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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Fire Department responded to a report of a tree that fell on a home on McKinley after the heavy thunderstorm on Tuesday, but once they arrived, they determined it was on private property. Homeowners then had to tend to the situation. Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said thankfully, that it appeared that damage was not major to the house. He said tree limb break may have been caused by a gust of wind or external weight, but at the present time, the cause was not known. The fire chief said Edwardsville was “pretty lucky” overall during Tuesday’s thunderstorm because there were no water rescues or flooding that he is aware of in the community.

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EDWARDSVILLE – Participation in competitive online gaming has become increasingly popular, with opportunities for building community with other players and showcasing gaming skills nationwide. SIUE’s Esports team is gradually making its mark in the industry, most recently finishing in the top five overall during the collegiate Call of Duty (CCL) spring season. The team went undefeated in the main portion of the CCL league consisting of 205 teams. Subsequently, the team progressed to a bracket of 60 teams which would later participate in a playoff of 32 teams. Eight teams proceeded to the final, represented in-person at Columbus, Ohio. SIUE Esports team members who traveled to Columbus included Ryan Pree, Drevin Day, Mohammad Khan and Michael Simpson. “I was proud as ever when our team finished in the top four among many strong programs,” said Wilke, of St. Rose, president and manager of the SIUE Esports Club. “We started the Call of Duty portion of

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GODFREY - It isn’t beginning to look a lot like Christmas yet, but one local auto shop is getting a head start on the festivities this year while supporting a charitable cause. Freer Auto Body in Godfrey is hosting their 14th annual “Christmas in July” fundraiser this Friday to support Community Christmas, an organization helping local families in need this holiday season. This year’s Christmas in July will be held this Friday, July 29 from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Freer Auto Body, located at 4512 N. Alby St. in Godfrey. For a cash donation, attendees can enjoy Sloppy Joes, chips and a cold drink. Several valuable prizes will be given away in a raffle and tickets are $10 each. Prizes include a $2,500 Apple Vacations gift card, a seven-night stay in a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo in Panama City Beach, $2,500 cash, a four-night stay in a Tan-Tar-A Estates resort home in the Lake of the Ozarks and four St. Louis Cardinal Green Seats. Freer Auto Body Secretary

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MARYVILLE – Illinois will institute a 10-day tax holiday on school supplies, and working families can expect to have reduced shopping costs ahead of the upcoming academic year, State Senator Kris Tharp announced. “As a nod to our working parents, guardians and teachers in Illinois, lowering the tax rate on school supplies reduces a burden when preparing students and classrooms for the academic year,” said Tharp (D-Bethalto). “By instituting a tax holiday, Illinois can help relieve families and educators of some financial costs in order to ensure students have the tools to be successful in the upcoming school year.” The law lowers the state tax rate on school supplies, eligible clothes and footwear from 6.25% down to 1.25% for 10 days from Aug. 5 to Aug. 14, 2022. “By lowering the tax rate to be competitive with neighboring states, we can give residents one more reason to shop local,” Tharp said. “We need to be doing all we can to support

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ST. LOUIS - Popular singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes was supposed to be playing a show in St. Louis coming up. That was until he took to his Instagram and announced that he is going to cancel the remainder of his 'Wonder: World Tour.' The St. Louis date on July 16 was originally postponed before Mendes announced the cancellation of all his tour dates. Below is the statement he made on Instagram: Ticket refund info: The Shawn Mendes concert, originally scheduled for July 16, has now been canceled. For tickets purchased through Ticketmaster, a refund will automatically be issued. For all other refunds, please contact the original point of purchase.

