Riverbender 🕸

GODFREY - Multiple area agencies are teaming up to coordinate and conduct a large-scale HazMat mass casualty exercise in Godfrey for first responders this week. Godfrey’s Public Safety Administrator and L&C Campus Emergency Management Consultant Chris Sichra has joined forces with Lewis and Clark Community College’s Incident Management Team, Nursing Program and Campus Safety Department, along with the Godfrey Fire Protection District, Madison County Emergency Management Agency, Alton Memorial Hospital EMS, AVEC and the Madison County Hazardous Materials Team to conduct an upcoming multiagency exercise. The drill will begin around 9 a.m., Friday, March 25 th and should run until 12:30 p.m. Response operations activity will primarily be limited on the college’s Godfrey campus near the Hatheway Cultural Center. Local surrounding traffic should not be affected. Residents and motorists should not be alarmed to see multiple agencies and emergency vehicles operating nearby

Continue Reading

LINCOLN, IL – A twisted tale of romance, action, and amnesia, all to save the Kingdom and Prince from sure peril. Witty comebacks, well-placed puns, and an evil way of thinking abound in this debut novel. All from the mind of an 11-year-old local new author, already drawing high praise from accomplished writers with many tales told. E.G. Keith is no stranger to fantasy fiction, as evidenced by the stacks of books at home and an obsession with Greek mythology. Now she has turned her passion into her debut novel, Havoc , a young-adult fantasy fiction written far beyond its years. “I have never really found one (fantasy novel) written so well by someone so young. I’m really kind of amazed,” central Illinois author John Jamison says ahead of the release of Havoc . Havoc tells the story of the Prince of Buit, missing for a year before teens in two summer camps with magical powers – known as Magics – set out to save him. One, Ashlyn Kave, was saved

Continue Reading

Illinois American Water’s work to separate the Alton combined sewer system and install new sanitary sewers continues. Below is information about this week’s road closures – Mar. 21, 2022 Piasa Valley Area: Surface restoration work should start soon on 6th Street and is progressing on 7th Street. Alby Street is closed from 6th Street north to 10th Street, with the intersection of 9th Street open. 8th Street east of Alby is closed to Easton Street, with the closure to George Street. upcoming. Access to Schwegel’s Market parking lot is from the north currently but access will be shifting to coming in from the south via 9th Street this week. Access will be maintained to the parking lot, with closures shifting. Please drive cautiously. 10th Street. between Alby and Easton Street is two-way traffic only temporarily. East of Easton Street is still only one way traffic. Turner Tract Area: Danforth Street pavement restoration will be starting soon. The alley

Continue Reading

ELSAH - The Village of Elsah Museum announces the opening of the Village of Elsah Museum for the 2022 season with its annual photography exhibit on Saturday, April 2 at 1 pm. The purpose of the exhibit is to celebrate and foster an appreciation of the beauty and unique qualities of the Village. The exhibit theme is “Elsah Postcard.” The judge was Erica Popp, an artist and photography teacher. She commented on the high quality of the submitted images. She felt that the winner gave a clear message encouraging winter visitors to come to Elsah and see the Eagles. The exhibit awards include the annual Village of Elsah purchase prize, four special recognitions and a youth prize. The Village of Elsah Purchase Prize is for “Welcome to Elsah” by photographer, Patricia Ott of Godfrey, Illinois, below. The purchase prize photograph will be part of the Village of Elsah Museum’s collection. As the winner of the Village of Elsah Purchase Prize, Ms. Ott will also receive

Continue Reading

For current information regarding Lewis and Clark Community College’s operations during the pandemic, please visit lc.edu/coronavirus . Recurring event: Alton Area Tax Project: 5-7 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Templin Nursing Building, NU201, Lewis and Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Rd., Godfrey. Appointments are required. Visit https://AltonAreaTaxProject.com/appointment or call (314) 292-9597. 3/18-19 – AMP Dance Competition: noon, Friday; 7 a.m., Saturday, Hatheway Cultural Center, Lewis and Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Rd., Godfrey. info@ampdancecompetition.com . 3/23 – Brown Bag Event, Cool Brass, Bi-State Brass Quintet: 12:30 p.m., Ringhausen Music Building, Lewis and Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Rd., Godfrey. (618) 468-4731. 3/24 – Early Bird Registration/Tour, Alton High School : 8:30 a.m., Trimpe 141, Lewis and Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Rd., Godfrey. Sign-up at https://www.lc.edu/earlybird

