Community Corner

🌱 How East St. Louis kids are turning a food desert into abundance

You won't want to miss Kids Explorer Night on the East St. Louis Patch calendar

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Thursday August 20th Patch AM
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Coffee in hand, East St. Louis? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How East St. Louis kids are turning a food desert into abundance
  • Have you seen this missing father last spotted in East St. Louis?
  • How new rail and Route 3 projects could reshape East St. Louis traffic

Today's riddle: Why do fish live in salt water? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
Today's East St. Louis Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's Best Mobile Network in the US according to Ookla Speedtest®. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2026. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's East St. Louis Patch AM possible.
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Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: Partly sunny and humid, with a high of 84 and low of 65 degrees.
  • Friday: Partly sunny and humid, temps: high: 88, low: 66. 🌶 Hot!
  • Saturday: Humid with a t-storm in spots, with a high of 88 and low of 64 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• How kids help grow 30,000 pounds of produce in a food desert (farmprogress.com) — Young people in East St. Louis are helping grow tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce at the new Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, Nutrition Innovation Center, directly tackling the city's food desert. The expanded $23 million center offers free or low-cost meals, after-school and summer programs, and hands-on training in gardening, cooking, and ag careers, while supplying local families, food pantries, restaurants, and a kids-run farmers market.
   

• Father of four reported missing in East St. Louis (bnd.com) — A family is urgently searching for 41-year-old father of four Perrin Cooper, last seen on Aug. 10–11 near St. Clair Avenue and North 15th Street businesses in East St. Louis. Relatives have shared detailed descriptions, tattoos, and contact numbers, asking anyone who may have seen him or surveillance footage to reach out to East St. Louis police or his sister-in-law.
   

• Freight Rail Tour Highlights Transportation Assets and Available Industrial Sites (constructforstl.org) — Regional freight and highway leaders are spotlighting major rail and road investments that include improving a key TRRA connection into East St. Louis and building a relocated Illinois Route 3 segment starting at River Park Connector in the city. These projects aim to ease freight bottlenecks, cut emissions, and reduce blocked crossings, which could eventually improve traffic flow and safety for East St. Louis residents and truck traffic alike.
   

📸 Around East St. Louis

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🗓 Events Nearby

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Drury Hotels Company, LLC posted a job opening for Housekeeper in Fairview Heights. Apply here.
  • Kellermeyer posted a job opening for Janitorial Crew Member in Fairview Heights. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near East St. Louis here.

🗞 Nearby News

Sauget

  • Graham Foundation Announces 45 New Grants for Projects Expanding Architectural Discourse in 2026 (archdaily.com)
  • Ferrero's Franklin Park Factory (newcity.com)

Cahokia

Fairview Heights

  • Popular shoe brand planning Fairview Heights comeback at a well-used site (bnd.com)
  • Collinsville couple return to Midwest Salute to Art Fair (timestribunenews.com)

Ok East St. Louis! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Pepper makes them sneeze (Thank you Karla H. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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