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BELLVILLE - As part of Foster Care Awareness Month in May, Caritas Family Solutions is spreading awareness around the need for more people to consider becoming foster parents. As the second-largest provider of foster care services in the state, Caritas serves more than 1,700 foster children on a monthly basis. “The need for foster parents is a national crisis,” said Caritas Family Solutions CEO Gary Huelsmann. “The pandemic has caused an increase in mental health issues, drug issues, opioids in particular, and other stresses on families. This has only exacerbated the need for organizations like ours. Our goal is to help strengthen and reunify families and to find children safe homes when that’s not possible.” Caritas Family Solutions provides training and licensing for people wanting to become foster parents and supports them throughout that process. The agency also recently implemented a foster parent mentor program to offer people practical advice fro

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EAST ALTON — The Madison County Democratic Party (MadCo Dems) has unanimously approved a resolution to endorse the passage of the Workers’ Rights Amendment on the November 2022 General Election ballot. On May 26, 2021, the 102nd Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 0011 that amends the Bill of Rights Article of the Illinois Constitution to add Section 25: Workers’ Rights. The Workers’ Rights Amendment will guarantee that workers in the public and private sectors have the fundamental right to organize and bargain collectively. MadCo Dems Chair Randy Harris issued the following statement: “The Madison County Democrats understand the importance of standing up for the working men & women in our community. Passing the Workers’ Rights Amendment will allow more individuals throughout our community to have the right to organize for better wages, improving working conditions, and an opportunity to provide for their

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EDWARDSVILLE - Nathan Butler is a busy young man this spring for the Metro East Lutheran Knights baseball and track and field teams. On the baseball team, Butler is a shortstop/pitcher and is captain of the team. He is also a star of the Knights' track and field team and recently won the Madison County Meet in the 110-meter high hurdles and tied for first in the high jump. Nathan has exceptional speed and agility. Nathan is the Metro East Lutheran Male Athlete of the Month. He said he wanted to thank his parents, his sister, and all the coaches he has had through the years. He has played for Team Illini, The Eagles, and Wolverines in baseball outside his time with the Knights. “I am blessed to have had wonderful coaches all my life,” he said. “I have loved the game of baseball since I started playing in the East Alton Recreational League when I was four years old.” “I am in two sports in the spring and it has taught me good study and time management

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EDWARDSVILLE - Metro East Lutheran junior Sarah Huber is developing into a top-notch pitcher and is also solid at the plate. On April 22, against Father McGivney, Huber fanned 12 batters in four innings of work and tossed a no-hitter in a 19-0 win over Father McGivney Catholic. She also had three hits, two were extra-base hits. She also scored three runs. Sarah is the Metro East Lutheran High School Female Athlete of the Month. Sarah’s coach Rob Stock said she pitched really well against the Griffins. “She had all her pitches working,” he said. “We were very proud of her. She did everything she needed to do and stayed aggressive the whole game. She didn’t let up on anything. It was a great game for her.” Stock said Sarah has great potential for the future. “She has been pitching since she was a freshman,” he said. “She throws the ball well and we expect to continue to see good things from her in the future.”

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LITCHFIELD – Illinois State Police (ISP) District 18 Commander, Mark Gillock, announces the ISP will conduct Roadside Safety Checks (RSCs) in Jersey County during May. The use of RSCs combine a strong sense of public awareness and enforcement in order to save lives of the motoring public. The ISP has zero tolerance for impaired driving in Illinois. Officers working the detail will be watchful for drivers who are operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, transporting open alcoholic beverages, and most importantly: - Driving Under the Influence (DUI); - Safety Belt and Child Restraint use; - Speeding; - Distracted Driving; and, - All Illinois Vehicle Code and Criminal Violations. Alcohol and drug impairment are factors in more than 30% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois, and throughout the U.S., nearly 10,000 people die each year due to alcohol-impaired driving. RSCs are designed to keep our roads safe by taking