Continue Reading

ALTON - Alton Main Street is announcing an in-person training on Access to Capital, which will be held on Monday, March 21st from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Post Commons, located at 300 Alby Street in Alton, IL, in its lower level co-working space called GroundWorks. During this session, small business owners and budding entrepreneurs will learn sources and criteria for commercial bank and SBA loans, prepare to apply for grants and pitch to angel investors, and receive information on government resources for veteran-, woman-, and POC-owned businesses. Presenter Mary Louise Helbig's career encompasses executive leadership positions in business development for corporations and startups. Most recently she was the Executive Director of ITEN, one of the founding Entrepreneur Support Organizations in the St. Louis region. To register for this event, and find video recordings of all sessions at a later date, please visit: www.DowntownAlton.com/Events/SmallBusinessResources . “Alton Main Street

Continue Reading

ALTON - Laura Scarborough has joined the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau as the new Destination Sales Manager. Scarborough’s role with the Bureau will include highlighting southwest Illinois to potential domestic and international group travelers as well as attracting meetings/conferences to the six-county bureau region. “We are looking ahead to ways we can grow the region and we know group travel and meetings are areas we already have a strong presence,” Cory Jobe, President/CEO of the tourism bureau said. “Laura will help keep us front and center in group travel planning and we are excited to have her on the team.” Scarborough has been the owner of a catering company based in Columbia, MO, The Farmers Daughter. She has also worked as the community sponsorship and donation manager for Landmark Bank, and as the finance manager for the Heart of Missouri United Way, both in Columbia, MO. She most recently worked as the branch office administrator for

Continue Reading

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a lawsuit against Marathon Pipe Line LLC (Marathon) alleging that the company created a substantial danger to the environment and public health and welfare when crude oil was released from a pipeline near Edwardsville, Illinois. Raoul’s lawsuit was filed in Madison County Circuit Court and includes allegations of creating a substantial danger to the environment and public health and welfare, water pollution, creating offensive conditions, open dumping and waste disposal at an improper facility. Raoul’s lawsuit alleges Marathon violated the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and endangered public health and the environment by causing or allowing a discharge of heavy crude oil to Cahokia Creek in an area that includes residential neighborhoods, commercial properties, agricultural properties, forested areas and a wetland. “Marathon’s significant oil spill has created a public health risk by exposing

Continue Reading

ALTON - The Alton Police is investigating a double stabbing that occurred at about 8:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 20, 2022, in the 300 block of Lindenwood Boulevard in Alton. The Alton Police Department began receiving several reports of multiple people fighting in that area and responded. "Preliminary investigation revealed that there were a group of people socializing at a resident's house in the 300 block of Lindenwood Boulevard," Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said. "While socializing, a physical fight ensued and during that fight, two people were stabbed. "The two people who were stabbed were initially transported to Alton area hospitals but eventually transported to a St. Louis area hospital." The chief said this was not a random act of violence and the subjects involved had a general familiarization with each other. This incident is being investigated by the Alton Police Department Criminal Investigations Division.

Continue Reading

ALTON – The Marquette Catholic baseball team has called Lloyd Hopkins Field at Gordon Moore Park their home for many years now. They share the field with the Alton River Dragons of the Prospect League. The field received brand new turf for this season and was granted a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the game. Alton’s Mayor David Goins cut the ribbon alongside River Dragons owner Steve Marso. Mayor Goins stuck around to watch a little bit of the game between the Alton Redbirds and Marquette Explorers. It was the first time since 2013 that the two teams have meant which only built the anticipation for the night. There were plenty of fans to cheer on the teams and celebrate the opening ceremonies. Luckily, the Alton-Marquette Catholic baseball game itself also delivered being a back-and-forth contest with the Redbirds narrowly winning by a score of 5-4. The Marquette Catholic Explorers will use the field up until their final regular-season home game on May 3 when they take

