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.
EDWARDSVILLE - Madison County prosecutors have filed a Class X felony charge against a Wood River man accused of sending an email to an Illinois legislator threatening to kill the lawmaker, police officers, and members of the government, State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced Thursday, March...
EDWARDSVILLE - Audrey De La Torre Crux had three hits, including two home runs, and drove in six runs, while Remi Werden had two hits, including a solo home run, as Edwardsville scored seven times in the second, and five more times in the fourth to take a big 16-1 win over Freeburg in a softball gam...
ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has issued charges against Sam Thang, 38, of the 4600 block of Hamburg Avenue in St. Louis, accusing him of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy and two counts of child molestation involving a victim who was...
EDWARDSVILLE - A jury on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, found Victor S. Dantzson, a 52-year-old Granite City man, guilty of breaking into a woman’s home on Benton Street in Granite City and attacking a police officer who responded, after jurors deliberated for less than an hour. Madison County...
FREEBURG - Marquette Catholic’s Alex Stephan scored three goals to lead the Explorers to a 5-0 win over Freeburg on Wednesday night, March 18, 2026, in the Metro Cup Tournament at Freeburg. Stephan’s three goals came with assists from Izzi Hough, who finished with four assists. Summer...
ALTON - The Alton Community School District has appointed Tyler Hamilton as the new athletic director at Alton High School. Hamilton, an Alton High School graduate, will lead the school’s athletics programs in Alton. The district said Hamilton brings experience in high school and collegiate...
ST. LOUIS - The city of St. Louis will impose a short-term, targeted overnight curfew for young people in parts of downtown from Friday through Sunday, March 20-22, 2026, while increasing public safety measures ahead of the opening rounds of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament at...
ALTON - Alton Police Department K9 Rico has received a bullet- and stab-protective vest through a charitable donation from Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., the department announced on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. “The support we've received from Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is truly outstanding,...
ALTON - The St. Mary’s Chargers eighth-grade girls’ volleyball team has won another championship in the Southern Springfield Catholic Athletic Conference (SSCAC), going 8-0 in regular conference play. St. Mary’s has won its conference, the conference tournament, or both, in six...
EDWARDSVILLE - Kurt Prenzler, a Republican candidate for Madison County Clerk and Recorder, said he called Linda Andreas “last night” (Tuesday, March 17, 2026) to congratulate her on her victory in a brief statement released after the election. The final tally for the Madison County...
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