Dan Brannan is Content Director of RiverBender and EdGlenToday.com. Dan started at Riverbender.com/Edglentoday.com in December 2014. He is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL with degrees in Journalism and Psychology. Having previously served as the Executive Editor of The Telegraph in Alton, his 17-year tenure led the paper to over 350 awards including several General Excellence awards in the Illinois Press Association, Illinois Associated Press, Freedom Communications, Southern Illinois Editorial Association and Journal Register Company contests. Brannan was chosen to lead Freedom Communications' national pilot on social media.
He is the author of eight nonfiction books including: "The Courage to Live," a biography about Donna Gustavel, a young woman with multiple disabilities; "Everyday Angels," an inspirational book of moving human interest stories; "Live Life to the Fullest: Stories of People Coping With Diabetes" which is endorsed by the American Diabetes Association; "Boy Giant: The Story of Robert Wadlow The World's Tallest Man;" "Damn Cold and Starving" written with Sgt. Marion Ray; "You Can't Kill the Dream" co-written with fellow journalist Ande Yakstis; and "A Life in Parts," the story of Loretta Goebel and endorsed by Beatle Paul McCartney.
Dan, an avid exercise enthusiast, is a member of the American Diabetes Association and lives in Maryville. Dan has two children in college - Savannah and Sierra.
MARYVILLE - A newly constructed roundabout at the intersection of Illinois Route 162 and Keebler Road opened to traffic on April 9, 2026, in Maryville, Illinois, following more than a decade of planning that local and state leaders pursued after a fatal crash at the site. The Village of Maryville...
MARYVILLE - Maryville Christian School’s LilyAnn Smith delivered a dominant start Thursday, April 9, 2026, throwing a no-hitter as Maryville Christian rolled to an 18-0 girls softball win over Metro East Lutheran at Metro East Lutheran High School. The shutout victory on April 9, 2026, featured...
EAST ST. LOUIS - A 29-year-old Belleville man was shot and killed inside a vehicle in East St. Louis just after 5 a.m. Friday, and state and local police are investigating, authorities said. The shooting happened in the area of South 22nd Street and Market Avenue, according to the Illinois State...
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police detectives are investigating a double homicide after two adult men were found fatally shot late Thursday, April 9, 2026, in the 5600 block of Gatesworth Avenue in the City of Country Club Hills. Officers from the City of Country Club Hills responded at...
TROY, IL. - The Madison County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, April 9, 2026, released the names of three victims killed in a house fire that followed multiple explosions in rural Troy, Illinois, on April 5. The victims were identified as Madeleine I. Maxeiner, 18, of Troy; Ayden R. Hendrickson,...
BETHALTO - Civic Memorial’s boys 4x200 relay team of Parker Walters, Ty Books, Reed Wallace and Grady Farrell set a new school record last week at the O'Fallon Relays, recording a time of 1:33.22 to break a mark that had stood since 1979. “The 4 x 200 relay record has been longstanding,”...
EAST ST. LOUIS - The East St. Louis Police Department responded to an incident involving a suicidal individual on the Eads Bridge in East St. Louis on Thursday, April 9, 2026, where officers found a person who had climbed over the railing on the westbound side of the bridge and threatened to jump....
CASEYVILLE - A semitruck strike that brought down a highway sign across Interstate 64 near the I-255 exit was snarling traffic in the Caseyville area as of late Thursday morning, April 9, 2026, as transportation crews worked to reopen the roadway. The crash happened on I-64 approaching the I-255...
SWANSEA — Federal authorities alerted Swansea Police to a social media post containing terrorist threats targeting Swansea Police Department officers, prompting an investigation that led to the arrest of a 28-year-old man and a felony charge, police said. The FBI notified the Swansea Police...
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County police are investigating a late-night shooting in a business drive-thru that left an adult woman dead and an adult man injured, authorities said. The double shooting happened about 11:35 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in the 11300 block of Bellefontaine Road,...
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