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ST. LOUIS - The $222 million project to replace the Merchants Bridge that links Missouri and Illinois near downtown St. Louis is nearing completion, and the St. Louis Regional Freightway gave invited guests and the public the opportunity to see one of the last significant milestones in the project firsthand from the special vantage point of a riverboat cruise on August 26. Passengers on board witnessed history in the making as preparations continued for the third and final bridge truss to be floated into place. The installation is a crucial phase of the project underway to replace the vital rail artery across the Mississippi River, which is one of the nation’s primary east-west rail corridors serving one of America’s largest rail hubs by car interchange volume and gross tonnage. Dating back to the 1890s, the Merchants Bridge serves six Class I railroads and Amtrak as a bridge crossing across the Mississippi River at St. Louis, and replacement of the structure has been

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JERSEY - Senior Chase Withrow is set to have a massive season for the Panthers football team. After finishing last year with a combined 672 yards, a statistic that led his team, he's already on his way again this season. In Jersey's home-opener against the Granite City Warriors, Withrow had an excellent game. He ran for 246 yards on 29 carries. He also had a reception good for another 20 yards. Withrow is a Quality Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Jerseyville Male Athlete of the Month. Where he's most dangerous is on kick returns. 490 yards were from kickoff and punt returns last season. He notched 40 yards from returns against the Warriors. The Panthers have had great success against Granite City in the season-opener. Last year the Panthers won 49-0, 16-0 the year before that, and 23-14 before that. "The scoreboard speaks for itself," Chase said postgame. "I think that's a pretty big surprise." Chase has been playing for Jersey all four years now and is extremely excited for his senior

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SPRINGFIELD — Governor Pritzker announced today that his administration has taken steps to proactively address a shutdown at a BP facility in Whiting, Indiana caused by an electrical fire. Illinois, along with Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, requested and were granted an emergency waiver of federal fuel regulations from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “After learning of the electrical fire at the BP facility in Whiting, our administration has taken proactive steps to increase gas supply and reduce barriers so all Illinoisans have access to the fuel they need,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This coordinated effort with our neighboring states will reduce the chance of disruptions and keep the people and businesses of Illinois moving.” The temporary waiver, which was granted through September 15, 2022, allows for high volatility gasoline to be sold during the summer months, reducing fuel disruptions following the fire which broke

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ALTON - Alton Deputy Police Chief Jarrett Ford has provided additional details for a serious crash in the 2400 block of State Street in Alton on Monday morning. Ford made this statement: “Investigation revealed that the driver of a Jeep was attempting to turn left out of an area business in order to go northbound on State Street. In doing so, the Jeep pulled in front of an SUV that was southbound on State Street at which point the vehicles collided . “The driver of the SUV suffered non-life threatening injuries, was transported to a local hospital, and is in stable condition. The driver of the Jeep had a minor injury and declined further medical treatment at the scene.” The cause of the accident is still under investigation at this time, Ford said.

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CARBONDALE, IL – A formal hooding ceremony celebrated the inaugural class of graduates of the Doctor of Medical Science Program, a 1-year extension of physician assistant education and training launched in 2021. The event was held at the SIU Student Center in Carbondale on July 30. The 46 men and women were the first to attain the doctorate level of education for physician assistants at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Its Physician Assistant Program has graduated 660 clinicians and is ranked third nationally for the percentage of graduates serving in rural and underserved areas. The DMSc degree program is designed to advance physician assistants’ clinical and educational skills and prepare them for more prominent roles in leadership, management, and service to their organizations, patients, and to students. It is 1 of 6 DMSc programs in the United States, and the only one at a public institution. Jacob Ribbing, DMSc, PA-C, director of the doctoral program,

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ST. LOUIS - One Night of Queen will make a triumphant return to River City Casino & Hotel after two stellar sell-out performances. The show returns Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, 2023. The show time is 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.). Tickets are $69.50, $49.50, $39.50 and $29.50. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 2 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com or the River City Casino & Hotel box office. You must be 21 and older to attend. Gary Mullen & The Works is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their world-renowned One Night of Queen live concert performance. Featuring Gary Mullen on vocals, David Brockett on guitar, Billy Moffat on bass, Malcolm Gentles on keyboards, and Jon Halliwell on drums, the multi-talented band pays tribute to the stage theatrics, showmanship, and music of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Queen. Audiences can expect to hear all of the classic hits such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You”

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BRIDGETON, MO. - The City of Bridgeton is partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to host an inaugural Bridgeton Wish Walk on Saturday, September 17 at 10 am. This year’s event will be held at the Bridgeton Municipal Athletic Complex (BMAC) and is free and open to the public. The event is being organized by the Bridgeton Police Department as a fundraiser to help grant wishes to local children battling critical illnesses. Gates open at 10 am with a family-friendly festival, featuring inflatables, a petting zoo, St. Louis Blues mascot Louie, a dunk tank with police officers and Robertson Firefighters, karate demonstrations by ATA Bridgeton, and other fun activities. The Bridgeton Police and the Robertson Firefighters will also have their emergency vehicles and equipment on display for all ages to see and explore. The official walk will begin at 11 am and the festival will be open until 2 pm. “This year we are hoping to raise enough funds to grant 340 wishes to children

