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HIGHLAND - The new Miss Madison County and Junior Miss Pageant winners were crowned this weekend in Highland. The Miss Madison County is Laini Bock and the Junior Miss is Landry Shine. "In true fair queen fashion, they were crowned this afternoon," Pageant officials said in a statement. "A little rain didn't stop these girls from enjoying their first official appearance." The 2022 Fair Queen Johna Murphy crowned Laini the new pageant queen on Saturday, July 29, in Highland. She is shown crowning the new queen below.

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CARLINVILLE – Thousands of resources are found within the walls of the Carlinville Public Library. Now, users have the opportunity to access even more materials. In January, the library obtained Libby, a free app that allows users to borrow e-books, e-audiobooks, and magazines, including adult and children’s titles from all genres. The Libby app is free to all Carlinville library cardholders, and may be downloaded through a phone, tablet, or laptop. "Libby gives cardholders access to 89,000 choices of materials, including books, magazines, e-books, and e-audiobooks,” said Hannah Miller, the director of the Carlinville library. “We have 30,000 books on site here, but Libby offers even more choices. “It gives us the latest titles and a wider selection of materials than we could offer in print,” continued Miller, “and it’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, whenever the user wants.” Everything from classic

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School bells will be ringing soon. Along with the return to school comes a shift in daily routines, including mealtimes and mealtime options. Whether children and adolescents enjoy school-prepared breakfast and lunch, or eat breakfast at home and bring a lunch, well-balanced meals will set them up for success in school. Parents may find themselves overwhelmed by planning meals for the busy school year, but by simply adding a dairy food to each meal, parents can easily increase a meal’s nutrition. “Parents may find themselves scrambling for meal ideas as the new school-year routine gets under way,” said Maggie Cimarolli, a registered dietitian and nutrition educator with the St. Louis District Dairy Council. “Dairy foods are an excellent choice to incorporate into meals as they provide protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats, plus provide vitamins and minerals. In addition, many dairy foods are extremely portable, such as yogurt and string cheese, making them

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A contributor sent this in recently about an experience by the National Great Rivers Museum: "I took these photos as I was walking by the National Great Rivers Museum. I've personally never seen a turtle that big attempting to cross a busy road. "It was huge! Surprisingly none of the drivers hit it, they just changed lanes as they closer. Not to mention, the turtle seemed to know when to lay low and stay out of the way."

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Recent reports from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are again raising awareness of hepatitis C. A 2022 report found “too few people diagnosed with hepatitis C are being treated, despite availability of medications capable of curing this viral infection.” Specifically, the agency estimates fewer than one in three people with health insurance are getting direct-acting antiviral treatment for the infection within a year of diagnosis. A June 2023 study published by the CDC also examined gaps in access to treatment, building on the 2022 findings. The statistics resonate with Marcie Lindstrom , a gastroenterology advanced practice provider at OSF HealthCare. “If we go back 10 or 15 years, hepatitis C treatment was really difficult,” Lindstrom notes as a possible reason for the hesitancy. “Treatment lasted a year or a year and a half. It required an injection. People really felt bad during treatment.” Conversely:

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ALTON - For people who are looking for a faith-based, confidential support system, Celebrate Recovery might be for you. This nationwide program is modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous but targets a wide variety of “hurts, hang-ups and habits.” Not only do participants address the behavior — the habit — but they also look at why they’re drawn to the behavior and what purpose it serves in their lives, all through a Christian lens. “There’s a difference between sobriety and recovery. Sobriety is to stop that habit, externally at least. Recovery is when you no longer do it inside you,” Chaplain Marc Lane, who leads the group, said “Sobriety is stopping drinking, but recovery is when you no longer have that desire or need to do that. You’re free from that. And so we’re really after recovery.” Lane explained that Celebrate Recovery has chapters throughout the U.S. and serves as an offshoot of Alcoholics Anonymous

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PONTOON BEACH - Always seeking new ways to make its bus service more accessible and efficient to better serve passengers, Madison County Transit (MCT) implements regular service adjustments three times each year. MCT’s Fall 2023 service change takes effect Sunday, August 13. “The service we provide is evaluated by staff on a regular basis and adjustments are made based on demand and based on feedback from the people and the communities we serve,” said MCT Managing Director SJ Morrison. “In making these minor changes, we’re hoping to fine tune the routes and schedules to best meet the needs of our riders.” A summary of the Fall 2023 service changes can be found below: AUGUST SERVICE CHANGES: Downtown St. Louis Service: Improve routing between Market St. & N. Ewing Ave. to improve service while preserving timepoints. Trips at Market & N. Ewing Ave will start four minutes later, all other timepoints in St. Louis remain the same. #1 Riverbend

