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CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will be making a significant payment of $450 million toward the remaining $1.8 billion borrowed under Title XII of the Social Security Act. Due to continued historic low unemployment insurance claims, the unemployment insurance trust fund has the capacity to make this payment without impairing the department’s ability to pay benefits. This is the second significant contribution to the outstanding loan balance. In March of 2022, Governor Pritzker signed legislation that provided a historic $2.7 billion contribution from American Rescue Plan recovery dollars to assist the state’s unemployment trust fund. This payment cut the original $4.5 billion loan balance down to $1.8 billion. “This contribution is direct evidence of labor market strength in Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With unemployment claims levels continuing to reach historic lows, the State’s

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ST. LOUIS - The Gateway Arch will once again host Frights & Heights, a family-friendly Halloween costume party, on Saturday, October 15! The Arch hosted the inaugural Frights & Heights back in 2019, but the event didn’t happen in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. Frights & Heights features the haunted Tram Ride to the Top as well as activities such as face painting, creepy crafts, balloon animals, live DJ entertainment, puppet shows, and much more. This event will take place at the Gateway Arch from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets are available online at gatewayarch.com/Halloween or by calling 877-982-1410.

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BELLEVILLE - Illinois American Water announced that applications are now being accepted for the company’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Grant Program. Through this program, Illinois American Water will dedicate funding to community organizations for the purpose of advancing inclusion, diversity and equity related initiatives. “Illinois American Water is committed to fostering inclusion, diversity and equity not only in the workplace, but also in the communities we serve,” said Justin Ladner, president of Illinois American Water. “By focusing on meaningful partnerships which support inclusion, diversity and equity, we can help make a difference for our customers – our friends and neighbors. This is important to us as a company, as well as to our employees who deliver critical water and wastewater services across Illinois.” The grant program provides financial assistance to organizations seeking to develop and implement programs, training or community-related

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ALTON - Lillian Bates, owner of Lillian By Design at 136 Front St. in Alton, has had many high points in her legendary career as an area seamstress/designer, but recently she had another when she worked on a costume for Andrea Moore. Moore was runner-up in the World's Miss Tourism Pageant in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Andrea participated in the Mrs. Division of the event. Andrea said her costume portion of the event was so much fun and she has now been asked to make a couple of appearances at local events after those photos have been viewed. She said Lillian contributed significantly to the honor with her alterations and sewing work. "Lillian does a phenomenal job," Andrea said. "She will be a go-to person for me now in these kinds of situations. "She met my timelines when I needed them and I couldn't say enough about what she did with my dress and costumes." Lillian said Andrea is a very nice person and she thought her end work with her turned out well. "It was a thrill to work with

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GRANITE CITY - Granite City High School announced Homecoming Week for the 2022 school year will take place on Tuesday-Saturday, October 11-15. Homecoming Week begins with the play and coronation on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and culminates with the Semi-Formal Dance on Saturday, Oct. 15 in Memorial Gymnasium. The 2022 Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned on Tuesday, October 11 and Thursday, October 13 after this year's Homecoming play, Doubting Tom . 2022 GCHS Homecoming Schedule of Events Tuesday, Oct. 11 7:30 p.m. - Homecoming Play and Coronation - "Doubting Tom" in the PAC. Tickets: $10, reserved; $5 general admission. For tickets please contact: PAC@gcsd9.net . Wednesday, Oct. 12 6 p.m. - Homecoming Parade - Begins at 2350 Madison Ave., travels north to 27th street, turns left onto 27th street, right onto State St. and into the high school teacher parking lot. 7 p.m. - Powderpuff Game (Kevin Greene Field) - Tickets: $5. Thursday, Oct. 13 7:

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Chances are you’ve experienced bullying in one way or another at some point in your lifetime. Maybe you were bullied as a child or had a friend or sibling who was bullied. Perhaps you are a teacher who works every day to prevent bullying in your classroom, or maybe you are a parent whose child was bullied. One thing is certain: Bullying has been an issue for years. In fact, at least one in five students report being bullied. If a child shares with an adult that they are being bullied at school or elsewhere, the adult works to help the child cope with the bully and inform school professionals about what’s happening. What if, however, it’s your child who is the bully? Because so many children report being bullied, this means there are nearly just as many who are the bullies. Joseph Siegel, an OSF HealthCare licensed clinical social worker, says the power differences among kids can be the start of the cycle. “The power difference is interesting, especially with

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PIASA - The future looks bright for Southwestern High School female cross country standout Maddie Gordon. Gordon recently posted her best time of 24:16 for 3 miles and will soon snap the 24-minute mark, Southwestern's head girls cross country coach Gary Bowker said. Maddie Gordon is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for Southwestern High School. The Southwestern freshman is a multi-sport athlete and is also a junior varsity volleyball player. Coach Bowker said right now she is splitting her time between the two sports. “One night last week, I had to have practice from 7 to 8:30 p.m. under the lights,” the coach added. “She played a JV volleyball game and then met us at practice and did the 5K time trial in the dark. She is incredible and overall is just a great person." Coach Bowker added that if volleyball causes Maddie to miss a practice, she does the workout on her own after volleyball, but never misses a workout. The coach

