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ALTON - Alton Pride is excited to announce its first annual Thanksgiving Food Drive Competition! Area bars are competing for the title of “Top Turkey”, a trophy, and bragging rights. From October 29 thru November 12 participating locations will be collecting non-perishable food items for Thanksgiving. The business with the most donations will be crowned the winner. People can donate several non-perishable items, including but not limited to: Boxed Stuffing Mix Dry Macaroni Canned Cranberry Sauce Canned Pie Fillings Flour Powdered Drink Mixes Jell-O Mix Graham Crackers Instant Potatoes Canned Yams Cornbread Mix Pie Crust Mix Vegetable Oil Rice Pudding Mix Cream of Mushroom Soup Gravy Mixes/Jars Canned Vegetables Muffin Mix Cake Mixes/Icing Sugar Dried Beans Powdered Milk French Fried Onions We encourage the community to drop their donation off at their favorite hangout. There are currently ten businesses competing to be crowned Top Turkey:

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Below are the Halloween parades, trick-or-treat dates and times, and events in area communities. Parade October 27 East Alton Halloween Parade, 7 p.m. Bethalto Halloween Parade, 6:30 p.m. October 29 Wood River Halloween Parade, 10:30 a.m. Hartford Halloween Parade, 1 p.m. October 31 Edwardsville Halloween Parade, 6:30 p.m. Alton Halloween Parade, 7 p.m. Trick-or-Treat October 27 Bethalto, 7-9 p.m. October 28 Brighton, 6-9 p.m. October 30 Edwardsville, Noon-9 p.m. Glen Carbon, 4 to 9 p.m. Alton, 6-8 p.m. Godfrey, 6-8 p.m. Grafton, 5-8 p.m. Carrollton, 6-8 p.m. Roxana, 6-8 p.m. Bethalto, 6-8 p.m. Wood River, 6-8 p.m. East Alton, 6-8 p.m. South Roxana, 6-8 p.m. October 31 Edwardsville, Noon-9 p.m. Jerseyville, 5-9 p.m. Alton, 6-8 p.m. Godfrey - 6-8 p.m. Carrollton, 6-8 p.m. Roxana, 6-8 p.m. Bethalto, 6-8 p.m. Wood River, 6-8 p.m. East Alton, 6-8 p.m. South Roxana, 6-8 p.m. Granite City, 6-9 p.m. Events These are upcoming

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ALTON - The ongoing theft of catalytic converters from automobiles on the rise, State Representative Amy Elik (R-Alton) filed legislation to make it a felony for individuals that stockpile stolen catalytic converters from vehicles. “If your catalytic converter is stolen from your car, it can cost as much as $3,000 to replace it,” said Rep. Elik. “We are seeing an increase in theft because criminals can get anywhere from $25 to over $1,000 by selling the stolen car part at a scrap dealer. Improving the law by making it a felony if you illegally purchase more than 100 catalytic converters will help deter criminals from stealing this expensive automotive part, as criminals will not have anywhere to go to sell the stolen converter.” In September, police seized 287 catalytic converters from a scrap-metal business in East Alton that is accused of illegally buying the parts. And in Chicago, the theft of catalytic converters has nearly tripled compared to a year

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ALTON - An alleged threat was posted on social media last night involving Alton High School and heavily shared overnight, Alton School District No. 11 Superintendent Dr. Kristie Baumgartner said in a statement. "Administration began working immediately with law enforcement to determine the origin of the threat," she said. "Because this is an active law enforcement investigation, additional details cannot be shared at this time. Unfortunately, it is not unusual for social media posts like this to occur after a tragic event such as what just occurred in St. Louis. "However, we must take every alleged threat seriously and investigate each to the highest degree. All schools, including Alton High School, will be open and continue with classes today. As a precautionary measure, there will be an increased law enforcement presence at Alton High School today. Again, this is only a precautionary measure." Alton High Principal Mike Bellm said the communication was sent out to parents, students