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ST. LOUIS — United Way of Greater St. Louis today announced that Penny Pennington, managing partner of Edward Jones, and Rusty Keeley, CEO of Keeley Companies, will serve as chair and co-chair, respectively, of its 2022 annual community campaign. Additionally, Arica Harris,director of banking and payment operations at Edward Jones,will serve as vice chair. (Downloadable photos of Pennington , Keeley , and Harris ). This year, United Way of Greater St. Louis is celebrating 100 years of impact in the St. Louis region. “United Way and its agency partners play a unique and vital role in the success and resilience of our regional growth by providing critical wraparound services and support to our neighbors, family and friends,” said Pennington. “Like Edward Jones, United Way is celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2022, and I am proud of our strong and enduring partnership. Together, Rusty, Arica and I are looking forward to partnering with local leaders,

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GREENE COUNTY - The Greene County Health Department is seeking the public’s assistance in obtaining dead birds to submit to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to test for the presence of West Nile Virus (WNV). Please contact the Department at 217-942-6961, Ext.102, and the staff will retrieve species of “perching birds” (Passeriformes) in addition to crows, blue jays, robins, cardinals, catbirds, mockingbirds, many species of sparrows, finches, flycatchers, swallows, warblers, wrens and small or medium size hawks or owls for submission to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign for testing. Vector Control/Arbovirus Surveillance from IDPH indicates that WNV arrived in Illinois at the end of the summer of 2001. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that counties with a WNVpositive bird before August 1 were twice as likely to have a human case than

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EDWARDSVILLE - Buff City Soap – a rapidly growing retail franchise known for its handmade plant-based soap and body products made in-store daily – is opening this Thursday in Edwardsville. The new Makery will be located at 2328 Troy Road by Target and is slated to open Thursday, May 5. The first 50 people who visit the new store each day Thursday, May 5 – Sunday, May 8 will receive free soap for a year. Customers can also enjoy in-store specials all weekend such as 20% off an entire purchase or buy one Laundry Soap, get a second container 50% off. “We are excited to open our brand-new Soap Makery to the Edwardsville community,” said Brittany Peterman, Director of Operations. “Buff City Soap provides guests with an opportunity to see how our delightfully scented soap products are made daily right before their eyes.” Each Buff City Soap store offers over 30 signature scents across dozens of handcrafted soap products; including its famous soap

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EAST ALTON – Volunteers are needed to help the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC ® ) and the Three Rivers Project plant trees in Alton on Saturday, May 7. “This spring, Alton-based organizations will be planting trees purchased through a Recover, Replant, Restore! (RRR) grant from Trees Forever,” Trees Forever Field Coordinator Emily Ehley said. The first tree plantings will run from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Riverfront Park, located at Landmarks Blvd and 1 Riverfront Drive, towards the playground area. The second planting will go from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Hampton Gardens located at 1402 Highland Avenue, between Hampton and Highland. “Keep an eye out for some edible plants, we will be planting paw paws, persimmon, American hazelnut, blueberries, and a variety of other fruiting trees and shrubs,” Director of Environmental Education at NGRREC, Sarah Fisher said. “Not only are we adding to the diversity of plant

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ROXANA - Roxana Junior High School Theater Director Brittany Sasser said the production this past Friday and Saturday of "The Addams Family Young@Part rated a "huge success." Members of the cast were Emma Martin, Troy Rahn, Talan Blumenstock, Savion Hall, Ari Walker, Sadie Jackson, Laney Meadows, Landon Smith, Gianna Visser, and Evan Bazell. "Theater is back at Roxana Junior High with a full house and an amazing cast," Sasser said. "Some of these kiddos have never been on stage before." Director Sasser, some help was also provided by professional actors Oliver Bacus and Summer Baer from St. Louis. "Oliver is a Roxana graduate and was happy to come back and coach these young actors," Sasser said. "Our backstage and technical crew were manned by high school students who are mentoring our younger students helping them learn the ropes. "Theater is such a nurturing, healing environment that I feel is especially important in this post-pandemic era that the students are experiencing.