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PIASA - Southwestern senior cross country runner Drew Spangler has taken a role of responsibility this season for the boys' squad as one of the leaders. Spangler has the perfect build for a runner with his long, lean frame as his Coach Gary Bowker describes him. He has undergone a big-scale transformation as a runner over the past year, his coach says. “With the added responsibility, he has taken an even greater commitment to the sport,” Coach Bowker said. “He is over 6-foot tall. He has started to get a stronger stride and is utilizing his legs to get into what he now sees as a comfortable stride. When he first started, he shuffled his feet some, but he has improved greatly and increased his speed.” Drew Spangler is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Male Athlete of the Month for Southwestern. In the recent Southwestern meet at North Mac, Drew cracked the 19-minute mark for 3 miles with a time of 18:53 and was the Piasa Birds’ No. 1 runner i

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ALTON – COUNTRY Financial Representative V. Deanne Stegeman is pleased to support local police officers by providing a COUNTRY Financial Operation Helping Heroes donation. Stegeman recently presented $1,500 to Adopt A Cop BJJ at their partner gym Strategic BJJ, located at 2248 E. Broadway. “There’s a troubling trend of increasing violence targeting police officers across our nation. Providing our police patrol officers with skills to protect them from physical violence is one way we can help our communities at a local level,” said Stegeman. Adopt A Cop BJJ is a nonprofit, donation-based program that allows active duty law enforcement officers around the country to train at any affiliated academy. The program also pays 100 percent of the officer’s membership until they reach the rank of Blue belt. Keith Steinacher of Strategic BJJ, said: “I’ve been working with law enforcement since 2017, and I’m excited to be working with Adopt A Cop

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The deceased in a Friday night homicide has been identified as Toni Stroder, 49 years of age, of the 9800 block of Lilac Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63137. The call about the incident to Riverview Police occurred at 10:16 p.m. on September 23, 2022. St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives are now investigating the homicide which resulted in the death of an adult female. Responding officers located two adults, a male and female, suffering from apparent gunshot injuries. Both victims were transported to an area hospital. The female victim was pronounced deceased and the male victim suffered non-life threatening injuries. The Village of Riverview Police requested St. Louis County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons detectives who are now leading the investigation. A preliminary investigation has revealed the shooting to be the result of a dispute between known parties. There is no one in custody at this time. The investigation is ver

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Township Supervisor Kevin Hall had a very positive reaction to the Eighth Annual Saturday Touch-A-Truck event . A day full of sunlight awaited children in Edwardsville’s Township Community Park for the big day. The event gave a rare glimpse to local children in the community to come and play with something that they may not normally get in their everyday lives, Hall said. "It's the chance for the kids to get up close to a lot of cool trucks that they don't get to see every day," he said. "Hopefully not but one day if they have to use one of the vehicles, then hopefully they will not be scared as they might be since they have been up close to one in the past.” At promptly 10 a.m. the event kicked off with a helicopter landing as the township's yearly Touch-A-Truck event took on the day. A multitude of police vehicles, fire engines, and construction equipment from the local community was on display for the handful of children to play

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Art Fair was packed with visitors and had an exceptional display of more than 100 artists Friday through Sunday at Edwardsville City Park. Richard Wehrs of Peoria earned “Best Of Show” at the special art fair. Alton’s Rocky Pardo captured “Best Of Show” last year. Pardo, a local favorite, captured the Best Of Jewelry honor at the 2022 Art Fair. “ We were thrilled to again host artists from across the country to our beautiful Edwardsville City Park and to share our hospitality with guests from near and far,” Melissa McDonough-Borden, executive director of the Edwardsville Arts Center, said. “We had artists visiting from Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and even from Israel.” The show is described by many of the artists as a big show with a small-town feel. Edwardsville Arts Center board members and other volunteers provide a herculean effort each year for the Art Fair and the

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CHICAGO — The Illinois Municipal League (IML) elected officers and members to its Board of Directors at its Annual Business Meeting, held September 17, as a part of the 109th IML Annual Conference at the Hilton Chicago. The IML membership unanimously elected River Forest Village President Catherine M. Adduci to serve a one-year term as President. Also elected during the conference were Fairview Heights Mayor Mark T. Kupsky as First Vice President and Hazel Crest Village President Vernard L. Alsberry, Jr. as Second Vice President. In addition to the officers, 34 Vice Presidents were elected to serve a one-year term, and six IML Past Presidents continue to serve, on the statewide organization’s Board of Directors. Alton Mayor David Goins was elected to serve as a Vice President. These were Mayor Goins comments about the appointment: “I look forward to working with mayors from across the state to address the complex issues our communities face,” said Goins. “By

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Township’s Eighth Annual Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday at Edwardsville Township Community Park, 6368 Center Grove Road in Edwardsville had around 25 vehicles on-site for children to explore and there were many big smiles from the younger population. The free family event has occurred every year since 2014 except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic). About 25 trucks were on hand this year, the Cardinal Glennon helicopter was definitely the most popular item of the day. Each year, Touch-A-Truck brings thousands of people to the park throughout the day. Emergency vehicles, farm equipment, antique tractors, a helicopter, boom trucks, a crane, line trucks, and more were there and local companies handed out free merchandise to attendees while supplies last.

