Alton

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board granted parole to Paula Sims after three hours of testimony and discussion. Sims was convicted of first-degree murder in 1990.

An abolitionist, minister and newspaper editor, Elijah Lovejoy was the first American journalist slain for his work. Journalist Ken Ellingwood discusses his new biography, "First to Fall: Elijah Lovejoy and the Fight for a Free Press in the Age of Slavery," on "St. Louis on the Air."

A Michigan cinema company is expanding into the St. Louis region by opening an eight-screen theater during the pandemic.

StoryCorps is featuring the stories of Black residents of Alton, Illinois. "St. Louis on the Air" explores why StoryCorps is turning its attention to the river town and got a preview of one of the conversations that will be featured in a virtual event on Friday.

In the 20th century, St. Louis was a hub for candy manufacturing. As 94-year-old candy magnate Menlo Smith puts it, “St. Louis was the best place in the country to manufacture confectionery if you were going to be distributing it nationwide.” Smith is the man behind favorites such as Pixy Stix, SweeTarts and Nerds.

A masked violinist has been making music while strolling the streets of Alton. Local rumor has it that she last played during the 1918 Spanish influenza…

The town of Alton was a major stop for escaped slaves making their way to freedom from St. Louis.Some runaways stayed in Alton, and some continued north…

The Old Town Farmers Market draws people seeking fresh, local produce to Belleville’s downtown every Saturday morning. Food stands line a block of South…

The Fourth of July will be even more of a celebration in Alton and Grafton this year, as the riverfront communities mark the reopening of businesses…

Just beyond the closed Alton Visitor Center, a building surrounded by water, stands a temporary flood wall that protects the city’s downtown.The…