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GRANITE CITY - Cedarhurst of Granite City hosted a ribbon cutting this past week with solid attendance to showcase its 24 new memory care units with its 72 assisted living apartments. The Dover Companies CFO Stephen Wertman was in attendance and spoke, Granite City Mayor Mike Parkinson also was present and Dover Companies CEO Joshua Jennings also attended. Cedarhurst is the operating arm of St. Louis-based Dover Companies, an integrated builder, owner, acquirer, and management firm. Executive Director Cindy Woods also provided a dynamic greeting to those in attendance. These are some facts about Cedarhurst: Cedarhurst of Granite City has been open since 2019. Cedarhurst of Granite City is now officially among the 40 of 54 Cedarhurst communities that offer memory care. Cedarhurst has four communities in the Metro East (Troy, Bethalto, Granite City and Highland), and a dozen in the St Louis Metro area. "We are thrilled to officially unveil the work we have put into making Cedarhurst

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BELLEVILLE - The Belleville Area Humane Society (BAHS) is so very grateful for their community. Yesterday as the waters rose around Belleville Area Humane Society and St. Clair County Animal Adoption Center and Animal Services (SCCAC), THE COMMUNITY SHOWED UP. The evacuation at the Adoption Center and Animal Services building started there at 6am. Over 40 animals were transported to safety by The Public Building Commission, the police and fire departments, Belleville Area Humane Society , Gateway Pet Guardians , Stray Rescue of St. Louis , Helping Strays of Monroe County , Partners 4 Pets , St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency , St Clair County Highway Department , Bi-State Pet Food Pantry , Helping Hounds Dog Training , Robert Trentman , Shelly Tribout-Korves and Jack Korves , Jamie Anderson Case , Mark Kern . Countless neighbors stopped by to help when their own houses were flooding, and the community dropped off supplies, snacks, and good cheer. BAHS Executive

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ST. LOUIS, MO – Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants , a lifestyle brand centered around food and wine, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 5, to celebrate the grand opening of its new location in St. Peters, MO, at 5300 N Service Rd. This is the company’s 3rd location in Missouri and 50th in the country. Mayor Len Pagano and representatives of the St. Charles Regional Chamber were in attendance. After the ceremony, guests took a tour, had sparkling wine, and met with the team. Senior Marketing Specialist Erin Vainer, Senior Area Culinary Manager Edmund Vogel, Area Director Ryan Fitzpatrick, and General Manager Alysia Gonzalez were there to answer questions. Cooper’s Hawk combines a casual dining restaurant, full-service bar, private dining room, Napa-style tasting room, and artisanal retail market. Its contemporary American menu, created by Executive Chef Matt McMillin, has 100+ items that each pair with a wine, labeled on the menu by its bin number

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MADISON - This is my eleventh update to the citizens of the 111 th district, as your State Representative. The summer has been busy with events, meetings and advocacy for constituents. Each day my office staff and I work on a wide variety of constituent services, policy issues, and pressing topics that affect peoples’ lives and livelihoods. Therefore, the job is always engaging and interesting and there is never a dull moment. I’m often popping in and out of the office as I frequently go to meetings off-site. I love being able to meet with groups, businesses, and non-profits in their offices so that I’m out and about in the community as much as possible. One memorable event I attended over the last couple of months was the Madison County Drug Court graduation. It is so inspiring to hear the difficult steps each graduate took to gain their lives and freedom back, and the impact it had on their entire family, especially those with children. The trajectory of the graduates’

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ST. LOUIS - If there’s one message Logan Hernandez, 20, of O’Fallon, Ill., wants to share with other kids his age who may receive a cancer diagnosis, it’s this: “Be grateful and focus on the good in your life, because life is precious – don’t take anything for granted.” Logan was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, at the age of 17 – only a few months before the COVID pandemic began in the U.S. According to AACR (American Association for Cancer Research), approximately 3,900 cases of bone and joint cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2022. This is why Logan wants to help spread awareness for Sarcoma Awareness Month . “This shouldn’t happen to children or young adults,” Logan said. Before Logan was diagnosed, he had been preparing “his entire life” to join the Air Force. Being the son of military parents, it had always been his lifelong dream to be a pilot in the Air Force,

