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.
COLLINSVILLE — The Collinsville Police Department said Friday, July 10, 2026, that investigators believe they have identified the parents of an infant abandoned at Cahokia Mounds, but also believe the parents have fled the United States. In a statement issued Friday, July 10,...
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals and rookie second baseman JJ Wetherholt have agreed to an eight-year, $112.5 million contract extension, a deal that keeps one of the club’s rising young players in St. Louis for the long term. The agreement, reached as the Cardinals entered...
MONROE COUNTY - Two Oklahoma residents, a 48-year-old pilot and his 22-year-old son, were found dead Friday, July 10, 2026, after their aircraft crashed in rural Monroe County, Ill., south of Waterloo, according to a joint statement from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Waterloo Fire Departmen...
MONROE COUNTY — A missing private aircraft was found south of Waterloo on Friday, July 10, 2026, after reports of a possible crash came in around 2:30 a.m., and authorities confirmed multiple fatalities as the response shifted from search and rescue to recovery. The Monroe County Sheriff’s...
CARROLLTON — Intern Billy Springman, 20, of Carrollton, is working to increase public awareness of Greene County’s new official website after the County Board approved and launched it earlier this year. Springman was tasked by the Greene County Board in early 2025 with overseeing the...
BRIGHTON — The Village of Brighton said Friday, July 10, 2026, that some customers may not receive their water bills before the payment deadline and urged those who have not received a bill to contact the village office for their current balances. In a statement, the village said customers wh...
EDWARDSVILLE - Lucy Doyle’s sophomore girls track and field season was marked by a runner-up finish at the IHSA Class 1A Girls Track and Field Sectional in Carlinville on May 13, 2026, and a personal-best performance a week later at the state championships in Charleston. Doyle of Metro East...
ST. LOUIS — Homicide detectives are investigating a fatal shooting in the Wells/Goodfellow neighborhood in St. Louis after police said officers responding to a disturbance Thursday night, July 9, 2026, encountered a gunfight and found a 44-year-old man wounded in the street. The shooting happene...
ALTON - The Gen. George Rogers Clark Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution held a program Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at Lincoln-Douglas Square in Downtown Alton to mark the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence and reflect on its significance. “While July 4th marks th...
EDWARDSVILLE - Front access has been restored within the construction zone in the 100 block of North Main Street in Edwardsville, the City of Edwardsville announced in a project update, marking a milestone in a major infrastructure project that still has significant work to be done. The...
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