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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf urging them to enhance interagency coordination to address unlawfully marketed vaping products, and requesting more information about their enforcement efforts. Following a scathing independent review of FDA’s tobacco regulatory program that highlighted how inadequate enforcement efforts are jeopardizing public health, the agency recently announced its intention to convene a summit with DOJ related to tobacco enforcement, which Durbin’s letter commended. Durbin has slammed FDA for its continued lack of urgency as millions of children have begun using addictive e-cigarettes. For years, FDA has failed to regulate e-cigarettes—currently falling more than 18 months past a court-ordered deadline to review applications from vaping companies,

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GRANITE CITY - Seniors Dylan Boyd and Gwyneth Hale of Granite City High School were selected as Granite City Elks Lodge #1063 Students of the Month for February. The Elks Student of the Month Program is designed to recognize outstanding young men and women for achievements in school and community life-fine arts, hobbies, athletics, church, school, club and community service, industry and farming. Nominees are judged on multiple achievements including leadership skills, good moral character, community involvement, extracurricular activities, honors and award and scholastic ability. Each student receives a $100 U.S. savings bond and an Elks certificate of achievement. DYLAN BOYD Four-year varsity wrestler ... Two-time wrestling captain ... Four-year Honor Roll ... Had over 100 varsity wrestling wins ... 2-time IHSA State Qualifier and Regional Champion ... 3-time IHSA Sectional Qualifier ... Volunteer at Granite City Wrestling Club and Restoration Church ... All-Warrior Award

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SPRINGFIELD – St. Patrick’s Day means celebrations across Illinois. It also means that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is working with the Illinois State Police (ISP) and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies to help prevent impaired driving. No matter how you celebrate, make sure you and your friends stay safe this St. Patrick’s Day by remembering: “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Drive High - Get a DUI.” “If you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with dyed beer or other green substances, your No. 1 priority is finding a sober driver before the festivities start,” said Steve Travia, IDOT’s Director of Highways and Chief Engineer. “Waiting until after you’re impaired is too late. Plan ahead for a sober ride home to help ensure you and everyone else on the road get home safely.” Federal highway safety funds through IDOT are available to ISP and local law enforcement

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SPRINGFIELD – The Pritzker Administration is launching an all-out public awareness initiative to ensure Illinoisans retain their health insurance coverage when pandemic-era protections end and Medicaid eligibility verifications resume. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services’ public awareness effort, coined Ready to Renew , is a multi-platform outreach campaign that includes paid advertisements, print, digital and broadcast communication, and grassroots outreach to help Medicaid customers ensure they are ready for required upcoming coverage renewals. The primary goal of the Department’s Ready to Renew campaign is to help Medicaid customers who remain eligible ensure their coverage continues without disruption. “In Illinois, we’re ensuring everyone has access to quality healthcare coverage—and one of the ways we are doing that is by spreading the word about the Medicaid renewal process,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Now

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EAST ST. LOUIS – In a U.S. District courtroom on Wednesday, a judge sentenced a man formerly from Edwardsville to 14 months in prison, a $50,000 fine, and two years’ supervised release after he pled guilty to making false statements in a 2018 bankruptcy case. Kevin Kahrig, 49, a former building contractor, concealed assets from his creditors by transferring those assets to his girlfriend-turned-spouse, Catharine Kahrig, prior to filing for bankruptcy. “Individuals who hide assets and deliberately make false statements on bankruptcy pleadings defraud their creditors and disgrace the federal court system,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “It’s a serious offense to abuse the bankruptcy system, and anyone seeking to discredit this process will be held accountable.” "To avoid paying his debt, Kevin Kahrig attempted to defraud his creditors by abusing the bankruptcy process,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge Davi

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback reminded residents today to be aware of their belongings when shopping at retail establishments throughout the region. He said in recent times, there have been more reports of thefts of purses, wallets, etc. while individuals are visiting various area retail shops. The chief said a technique used in some of these cases involved one person communicating with an individual and distracting someone, while another cohort performs the actual theft. The next move often was the use of the individual’s credit card at the register, he said. “The tactic is sometimes two work together and one person randomly comes up and starts talking to distract you,” he said. “The phone scam started out with elderly folks who are more susceptible and worked its way where it hits all groups. This impacts all age groups, not just the elderly. We encourage people to be more vigilant with their belongings at Christmas time, but we are

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EDWARDSVILLE - Illinois State Police and Edwardsville Police and Fire Department are working together on a situation where a trash truck struck a pedestrian at the corner of the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Northern Access Road near Northwest University Drive on Wednesday morning. The pedestrian suffered serious injuries in the accident and will have to be helicoptered out to a St. Louis hospital. Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback confirmed that a person had been struck and the injuries were very serious. “Edwardsville Police are out there with the fire department and state police,” he said. “We are helping with traffic in the area. People are advised to definitely stay away from the area, and we encourage people to allow the first responders to work the area.” Chief Fillback said the Illinois State Police would handle the investigation of the mishap from this point.

