Sydney Sinks grew up in the Riverbend area and graduated from Southwestern High School. She received a bachelor’s degree from Millikin University in 2022, where she majored in English-Writing with concentrations in journalism and professional writing and a minor in editing.
At Millikin, Sydney wrote and edited for The Decaturian and BURST Magazine. Her writing has also been published in Decatur Magazine, Gateway Journalism Review and others. She has received recognition from the Illinois College Press Association and the Society of Professional Journalists for her work.
SAINT LOUIS - The entire region is invited to the 26th annual Pond-O-Rama water garden tour sponsored by the St. Louis Water Garden Society. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 27 and 28, 2026, community members can tour 23 gardens at homes across the Greater St. Louis region. The goal is to raise...
ALTON - The Summer Reading Program at Hayner Public Library District has officially started. This year’s theme, “Unearth a Story,” is focused on dinosaurs and archeology. Now through the first week of July, each day features an event for kids and teens to enjoy. Executive...
ALTON - Community members can learn more about tax strategies for retirees and aspiring retirees at an upcoming free lunch-and-learn. At 12 p.m. on Friday, June 5, 2026, at The Wedge Innovation Center in Alton, Curtis Stephens with Stephens Planning and Daniel Smith with Tomerlin Bookkeeping wil...
STAUNTON - Dee Webber has always been a Super Mom. Now, her community is rallying behind her. Webber is a quarterfinalist for the NewsBeauty Super Mom competition. With over 140,000 moms who entered the contest, she is now in the top 1 percent. A Staunton native, the stay-at-home mom of five...
ALTON - Community members are invited to a free lunch-and-learn to find out more about wills and trusts. At 12 p.m. on June 16, 2026, at Vera Lee Meeting and Event Venue in Alton, financial advisor Bill Kinkel and attorney Walter Ozark will share general information about how to navigate wills...
I love coming to work every day. That’s a big sentence. Not everybody is that lucky, but it’s the truth; I look forward to doing my job, chatting with my coworkers, and spending the day at the office. I always thought it would be cool to work in a big office building, writing stories...
ALTON - The Old Bakery Beer Company has a special deal for community members who want to use their event space, plus plenty of fun events and specials coming up in the next few weeks. From now until June 15, 2026, anyone who rents the event space for a 2026 event will not pay the typical room...
GODFREY - Vitality Women’s Clinic is a faith-based, pro-life pregnancy center in Godfrey. Representatives from the clinic shared more about their work in the community. Vitality provides free pregnancy and STI testing and ultrasounds. They also offer parenting classes and resources....
ALTON - A local Alton High School student is making waves at Alton Little Theater as their youngest cast member for the past two productions. Ella Beauchamp, 16, enjoyed performing at ALT as a member of the ensemble of “Godspell.” She was also recently cast in “Joseph and the...
LITCHFIELD/GRANITE CITY - Over 300 Jeeps will cruise Route 66 before coming together at Granite City’s Route 66 Centennial Grand Finale Celebration. On Saturday, June 6, 2026, Jeep owners are invited to join the Jeep run and travel the last 100 miles of Route 66 in Illinois. The run...
Did you know Riverbender.com is free for you thanks to our awesome advertisers? We noticed you're using an ad block software. Please give our sponsors some exposure by disabling your ad blocking service for Riverbender.com.
