Alton

Road crews work to clear the remaining sediment and rocks deposited from flood waters on July 2, 2019. Businesses in the area have reopened since the water receded.

Other

Mississippi River Communities Celebrate Fourth of July And Receding Waters

Eric Schmid

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…

Flood waters in Alton, Illinois almost reached the levels of the Great Flood of 1993. City officials blocked water from entering part of the downtown area.

Health, Science & Environment

Mississippi River Crested, But The Waters Remain High For Now

Chad Davis

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

May 31, 2019 - The Mississippi River reaches 36 feet, its highest level in Alton since 1993. The river is forecast to rise about three more feet before cresting above the 39-foot mark on June 5, about three feet below the record.

Government, Politics & Issues

Flooding Impacts Communities Again, This Time Nearing Records Of '93

Corinne Ruff

Yet again in communities along the Mississippi River, residents and business owners are filling sandbags and holding their breath as the water creeps…

The main levee in Winfield failed May 4, 2019, near the Pillsbury grain elevator on Pillsbury Road.

Health, Science & Environment

Floodwaters Inundate Missouri And Illinois River Towns

Shahla Farzan

Updated: 8:50 p.m. May 5 — with information about flood damage to an Illinois American Water plant.Floodwaters have continued to rise over the weekend in…

Kaci Dalton helped residents fill sandbags on Starling Airport Road in Arnold in May 2017.

Health, Science & Environment

River Town Mayors Nervously Watch Rising Water, Want More Funding For Flood Prevention

Kae M. Petrin

Civic leaders along the Mississippi River are bracing for near-record flood levels in the coming days and weeks.Mayors in Missouri and Illinois say…

The Lincoln-Douglas Square in Alton commemorates one of the city's claims to fame. It also welcomes visitors to the town of almost 27,000 people. March 21, 2018.

Economy & Business

Alton's 'Small Business Revolution' began before Hulu started filming

Kae M. Petrin

When Lauren Pattan and James Rogalsky started looking for a building to house their brewery, they didn’t plan to move from St. Louis to Alton, where…

Robert Wadlow on tour with the International Shoe Company. Crowds of thousands would flock to Wadlow wherever he went.

Arts

Remembering Alton's beloved Robert Wadlow, tallest man ever, a century after his birth

Feb. 22, 2018, marks the centennial of the birth of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man who ever lived, and a lifelong resident of Alton.Wadlow was normal size…

Head Start teacher Chea Wyatt guides Kennydi Harris through an exercise June 23, 2017 at the East St. Louis Kindergarten readiness camp.

Education

New kindergarten readiness reporting requirement gets mixed reviews from Metro East districts

For the first time this school year, Illinois public schools statewide are required to measure and report how prepared their kindergartners were for…

Freida L. Wheaton, Denise Ward-Brown and Sun Smith-Floret.

Arts

Jacoby Arts Center’s multi-platform exploration aims to ‘gather voices that are not listened to'

Kelly Moffitt

On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, contributor Steve Potter discussed Jacoby Arts Center’s multi-platform artistic exploration entitled “Social Justice:…

Alton school board finance committee director Chris Norman said though negotiations went long, a teachers strike would have still been weeks away.

Education

Alton teachers strike unlikely as proposed contract gets initial approval

A teachers strike in the Alton School District has likely been averted, and a new two-year contract for teachers is one step closer to being approved.At a…