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ALTON - The Riverbend Earth Day Festival Saturday at Old Bakery Beer was once again a huge attraction for people to visit environmental groups, artists, and vendors. Lauren Pattan, the co-founder of Old Bakery Beer, hosted the event for the fourth year in a row. “We are glad to have it back here,” she said. “We had 40 environmental organizations, artisans, other vendors, and music. The way we ended up with the event is it seems to rain literally every year, which is why we have it here. We host it indoors throughout are whole building. It is a fun time.” Diana Soliwon, the owner of Alton Yard Farms, was a participant. She said she owns a second-year urban farm. “Our goal is to provide all organic-based, no-till fresh good food for our neighbors," she said. “It's important to all of us here to support the same idea: let’s be more sustainable and more thoughtful,” she added. “Let’s re-use things and upcycle. All of that make

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ALTON - A touching Celebration Of Life was held for Alton's "Can Man" Charley Moyer AKA Joey Moyer Sunday, May 1, 2022, at Elias Kallal and Schaaf Funeral Home in Alton. Charley lived in Alton for much of his life and relied on a collection of cans to sustain himself, thus he obtained the nickname "Charley The Can Man." Charley had cerebral palsy, but with his grit and determination, he was able to live independently and earn a living from his can collection. He is known as Alton's greatest recycler ever of cans and he sparked a multitude of others around the region to collect cans on streets and highways for him. Dale and his wife, Carol, cared for Charley, AKA Joey for more than 30 years. Charley lived with Roger and Pat Lowery at the end of his life in Wilmington, N.C., and they were also dear friends to him. Charley was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Alton. Charley died at age 76 on September 16, 2021. Dale Neudecker was the coordinator of the Celebration of Life for Charley

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BLOOMINGTON - Health officials are working to learn more about a concerning outbreak of serious liver disease in children in Europe and the United States. The latest available data from the World Health Organization (WHO) states that worldwide, there have been at least 169 cases of what the organization calls “acute hepatitis of unknown origin” in young children, including three in Illinois. So far this outbreak has resulted in dozens of hospitalizations, 17 liver transplants and one death. The children’s ages range from one month to 16 years old. Researchers are scrambling to find the cause of this illness, and while it hasn’t been confirmed, it is believed a common virus among children, adenovirus , could be involved. Many of the children impacted have also tested positive for a variation of the virus called adenovirus 41. “I definitely think it's a major concern and something that we all need to be alert and be aware of,” says Dr. Rebecca Sierra

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GODFREY - For current information regarding Lewis and Clark Community College’s operations during the pandemic, please visit lc.edu/coronavirus. 4/30 – NGRREC Exhibit at Riverbend Festival: 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., The Old Bakery Beer Company, 400 Landmarks Blvd. Free to attend. (618) 463-1470 or info@oldbakerybeer.com. 4/30 – Trailblazers Softball vs. Lincoln Land: 1 and 2 p.m., Godfrey Ballpark, 1401B Stamper Ln., Godfrey. (618) 468-6370. 4/30 – Trailblazers Baseball vs. Vincennes: 1 and 3:30 p.m., Godfrey Ballpark, 1401B Stamper Ln., Godfrey. (618) 468-5352. 5/1 – Trailblazers Baseball vs. Vincennes: noon and 2 p.m., Godfrey Ballpark, 1401B Stamper Ln., Godfrey. (618) 468-5352. 5/3 – Applied Student Recital: 1 p.m., Benjamin Godfrey Memorial Chapel, Lewis and Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Rd., Godfrey. (618) 468-4731. 5/5 – College for Life Spring Performance and Art Show: 10 a.m., Ann Whitney Olin Theatre, Hatheway Cultural

