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EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) announced in an email to students Wednesday morning that the university’s policies on masking will change effective April 4. “Effective April 4, SIUE’s updated masking policy will only require masks in campus healthcare settings, on public transportation, and at COVID-related testing and vaccination sites,” according to the email. It will be up to individual faculty members to determine whether masks are required or optional in their classrooms for the remainder of the spring semester. Faculty have been asked to clearly communicate their expectations to students within the week, and students should keep an eye on their SIUE emails for updates. All students should keep an approved mask on them at all times to use if “requested by faculty in instructional spaces and occupants of private spaces.” According to the email, “failure to wear a mask when requested by a faculty member

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EAST ALTON - Ty Bechel has been a part of many crusades to help others, from his work to help others battle and beat drug addiction to helping the less fortunate. Now Bechel and his friend, Paul Stover, will celebrate a new dynamic project - Renegade Gardens - this weekend with a groundbreaking at 509 Fifth Street in East Alton at the corner of Fifth and Harper Streets. The festivities will take place on Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3, and the public is extended an invitation to help create garden plots for the upcoming season. Work hours each day are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The rain date for the event is April 9 and 10. “We also have something special planned for the kids, so bring the whole family,” Bechel said. The mission statement of the new gardens group is as follows: "to plant, harvest and distribute organic produce to local communities to promote healthy and nutritious eating and educate volunteers and participants on food independence."

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ST. LOUIS - The Wednesday morning commute ended with strong rain and made driving difficult for Metro East Illinois motorists. The rain is supposed to continue until about 2 p.m., forecasters say. Madison County is under a wind advisory but it was lifted for the area around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service in St. Louis has said. Saint Clair County is also included in the advisory. Some of the storms could be severe in the Metro East area, the NWS said. "Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects," the NWS added. "Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result." The thunderstorms are predicted to move east this morning.

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BETHALTO — 1 st MidAmerica Credit Union will be holding a hiring event Friday, April 8. Part time and full time job opportunities are available. 1 st MidAmerica will be holding open interviews on Friday, April 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Applicants are reminded to bring their resumé to the in-person event located at 301 Mechanical Drive in East Alton. 1 st MidAmerica Credit Union has a mission of exceeding member expectations. Additional information can be found at www.1stMidAmerica.org.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Nancy Werden has been hired as the new principal of Worden Elementary for the 2022-2023 school year, the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 announced today. The hiring was approved on March 28, 2022, by the District #7 Board of Education. Werden will assume her role for the 2022-2023 school year. Werden will replace Dr. Beth Renth, who will be stepping down as principal at Worden Elementary School at the end of this school year, and then retiring in December 2022. “Ms. Werden is an experienced educator who brings a wealth of talent and skill to this position,” said Edwardsville School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton. “We look forward to seeing our staff and students at Worden Elementary thrive under her leadership.” Werden has spent much of her career at Staunton CUSD 6 as a teacher, elementary and junior high principal, educational services coordinator, and interim superintendent over the past 27 years. She has worked

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EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 has named Melissa Edwards as the permanent principal at Nelson Elementary. The hiring was approved on March 28, 2022, by the District #7 Board of Education. Edwards will assume her role starting with the 2022-23 school year. Edwards has served in the interim principal position at Nelson since December 2021. “Ms. Edwards provided a seamless transition to Nelson earlier this year and has proven herself as a talented and passionate school leader,” said District #7 Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton. “We look forward to her continuing to provide leadership and support for the students and staff at Nelson.” Edwards joined District #7 prior to the 2020-21 school year as an assistant principal at Liberty Middle School. She previously spent 13 years in the Alton School District, including seven years as an assistant principal at Alton High School. Edwards began her career in education as an eighth-grade

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EDWARDSVILLE - Senior baseball player Mason McMurray is a key player for the Granite City High School baseball team both as a pitcher, in the field, and at the plate. McMurray has contributed defensively to the Warriors, making several good plays in helping the Warriors to a 2-2 start. He's also considered one of the team's hardest workers, making positive contributions and helping out on the team wherever he's needed. For his efforts on the baseball field this early season, McMurray has been selected as Granite's Stillwater Senior Living male Athlete of the Month. McMurray, who plays for head coach Scott Smallie, felt the Warriors played hard and well against the Tigers in a recent game, especially in a rally that led to three runs in the top of the fifth inning, and actually had the potential game-tying run on deck before the Tigers countered by scoring five runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. "I feel like we put in a good effort as a team overall," McMurray said during

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ALTON – The YWCA Of Southwestern Illinois is pleased to announce the 2022 Women of Distinction honorees: Vernetta Caffey, Robin Carlton, Catherine Coffman, Terrien Fennoy, Debra Frakes, Staci Herron, Nancy Johnson, LaTasha LeFlore Porter, Nancy Orrill, and Faye Taylor. Lisa Brown, Women of Distinction Co-Chair said: “YWCA presents Women of Distinction awards to women who serve as outstanding role models for others in their community, who have shown strong achievement in their work and personal lives, and who have given back in the spirit of the advancement of other women. The 2022 honorees embody our mission to empower women and eliminate racism and are trailblazers in their professions, pathfinders for social justice, and bring forth key issues facing women and girls in the Southwestern.” YWCA Board of Directors and the staff are grateful to all persons who submitted the nominations and to the selection committee for their efforts in choosing the 2022 Women of Distinction.