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ALTON - The holiday transformation of Rock Springs Park in Alton will begin in early September, and new Christmas Wonderland volunteers are always needed to help put together displays to ensure the holidays sparkle in 2023. An informational meeting for volunteers is planned for 11 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 8 at Meunstermann Pavilion in Gordon Moore Park, Alton. The Grandpa Gang, which coordinates the annual Christmas event, is looking for volunteers to help with tasks like setting up wooden displays and hanging lights throughout the park. Volunteers are able to work any time between 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday and work continues through the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Volunteers are not required to work each day of set up. Set up in the park is expected to begin Monday, Sept. 11 at 8 a.m. If interested in volunteering but unable to attend the Aug. 8 meeting, volunteers should contact Dick Alford at 618-781-2482 or Dave Davis at 618-419-1969. “We always look forward to

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) this week led U.S. Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in introducing a bill to amend the National Trails System Act and designate Route 66 as a National Historic Trail. Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway, is more than 2,400 miles long, stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, and crossing through eight states. Full bill text is available here . “Route 66 is one of the most famous roads in America and has played a tremendous role in our history and culture—connecting our country through travel, commerce and so much more,” said Duckworth. “Route 66 is an integral part of Illinois’s story, and I’m proud to help introduce this legislation to help ensure this historic route is protected and commemorated for future generations.” Duckworth’s Route 66 Centennial Commission Act

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GLEN CARBON - Some residents of Savannah Crossing in Glen Carbon are getting some additional land after a unanimous vote from the Village Board of Trustees on Tuesday to vacate a piece of village-owned property near their residences. Village Attorney James Schrempf said village administrators had gone “above and beyond” delivering this extra land to Savannah Crossing residents. “The village has gone through a great deal of trouble and some expense to try to make sure that each property owner in Savannah Crossing who borders this little strip will get their respective share,” Schrempf said. “We’ve had engineering done, we accomplished that. “I think it is much better than what might have been just giving it to the Homeowners Association. So once again, the village has gone above and beyond to help solve a problem and we hope it works.” Village Administrator Jamie Bowden said the strip of land in question is located between th

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SPRINGFIELD – Several area locations have had a small increase in unemployment figures over the year from June 2022 to June 2023. Edwardsville has the lowest unemployment rate of 3.7 percent in regard to area cities, compared to 3.3 percent a year ago. Alton's unemployment rate stands at 6.2 percent compared to 5.5 percent a year ago, and Granite City has a 4.6 percent rate compared to 3.9 percent a year ago. Greene County has a 4.6 percent rate in June 2023. Calhoun is at 4.4 percent, while Jersey is lower at 4.2 percent, Madison County rests at 4.4 percent and Macoupin County is at 4.4 percent. The metro areas that had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Danville MSA (+3.3%, +900), the Peoria MSA (+2.7%, +4,600), and the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+2.6%, +2,900). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division were up +2.0% or +74,000. Industries that saw job growth in a majority of metro areas included:

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GODFREY - Drivers stopping at the corner of Humbert Road and Alby Street in Godfrey on Saturday will be greeted by members of Hope Animal Rescues from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The no-kill rescue is hosting its second annual Road Block Donation Drive, and all proceeds will benefit Hope Animal Rescues. Volunteers will be posted near the stop signs of the four-way intersection with buckets to collect donations, as well as signs with QR codes if you’d rather scan them to donate online . Hope Animal Rescues Co-Founder Jackie Spiker said the organization has been giving dogs a second chance at life since it was founded in 2005. “Our mission is to rescue dogs from animal control facilities the day they are to be euthanized,” Spiker said. “Then we rehabilitate them if need be, we have them vetted, and offer them for adoption to the public.” Spiker said the funds from this year’s Donation Drive will be used to help fund spaying, neutering, heartworm testing,

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BETHALTO – 1 st MidAmerica Credit Union hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at its new location in Granite City at 3830 Nameoki Road, where it is delivering greater financial access with state of the art technology and personalized service for the community. The new location joins community investment and technology for 1 st MidAmerica. The credit union purchased the stand-alone branch and made innovative updates that deliver convenience and financial accessibility for members. Features include a modern, full-service lobby, Interactive Teller Machines, one with 24-hour access, and a Go Live video banking station. “Opening this new location reaffirms 1 st MidAmerica’s investment in Granite City and our commitment to serving the community with a goal of helping people achieve financial well-being. We are here to provide members with access to the financial services they need,” said Alan Meyer, President and CEO of 1 st MidAmerica Credit Union. Lisa Reeves wil