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ST. LOUIS - In honor of National Pet Month in May, Purina is deepening its support of the Purple Leash Project by offering specially marked packaging from several of its flagship brands including Beggin' , Tidy Cats , Purina Cat Chow , Beneful , Purina Beyond , and Friskies Party Mix Cat Treats . The Purple Leash Project is a national initiative founded by Purina and nonprofit RedRover aimed at creating more pet-friendly domestic violence shelters across the country, allowing survivors and pets to begin the healing journey together. Throughout the US, nearly half of all domestic violence survivors (48 percent) delay leaving an abuser because they don't want to leave their pet behind, and as few as 15 percent of domestic violence shelters can accommodate pets. Purina and RedRover are working to change that. Since 2019, Purina and RedRover have provided 30 Purple Leash Project grants totaling over $500,000 to domestic violence shelters across the US. Purina has provided more tha

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BETHALTO – Midwest Members Credit Union is proud to sponsor the “Eagles of the Month” program at Civic Memorial High School. Senior students are selected each month by members of the Civic Memorial faculty to represent each department. All students are awarded a certificate and a Subway gift card. Two Seniors (1 female student and 1 male student) that were selected each month will have the opportunity to compete for a $500.00 “Eagles of the Year” scholarship each at the end of the school year. 2022 April's Eagles of the Month winners: - Math – Kaili Stanford - Fine Arts – Luca Wiley - Social Studies – Reid Buffington - PE/Health – Braden Dorris - Choir – Alyssa Sickmeier - Band – Clarence Arnold - Science – Hailey Becker - English – Ryne Breyer - C.T.E. – Parker Scottberg April’s Teacher of the Month winner: - Spanish – Angela Wood Congratulations to all the Civic Memorial “Eagles

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ALTON - Pop-up stops featuring the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau’s new mobile visitor center, Traveler, will take place this week as part of the bureau’s celebration of National Travel & Tourism Week which kicked off Sunday, May 1, and runs through Saturday, May 7. Traveler will visit Collinsville, Litchfield, Edwardsville, and Alton May 4 through 6 and staff members will be available to answer questions and encourage people to sign up for a $250 gas card sweepstakes at each stop. The annual celebration of the contributions of the U.S. travel industry this year will spotlight the critical role travel plays in driving economic growth and building the path forward. This year’s theme is #Future of Travel. “National Travel & Tourism Week is also a great way to start our summer travel season,” Cory Jobe, President/CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau said. “Travel benefits and supports the local economies and reconnects us to each other

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ST. LOUIS — World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, will present its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Weekend on June 3-5. Madison County Transit and the St. Clair County Transit District will offer NASCAR fans a convenient and money-saving option. St. Clair and Madison will offer four free shuttle bus lines to and from the speedway. The four free SCCTD and MCT shuttles will operate for more than 11 hours each day on Saturday, June 4, and Sunday, June 5. “One of the reasons NASCAR chose World Wide Technology Raceway to host the Enjoy Illinois 300 was because of the tremendous community support of local, county, and state governments with our venue. Having two first-class transportation districts working together to accommodate race fans with free service to the event illustrates our region welcomes the opportunity to host great events,” said WWTR Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Blair “When race fans come to our track for these magical

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GRANITE CIY – As Music in our Schools Month comes to a close, Granite City High School band director Wyatt Roberds recognized the 25 members of the GCHS Marching Warriors. The Class of 2022 helped lead the Marching Warriors to a memorable year, which included: Smith Walbridge Drum Major Clinics – July 25, 2021 Thumbs Up Award Runner up Squad of the Day Jonas Etchison - Outstanding Drum Major and Drum Major First Class O’Fallon Metro East Marching Classic – September 11, 2021 3rd Place Band – Class 3A 1st Place Color Guard EIU Panther Marching Band Festival – September 25, 2021 1st Place Band – Class 6A 1st Place Music 1st Place Visual 1st Place Drum Majors Grand Champion Fort Zumwalt North River City Showcase – October 9, 2021 7th Place Band – Class 6A 8th Place Band Overall in Finals U of I – Illinois Marching Band Championships – October 23, 2021

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TROY - The Troy Police Department is seeking assistance in a missing person - Richard Maedge. Troy Police say Maedge was last seen leaving his residence in Troy on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, on foot. He was wearing blue jeans and a blue T-shirt when last viewed. Anyone who can assist in locating Maedge is encouraged to call the Troy Police Department at (618) 667-6731.

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