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E LSAH - Connect Elsah is a group of community members working with Accelerate Illinois and the Benton Institute to try to get improved internet services for the Elsah area. Elsah-area residents can take an online or paper survey about their current internet conditions, which will lay the groundwork for the steps ahead. “Initially, our group thought that everyone had good internet services except for the homes in the valley of Elsah,” said Susan Young, a member of Connect Elsah. “But as we investigated, we kept finding more folks in the rural areas around us who also have either poor or no coverage at all. Young said the first step in improving internet services around the area is determining what the current conditions are like. To help do this, Connect Elsah has created a survey that can be taken online or by paper. To take the survey online, visit go.illinois.edu/ConnectElsah . If you need a paper survey, call (314) 514-5493 or email connectelsah@gmail.com

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JERSEY - Jersey Community Unit School District No. 100 has a strong music program and once again it was exhibited this past Friday at the Southern Illinois University Ellington Festival. JCHS had nine students in a jazz ensemble honored for exemplary performance. The nine students are: Merris McDuffie, Elizabeth Lyons, Leann Woodring, Cameryn Brown, Gavin Goff, Owen Roberts, Owen Weber, Zane Peuterbaugh, and Chris West.

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EAST ALTON - Mike Marko has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. He has taken on the challenge of cleaning up land tracts where the old power plant used to be located and across Illinois Highway 143 on the bank of the Mississippi River. Mike Marko is the long-time owner of Mike's Shipyard Facility in East Alton and Mike's Inc. in South Roxana. Marko has a plan to develop an industrial park in the old power plant location. He said he purchased 180 acres on the dry side and about 7-8 acres on the other side. He plans to establish a riverfront dock on the Mississippi once he gets the Corps of Engineers' approval. “It is the biggest thing I have ever gotten into,” he said. “Right now, I am trying to get it all cleaned up.” Marko said he sat and watched as the original old energy plant was built at Illinois 143 in East Alton. “I lived in a home in Rosewood Heights and could see it being built,” he said with some nostalgia in his voice. Marko said

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ELDRED - It has been quite some time since excitement has taken over Eldred as it has Tuesday for another huge Queen of Hearts Drawing at the Eldred American Legion. This time, the pot is up to $500,000 for the much sought-after ticket for the Queen of Hearts card in the drawing. Eldred's population of 300 will swell to thousands for the big drawing. The last big Queen of Hearts Drawing at the Eldred American Legion was on Aug. 14, 2018, because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Jeff Quigley of Murrayville, IL., won the last big prize of $409,908, at the raffle on Aug. 15, 2018. On Tuesday night, nine cards will be drawn, what is left from the deck since the last drawing and the Queen of Hearts will be pulled from the barrel. Someone will win either the $500,000 prize if they are present or $250,000 if not present. Dave Lehr, an adjutant for the post, was interviewed on Monday and he said he and the others with the Legion are excited to have the big drawing again. Jon Baker is commander

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ALTON - Tim Ditman is the new media relations coordinator for OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center for Alton, Danville, and Urbana Hospitals. Tim has several local ties and is the son of former Carrollton resident/standout athlete Greg Ditman and his wife, Jean, a former Greenfield athlete/cheerleader. “I am thrilled to join such a well-regarded organization and look forward to spreading the ministry’s message,” Tim Ditman said. Tim, 32, has an extensive media background and has spent 10 years in the Champaign media (WDWS Radio and WCIA TV) before joining OSF. “I do continue to be heard on the radio as the play-by-play voice of the University of Illinois women’s volleyball,” he said. “I have held that position since 2019.” Tim’s primary duties in the new position are to work with the media in a variety of ways, but a focus is to cultivate content for the OSF online newsroom at: newsroom.oshealthcare.org Jerry Ditman, Tim's

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BETHALTO – It’s not only one of the hardest things to pull off in baseball, but one of the hardest things to do in all of sports; throw a no-hitter that is. Well, Civic Memorial High School senior pitcher Nick Williams accomplished the feat Monday night (March 28) when the Eagles toppled the Alton High Redbirds by a score of 9-1. Nick Williams is the Tom Lane State Farm Insurance Male Athlete of the Month for CM. Nick mentioned feeling very confident in the first inning when he struck out his old friend James Vambaketes for his first K of the game. He threw all seven innings facing 23 batters. Of those 23, he struck out 10 of them and only allowed two walks. “Pretty dominant performance for him,” CM head coach Nick Smith said postgame regarding Williams’ outing on the mound. Nick admitted that he knew about and was openly discussing the no-hitter in the dugout saying that he doesn’t believe in superstitions. He let his pitching do all the

