EAST ALTON – A local woman accused of stealing more than $14,000 from the East Alton Ice Arena as an employee faces felony charges after a “lengthy investigation.” Kathryn R. McKeon, 39, of Alton, was charged on March 18, 2026 with two Class 2 felony counts of theft of property over $10,000. From Aug. 29, 2022 to April 2, 2025, McKeon allegedly committed a series of acts to knowingly obtain $14,213.36 by deception from East Alton Civic Rink Management Inc. A press release
Black Lives Matter. All Cops Are Bastards. These are not temporary catchphrases. These are universal and forever. And leave it to a cop to ensure we never forget either of these concepts. A foot pursuit that ended in the shooting of Connecticut resident Dyshan Best would otherwise just be a footnote in cop history if […]
ALTON - As Alton Community Unit School District #11 prepares to say goodbye to long-time educator Mike Bellm, he is looking forward to retirement. But Bellm noted it will be a bittersweet departure, as he has spent his 33-year career in the Alton School District and has loved every minute. From English teacher to high school principal to his current role as Director of Student Services, Bellm has always prioritized student success, and he is thankful for the school district’s continued
The earnings gap between men and women slightly widened last year, according to a new analysis published Thursday. The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute calculated women last year earned 18.6% less than men per hour on average. That’s up slightly from 2024, when the wage gap narrowed slightly to 18%. The wage analysis, which examines several […]
Aerosmith's new box set, Aerosmith (Legendary Edition), celebrating their self-titled debut album, is out now. To mark the occasion, the Boston rockers have dropped a new lyric video for their…
O'FALLON, IL. - O’Fallon Township High School District 203 lifted a soft lockdown at 10:15 a.m. Thursday, March 19, 2026, after a threatening phone call to its Milburn campus was traced by police and determined to be a swatting incident, the district said. The call was received “shortly after the start of the school day on Thursday” at the OTHS Milburn campus in O’Fallon, Illinois, according to a district statement. The O’Fallon Police Department was notified immediately
COLLINSVILLE — A truck struck a utility pole just outside an Ameren Illinois substation in Collinsville on Thursday afternoon, March 19, 2026, knocking out power to about 700 customers, according to Ameren Illinois. The Collinsville Police Department said the crash happened around 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Ameren Illinois dispatched crews to assess the damage and secure the area, an Ameren spokesman said. The Ameren Illinois spokesman said two power poles were broken and needed to be replaced.
O'FALLON, IL. - For the third year in a row, a goose has returned to O’Fallon Public Safety Department property to lay her eggs, prompting officers to give the bird space and keep her safe while the department again asks the public for help naming her. The department shared the update in a post titled “O’Fallon Public Safety Goose Update – Year 3,” saying the goose has come back “to the same spot on department property to lay her eggs.” “At this
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department will take over the Department of Education’s responsibility for collecting on defaulted federal student loan debt, President Donald Trump’s administration announced Thursday. It’s the first step in a multi-phase process that will end with Treasury taking on the entire federal student loan portfolio. It’s also the latest interagency agreement announced […]
Twice a year, the Sun seems to “hit the reset button” on Earth’s daylight. For a brief moment, the line between day and night looks almost perfectly balanced—yet the details are stranger than the slogan “equal day and night” makes it sound. The spring equinox matters because it’s one of the cleanest, most reliable markers we have for how Earth moves in space. It shapes calendars, traditions, and even the way we notice light in our daily routines. It
The most significant global event linked to March 20 is the 2003 start of the Iraq War, when a U.S.-led coalition launched a military invasion of Iraq. The immediate goal was to remove Saddam Hussein’s government and address claims about weapons programs and regional security. At the time, the invasion reshaped alliances, triggered major debates about international law and the use of force, and set off rapid changes inside Iraq. Its effects still matter today because it influenced the balanc
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