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WOOD RIVER – Today, Democratic Candidate for State Senate Kris Tharp (IL-56), a police officer of 25 years and current State senator for the 56th district, announced his endorsement from the Township Officials of Illinois (TOI). “Senator Tharp supports the goals and objectives of our organization. He is readily available when needed to address any issue impacting township government in Illinois," Township Officials of Illinois Treasurer and TOI Executive Director Jerry B. Crabtree said. “We wish Senator Tharp a successful re-election campaign.” Kris Tharp has been a public servant for 25 years, working as a police officer, an elderly service officer for the seniors in his community, and Deputy Commander of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, one of the oldest, most successful homicide task forces in the country. “I have had the honor of serving this community in many roles and through them all, I have remained committed to strengthening and

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GODFREY - The Alton Motorboat Club is hosting its 2022 Turkey Shoot on Sunday, Nov. 6 starting at 10 a.m. at the clubhouse, located at 11134 Harbor Dell in Godfrey. The event will be open to the public, featuring lots of food options and all-day raffles with prizes including firearms, cash, meats, and cheeses. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20. Alton Motorboat Club Commodore Matt Woulfe said tickets to be sold are also available to be picked up from the clubhouse. Woulfe said after the clubhouse opens at 10 a.m., the shooting line will form at 11 a.m. “We start shooting at 11 o’clock - we have a turkey shoot and we give away a turkey,” he said. “One round consists of 20 shots. We sell shot cards, there’s 20 people in a round, and then we give away one turkey, and the closest to the bullseye wins the turkey." Woulfe added they usually do 22-25 rounds at 20 cards each, which adds up to “quite a few shots.” They also do a Powder Puff roun

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EAST ST. LOUIS – A 20-year-old Cahokia Heights man has been arrested on a variety of charges from Aggravated Kidnapping (Class X Felony), Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault/Weapon (Class X Felony), Aggravated Unlawful Restraint (Class 3 Felony), Aggravated Battery/Great Bodily Harm (Class 3 Felony) and Aggravated Battery/Use Deadly Weapon (Class 3 Felony). Illinois State Police (ISP) and East St. Louis Police Department arrested the man after they were called at 5:29 p.m. on Sunday, October 23, 2022, to a stabbing and criminal sexual assault report in the 3000 block of Market Place, East St. Louis. The East St. Louis Police Department requested the ISP Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG) respond to a reported stabbing and criminal sexual assault. ISP said the victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment of her injuries. The suspect left the scene prior to the arrival of law enforcement. After a thorough investigation, PSEG identified Elijah Harper as a suspect.

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ALTON - Craig and Amy Lombardi, Madeline Eades, and the Alton Athletic Association, along with Al Womack of the Alton Boys & Girls Club, formulated a brilliant idea this summer for a program to boost the Redbird spirit in the community. Residents may have noticed banners of Alton High School athletes on poles throughout the area and it is because of the efforts of the association, the Lombardi family, and other volunteers. "We met with Al Womack of the Boys and Girls Club this summer to talk about ways to boost Redbird Spirit in our community," Amy said. "We want to keep our athletes in Alton and not see students going elsewhere to high school. The purpose of the project is to showcase our students. We want to get our community excited about our Redbirds. It’s time to paint our town red. "We came up with the banner project from our conversation and created the Alton Redbird Beautification Diversity Program. We are proud of our students and love our Redbird community,

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EDWARDSVILLE - For the first time since the 2019-20 school year, Edwardsville High School has welcomed its German American Partnership Program (GAPP) Exchange partners back. Fourteen students and two teachers from Herman Hesse Gymnasium in Calw, Germany. (in the Black Forest) will be visiting EHS through November 4. German exchange students stay with EHS students during their visit to the United States, while EHS students will stay with the same partner when they visit Germany in June of 2023. While here, German students will participate in several events in the area, including visits to St. Louis, Mo., and Springfield, Ill., while also experiencing American life with their host families. This past Saturday, they had an opportunity to explore St. Louis and visited the St. Louis Zoo, City Museum, and the Gateway Arch. On Monday, German students toured the EHS main campus, the sports complex, and the RP Lumber Center. They had the unique opportunity to enjoy part of a performance

