Today in Alton / Riverbend
Cooler and mostly cloudy today, with a high near 60; sunny Thursday with a high near 64.
Campaign sign recycling starts today and runs through Monday, November 9, at IBEW Local 649 and LaVista Park.
Godfrey's Village Board and Public Safety and Finance Committee meet at 6 p.m. today at Village Hall.
Madison County can count mail and provisional ballots from the November 3 election through Tuesday, November 17.
Godfrey's Storm Water Committee takes public input on the village's MS4 stormwater program at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 5.
The Byway Discovery Center at Great Rivers Park in Godfrey holds its grand opening Friday, November 6, from 2 to 5 p.m.
IDOT holds an open house on widening the Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail Monday, November 9, at Hayner Library at Alton Square.
NEW: newly reported developments or upcoming opportunities. UPDATE: later substantive information on a covered story. ONGOING: continuing useful information. RESOLVED: the reported issue has ended. BACKGROUND: dated historical context, not a new development or confirmation of current availability. UNCONFIRMED: a story, continuing story or detail that could not be confirmed against its cited source on the edition date; the note under the headline says what is not confirmed. Today and countdown lines carry "(unconfirmed)" for the same reason. All local times are Central Daylight Time.
City, Roads & Planning
ONGOING
Godfrey asks residents not to blow leaves into streets
The Village of Godfrey is asking residents not to blow or rake leaves into the streets, saying in an October 28 notice that it has no curbside leaf vacuum program and that leaves can block stormwater flow in curbs and ditches and clog drainage pipes.
Leaf burning is allowed on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in October, November and December. The residents-only yard waste site at 1433 Stamper Lane is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, with proof of residency. Yard waste must be in brown recyclable bags with village stickers, which cost $1.75 each; limbs over 4 inches across are not accepted.
The Village Board and its Public Safety and Finance Committee meet at 6 p.m. today, Wednesday, November 4, at Village Hall.
ONGOING
IDOT open house on widening the Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail set for November 9
The Illinois Department of Transportation holds a public meeting on proposed improvements to the Illinois 100 Sam Vadalabene Bike Trail from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, November 9, at Hayner Public Library, 132 Alton Square. IDOT's Phase I engineering and environmental study is looking at reconstructing and widening the trail.
The meeting is an open house with no formal presentation. Display boards will cover engineering, land acquisition and environmental issues, and IDOT and consultant staff will answer questions. Comments received by November 27 go into the official meeting record; they can also go to Nathan Cox of IDOT District 8 at Nathan.Cox@illinois.gov or 618-346-3189.
ONGOING
Lane restrictions on Homer Adams Parkway expected through spring 2027
One lane is open in each direction on Illinois 3 (Homer Adams Parkway) between Bloomer Drive and College Avenue in Alton for bridge construction. The Illinois Department of Transportation says the restrictions began Friday, September 18, and are expected to stay in place through spring 2027.
IDOT encourages drivers to use alternate routes and to slow down in the work zone. Updates are posted by IDOT District 8 and on the state's GettingAroundIllinois.com traveler map.
BACKGROUND
Wood River testing found PFOS above the state standard
A letter to residents from Wood River City Manager Steve Palen says recent testing found perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), one of the PFAS "forever chemicals," at 6.7 parts per trillion in the city's water, above the Illinois standard of 4 parts per trillion. Palen wrote that a result above a standard "does not mean that our residents are experiencing an immediate health emergency."
The city says it has been running a pilot study to find the best PFAS treatment for its system and is working with the Illinois EPA. It is also part of litigation against PFAS manufacturers, which it says has brought in money for future treatment.
NEW
Godfrey Stormwater Committee takes public input on its MS4 program November 5
Godfrey's Storm Water Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, November 5, at Village Hall, 6810 Godfrey Road, with the village's required annual MS4 presentation on the agenda. MS4 refers to the village's municipal separate storm sewer system.
The village says its NPDES stormwater permit requires it to hold one public meeting a year where the public can give input on whether its MS4 program is adequate. The village's number is 618-466-3324.