Continue Reading

ALTON – Sophomore Austin Rathgeb helped the Alton High School baseball team get past rival Alton Marquette in a 5-4 victory last Wednesday (March 16). It was the Redbirds’ season opener and the first time since 2013 the two Alton foes faced one another. “It wasn’t too bad,” Rathgeb said after the game about his pitching performance. Austin Rathgeb is the Auto Butler Male Athlete of the Month For Alton High School. “I came out in a little bit of a tough spot, got through on that. Next inning I could have been more consistent on strikes, but overall it didn’t end bad. We fought through it, I fought through it and I ended the night with two K’s Rathgeb entered the game in the bottom of the fourth with runners on the corners with two outs and his team trailing 2-0. He was able to get a groundout and mitigate the damage. The following inning he started with a leadoff walk; he then struck out the next batter. Eventually, Marquette had runner

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE – Junior Sam Buckley will be a key member of the Civic Memorial baseball team this season. The Civic Memorial baseball team opened their season Friday night (March 19) against Washington High School and lost 11-7, but they did move to a 6-1 lead after two innings. Junior Sam Buckley was on the mound in the third inning, and Washington had runners on first and third with one out. The Eagles caught a man stealing for the second out and Buckley picked up his first K to end the inning. It was a huge moment at that point in the game keeping his team up by five. “It felt pretty good knowing we had a five-run lead,” Buckley said after the game regarding getting out of the jam. He mentioned it’s much easier to pitch when his team is leading. Buckley is the Tom Lane State Farm Insurance Male Athlete of the Month for CM. While it was a tough loss Saturday, Buckley believes in his team. When asked about what he’s looking forward to most this season

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - Andrew Hendrickson, a senior pitcher/infielder for the Edwardsville High baseball team, is off to a good start to the 2022 season, saving the Tigers' opening game win over Lisle Benet Academy Catholic 3-1 on Thursday night, then on Saturday, hit the team's first home run of the year, a three-run shot over the right-field fence as part of a seven-run third inning as Edwardsville won over St. Charles North 14-3 on Saturday afternoon. Hendrickson has appeared in three of the Tigers' first four games, going a combined one-for-four at the plate with the team's first homer and four RBIs, and pitched in the season opener, going two innings and allowing a hit while walking two and striking out one as Edwardsville has gotten off to a 4-0 start, defeating four quality Chicagoland teams in the Prep Baseball Report Metro-East Kickoff Classic showcase. Hendrickson is an iCAN Clinic Male Athlete of the Month for EHS. "I feel really good," Hendrickson said in an interview conducted

Continue Reading

ALTON – Alton High School 2022 boys tennis season is here and one player who is especially ready for the upcoming season is sophomore Parker Mayhew. Mayhew played number two for the Redbirds last year and when he is not playing tennis, he runs cross country in the fall, which he says “helps give me a lot of endurance which you need for tennis.” Parker Mayhew is an Auto Butler Male Athlete of the Month for AHS. High school sports provide young athletes a place to compete in sports they enjoy and a fun way to spend time with friends. “The whole team is good friends," Mayhew said. “Going into the season, I think us all being close will make for a competitive environment. We enjoy doing stuff outside of tennis, we are all close, and I think we will keep helping each other get better.” Mayhew credits his dad and also his assistant coach, Phil Trapani, for getting him into tennis. According to the strong sophomore player, “I started playing tennis

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville senior baseball pitcher/infielder Spencer Stearns enjoyed a successful 2021 season, although abbreviated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, hitting .384 with a team-leading five home runs and 43 RBIs in helping the Tigers to a 34-4 record last year. As the season unfolds for the 2022 campaign, Stearns feels confident that the Tigers will have another successful season. Spencer is an iCAN Clinic Male Athlete of the Month for EHS. "I'm feeling good," Stearns said during an interview conducted recently during a scrimmage on the Tigers' junior varsity field. "It's like the team's coming together well. I wasn't sure how everyone, because we've got a lot of kids from a lot of different classes, so I wasn't sure how they were going to work together, but we've come together and we're looking better each day." Stearns is hoping to take a similar role this season as he had during 2021. "I'm hoping to be a similar role as last year," Stearns said, "core infielder

