family and friends in their thought
A Peoria Public School employee, Daniel C. Ruffin, was arrested for indecent solicitation of a 16-year-old female student after inappropriate text messages were found on the girl's phone.
The Seniors Count organization is set to argue before the council Tuesday for a hike of 5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and wants it on the Nov. 3 ballot.
CHICAGO — A quick stop on the way to a doctor’s appointment proved lucky for April and Randy of Ashton, who won a $350,000 Lucky Day Lotto ® jackpot. The co-workers and friends have been playing the lottery together for a few years. “People always told us, ‘You’re never going to win,’” said Randy. “But we’d laugh and say, ‘One day we’ll hit it.’” That day arrived on January 7 , when a Quick Pick ticket purchased
GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College will host “I Have a Dream,” From Vision to Success, A Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 4, in The Commons. The free, public event will honor the life, legacy, and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., featuring a keynote address from Alton Mayor David Goins, along with a student keynote from Nicc Edwards, an LC student and 6-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Goins, a proud
CARROLLTON — Carrollton High School is set to host its annual career fair on Feb. 18, 2026, in the school gymnasium, organizers announced in a recent invitation to local businesses and community members. The event, coordinated by Blaine Hartwick, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, along with Jenna Heck from the business department and Cory Clendenen from industrial arts, aims to connect students with a variety of career opportunities available in Carrollton and nearby areas. The fair
EDWARDSVILLE - During the regular meeting of the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education, Acting Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan shared information about the district’s scores on the 5Essentials Survey. The 5Essentials Survey is an anonymous assessment developed by the University of Chicago. Students in grades 4–12 and their parents and teachers take the survey every year to assess the district’s climate and culture. The results of the survey
On display at the ever-popular orchid show, the Missouri Botanical Garden’s vast orchid collection includes more than 6,000 individual plants representing almost 700 unique species, and approximately one in 10 […]
A single candle can make a room feel safer, warmer, and more alive than a bright overhead bulb. That’s strange when you think about it. The candle gives less light, yet it often feels like it gives more comfort. That small contradiction sits at the heart of why so many winter traditions—across religions, countries, and families—keep coming back to light. Light shows up in these rituals for practical reasons, but also for emotional ones. It marks time, gathers people, and turns
Last Monday, Alton Steel, one of the city’s largest employers, announced its impending closure due to “insurmountable challenges” such as old equipment, intense market competition and industry consolidation.
On February 3, 1959, a small plane crashed in a snowy Iowa field, killing three rising American rock-and-roll stars—Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson—along with their pilot. The tragedy mattered immediately because it cut short careers that were shaping a fast-changing popular music scene. It still matters because it became a lasting reference point for how modern celebrity, touring, and mass media can turn a single accident into a shared
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