NEW
Madison County Board set for final vote on fiscal 2027 budget and levy November 18
The Madison County Board is scheduled to take final action on the county's Fiscal Year 2027 budget and levy ordinance at 5 p.m. Wednesday, November 18. The county's Finance and Government Operations Committee approved the ordinance October 29.
The county says the budget and levy are posted for public inspection at least 15 days before final action. Both documents are linked from the county's announcement.
Public Safety & Weather
UPDATE
Cooler and mostly cloudy Wednesday, then sunny Thursday
The National Weather Service forecast for Alton, issued at 4:51 a.m. today, calls for a mostly cloudy Wednesday, November 4, with a high near 60 and west wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Skies should gradually clear tonight, with a low around 45.
Thursday should be sunny, with a high near 64. Friday is forecast to be partly sunny with a high near 58, and lows Friday and Saturday nights are expected around 36. Sunny skies and highs in the 60s are forecast Sunday through Tuesday, November 10.
Elections
UPDATE
Madison County can count mail and provisional ballots through November 17
The November 3 general election is over, but the Madison County Clerk's election schedule lists Tuesday, November 17, as the last day to count vote-by-mail and provisional ballots.
The Madison County Clerk's office is at 618-296-6200.
ONGOING
Campaign sign recycling runs today through November 9
Corrugated plastic campaign signs can be dropped off for recycling starting today, Wednesday, November 4, through Monday, November 9, at IBEW Local 649, 3945 Humbert Road, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and at LaVista Park, 2421 W. Delmar Avenue, from dawn to dusk. Signs must be free of stickers, and metal bases should be separated into their own containers.
The collection is run by the Greater Godfrey Democrats, IBEW Local 649 and the Village of Godfrey.
ONGOING
Godfrey election filing runs November 16 to 23
The Village of Godfrey's November calendar lists Monday, November 16, as the first day and Monday, November 23, as the last day for Godfrey election filing at Village Hall, 6810 Godfrey Road. Filing hours are 7:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m., with the afternoon window running to 5 p.m. on the last day.
Arts, Culture & Events
ONGOING
Underground Railroad exhibit at Alton City Hall; Lovejoy Day program November 9
The traveling exhibit Journey to Freedom: Illinois' Underground Railroad is at Alton City Hall through Thursday, December 31, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hayner Public Library District co-hosts it with the city. It includes the story of Isaac Kelly of Alton, a deacon at Union Baptist Church and a conductor on the Underground Railroad.
A Lovejoy Day reader's theater program, A Cause Sprinkled with Blood: The Life of Owen Lovejoy, is set for 7 to 8 p.m. Monday, November 9, at the Genealogy and Local History Library, 401 State Street. Rev. Owen Bryant Lovejoy, great-great-grandson of Owen Lovejoy, and his son, Rev. Elijah Patrick Lovejoy, present it with Alton School District Superintendent Elaine Kane as special guest. Hayner and the Elijah P. Lovejoy Memorial co-host the program. Registration is at 1-800-613-3163.
A related program, Connie Martin's "Pre-Civil War Quilts: Secret Codes to Freedom on the Underground Railroad," is planned for 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 15, at Hayner Library at Alton Square Mall.
ONGOING
Byway Discovery Center opens at Great Rivers Park in Godfrey November 6
The Byway Discovery Center at Great Rivers Park, 10832 Lockhaven Road in Godfrey, holds its grand opening from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday, November 6, according to the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau. The new visitor space has interactive exhibits on the history, landscapes and communities of the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway.
The opening is hosted by the Great Rivers Land Trust, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the tourism bureau. Light refreshments follow the opening ceremony. The listing gives Jennifer Buehrer, 618-465-6676, as the contact.
- Source: Great Rivers and Routes: Grand Opening of the Byway Discovery Center at Great Rivers Park
NEW
Animal paint and sip at Party on Broadway benefits TreeHouse Wildlife Center November 5
Party on Broadway, 605 E. Broadway in Alton, holds an Animal Paint & Sip Night from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, November 5, according to the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau. Participants paint a raccoon, fox, owl or deer with step-by-step instruction; supplies are included and no experience is needed.