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GRANITE CITY - A live cow, Prairie Farms ice cream, and lots of agricultural education will be featured at the National Agriculture Day celebration at Granite Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. The event will be held on Tuesday, March 21 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. just outside the center, located at 3500 Century Drive in Granite City. The event is sponsored by Prarie Farms, who will be there with a live cow, Prairie Farms ice cream, and also to provide education to attendees on why agriculture is so important. Activities Director Kennedy Cherry said Prarie Farms eagerly accepted the opportunity to teach Granite City residents about agriculture. “With it being Granite City and not as rural as some of our surrounding areas, I thought, ‘When’s the last time some of our residents have even seen a cow, if they’ve ever actually got to experience being up close to a cow?’ because a lot of them are more Granite City and St. Louis residents,” she said. “I

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WOOD RIVER - The William M. BeDell Achievement and Resource Center (arc) held its annual meeting today at Julia’s Banquet Center in East Alton. The agency honored numerous employees for their service to the arc mission. Those who were recognized for over 40 years of service included Donna Bailey, Frederic Golden, Ph.D., Barb Hammond, Robert Hunt Jr., and Terri Shulte. Employees with over 35 years of service are Carol Basden, Darlene Cox, Wendy Holliday and Becky Simmons. Those with over 30 years of service are Joe Crawford, Grace Daubman, Jane Hibbs, Theresa Leese and James Neely. Nearly 50 percent of arc employees have been with the agency for over 20 years. Executive Director, Chad Rollins, remarked that is timely that the agency is honoring employees in March which is National Developmental Disability Month. Rollins said, “Our employees assist the developmentally disabled through all stages of life.” He added, “We employ Special Education Teachers, Qualified

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GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College welcomed new Trustee Donna Ware, a 20-year resident of Alton, to the Board of Trustees during Tuesday’s regular board meeting. Ware, who currently works as an Executive Director of Planning and Design with BJC HealthCare, with more than 30 years in architecture, will serve out the remainder of retired Trustee Charles Hanfelder’s term, to end in April 2025. Description automatically generated" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_9" style="width: 1.7708in; height: 2.2708in;">“I have always had a passion for education in all its forms and how it can truly transform people’s lives personally and professionally, whether through a formal college education, continuing education or trade school,” Ware said. “The mission and vision of Lewis and Clark to empower people and provide relevant and high-quality learning aligns with my own values as I mentor young people in my industry as well as ensure learning opportunities

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EAST ST. LOUIS – Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) announced the arrest of a 17-year-old male of East St. Louis for First Degree Murder (Class M Felony). On January 14, 2023, the ISP DCI was requested by the East St. Louis Police Department to conduct a death investigation in East St. Louis. A male, later identified as 18-year-old Dejuan J. Tate of East St. Louis, was located with a gunshot wound in the 800 block of North 80th Street. Tate was transported to an area hospital and later pronounced deceased. After a thorough investigation, the case was presented to the St. Clair County State's Attorney's Office. On March 14, 2023, the St. Clair County State’s Attorney charged the 17-year-old with First Degree Murder (Class M Felony). The 17-year-old is currently detained at the St. Clair Juvenile Detention Center with a $1,000,000 bond, 10% to apply. ISP DCI was assisted by the East St. Louis Police Department, St. Clair County Coroner’s

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BUNKER HILL - The “Headstrong Countryboy" fundraiser, a large fundraising event featuring 11 bands, raffles, auctions, and more will be held at the American Legion Partridge Post 578 at 319 Marion Street in Bunker Hill on March 25 from noon to 9 p.m. The proceeds will benefit David Zimmerman, who is battling frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the same type that actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with. David and Stephanie Zimmerman recently appeared on an episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to discuss the fundraiser and its purpose. Stephanie said the event not only aims to spread awareness about the disease, but also the ways music can benefit those with FTD and similar brain diseases. “With this disease, it affects his ability to find his words and speak,” Stephanie said. “But with music, it’s not affected that part of his brain with music and dancing … the lyrics, he can sing in full sentences, even having this disease where he normall

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ALTON - Jackson Pranger of Marquette Catholic High School and Summer Collman of Alton High School were honored as Students of the Month of March at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey held at Gentelin’s on Broadway Restaurant. Jackson Pranger is the son of Rick and Sara Pranger of Jerseyville. He is a senior at Marquette Catholic High School and plans to attend Lewis and Clark Community College and then transfer to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Ag Accounting. While attending Marquette, Jackson has been a member of the National Honors Society for two years. He has earned High Honor Roll all four years while taking honors, AP, and dual credit classes and holds a GPA of 4.4. As a part of Jackson’s Infinity Engineering class, he and two of his classmates created a device that helped workers with disabilities at their job. Also, while at Marquette, Jackson played basketball, soccer and tennis. Jackson has accumulated over 175 service

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EDWARDSVILLE - Olivia Baca, a senior striker for the Edwardsville High School girls soccer team who scored 25 goals in 2022, is off to a blazing start in 2023, scoring a hat trick in the Tigers' 6-0 season-opening win over Rochester in the Metro Cup showcase event on a chilly and windy March 13 evening at Tiger Stadium. Baca scored her first two goals within the first five minutes of the match, then climaxed her hat trick with a 52nd-minute golazo, hitting a spectacular, curling shot from distance that found the upper right corner of the net that gave Edwardsville a 5-0 lead at the time. In her postgame interview, Baca felt very happy for her team and for the prospects ahead for the Tigers. "I'm feeling really excited for the season," Baca said, "and I feel like we're really playing together as a team and it's really going to be exciting this year." The preseason practices went well for the Tigers and it helped the optimism that surrounds the team as the regular season starts. "The

