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East St Louis Teacher Wins Illinois Education Award

1 week 3 days ago
EAST ST. LOUIS - East St. Louis School District 189 announced that Meonshai Houston, a teacher at Annette Officer Elementary School, received the Illinois State Board of Education’s Award of Special Recognition as part of the Those Who Excel 2026 honors. The award “celebrates educators who are valued for the skills, passion, and dedication they bring to their school communities each day,” the district said in its announcement. “Ms. Houston’s commitment

Sparklight Female Athlete Of Month: Cali Breden Earns All-State Honors

1 week 3 days ago
JERSEYVILLE — Jersey Community Unit School District No. 100 announced that Cali Breden has earned a spot on the 2026 Illinois Athletic Directors Association All-State Team, an honor that recognizes senior student-athletes for athletics, academics, leadership, and community service. Breden is also a 2026 JCHS Illinois State Scholar. Breden is a Sparklight Female Athlete of the Month for Jersey. Breden, a senior student-athlete, is averaging nearly 10 points per game for the Panthers

Soulcial Kitchen to Host 20th Monthly "Block Party for Good" in Alton on February 27

1 week 3 days ago
ALTON – Soulcial Kitchen will host its monthly Block Party for Good on Friday, February 27, 2026, from 2:00–4:00 PM at Soulcial Square (Market & 5th Street, Alton, IL) — providing free groceries, hot chef-prepared meals, and medical information and assessments to the community at no cost. The event is open to all. No ID is required. Supplies are available while they last. The February Block Party for Good will feature: Free Groceries provided by the St. Louis Area

Why Breakups Peak in February

1 week 3 days ago
The month that’s supposed to celebrate love is also one of the busiest times for breakups. That sounds backward. Yet relationship counselors, dating apps, and even social media trends often notice the same pattern: a spike in “we need to talk” moments around February. It’s not that February has magical breakup energy. It’s that the month stacks pressure, expectations, and practical stress in a way that exposes cracks that were already there. The “love month”

Edwardsville Elementary School Celebrates Lunar New Year with Teacher Who Spent Five Years in China

1 week 3 days ago
EDWARDSVILLE/MORO - First-grade students at Midway Elementary School celebrated Lunar New Year with their teacher, who spent five years teaching in China. Chelsey Phipps, a first-grade teacher at Midway, explained that she wanted to share her experiences in China with her students in the Edwardsville class. Students have spent the past week reading and learning about the Lunar New Year. On Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, they created a paper lantern craft, enjoyed oranges as a snack, and received

Edwardsville Building Crash Claims One Life

1 week 3 days ago
EDWARDSVILLE — One person died when a Chevy Silverado pickup truck crashed into the Redmon Insurance Agency building in the 100 block of South Main Street in Edwardsville at 11 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, Illinois State Police said. The crash caused significant damage to the building, according to authorities. Illinois State Police confirmed the death. ISP, Edwardsville Police, and SIUE Police responded to the crash, but additional information has not been released. Workers were bus

The Meaning Behind "Falling in Love"

1 week 3 days ago
People say they “fell in love” as if love were a slick patch of ice—one wrong step and suddenly you’re down, heart-first, with no say in the matter. But the way we talk about love isn’t just poetic. It quietly shapes what we expect love to be: accidental, uncontrollable, and a little dangerous. That single phrase— falling in love —carries a whole story about desire, risk, and commitment. It hints that love happens to us, not through us. Yet real

This Day in History on February 16: Union Captures Fort Donelson During Civil War

1 week 3 days ago
In the late 1500s, Europe’s religious and political tensions were already shaping daily life. On February 16, 1568, Spain’s king issued a decree establishing the Tribunal of the Inquisition in the Spanish Netherlands. The goal was to enforce Catholic orthodoxy in a region where Protestant ideas were spreading. Instead of restoring calm, harsh enforcement added fuel to resentment and helped push the Netherlands toward a long struggle for independence. The episode is remembered as a