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.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man whose partial human remains were found in South St. Louis County in 2021, authorities said Tuesday, June 9, 2026, after an artist’s rendering of the deceased was completed. The remains...
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Parks and Recreation has announced it recently received a report of an invasive hammerhead worm at Cliff Cave Park in St. Louis County, warning visitors that the flatworm can harm the local ecosystem and pose risks to people and pets. The hammerhead worm, originally...
ALTON - Alton Mayor David Goins has proclaimed Wednesday, June 10, 2026, as "Rayna Raglin Day" in Alton, recognizing the recent state track achievements of the Alton athlete who won the 100- and 200-meter races at the IHSA Class 3A Girls State Track and Field Meet. "I am very proud of it," Mayor...
MARYVILLE - Officer Keith Hopke of the Maryville Police Department carried the Flame of Hope through Maryville on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, as part of the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run, an effort to raise awareness for Special Olympics Illinois. Hopke received the flame from officers with the Collinsville...
COLLINSVILLE/MORRISONVILLE - Three Collinsville residents, including a 16-year-old and a pair of 19-year-olds, were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Morrisonville, Illinois, according to elected officials, prompting concern from U.S. Rep. Nikki...
ELGIN - East Alton native Gracie Piar won the Illinois State Women’s Amateur from June 1-3 at Elgin Country Club, finishing with a 72-hole total of 217 after forcing a three-hole playoff with round two leader Lisa Copeland. Piar, a Marquette Catholic graduate and recent California State-Northridge...
CAHOKIA MOUNDS/COLLINSVILLE - Collinsville Police are asking for the public’s help after a newborn infant was found abandoned Sunday night in a car seat in the Cahokia Mounds parking lot in Collinsville. At 8:35 p.m. on Sunday, June 7, 2026, the Collinsville Police Department responded to the...
ALTON — The Rockin' With Robert Concert scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the Robert Wadlow Statue on College Avenue in Alton has been canceled because of hot weather conditions. The No. 4 Combo had been set to perform at the concert, Debbie Frakes, an organizer of the weekly summer series,...
EDWARDSVILLE - Members of the Edwardsville Police Department participated on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. The officers carried the torch, traveling from the Montclaire Shopping Center on Troy Road to Busey Bank on West Vandalia...
ALTON - Clayton McCormick got the start on the mound and threw four solid innings, striking out four, while a six-run Alton third inning spelled the difference as the Post 126 junior American Legion baseball team defeated Eureka, Mo. Post 177 8-3 in a game played Monday evening at Lloyd Hopkins...
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