Guests may bring their own drinks and snacks. Part of the evening's proceeds goes to TreeHouse Wildlife Center, which rescues, rehabilitates and releases local wildlife. Seating is limited, and registration is through the event listing.
- Source: Great Rivers and Routes: Animal Paint & Sip at Party on Broadway
AI in Your Community
BACKGROUND
Lewis and Clark gets grant tied to AI advising tools
Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey received a $100,000 Gates Foundation grant in July 2026 for a 17-month national learning initiative on student success. The foundation's grant record describes the purpose as "advancing the effective and equitable use of AI-enabled advising tools in higher education."
In May, Lewis and Clark students hosted a panel on AI in education on the Godfrey campus, with about 80 people taking part in person and online. The college said a campus AI team is working on a policy for AI use in college business and in the classroom.
BACKGROUND
Alton police keep a voluntary registry of home and business cameras
The Alton Police Department runs a voluntary Private Video Surveillance Camera Registration Program. Residents and business owners register their address so police know where cameras are, and officers may contact them to request footage when a crime happens nearby.
The department says registering "does not automatically give the Alton Police Department access to your camera system." Footage that owners share may be used as evidence, and owners could receive a subpoena. Owners can withdraw at any time. Questions go to the department at 618-463-3505.
BACKGROUND
AARP tech classes at Hayner Library follow March class on everyday AI
AARP Illinois held an in-person class, Everyday AI: How It Helps in Daily Life Today, at Hayner Library at Alton Square Mall on March 25, 2026. The hour-long lecture covered how AI already shows up in everyday tasks, from voice assistants to customer service and health care, and ways people can use it. Registration was required.
Hayner says it has partnered with AARP on monthly tech classes throughout 2026, covering topics "from AI and smartphones to estate planning and online shopping." The next two are Tech Basics for Caregiving from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, November 25, and Online Shopping on Wednesday, December 9. Each is a live AARP webinar shown in the Multipurpose Room at Hayner Library at Alton Square Mall; registration is through AARP at 1-877-926-8300.
Schools & Youth
ONGOING
Alton school board hearing November 17 on publishing its annual statement of affairs
The Alton School District will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 17, during the regular board meeting at the Alton High School Library. The hearing takes public comment on a proposed waiver of the requirement that the district publish its Annual Statement of Affairs in a newspaper.
Still Developing
The latest confirmed movement, the open question and the next checkpoint.
OPENProposed data center campus at the former Alton Steel site
The City of Alton says Alton Steel Inc. and TerraWatt have approached it about buying and redeveloping the former Alton Steel property as a data center campus. The city said October 21 that no permit or zoning application has been filed. The site would need to be rezoned, with a detailed site plan going first to the Plan Commission and then to the City Council, each voting at a regular meeting. The city says it will seek a third-party consultant for engineering, planning and environmental review and takes resident comments through a form on its website. TerraWatt held an open house October 27 at the Wedge Building, 620 E. Broadway. The Waterways Journal reported that the mill covers 381 acres, that Alton Steel stopped operating in January, and that the property's owner, J&J Ventures LLC, is exploring a deal with TerraWatt, a Texas-based developer that the Journal said has not completed any data centers. On November 3, voters in Chouteau, Granite City, Nameoki and Venice townships, elsewhere in Madison County, had advisory questions on their ballots asking whether new data centers should be permitted there. The proposal becomes news again when an application is filed and a Plan Commission date is set.
First covered October 30, 2026.
OPENAlton Public Works strike
Alton Public Works Department employees represented by Teamsters Local 525 went on strike September 25 after working without a contract, according to an October 22 statement from the Alton Education Association, the teachers' union. The association said its members would support the strikers, wear red on Wednesday, October 28, and contact City Council members to urge a quick and fair settlement. No new contract had been announced as of that statement. The City Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 101 E. Third Street. A ratified contract or a return to work would make this news again.
First covered October 30, 2026.
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