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ELDRED - As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, the Eldred American Legion was packed full with anticipation of the $500,000 drawing set for 7 in the evening. The good news is someone will walk away with $500,000 if they are there on Tuesday night and their ticket is drawn for the Queen of Hearts card. If they have purchased a ticket and aren't there, they will receive half that amount. The other good news - tickets can still be purchased until 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Eldred American Legion on Locust in Eldred. Only nine cards of a deck will be drawn tonight and one of the cards is the Queen of Hearts so a $500,000 winner is guaranteed Tuesday. A Legion spokeswoman said vehicles were already being parked in the town of 300 as of Monday night and already the community's population is swelling and will each hour that goes by until the drawing. By tonight, there will be thousands of people in the small farming community in Greene County. Because this drawing is a Draw For A Winner, there will be no

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GRAFTON - Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow recently saluted a community member Bob Beloit for his volunteer efforts during a recent bad snowstorm. Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow recently presented a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the City Council to Bob Beloit, Organizing Coordinator for Machinist District 9 and citizen of Grafton’s 3rd Ward for his volunteer work during the storm. “Bob called me the day before the big snowstorm and said if we needed any maintenance work on the snowplows to call him,” said Mayor Morrow. The mayor said when the big snowstorm hit, the power went out in the entire city. "We awoke on a Friday to a blacked-out city and a report from our Public Works Director that one of our plow trucks was down with a broken hydraulic line," he said. "I called Bob around 5:30 a.m. and told him about the broken plow. He said he was making a thermos of coffee on his camp stove and would be right down. "Bob went to the city maintenance bay, assessed the situation

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ALTON - Alton Memorial Hospital, a member of the Siteman Cancer Network, will have its next free monthly skin cancer screening in partnership with Siteman Cancer Center from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, April 26. The screenings are by appointment only in Suite 101 of Medical Office Building A on the AMH campus. Call 618-463-7220 or visit www.altonmemorialhospital.org, then go to Classes & Events to register. Because of physical distancing, a limited amount of people will be allowed inside the office at one time. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your appointment and do not bring another person with you unless it’s necessary. Being proactive is the one step to early detection. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. People with fair skin, light-colored hair, green or blue eyes, and people who freckle easily are at the greatest risk. Excessive sun exposure, blistering burns before the age of 18, and a family history of melanoma are also risk factors. Most skin cancers appear after

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ST. LOUIS – Faces Not Forgotten, a local nonprofit and recipient of the FOCUS St. Louis What's Right With the Region Award in 2021, has teamed up with Central Reform Congregation for an important cause. Faces Not Forgotten, born of its founder’s personal losses, is a group of artists who paints portraits of young gun violence victims. These original portraits are donated to the children’s families to provide comfort. Fine art images of the portraits are then made into quilts and exhibited nationally to raise awareness of the horrific epidemic of gun violence. In the St. Louis area, Faces has completed nine quilts containing 72 portraits. All nine quilts will be on exhibit at Central Reform Congregation (CRC) from April 8-May 1, with a public opening on Friday, April 8th, from 5-7 pm. Ceremony begins at 6 pm and all are welcome. Founder and executive director Christine Ilewski, “These children are not just numbers or statistics. Each one of them was a life ended

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville senior pitcher Gannon Burns is off to a very good start for the 2022 season, and against Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin Catholic on Monday afternoon at Tom Pile Field, Burns allowed only one run and three hits while striking out six in the Tigers' 9-1 win over the Cyclones. Burns pitched very well on the day and had wanted to go out for the sixth inning. One problem though. "I feel pretty good," Burns said during a postgame interview. "I wanted that last sixth inning, but (pitching coach Mike Sabatino) told me no," he said with a laugh. Everything aside, Burns was able to throw strikes consistently, having the SH-G batters guessing all day and was able to get the outs with his curve ball, which was his most effective pitch. "I think my breaking balls, I was throwing them for strikes early in the count," Burns said, "and they weren't really swinging at them, so I could get ahead easy and then, just finish them off." The Tigers got all the runs they needed

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EDWARDSVILLE – The public is invited to join the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Prevent Child Abuse Illinois, Hospital Sisters Health System, the Poshard Foundation for Abused Children, elected officials, child welfare stakeholders, and more for a month-long observance to share child abuse and neglect prevention awareness messages and promote prevention efforts across the country during Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. This year’s theme, Growing Better Together, is a call to action to support each other and focus on the positive environment we all need to survive and thrive. The Edwardsville kickoff event will be at 10 am on Friday, April 1, 2022, at the Madison County Government Building. Participants can also watch the live stream here: http://www.riverbender.com/video/live/details.cfm?id=1284 “The past two years have been extremely difficult for all of us. While our schools, businesses, shops, and restaurants were closing, reducing

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