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ALTON - Alton Little Theater's Creative Director & Designer, Kevin D. Frakes, will produce and perform in a Vegas-Style Show on April 22nd and 23rd at 7:30 pm, and a Sunday matinee at 2 pm on April 24th at the ALT Showplace. Nearly a year ago, Frakes envisioned an Entertainment Extravaganza for what he states will likely be his last concert after 40 years of singing professionally, and he has been working on the music and all artistic elements of a show that he believes will give audience members two hours of superb enjoyment. Tickets for the concert are $25 and benefit ALT's Fundraising efforts that are currently being put towards renovations and artistic expansion. Kevin is bringing together a talented group of singers and dancers to support the music spectacular. Local new star, Miles Brenton, will be the Opening Act for Frakes & Company, and then will return after intermission to perform a lively number while playing six instruments. Kya Wonders will perform "Silks" as part of

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Orchestra students gathered again Saturday night with students and spectators for the annual Tiger Town Consortium Concert. Edwardsville High School's Lucco Gymnasium was filled with orchestra students and those in attendance to view the event. The music directors said they thought the talented grades 5 through 12 students who participated sounded simply “fantastic.” The Fifth-Grade Orchestra performed “French Folk Song,” and “Russian Music Box,” while the sixth-grade orchestra did “Themes From Harry Potter,” and “Fire in the Bow.” The Seventh-and-Eighth-Grade Orchestra students performed “Souvenir de Porto Rico,” and did a show-stopping version of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The High School Orchestra performed “Mambo from ‘West Side Story,’” “Cinema Paradiso,” “Highlights from ‘Jurassic Park,’” and “I Wil

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ALTON - Illinois American Water’s work to separate the Alton combined sewer system and install new sanitary sewers continues. Below is information about this week’s road closures – Mar. 28, 2022 Piasa Valley Area: Surface restoration work should start soon on 6th Street and is progressing on 7th Street. Alby Street is closed from 6th Street north to 11th Street, with the intersection of 9th Street open north to Schwegel’s parking lot. 8th Street east of Alby is closed to Easton Street, with the closure to George Street upcoming. Access to Schwegel’s Market parking lot is from the south currently via 9th Street. Please drive cautiously. 10th Street. between Alby and Easton Street is two-way traffic only temporarily. East of Easton Street is still only one-way traffic in a westward direction. Turner Tract Area: Danforth Street pavement restoration will be starting soon. The alley south of McKinley east of Lincoln is back open to traffic, with pavement

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ALTON – Centerstone, a national leader in behavioral health care, received a $5,000 grant from the Alton Foundation for personal items for residents of Centerstone’s Alton group homes that support men and women at risk of homelessness who have experienced mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders. “Ultimately, this gift strengthens the residents’ capacities to build healthier and more stable futures by providing for materials that any person relaunching themselves into society would want,” said Erin Camfield, Centerstone Director of Advancement. Centerstone’s residential clients work hard to learn to manage their behavioral health conditions and build skills and resources necessary for self-sufficiency. These funds will provide residents with hygiene products, clothing and shoes. “Like the new attitudes and coping techniques our clients have learned to use to heal after mental illness or lived experience with a substance use disorder

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EAST ST. LOUIS – Local businesses in Madison and St. Clair Counties were awarded more than $650,000 in funding from the Back to Business program thanks to advocacy and support from State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea). “Business owners are still in recovery mode as we move forward from the pandemic,” Belt said. “This funding has been essential for the small businesses in the Metro East that have fought to keep their doors open.” The B2B grants are awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity using funds allocated to them by the American Rescue Plan through last year’s state budget. So far – thanks to strong support from Senator Belt – DCEO has provided $200 million in B2B grants to small businesses throughout the state with an emphasis on disproportionately impacted areas. With nearly $50 million left to go, more businesses will have the opportunity to get a share of the relief funds. “It’s

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CARLINVILLE - The Blackburn College Department of Music & Theatre will host a special choral program with the theme “A Legacy of Life” on Sunday, April 3, 2022, at 2:00 pm in Bothwell Auditorium. Students asked their families, peers, and friends what it means to live a well-lived life. After collecting the responses, Dr. Joseph Welch, professor of Music, used these quotes and thoughts to develop a choral program with selections that capture the essence of living meaningful lives. This event will include performances by Blackburn Voices and College Choir with support from conductor Welch and pianist Dr. See Tsai Chan, adjunct professor of Music. Tim Conner, senior Theatre major and student concert producer, encouraged the community to support the work students and faculty have put into designing this unique performance. “In a time where many people's lives have been dramatically affected by a global pandemic, it has been nice to reflect on what makes life truly meaningful,