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ALTON - Remarkable Redbird of the Month is senior Peyton Baker. Peyton is an outstanding leader at Alton High in many ways. Peyton has multiple responsibilities within the sports program. One highly involved role she has is a leader of the Redbird Nest, a group of over 250 students who attend Redbird sporting events. Peyton does a tremendous job of exemplifying Redbird Spirit while displaying good sportsmanship in her leadership. She brings passion and energy to all sporting events as the leader of the Redbird Nest in teaching the members what to say and when to say it as she knows all sports well. Peyton was also an integral part of the student showing for the Fox 2 Pep Zone that featured Alton High School earlier this school year and was interviewed by Fox 2's Laura Simon during the broadcast. Pep Zone: Alton High School (fox2now.com) In talking with Alton High School Assistant Principal Vernon Curvey recently, he shared a story of a member of the Redbird Nest throwing an

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State's Attorney Tom Haine announced today that a Madison County jury found Mantia Johnson, 35, of Granite City, guilty of first-degree murder for the killing of Ahmaad Nunley on August 2, 2021. The jury also found Johnson guilty of attempted murder for the simultaneous shooting of Shamyia Seay and the aggravated discharge of a firearm. “This highway shooting and murder was truly terrible," said Haine. "We are happy the jury agreed and convicted Mantia Johnson. Now, the victims' families can begin to gain closure after their pain and loss." On August 2, 2021, police and emergency personnel responded to a shooting on Highway Route 3, where one car had shot numerous rounds into another while driving. Nunley, who was in the victim’s car and had been shot multiple times, was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital, succumbing to his injuries. Seay was also in the victim’s car and shot multiple times but recovered from her wounds and was one

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Blaze Farnan is off to the races. It doesn’t matter that the five-year-old congenital heart patient is in a hospital bed. To keep him moving, part of his rehab includes an innovative new offering for some patients at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois: the RT300 Supine in-bed cycle ergometer. “We call them the bikes just for short because it's much easier to say than in-bed cycle ergometer,” laughs Megan Kupferschmid. Kupferschmid was part of Blaze’s care team as a clinical nurse educator in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. She says the use of these in-bed bikes is in the trial stage; the team there is gathering data to investigate the benefits of the technology. According to Kupferschmid, the idea behind the bikes is early movement through activity-based therapy, which can lead to faster recovery and shortened hospital stays for kids who need it. “It allows kids that

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It’s one of the most common cancers in American men. But experts say prostate cancer is manageable when caught early. Uwais Zaid, MD, a urologist at OSF HealthCare in Alton, Illinois, is marking the end of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month by urging men to get screening appointments on their calendar at the right time. That’s critical, he says, because some people who develop prostate cancer will not show symptoms. “It is something we certainly do take seriously in urology,” Dr. Zaid says. What is the prostate? The prostate is a male gland about the size and shape of a walnut. It surrounds the upper part of the urethra, or the tube that carries urine from the bladder. The prostate makes some of the fluid that’s part of semen. Risk factors Dr. Zaid says the risk for prostate cancer increases with age. Other risks: “African American men are at a higher risk,” Dr. Zaid says. “Certain dietary things like too much red meat and greasy

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ALTON - Dennis Watters, who started Team Watters Search and Recovery with his wife, Tammy, died Tuesday night after a fight with cancer. Dennis and his wife have made such a difference in people’s lives since they started the Search and Recovery by locating their loved ones after a tragedy. The couple were Madison County residents but trekked across the country to help families bring closure to missing members after tragic events. The Alton Emergency Corps worked closely with Dennis and Tammy and made this statement today about Dennis: “Rest In Peace Dennis Watters. Truly a giving man. Thank you for your time and for helping so many families.” Dennis invested in boat and sonar equipment that enabled him with his team to search not only creeks but lakes and rivers for missing individuals. Dennis and Tammy donated their own funds to help others locate loved ones, and much of the rescue craft and tools were built by them over the years. The Alton Emergency Corps sai

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CARLINVILLE - Three Blackburn College faculty members were honored at the 2022 Investiture for Endowed Faculty on Thursday, October 13, at Bothwell Auditorium. The first ceremony of its kind at the College, the event recognizes Blackburn’s commitment to academic excellence, highlights extraordinary faculty contributions to the institution, and celebrates the philanthropic support that makes these esteemed positions possible. The three Blackburn College faculty members honored during this inaugural event were: Professor James Bray, Jr. as the Dr. Irving Lawrence Graves Chair in Biology Professor Craig Newsom as the James C. & Enid J. Pegram Chair in Fine Arts Professor Cindy Carlson Rice as the Sonja Faust Hudren Professor in Education “Endowed positions such as these represent significant academic achievement," said President Mark Biermann, "Jim Bray, Craig Newsom, and Cindy Rice bring outstanding creativity and innovation to the work they share with Blackburn