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism hearing entitled “Decriminalizing Cannabis at the Federal Level: Necessary Steps to Address Past Harms.” Durbin first commended Weldon Angelos, President and Co-Founder of The Weldon Project, for sharing his experience as someone who has been personally impacted by the “war on drugs,” and for his continued advocacy for criminal justice reform. Mr. Angelos was serving 55 years in federal prison for three counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and various charges related to marijuana trafficking. He was released on May 31, 2016, after a federal court granted him a reduction in sentence. Mr. Angelos’ sentence was so extreme that his judge, unable to go below the mandatory minimum, called on then-President Obama

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tina Smith (D-MN) requested answers from Fidelity Investments on their decision to allow 401(k) plan sponsors to offer plan participants exposure to Bitcoin, a highly volatile and unregulated digital asset. Fidelity is one of the largest 401(k) providers with around 40 million individual investors and around $11.3 trillion in assets under administration. The letter said in part, “we write today to ask why Fidelity, a trusted name in the retirement industry, would allow plan sponsors the ability to offer plan participants exposure to Bitcoin. While plan sponsors ultimately are responsible for choosing the investments available to participants, it seems ill­ advised for one of the leading names in the world of finance to endorse the use of such a volatile, illiquid, and speculative asset in 401(k) plans-which are supposed to be retirement savings vehicles defined b

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WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Department of Transportation (DOT) officially launched the All Stations Accessibility Program —an initiative that Duckworth led the charge to include in the recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and that will provide $1.75 billion over the next five years to help build the ramps, install the elevators and make another improvements to ensure that America’s public transportation system is actually, finally usable for those with disabilities. “When the ADA was signed 32 years ago, it was supposed to consign ableism to the history books—yet we still have a long way to go to ensure that every corner of this country is actually, truly and fully accessible for the 61 million of us living with a disability. I was proud to lead the effort to include the A SAP Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and I’m thrilled that the DOT is making ASAP funding available to transi

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ST. LOUIS - Following heavy rainfall and flash flooding overnight, the American Red Cross of Greater St Louis has been assisting those impacted by flooding across the St. Louis area. Currently, Red Cross staff and volunteers are providing support to multiple evacuation centers bringing in items such as water, snacks and blankets, as well as assistance with staffing. Red Cross will continue coordination with city and county officials as the water recedes, and will support accordingly to assist those impacted. Disaster Assessment teams are on stand-by to determine the extent of flood damage to area homes. As families work to recover from this disaster, the Red Cross is continuing to collaborate with and connect families to partner agencies who can provide assistance for various needs following the flooding. IMPACTED BY FLOODING If you have been impacted by the overnight flooding, and need a safe place to go, please call 2-1-1 to find an evacuation center near you. In addition,

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Fire Department personnel called a Fire Box Alarm for a structure fire in the area of Richetta Drive in Edwardsville on Tuesday morning. The fire call went out at 7:22 a.m. Tuesday and responding agencies included Glen Carbon Fire, Wood River Fire, Bethalto Fire, Troy EMS, and Madison County Rehab unit. Responding crews found a 20 x 50 outbuilding with smoke showing from eaves. Eaves are a part of a roof that projects out horizontally beyond the side of the structure it covers. Firefighters entered the building and quickly extinguished the fire with 2 1-3/4-inch hand lines fed from a skid load, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said. "No one was in the building at the time and no one was injured during the fire, but some personal property was damaged and there was significant damage to one end of the structure," the chief said. The Edwardsville Fire Department said the fire is still under investigation.