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Lewis and Clark Events Calendar March 26-April 2, 2021 For current information regarding Lewis and Clark Community College’s operations during the pandemic, please visit lc.edu/coronavirus . Recurring event: Alton Area Tax Project: 5-7 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Templin Nursing Building, NU201, Lewis and Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Rd., Godfrey. Appointments are required. Visit https://AltonAreaTaxProject.com/appointment or call (314) 292-9597. 3/26 – NGRREC & Sierra Club Seed Swap: 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Field Station back parking lot, One Confluence Way, East Alton. christine.favilla@sierraclub.org. 3/27 – Trailblazers Baseball vs. Spoon River: 1 p.m., Godfrey Ball Park, 1401B Stamper Ln., Godfrey. (618) 468-5253. 3/27 – Trailblazers Softball vs. Danville: 1 p.m., Godfrey Ball Park, 1401B Stamper Ln., Godfrey. (618) 468-6270. 3/28 – Black Art Show: noon-2 p.m., The Commons, Lewis and Clark Community

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today that in response to a sharp drop in the demand for COVID-19 testing services at the ten Community-Based Testing Sites and the anticipated end of federal funding, operations at the locations will end on March 31. IDPH previewed that operations would be winding down when the mask mandate was lifted and has seen traffic at the sites – which carried out more than 1.5 million tests in total throughout their operation – drop precipitously in recent weeks. The sites are currently handling less than one percent of the tests being conducted statewide. The number of daily tests conducted at these sites is on track to be the lowest on record with each site seeing fewer than 50 individuals per day, according to IDPH data. Given the availability of free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government, the statewide network of federally qualified health centers and the extensive number of SHIELD saliv

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ALTON - For those that know Joanne Adams, they will not be surprised that she is spearheading a new volunteer, grassroots initiative as the Regional Leader for Lasagna Love. Joanne just celebrated her one-year anniversary with the organization this past week and covers Northern Madison, Macoupin, Greene, Jersey, and Calhoun Counties. Combining her incredible skills in the kitchen and her heart for people, Joanne is leading the way to find both volunteer chefs and families who could use a comforting homemade meal. Joanne said, she "heard about Lasagna Love from a friend (Shelly Lohr) who thought it was a perfect fit!" As the 2019 Lovejoy Human Rights Award recipient, Joanne has been serving our community with a smile since she moved to Alton in 1997. Joanne delivered her first Meals on Wheels in the late 90s and found joy in helping others. She remembers driving around with a smile on her face the entire first day of delivering those first Meals on Wheels. She started the SAK, Serving

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Police (ISP) has announced the conviction and sentencing of licensed practical nurse Christy McCall, 45, of Belleville, for Reckless Conduct for failure to administer life-saving measures to a resident living in Collinsville Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. On March 14, 2022, McCall pled guilty to an amended charge of Reckless Conduct (Class A Misdemeanor) in Madison County. McCall’s original charges of Criminal Neglect of a Long Term Care Facility Resident Resulting in Death and Criminal Neglect of a Long Term Care Facility Resident Resulting in Injury were vacated as terms of the guilty plea. McCall was sentenced to 12 months of probation with fines and fees in the amount of $1,039. On August 1, 2017, the administrator of Collinsville Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center notified the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau of an allegation that licensed practical nurse Christy McCall had neglected to provide proper car

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EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s John Matta, PhD, has earned the SIUE Graduate School’s 2022-23 Vaughnie Lindsay New Investigator Award in support of his innovative research on equity and inclusion in computer science. Matta is an assistant professor in the School of Engineering (SOE) Department of Computer Science. His scholarly interests focus on complex networks, machine learning, graph, theory and computing education. He will receive a combined $12,500 from the SIUE Graduate School and SOE to be used in a one-year period. The award will fund his research project, entitled “Developing an Open-Source Mobile App to Improve Participation of Underserved Populations in Respondent-Driven Sampling Surveys” which aims to develop a software solution to help researchers conduct respondent-driven sampling (RDS), a survey technique to collect data on hard-to-reach populations. “I feel honored to get this award and am excited tha

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BELLEVILLE - Touchette Regional Hospital is recognizing that heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability. The hospital’s providers recommend speaking to their physical therapist team to see if there are actions patients can take to keep their heart-healthy. “If you're regularly going for a run or swimming laps, you don't need help from your physical therapist, but 3 out of 4 adults aren't exercising regularly. For those folks, a PT may be just the person they need,” said Mike Riley, Jr., Director of Physical Therapy at Touchette Regional Hospital. “It's not uncommon to get injured, then never get back to the old routine. A PT can help with the old injury and design a plan to safely return to regular activity.” In addition to helping with general body pain, Touchette Regional Hospital physical therapists can help to safely increase activity levels after a major medical issue like a heart attack, stroke, or cancer. Recent research has shown

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 8,039 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 109 deaths since March 18, 2022. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,061,224 cases, including 33,307 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since March 18, 2022, laboratories have reported 563,249 specimens for a total of 56,891,628. As of last night, 470 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 64 patients were in the ICU and 33 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 18-24, 2022 is 1.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 18-24, 2022 is 1.6%. A total of 21,315,893 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day

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EVERGREEN PARK - If you are the parent of a young child, chances are you have dealt with picky eating at some point. Maybe your child only likes one type of food or refuses to eat at dinner time – whatever the case might be, getting your child on a healthy eating track can seem daunting at times. But when does picky eating become a concern? A well-balanced diet is crucial for one’s overall health – especially during their childhood years when they are still growing and developing. Dr. Safiat Amuwo, an OSF HealthCare pediatrician, says healthy eating habits start at home. “A lot of times, children learn from their parents. So if the parents are picky eaters, or don’t eat a lot of fruits or vegetables, they mimic what they see their parents do. If you are eating fried foods or foods with high sugar, the child wants to eat that, too. It is always good to make sure that whatever you are giving the child, you also eat it,” Dr. Amuwo says. According t