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ALTON - Senior Brandon Hayes Jr. is the Art Fahrner-Edward Jones Alton High School Remarkable Redbird Of The Month for March. Hayes has been busy throughout his four-year career at Alton High combining being a stalwart on the football team each season and being an active member of the track team as a thrower, but also adding the arts and also Student Council to his overall Redbird high school experience. Brandon took football seriously during his first two years at Alton High, but he said that since his junior year, "he has fallen in love with the sport." He really enjoys the teamwork and skill development offered by the coaching staff at Alton High. He added that he was encouraged by coach Eric Dickerson to become a thrower on the track team to stay in shape for football. Brandon mentioned that he was not as excited about it at first, but in spending time with his teammates and learning more about throwing, he has really enjoyed it. Brandon joined Student Council this year and

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ALTON - Kathryn Saenz, daughter of Kristen and Brian Saenz, is February’s Alton-Godrey Rotary Club Student of the Month. Jenna Dean of Marquette Catholic High School is the other Student of the Month. Saenz was selected because of her hard work and a lot of late nights studying, plus her commitment to clubs and organizations. She is an honors student, an Illinois State Scholar and a Platinum Alpha recipient. Saenz’s GPA is currently at 4.667 and she is ranked 6th in the senior class. With these grades, she has earned membership in the National Honor Society and in Mu Alpha Theta. Kathryn enjoyed the clubs and organizations that she had joined at Alton High. This list includes the Physics team, Redbird Nest, the Math team, Multi-Media Club, FCA, and the tennis team. Through these groups, as well as her 4-H group, she learned that she loves teaching, as well as learning from her peers. Volunteering opportunities are one of the advantages that these clubs provide. With Mu

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ALTON - Jenna Dean of Marquette Catholic High School was honored as one of Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club's Students of the Month of February at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey held at Gentelin’s on Broadway Restaurant. Kathryn Saenz of Alton High School was the other Student of the Month. Jenna Dean is the daughter of Tim and Jessica Dean of Jerseyville. She is a senior at Marquette Catholic High School and plans to continue her education at Lindenwood University, studying Business with a focus on Entrepreneurial Studies. Jenna has been on the Marquette girls' golf team for four years and her team won their regional championship this year. Jenna is a member of the National Honor Society, Campus Ministry, Breast Cancer Awareness Club, Yearbook and she is the Student Council Treasurer. She is in the Riverbend CEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities) program this year and she is currently working on creating her personal business which she plans to continue

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I am deeply concerned with the city’s lack of transparency with Wood River voters about the downtown marijuana dispensary. The temptation to rush this through must be enticing, given the tax revenue it would generate. Backroom deals once again define city behavior. They ignore voters and hand-pick winners and losers. What will the cost be for our families? Downtown businesses deserve to know. Did they inform residents that this was being placed four blocks from Lewis and Clark Elementary? No. Did they survey business neighbors? No. Why did they rush this through? Our families and businesses deserve to have input. Wood River deserves better. Dr. David Ayres Candidate for Wood River City Council

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GLEN CARBON - Tuesday night’s Glen Carbon Village Board meeting contained an updated report on the village’s Strategic Plan for 2023, as well as a few announcements and the passage of several agenda items. Mayor Robert Marcus began the meeting with a few announcements. He said registration is still open for the Village Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 2 at 1 p.m. at Schon Park. In the event of rain, the event will be held Saturday, April 8 at 4 p.m. at the Village Hall front lawn. Visit this link to register online. The theme for this year’s Glen Carbon Homecoming will be “There’s No Place Like Homecoming,” Marcus announced. The event will take place on Father’s Day Weekend, June 16 and 17. He added that there are a limited number of vendor and sponsorship opportunities still available. More info and sponsorship forms can be found at glencarbonil.gov . Finally, Marcus invited all Glen Carbon residents to the Annual Kiwanis Pancak

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JERSEY COUNTY - Two individuals were airlifted by helicopter to St. Louis hospitals in a serious crash Tuesday afternoon on Highway 67 near Delhi Road in Jersey County. Jersey County Sheriff Nick Manns provided the following report about the accident: "One vehicle crossing Highway 67 heading eastbound across the four lanes of traffic was struck by another vehicle, traveling northbound on Highway 67," he said. "A 63-year-old woman and a 51-year-old woman were flown to St. Louis area hospitals. A 59-year-old man was taken by ambulance to an area hospital. "Two helicopters and three ambulances were called to the scene. Betsy Anne Fire Department and Jersey Community Hospital - Ambulance were first on the scene with Jersey County Sheriff’s Deputies. The Jerseyville Police Department also assisted. The crash is still under investigation by the Jersey County Sheriff’s office." Sheriff Manns also remarked this marked the fourth time that helicopters have been summoned to a major

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