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BELLEVILLE - Caritas Family Solutions is hosting a ribbon cutting to reveal the playground expansion at St. John Bosco Children’s Center (SJBCC) tomorrow, Wednesday, August 31 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The ribbon cutting will be located at 900 Royal Heights Road, Ste 1150 in Belleville. The center provides a loving and structured home for up to 36 boys and girls ages 8-18, who are not currently able to be placed in a traditional foster care setting because of the extreme trauma they have endured. SJBCC provides a caring home for youth in addition to therapeutic services. This new playground equipment helps provide a home-like environment for these children. Ameren, RASI, Gonzalez Companies, Archford Capital, Walmart, and William H. & Mary E. Baker Charitable Trust have all provided grants and resources to help this expansion happen. Ameren will be presenting a $45,000 check to Caritas at the event. This event will kick off Caritas Family Solutions' 75 th anniversary, a year

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BETHALTO - Senior forward for the Civic Memorial boys soccer team Bryce Davis says he goes into every game like it could be his last. He just wants to finish out his senior year on a high note. He’d love to do two things this season. Get back to and win another Regional Championship, and maybe break the school’s scoring record again. That’s right, again. He shattered the record last year with his 35-goal campaign, taking over the school’s single-season scoring record by eight goals. He believes he has what it takes to one-up himself his senior year. Davis is a Tom Lane State Farm Insurance Male Athlete of the Month. He claims he’s not counting, but if he matches his tally of 35 from last year, he’ll finish in triple-digit scoring for his high school playing career. The crazy part? He’s already just about a third of the way there and the Eagles are only four games into the season. After a five-goal performance in his last game, he’s

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ALTON - Alton Police and Fire Departments responded to a call of a serious accident at State and Belle Street in Alton at 9:55 a.m. Monday. Alton Fire Chief Jesse Jemison said the male driver of the SUV suffered a neck injury and was transported to a hospital. The man was in "stable condition," the fire chief said. The other driver had what Jemison described as a "minor facial injury." The fire chief said the motorist in the other vehicle did not want to be transported to the hospital for more medical evaluation. Alton Police were investigating to determine the exact cause of the crash.

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ALTON - IV4 has had a dream of a career as a professional singer since she was a student at Alton High. She graduated in 2014 and is presently involved in the Opening Act Contest. Opening Act is designed to discover artists of all genres and ages and give them a chance of a lifetime to launch their careers. IV4 also recently signed a contract with Warner Music and her first project called “Get rich and cry trying” has already been released. The Alton native now has moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career interests. IV4 has been on top in the present contest and was third as of late last week. Her dream is to get through the contest and advance to the finals. Ultimately, a win would take her to a performance in Hollywood. "It’s always been my dream to play at the Hollywood Bowl," she said. "I have seen my favorite artists perform there, and I can’t wait to put on an amazing show!" IV4’s mother, Kitrina Sorenson, said her daughter is doing really well

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DOW - Over the weekend, the Tri-County Antique Club hosted the 31st Annual Olden Days Festival. According to their website, The Tri-County Antique Club was formed to promote the appreciation of agricultural history, through the restoration and preservation of antique, vintage, and classic automobiles, gasoline and oil engines, gas and steam tractors, farm machinery, and other equipment of historical value. The Olden Days Festival is the Club’s annual event to make these available for public viewing. There was certainly no shortage of that this year. The event had tons of tractors, implements, antiques, and so much more. The event has been known to have vendors selling assorted foods and goods. Many people set up camp to try and sell off some of their collections of antiques and other items. What sets this event apart from others like it though is that the Olden Days Festival is primarily a volunteer effort. From the ladies working in the kitchen to the gentleman who drove

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EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, has named Justin Lieberman as the University’s Interim Police Chief, effective September 24, 2022. Lieberman is the Department’s Deputy Chief and has a 20-year history with the team, having served as a police officer, detective, patrol sergeant, investigations sergeant, lieutenant and captain. His appointment follows the retirement of long-serving chief Kevin Schmoll, who served the University for 28 years. “The safety and security of a university community are paramount,” said Minor. “I am grateful that the SIUE Police Department’s confident, capable leadership will continue as we build a diverse force of individuals who serve and protect. Kevin Schmoll’s service is absolutely commendable, and on behalf of the university, I thank him for his dedicated leadership.” “I am honored to have served the SIUE community for over 28 years, and to have