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PEORIA - The American Nurses Association estimates that 2.2 million new nurses are needed to replace those retiring in 2022 alone. Add to that the recent pandemic-related staffing issues and one thing is certain: nurses are needed. Sue Brown, RN, PhD, DNP, is the dean of undergraduate studies at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing in Peoria, Illinois. She and her colleagues are working to educate the next generation of health care workers, something she says is imperative – now more than ever. “Nursing is under pressure right now with COVID and the pandemic, but also because we have baby boomers retiring,” says Dr. Brown. “So we have nurses retiring in record numbers, aided by the pandemic, obviously, and we have a decrease in enrollment in higher education across the board.” The numbers, however, seem to be taking a turn in the right direction. According to data released by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN ) , student

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COLLINSVILLE - Legal risks can be fatal to a farm business. Understanding legal issues can dispel anxiety and help farmers realize their power to control their circumstances. University of Illinois Extension partners with Farm Commons for a four-part series on legal issues for farms. "Every farm or ranch no matter its size, location, or longevity is in a great position to build resilience," says Kathryn Pereira, Illinois Extension local foods system small farms educator. Farm Commons is a nonprofit organization that assists farmers to solve their own business law challenges in a community of support. Farm Commons Executive Director Rachel Armstrong will provide the interactive workshops, including time for questions from participants. As the founder and executive director of Farm Commons, Rachel Armstrong leads workshops for farmers nationwide and created the organization’s innovative approach to farm law risk reduction. She has authored publications on farm law matters for

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EDWARDSVILLE - Woodland Elementary School special education teacher Kelly Baird was in grade school when they used to let the sixth, seventh and eighth graders help with kindergartners and first graders during recess. “I really enjoyed that and decided I wanted to be a teacher.” At the same time, PL94-142 had passed and special education was coming into being. “I thought that sounded even better. The more I learned, the more I thought special education was for me.” When Baird began at District #7 30 years ago, her mentor teacher was a communications disorder teacher. “She was amazing! I learned so much about how language affects everything we do. Then I got to work with two girls who were on the Autism spectrum (although not yet diagnosed), and I was fascinated by how their minds work.” Baird had opportunities to attend workshops and learn even more about Autism. “I knew these were my people! I’ve been in love with that population

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ST. CLAIR COUNTY - Illinois State Police reports a single-vehicle fatal traffic crash at 10:38 p.m. on March 24, 2022, in St. Claire County. Kevin L. Clark, 30, from Centreville, died in the crash. This is the preliminary ISP report on the crash: WHERE: Interstate 255 northbound Milepost 20, near Interstate 64, St. Clair County VEHICLES: Unit 1- White 2017 Ford Fusion DRIVERS: Unit 1- Kevin L Clark Jr., 30-year-old male from Centreville, IL - Deceased PRELIMINARY: Preliminary investigative details indicate the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling northbound on Interstate 255 at Milepost 20, near Interstate 64, in St. Clair County. Unit 1 left the roadway to the left, entered the grassy median, and struck the end of a concrete barrier. Unit 1 became engulfed in flames. The driver of Unit 1 was fatally injured. The right lane of Interstate 255 southbound near Milepost 20 was closed for approximately two hours and was reopened at approximately 12:48 a.m. No further

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GODFREY – Campus and community emergency response teams – including ambulances, fire trucks and a helicopter – converged on Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey Campus Friday morning for a simulated HazMat incident. “We hold a mock disaster training exercise every few years to ensure the campus is prepared in the event of a real emergency,” said L&C Campus Emergency Management Consultant Chris Sichra. “This year, we were able to include students in the exercise, and give them some hands-on training for how to operate during a complex emergency incident.” L&C deployed its Emergency Operations Team at 10:23 a.m., and crews began responding to the area near the Hatheway Cultural Center. Godfrey Fire Chief Eric Cranmer, who served as incident commander, laid out the scenario. Godfrey Fire received a (mock) call about a HazMat incident involving chlorine, in which a new delivery person was involved in an accident inside Hatheway that

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URBANA – Crouched between rows of tomatoes and peppers tucked inside a high tunnel, researchers pluck insects off plants in the name of science. Because to catch a pest, you may have to release a predator. The flourishing local foods movement is driving more Illinois farmers to grow fruits and vegetables, using high tunnels to extend the growing season. All that fresh produce in an enclosed space makes insect outbreaks common. To help growers protect their investment, University of Illinois Extension is researching how to use predator insects to control pests. Bronwyn Aly , an Extension local food systems and small farms educator in Southern Illinois, knew local farmers needed a safe, efficient, and cost-effective way to deal with pests in high tunnels. This need prompted her to reach out to University of Illinois researcher Kacie Athey , assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences , for a solution. The question is, can other insects – their natural predators

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