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ST. LOUIS, Mo. — American Red Cross responders from across the Missouri and Arkansas Region are answering the call to help those impacted by disaster. Dedicated American Red Cross workers are arriving in Florida ahead of Hurricane Ian to be prepared to provide critical help as Ian gets closer to landfall. Other Missouri and Arkansas teams are currently deployed to help those affected by disasters including the hurricane in Puerto Rico, typhoon in Alaska and the wildfires on the West Coast. Missouri and Arkansas Responders Deployed As of Tuesday morning, nearly 100 disaster responders from across the Missouri and Arkansas region have raised their hands to respond, with more than 20 volunteers and staff in-route or on the ground in Florida and approximately 40 more on standby to leave as needed. Approximately 20 disaster responders are supporting the hurricane response in Puerto Rico, typhoon response in Alaska and the western wildfires. Emergency Response Vehicle Deployments

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HARDIN - At 5:26 p.m. on September 22, 2022, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a reckless driver, leaving the Brussels Ferry and traveling northbound towards Brussels in Calhoun County. The citizens stayed behind the vehicle until a deputy arrived on the scene. At 5:38 p.m. that evening, a deputy with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office located the suspect vehicle near Schleeper Lane and Illinois River Road. Subsequent to an investigation, the driver, Anthony J. Gomez, age 35, of O’Fallon, Missouri, was arrested on the following charges: Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Illegal Use of Registration, Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the concerned citizens for calling in and making a report. "Their actions helped to keep our county and those traveling on our roadways safe," the sheriff's office said. As always, we encourage

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Police Department has a drive-thru food drive set with Eden Church for the Glen-Ed Food Pantry in Edwardsville from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, October 8, at the Edwardsville Public Safety Building at 333 S. Main St. - North Lot. “We are teaming up with Eden Church to fill some shelves at the Glen-Ed Pantry,” Edwardsville Chief Of Police Mike Fillback said. Fillback encouraged community members to participate in the event. Suggested items based on need are as follows: Personal hygiene items Dishwashing/laundry soap Paper Goods Baking dry goods Also, check the Glen-Ed Pantry website for other items needed: https://www.glenedpantry.org/

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EDWARDSVILLE - In the coming weeks, some residents in Edwardsville will have new water meters installed as part of the City’s advanced water meter system. Many residents in the area outlined on the map can expect a letter to arrive in the mail with instructions to set up an appointment to switch out their meter. If you receive the letter, please contact the contractor listed to arrange a meter swap as soon as possible. The City of Edwardsville has contracted with Mideastern Plumbing to perform this mandatory upgrade of the water meter reading system. Appointments will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some Saturday appointments will be available. Residents will have two ways to schedule an appointment: online or by phone. The technician will require access to the inside of your home – most water meters will need to be located indoors (basement, cellar, crawl space, utility room). The installation is expected to take no more than two hours, and

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EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has set new enrollment records for fall 2022, with graduate numbers rising 4% to a 44-year high of 3,494 and international enrollment growing 67% (898 total students) over fall 2021, which represents an all-time high. The student body for fall 2022 includes 12,519 individuals with diverse backgrounds who are on the transformative path toward degree attainment. These students come from 47 U.S. states and 65 countries. Despite a modest overall decline of 3.8% (491 students) from fall 2021, SIUE's enrollment picture is bolstered by a 4% increase in graduate, doctoral and professional enrollment with a total of 3,494 students. Graduate student increases were experienced in the Schools of Engineering (+8%), Business (+7.4%), Education (+7.3%), and Pharmaceutical Sciences (+33.3%). “SIUE is the number one producer of bachelor’s degrees in the region, the impact of which is significant for economic development and the communities

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CARROLLTON - Mark Shade, owner of Bucks Crossing in Carrollton, announced today that he closed the business for the final time on Monday night. Buck's Crossing contained a gas station and convenience store that also served some hot prepared foods. He said it will now become a Casey's. "The last time Ken and I were together and put a key in that door, it was when we opened up almost 11 years ago," he said. "While I can’t say I will miss all the responsibilities of owning a station that is open 24/7/365, I will miss working with the great team at Bucks Crossing. We have been blessed over the years to work with some of the best, hardworking managers and employees. I know I will miss those relationships." Shade continued: "Looking back, we really do have a lot to be thankful for." When Shade took over Buck's Crossing, the business had sat empty for over a year. Shade and the others worked diligently to build the business back to respectability and made the inside and outside comfortable