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville softball senior player Emily Wolff had a great varsity debut game for the Tigers, going two-for-four with an RBI single in the Tigers 10-6 opening day game against Freeburg this past Tuesday afternoon at the Edwardsville Sports Complex. Wolff had missed the last two seasons because of a shoulder injury and surgery, and although the outcome wasn't what she hoped for, she felt great in making her varsity debut. "Being out there in general for the first time in my whole high school career was really exciting," she said. "Having the girls back me up and cheering me on, like in warmups, they were like 'Hey, it's Emily's first game,'" she said with a smile and laugh, "and they were all so excited for me. So all those feeling and emotions made me so happy to be out here finally." Wolff agreed that it was great to be out on the field after her shoulder injuries, and had a very special motivation factor that kept her going while she was on the injured list. "From

Continue Reading

Nonprofit, fully online university plans to award up to $100,000 in funding to K-12 teachers across Illinois, Missouri and Kansas to help bring innovative classroom projects and initiatives to life ALTON – In a continued effort to show appreciation for area K-12 educators who have been navigating diverse styles of teaching to best lead students on their education journey, Western Governors University (WGU) has announced the return of its “Fund My Classroom” initiative. The fully online, nonprofit university is pledging up to $100,000 in grant money for K-12 teachers who need help funding their innovative classroom projects. Teachers can submit proposed projects online at wgu.edu/fundmyclassroom for the opportunity to receive full or partial funding. Applications are being accepted March 21 through April 17, and selected classroom projects will be announced during Teacher Appreciation Week, which runs May 2-6. K-12 educators can request funding for any type

Continue Reading

ALTON - Elizabeth Guenther, daughter of Thomas and Amy Guenther, is one of the co-Alton-Godfrey Students of the Month for March. Elizabeth is a senior at Marquette Catholic High School. Maintaining a 4.7 GPA on a 4.0 scale, she is a member of the National Honors Society, the National Society of High School Scholars, and was named an Illinois State Scholar. Along with her extensive academic achievements, Elizabeth is active in activities both at school and in her community. She has been a captain of the Marquette Scholar Bowl team and competed on the Academic Challenge team in chemistry, math and English. As a leading member of the theater department, she has performed in musicals and plays, also contributing as a student director and playwright. Three of her published scripts have been performed publicly at multiple schools. As a founding member of the Marquette Pro-life Club and an active member of campus ministry, Elizabeth puts her faith into action. In her community and home parish,

Continue Reading

ALTON - Abigail Hasty of Alton High School was honored recently as one of the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club March Students of the Month at the club's regular meeting at Gentelin’s Restaurant. Abigail, a senior at Alton High School, is the daughter of Jeanna and Michael Hasty. During her four years at AHS, she made high honor roll and received the St. Louis Post-Dispatch “A” Student designation every year. She was selected as an Illinois State Scholar during her senior year. Abbie is a member of multiple Honor Societies, including The National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and The Tri-M Honor Society. Additionally, she is on track to graduate as a “Platinum Alpha Student,” the highest educational designation offered by Alton High School. Abbie currently serves as Alton High School’s National Honor Society President. She leads weekly meetings of 60+ members and coordinates a tutoring program for students in Math, Science, and English from 2nd to 11th

Continue Reading

MACOUPIN COUNTY - The Macoupin Art Collective of Staunton, would like to announce its fifth-anniversary celebration on Saturday, March 26, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The MAC will be hosting an entire day of events and crafts and also unveiling their new ArtBus to extend their community ArtReach. Events of the day will include a silent auction, raffle, screen printing, and bus tours. In addition, they will be hosting 8 different craft classes, each open to 5 students, first come/first serve. All classes are free, but donations are welcome. The MAC is also requesting attendees bring a non-perishable item for the local Helping Hands food pantry, also celebrating their fifth year on Main Street. The Macoupin Art Collective was founded in 2017 by professional artist and educator, Brandace Cloud. In that short time, The MAC has become a vibrant and welcoming face on Main Street, creating a safe space for art and expression for all ages in mediums such as paint, clay, fabric, glass,

Continue Reading