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Several public libraries in the Riverbend will welcome new visitors throughout October with a program sponsored by the region’s library system. The 4th Annual Library Crawl invites patrons to explore new libraries throughout the Illinois Heartland Library System, which composes the southern half of the state. The Crawl also demonstrates the benefits of a library card, which allows users to check out materials from the libraries they visit. Some 125 libraries across central and southern Illinois are taking part in the Crawl, which runs from October 1 through October 31. Participating area public libraries include all three Hayner Public Library locations, including the main branch downtown at 326 Belle Street, the Alton Square Mall branch, and the Genealogy and Local History Library at 401 State Street. Other participating libraries include Wood River, Bethalto, Roxana, East Alton, Hartford, Carlinville, Staunton, Gillespie, Glen Carbon, Edwardsville, Maryville, Jerseyville,

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WOOD RIVER - The wall has finally come down. After the building at 7 N. Wood River Ave. in Wood River nearly burned to the ground on March 1, 2021, its future was in question. It wasn't going to be a cheap demolition job, and the first floor was relatively salvageable. Since then the building has sat boarded up as work began on it. A plywood wall was built in front of the building and stood there for a long while before it was finally dismantled Monday morning. So, after the building gained new ownership, it was announced that the building was going to be refurbished and turned into 1929 Pizza and Wine, set to become the region’s premier dining spot for authentic Neapolitan pizza in a modernized space. The original plans included a rooftop patio/dining area and bar. The restaurant plans n opening its doors in November. Work is still being done on the building, but tons of progress has been made and is expected to open on schedule. For more information about the restaurant,

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Letter To The Editor: Our society appears to be as politically divided as it’s ever been. From social issues to national security, it is difficult to find anyone, especially a politician, who will truly listen to and compromise with anyone who holds opposing thoughts or political affiliations. As a police chief and 32-year law enforcement veteran in Illinois 56 th District, I have had countless experiences handling the divisive and destructive social and economic issues that are plaguing us today. To overcome these issues, we need intelligent, compassionate, selfless, fiscally responsible, hard-working leaders, who can facilitate unity and compromise by working across party lines. Having known State Senator Kris Tharp personally and professionally for almost 25 years, I can tell you that he is that leader and was built for this moment. Kris was born and raised in Wood River, Illinois, by a single mother, who worked tirelessly to provide for her children. Their family struggled

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police Bureau of Crimes Against Persons detectives are investigating a homicide in the 12600 block of Spanish Pond Road in the North County Precinct which resulted in the death of a male. On September 23, 2022, at 3:52 PM, officers from the North County Precinct responded to a call for service for a vehicle accident in the 12600 block of Spanish Pond Road. Officers responded and located a vehicle that had struck a utility pole. Two individuals were inside the vehicle. A male subject was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an area hospital and pronounced deceased. A female subject suffered minor injuries related to the traffic accident. The preliminary investigation revealed the shooting occurred in the 1200 block of Edlor and was the result of a robbery. The deceased victim is identified as Tayvion Whitby, 16, of the 4500 block of Morganford Avenue, St. Louis, MO. The investigation is very active at this time.

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ALTON - Marquette Catholic senior golfer Ava Bartosiak has been at the top of her game as the season unfolded in August and headed into September. Recently, she scored twice in the low 40s and seems to have a love of the game of golf. Marquette Catholic head girls golf coach Deb Walsh said Ava is “really outstanding.” “I am looking forward to what she does the rest of the season,” the coach said. “She is not giving up and working hard every day. If you get the type of effort she gives from a player that is incredible. She loves and respects the game of golf and has a lot of knowledge.” Ava is a Tucker’s Automotive & Repair Female Athlete of the Month for Marquette Catholic High School. When Ava is on the course, she is one determined golfer, her coach says, and is highly competitive. “Ava is also a good student,” Coach Walsh said. “She is a great leader in her school and will be good for whatever college she goes to after

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Most colleges and universities come from humble origins. Some, however, leave an immediate impact on the people they serve. Wednesday, Oct. 5 marks the 165th anniversary of the first classes at Illinois State University, the first public institution of higher learning in the state. The influence of the university was felt across Illinois almost from the outset. Before then, higher learning in Illinois was dominated by religious denominations, which founded colleges as preparatory schools for the ministry, priesthood, and other Christian vocations. At least sixteen of these schools dotted the landscape of Illinois in 1857, the year that Illinois State was founded. Illinois was actually behind many neighboring states in creating public universities, as Michigan (1817), Indiana (1820), Iowa (1847), and Wisconsin (1848) already boasted impressive state institutions of higher learning. However, Illinois State quickly made up for lost time. The institution was a “normal school,”

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