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BELLEVILLE – St. Clair County Transit District’s Board of Trustees has selected Breese, Ill. – based Poettker Construction to oversee the construction of a new 16,000-square-foot Public Safety Center project planned at Emerson Park Transit Center in East St. Louis. The contract is valued at $13,584,000 and is being funded by a $9.975 million “Rebuild Illinois” grant received from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker earlier this year, along with funding from St. Clair County Transit District and Bi-State Development. It will be owned and operated by St. Clair County Transit District. Construction will commence later this year and is expected to be completed in 2024. The state-of-the-art, two-story facility will house office space for St. Clair County MetroLink Sheriff’s Deputies, Metro Transit Operational Control Center and the St. Clair County CENCOM West 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatch Center. The goal of the new space is to help bolster communications and security

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The deceased in a homicide in unincorporated St. Louis County has been identified as Jynese King, 21 years of age, of the 5500 block of Golf Ridge Lane in Saint Louis, Missouri 63128. St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives are investigating a homicide in the 5100 block of Golf Ridge Lane in Unincorporated St. Louis County, which resulted in the death of an adult female. On September 26, 2022, at 2:12 PM, Affton Southwest precinct Officers responded to a call for service regarding a shooting in the 5100 block of Golf Ridge Lane. Responding officers located two adult females suffering from apparent gunshot injuries. One victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. A second victim was transported to an area hospital with a non-life threatening injury and was treated and later released. St. Louis County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons detectives conducting the investigation. Preliminary investigation has revealed the shooting

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GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College Athletics is inviting the community to enjoy two days of soccer and family fun on Friday and Saturday. The first-held Tailgate Weekend kicks off at 1 p.m. Friday at Tim Rooney Stadium on L&C’s Godfrey campus, as the Trailblazer men’s team hosts Lincoln Trail. The women follow at 3 p.m. Both events will offer concessions, halftime giveaways and a 50/50 raffle. Admission is free. Saturday’s Tailgate Weekend festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. with a bounce house sponsored by Trailblazer Commons and music by guest DJ “Big Bill.” There also will be face painting for children, done by students of L&C Art Program Coordinator Angela Hung. Trailblazers soccer action starts at 2 p.m., with the men taking on Jefferson College. L&C Athletic Director Cedric Brown said the event is designed to showcase Trailblazers athletics. “This inaugural Trailblazer Tailgate Weekend is an event we hope to share with the

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GREENVILLE, IL - Greenville University invites community members, alumni, and friends to campus for Homecoming activities October 13-15, 2022. The weekend kicks off with a jazz band concert at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Whitlock Music Center on GU’s campus. Friday’s events start with a Praise and Prayer event, led by Pastors Doug and Margie Newton, along with GU President Suzanne Davis. Other featured events of the day include the Homecoming Parade at 4 p.m. along College Avenue; Food, Friends, and Fun on Scott Field—featuring food trucks, live music, and more; the GU Choir Concert at 7 p.m. at the Whitlock Music Center; and fireworks at 8:30 p.m. Activities on Saturday hit the ground running with the return of the Panther 5K run/walk. “We are so excited to bring back the Panther 5K tradition to Homecoming weekend,” says Tina Watterson, coordinator of alumni and church relations in GU’s Alumni Office. “We invite you to bring your whole

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CARLINVILLE, IL - Blackburn College has again been recognized by U.S. News & World Report's rankings of the best colleges and universities in the country. Considered one of the most comprehensive research publications for students and parents considering opportunities in higher education, U.S. News evaluates more than 1,500 institutions based on 17 measures of academic quality, including educational outcomes and student excellence. In the publication's 2023 Best Colleges guide, U.S. News places Blackburn in the top tier of Midwestern colleges with an overall rank of 35. They also recognized Blackburn as a "Top Performer on Social Mobility" for the fourth consecutive year. While offering the engaged academics of a traditional college, Blackburn adds an additional dimension to the college experience. One of ten federally-recognized work colleges, the College offers the only program in the nation exclusively managed by students. Blackburn students gain real-life work and leadership skills

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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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