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LEBANON - Stephanie Bubert has organized a special GoFundMe fundraiser for Dustin Brown, a 26-year-old Lebanon man, who died in a tragic fatal motorcycle accident on Illinois Route 100 in Elsah Saturday night. Bubert is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Beau W. Brown. "Beau and Bobbie Jo had the unthinkable happen," Stephanie Bubert said. "They lost their fun-loving, amazing son Dustin to a fatal motorcycle accident. Dustin was someone who would drop anything and help someone in need. Now, Beau and Bobbie Jo have to lay their sweet son to rest. "Funeral expenses are costly and I am sure Beau and Bobbie Jo will be taking some time off work to grieve their son. Please consider donating to Dustin’s funeral expenses so that Beau and Bobbie Jo do not have to stress and worry about that while grieving." To donate to the GoFundMe, click below: https://gf.me/v/c/rpyx/e7ecvv-helping-the-browns See related story: https://www.riverbender.com/articles/details/state-police-release-information-about-fatal-motorcycle-crash-on-illinois-route-100-60130.cfm

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ALTON - Alton Mayor David Goins today presided over the opening meeting of the new Alton Riverfront Advisory Commission. The Commission met in Alton City Hall and was formed for the purpose to help guide growth and development on the Alton Riverfront. At the outset of the meeting, the Mayor said that this was a great first step in renewing Alton’s relationship with the river. Goins said that “The City of Alton has a long history of utilizing its riverfront for commerce, transit, travel, and the movement of goods and products. Access and use of Alton’s riverfront are critical to the identity of Alton and to the entire region. The riverfront has long served as a focal point for Alton, since its founding as a major river commercial center.” Goins mentioned that Alton has long taken the position that our riverfront was important to the City: “It is our community’s front door." Alton had previously established the Lakefront Advisory Board to aid in th

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GRANITE CITY - Granite City was hit the hardest in the immediate area Tuesday morning with 8-8.5 inches of rainfall during the massive amount of thunderstorms that belted the area. Granite City had a similar rain event in 2019 when 9 inches of rain was dumped and it sparked flash flooding all around that area. More than 1,000 homes were left with flooded yards and basements and some homeless. Granite City Mayor Mike Parkinson and his staff have been busy since he was elected to try to shore up the problems the city has had for years with flooding. Mayor Parkinson made these statements today: “I have spent the morning with my team looking at trouble spots and talking with residents about this morning's regional flash flooding. The City focused last year on flooding mitigation by aggressively cleaning out ditches, upgrading/installing pumps, and authorizing approximately $8 million in infrastructure projects (shown below). “This morning’s event gave me an opportunity

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TABLE GROVE – On July 25, 2022, Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 4 was contacted by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) to investigate an officer-involved shooting involving two FCSO Deputies. Preliminary reports indicate that two FCSO Deputie s were attempting to locate a male subject that was wanted on warrant for Domestic Battery. At appro ximately 9:56 p.m., during an encounter, the subject pointed a gun at the two FCSO Deputies and both Deputies fired their weapon at the male subject. The subject was pronounced deceased near the intersection of Fulton County Road 13 and East Bailey Road. No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident. An autopsy is scheduled for July 26, 2022. This is an active and ongoing investigation and no additional information will be released at this time. The investigation continues by ISP Zone 4 Macomb, the Fulton County Coroner's Office,

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WOOD RIVER - Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells announced on Tuesday that Arion M. Thurman, 19, of the 1100 block of Scott Avenue, St. Louis, has been arrested on the following charges in Madison County Circuit Court: Unlawful Possession Of A Stolen Firearm, Aggravated Unlawful Use Of Weapons, and 5 counts of Burglary. Chief Wells said Thurman was taken into custody at 3 a.m. on Monday, July 25, 2022. "A resident in the 300 block of East Lorena Avenue called the police department due to a car alarm sounding," the chief said. "Officers from the police department responded. Officer Tyler Tharp saw a person standing at a car door. When the person saw Officer Tharp, the person fled on foot. While investigating, Officer Tharp spotted another person in the area. Officer Tharp was able to apprehend Thurman in the 200 block of Lorena Avenue. "The suspect was taken into custody. A firearm with an extended magazine was found and the suspect was taken into custody. The firearm was linked

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