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CHICAGO, July 28, 2023 – Nearly $1 billion is up for grabs in tonight’s Mega Millions drawing. The jackpot was increased to $940 million this morning - making it the fifth largest Mega Millions Jackpot and the eighth largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. Last July, a staggering $1.34 billion Mega Millions Jackpot was won in Illinois. Two people with one winning ticket in Des Plaines claimed the largest lottery prize ever in Illinois, and at the time, the third largest lottery prize in U.S. history. So far this year, four Illinois Lottery players have won $1 million or more with Mega Millions. Anyone could be next - all you need is a ticket to dream! There are over 7,000 Illinois Lottery retailers across the State and the Lottery also offers a convenient online channel at IllinoisLottery.com or via its app. Mega Millions tickets are $2 each, and players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1 for the chance to multiply non-jackpot prizes. Mega Millions drawings

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ALTON - Jacob Decker, Addis Moore, and Dr. Justin Shew with the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRECC) discussed their research into honeysuckle removal methods and more on an episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com . Decker and Moore are both interns for NGRECC, and both presented their research at the 59th annual meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the Wildlife Society (ICTWS) in Champaign last April. Moore said his research has centered around finding an effective way to combat honeysuckle. The most effective method he’s found so far is injection with a “lance,” or a four-foot-long pole, filled with capsules of chemicals meant to kill honeysuckle without affecting any native plants. “What we’ve found so far in my study is that the areas that we’ve injected the honeysuckle and killed them, there’s higher plant diversity and species richness in those areas,” Moore said. “More native plants are

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MARYVILLE – Emergency Department Nurse, Madison Roam, RN, of Anderson Hospital was recently honored with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation's programs to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. The nomination submitted read: "Madison was the first person I encountered when the paramedics wheeled me into the Emergency Room. She was the nurse that helped me change into a hospital gown somehow preserving my modesty in a room of 6 men. She was competent, efficient, caring, professional, and personable all at the same time. I came into ER with chest pain during an evening where the department was swamped. A lot of my time was spent waiting for test results. Even though Madison had a lot of other patients that evening, she always checked on me to make sure that I didn't need anything, that I wasn't in pain, etc. It was a very long night. After about 7 hrs, it was finally decided that I would be admitted,

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WOOD RIVER - Wood River City Councilmen Bill Dettmers and Jeremy Plank recently spoke in more detail about their plans for Wood River, recent council meetings, and more on an episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com . Dettmers said the Wood River dispensary debate is an “open question,” though he’s received comments against it being in the city’s downtown. “When I was campaigning, just a couple weeks before the election, the number-one topic was the dispensary,” Dettmers said. “I think it’s an open question as to whether or not the people want a dispensary, but overwhelmingly, the comments I received that they did not want it downtown.” The dispensary issue is being placed on a binding referendum for voters to vote on during the next election. Dettmers said he understands why some community members are upset about the dispensary being delayed until the vote, but he still believes it’s important to let the voters

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TROY - The Early Childcare Center at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church had an exciting summer program this year, especially when firefighters and police officers stopped by to say hello and give them the grand tour of their vehicles. The summer program is for kids ages 2–12. Earlier this month, the kids learned about what to do in an emergency by meeting firefighters and police officers. “For the Fourth of July, that was ‘Red, White and Blue.’ So we asked the community helpers to come and see our kiddos,” Lindsey Strong, the director of the Early Childhood Center, said. “They got to go inside the fire trucks and see the police cars. Then they got to talk to the kids and our kiddos asked them whatever questions they had.” These interactions often make police officers and firefighters feel less intimidating to young kids. Strong explained that the Center paired the visit with stories about calling 911 and other similar lessons. The goal

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced Friday that an appellate court has upheld the convictions of a man serving a life sentence in prison for a triple murder and armed robbery in Bethalto. The 5th District Appellate Court in Mount Vernon has upheld the convictions of Brady Witcher, 44. In 2022, a jury in Madison County found Witcher guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and one count of armed robbery. The appeals court found that it was proper for the trial judge in Madison County to allow prosecutors to present evidence to jurors that Witcher committed other crimes in other states – including a kidnapping and a murder – prior to the murders of three people in Bethalto. “We appreciate the Appellate Prosecutor’s work in defending this case on appeal, and are glad the Appellate Court has upheld this dangerous murder’s conviction in this violent, multi-state crime spree,” Haine said. “Madison

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COLLINSVILLE – Entering Year Five of Rebuild Illinois, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that major projects in the Metro East are planned or underway, highlighting an ongoing commitment made possible by Gov. JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan capital program. Eighteen major projects combined represent a total investment of more than $762 million, improving safety and mobility while sustaining and creating good-paying jobs throughout the region. “Rebuild Illinois is revitalizing communities and neighborhoods by investing in projects and people in the Metro East area and throughout the state,” said Gov. Pritzker. “Through the largest capital program in state history, IDOT will be delivering improvements to build a more resilient, accessible and equitable system of transportation for generations to come, while creating jobs and enhancing local quality of life.” Of the 18 major projects in the Metro East, five are scheduled

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