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives are investigating a shooting in the 8800 block of Cozens Avenue which resulted in non-life threatening gunshot injuries to four individuals. On August 29, 2022, at 7:16 AM, St. Louis County police officers from the City of Jennings Precinct responded to a call for service for a shooting in the 8800 block of Cozens Avenue. Responding officers located two victims suffering from apparent gunshot wounds in the area of Shannon Avenue and Brookfield Drive. Two additional victims were located nearby. All victims were transported to area hospitals with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries. None are students at Jennings (apparently that rumor was circulating). St. Louis County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons detectives are leading the investigation. The investigation is very active at this time. Additional information will be disseminated as it becomes available. Please contact the St.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Goalie Taylor Mollett is one of 15 returning seniors to the Edwardsville girls' field hockey team and is very much ready for the new season after the last two seasons were disrupted due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Mollett, who is one of two senior goalies returning to the team for 2022, felt that the first week of preseason practice went well and is ready to go for the new campaign. "I feel like it went really well," Mollett said in an interview just before the start of the season. "I feel like all of our girls are really up and running and they are ready to be back at field hockey and they are super excited for this season." A total of 53 players came out for the opening day of practice in August, and the numbers are very encouraging for the Tigers' program in the future. "Yes," Mollett said. "We've always had strong numbers and I really hope that these 53 girls keep up so we can always have a strong, competitive team." As one of the team's goalies, Mollett brings

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EDWARDSVILLE - Ryker Miller, a senior quarterback for the Metro-East Lutheran High football team, is ready for himself and the Knights to have a big 2022 season. Although the Knights lost at home to Martinsville in the season opener Friday night 51-6, Miller feels optimistic for the Knights' chances this year and was ready to go for Friday's opener. "We have got a good group of guys on the team," he said. Both summer and preseason practice sessions were well-attended, with more than 20 players present at the sessions, a number that far surpassed those of previous campaigns. "I'd definitely say it went extremely well," Miller said. "We had about 20-plus guys, more than we've ever had before. So that's pretty good for summer practices." In fact, the roster size for the Knights has doubled from 13 to about 26 players for the 2022 season, a number that bodes very well for the future of the football program at the school. "Oh, definitely," Miller said. "Extra guys are always better,

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PERRY COUNTY - The Illinois State Police released the following preliminary traffic crash report for a two-vehicle accident in Perry County. WHAT: Two Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash WHERE: Illinois Route 154 at Burning Star 2 Road, Perry County WHEN: August 27, 2022 at approximately 8:09 p.m. VEHICLES: Unit 1 – Blue 2001 Pontiac Sunfire Unit 2 – Red 2018 Subaru Impreza DRIVERS : Unit 1 – Braden D Stroud, 22-year-old male from Mount Vernon, IL – Transported to an area hospital with injuries. Unit 2 – Joseph G. Brake, 24-year-old male from DuQuoin, IL – Uninjured PASSENGER: Unit 2 – Wyatt C. Melton, 26-year-old male from DuQuoin, IL – Uninjured Unit 2 – Christopher T. Porter, 27-year-old male from DuQuoin, IL – Uninjured Unit 2 – Chance D. Murray, 26-year-old male from DuQuoin, IL – Uninjured PRELIMINARY: Preliminar

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SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director John J. Kim today announced the next funding round for Illinois’ Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebate Program will be open Tuesday, November 1, 2022 – Tuesday, January 31, 2023. The current EV Rebate funding cycle, which opened on July 1, 2022, will close Friday, September 30, 2022. Individuals that have purchased an all-electric vehicle since July 1, 2022, can still access and complete an application for a rebate under Illinois’ EV Rebate Program at: https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/ topics/ceja/Pages/Electric- Vehicle-Rebates.aspx . Applications for the first funding round must be postmarked on or before September 30, 2022. EV purchasers must apply for a rebate within 90 days of the vehicle purchase date. “Here in Illinois, we are leading the electric vehicle revolution,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “And thanks to our EV Rebate Program, we are making electric vehicle adoption

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GODFREY - Givin’ It All For Guts, a local nonprofit organization that helps fund Crohn's Disease, Colitis, and IBD illness research at Washington University in St. Louis, is hosting a Blood Drive from 2 to 6 p.m. this Wednesday, August 31, in the gym of St. Ambrose Catholic Church & School, located at 820 W. Homer M. Adams Parkway in Godfrey. Masks and appointments are required - to schedule an appointment, call Ashleigh Schroeder at (618) 531-1812 or go online to bloodcenter.org/group and enter the Sponsor Code: 10154. Angela Richards, president of Givin' It All For Guts, said the region has been dealing with a blood shortage for almost two years now. She said this blood drive is a way to help both the patients their organization focuses on and the surrounding community. “During the pandemic, we saw a need for blood and thought that is one way we can help the community,” Richards said. “Believe it or not, a lot of Crohn’s and Colitis patients,

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EAST ALTON – Jenny Mullikin joined the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center staff this month as a new assistant scientist with a focus on wetlands ecology. Mullikin’s main role at NGRREC is to support principle scientists with their ongoing and future wetlands research and to collaborate with partner organizations. Her previous work experience focused on ground-nesting bees that specialize in wetland-dependent plants in urban areas. Prior to that, she worked on wetland delineations and monitoring endangered species as an ecological consultant. “Ecology is the study of organisms and ecosystems and I love that my work helps us understand what’s going on right outside our door,” Mullikin said. “Also, getting to work outside makes the job even better.” Mullikin also earned a doctorate in biology from Saint Louis University this year. She first became interested in environmental science as a high school student when she participated

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