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CHICAGO - A life-changing amount of cash is up for grabs tonight as the Powerball jackpot soars to a sweltering $700 million. If a player wins Wednesday night’s jackpot, it would be the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot and the eighth-largest lottery jackpot won in U.S. history. Illinois Lottery players are already winning big in this jackpot roll. In Monday night’s Powerball draw, two local players instantly became $200,000 richer and another two lucky players won prizes of $50,000 each. This was on top of the big Powerball prizes won by Illinois Lottery players in Saturday night’s draw. So far this year, Illinois Lottery players have purchased over 2.1 million winning Powerball tickets and won nearly $23.5 million in prizes in Illinois. You could be next! With over 7,000 Illinois Lottery retailers across the State, lottery players can conveniently pick up a ticket at their local store - or they can login to the Illinois Lottery website or app and purchase a ticke

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EAST ST. LOUIS – In recognition of First Responders Day on Oct. 28, State Senators Christopher Belt and Kris Tharp urge residents to take time this week to express gratitude toward emergency personnel. “Individuals working in public safety respond to calls of distress on a daily basis,” said Senator Tharp (D-Bethalto). “First responders exemplify courage and strength in our communities. This week and every week, thank one you know personally or when you see one out around town.” First Responders Day recognizes the work of firefighters, police officers, 911 dispatchers, emergency medical technicians and paramedics and their commitment to improving public safety in Illinois. Senators Belt and Tharp remind residents to extend gratitude to first responders year-round for their dedication and remember those lost in the line of duty. “Public safety officers and first responders have made sacrifices in order to serve and protect their communities,”

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WOOD RIVER - The Legendary Mustang Sanctuary , a nonprofit organization that rescues Mustang horses, hosted a Music Trivia Blast fundraiser last Friday, Oct. 24 at the Wood River Moose Lodge. Cora Miller, director of promotion and development with the Legendary Mustang Sanctuary, said the event was a big success and that they had a “full house.” She attributed the event’s large turnout to “good marketing” and her appearance on Our Daily Show on Riverbender.com . “We had a full house - I would say every seat we planned on was filled,” Miller said. “I think the good marketing, and also the podcast we did, really encouraged people to buy their tickets ahead of time and that worked out beautifully.” Big Papa G was the host for the evening, and Miller said he did a phenomenal job. The prizes and gift baskets were also well-received by attendees. “He is always a hit with the crowd. He keeps the spirit of the Mustang

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EDWARDSVILLE - Madison County State's Attorney Tom Haine announced today that Madison County has filed a petition asking the Illinois Supreme Court to review the Fourth Appellate District’s ruling on the recently passed judicial subcircuit legislation. Joining Madison County in the petition were Christina Wiley of Bethalto (pro se plaintiff), Judges Christopher Threlkeld and Amy Sholar (Represented by Attorney James Craney), and Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie (Represented by Phillip A. Luetkehans). “Prior to the passage of this subcircuit law, all residents of Madison County could vote for their circuit judges,” said Haine. “Now, the boundaries have been gerrymandered in such a way that only a fraction of the residents of Madison County will have the right to vote on Circuit judges, even though they will still have power to decide cases for all County residents. We think that concept is fundamentally unfair and a violation of our Constitution.” “Als

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul is warning student loan borrowers to be on the lookout for scammers posing as debt relief and debt consolidation companies to steal personal information and money. Attorney General Raoul is urging borrowers to be vigilant, particularly as federal loan payments paused under the CARES Act will restart Jan. 1, 2023. Attorney General Raoul encourages borrowers to exercise caution if they receive unsolicited phone calls, letters in the mail, emails, texts or social media messages from entities offering student loan debt relief. According to Raoul, these entities could be scammers, and borrowers will receive more reliable guidance by using a personal loan servicer or going through the Department of Education. “The last thing any student loan borrower needs when attempting to address their student loan debt is to become a victim of student loan repayment scams,” Raoul said. “Instead, borrowers should get their information from the

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