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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) are teaming up to make sure haunted houses in Illinois are safe before doors open for the Halloween season. Haunted houses operated by not-for-profit religious, educational, or charitable organizations may apply for an exemption from IDOL inspections. Haunted house operators/owners should contact local authorities to see what requirements apply locally for haunted houses. Local authorities should be providing those inspections. For those municipalities that do not have local codes or inspectors, OSFM will perform a Fire Department Assistance inspection upon receiving a request from the local Fire Chief. “Spooky season is something many people look forward to in Illinois,” said IDOL Carnival Manager Brian Fox . “IDOL’s Amusement Ride and Attractions Safety Inspectors work to ensure that an experience at a haunted house is safe and fun by verifying

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CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced a new online portal and updated database created to help charitable organizations more easily comply with state law and to improve potential donors’ access to information about charitable organization before making donations. The new system will allow charitable organizations to fill out and submit required forms to the Attorney General’s Charitable Trust Bureau, request filing extensions if needed and pay required fees electronically. Potential donors will be able to better search for charitable organizations’ registration and financial information using the office’s newly updated Charitable Trust Database . “The new online filing system will greatly improve the ability of charitable organizations to interact with my office’s Charitable Trust Bureau, making it easy for organizations to comply with Illinois law,” Raoul said. “Potential donors in Illinois have a right to kno

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Sean Casten (D-IL-06) today reintroduced legislation to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to cover 2.7 million education support professionals (ESPs) who are currently blocked from accessing FMLA benefits. The FMLA guarantees a segment of the workforce the ability to take unpaid leave to care for their newborns and sick loved ones without fear of losing their jobs. However, as a result of their schedules and the limited school year, many ESPs—including clerical support professionals, maintenance workers, janitorial staff, food service employees, bus drivers and others—fail to meet the 1,250-hour threshold needed to qualify for unpaid leave under the FMLA. Duckworth and Casten’s ESP, Paraprofessional, and Education Support Staff Family Leave Act would correct this by finally updating the FMLA to close this gap in federal law. “No one should ever have to choose between

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O’FALLON – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced ramp closures on westbound I nterstate 64 at Highway 50 in St. Clair County. Starting at 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15, the following ramps will close for road construction: Westbound I-64 entrance ramp from Highway 50 Westbound I-64 exit ramp to Highway 50 (Exit 14) The ramps are expected to reopen by 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 22. Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on the social media platform X at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com .

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CHICAGO - Today, Governor JB Pritzker participated in a roundtable with leadership from the Illinois Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) recipient organizations in the Austin neighborhood to discuss the progress of their programs in reducing crime and violence across Chicago’s West Side. Hosted by the Institute for Non-Violence and together with Westside Health Authority, Together Chicago, and BUILD , the roundtable discussion comes as local organizations are having to divert their resources and energy from crime reduction efforts to preparing for the increase of federal officers to our communities. The Trump Administration continues to threaten the use of the National Guard and increased immigration enforcement as a justification to fight crime, despite freezing $158 million for violence prevention programs and rescinding more than $800 million in anti-violence and crime reduction grants nationwide that were working in Chicago. “If the Trump Administration

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with leaders from the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB), Illinois Pork Producers and Illinois Farmers Union this week to discuss the support needed for our state’s agriculture industry and our farmers. Duckworth and the members discussed the importance of supporting our family farmers by expanding the biofuels market, increasing agricultural exports and protecting and improving farm safety net programs as our American farmers are being decimated by Donald Trump’s erratic trade wars and continued gutting of critical federal agricultural programs. Photos from the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) and Illinois Pork Producers meetings can be found on the Senator’s website. “America has always depended on our nation’s farmers to grow the food and fuel we need, and I’m proud to advocate for them on both the national and international stage,” Duckworth said. “The work of Illinois’s

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CHICAGO - Today, Governor JB Pritzker visited Illinois-based manufacturing companies on the show floor at the FABTECH exposition — which is the largest metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing exposition in North America. FABTECH 2025 attracted 50,000 attendees and over 1,700 exhibitors at Chicago’s McCormick Place — the largest convention center in North America. “As a manufacturing powerhouse, Illinois is a natural choice to host 50,000 visitors for FABTECH 2025 — the nation’s premier metal fabrication conference,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Despite escalating federal deployment by the Trump administration, Chicago’s role as a premier global destination is on full display, not just for manufacturing and business, but also for large-scale conventions and tourism.” Illinois remains greatly concerned about the effects of escalating federal deployments on our people and businesses — especially combined with

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BELLEVILLE – Caritas Family Solutions and Human Support Services (HSS) are pleased to announce that the two organizations will be merging, uniting their missions and programs under the Caritas Family Solutions umbrella to better serve communities across Southern Illinois and the Metro East. Caritas Family Solutions currently supports more than 6,300 individuals annually through programs including foster care, adoption, senior living services, homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and family support initiatives. HSS provides services to more than 1,200 annually, with a strong legacy in mental health and substance use treatment, residential supports, and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Boards of Directors for both Caritas and HSS have carefully and thoughtfully decided to join forces to expand their collective impact and ensure sustainable, high-quality services for the future. To help offset the operational

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ALTON - A local author has taken her work to new heights with the release of a coloring book. Amoriah Gray, 10, is no stranger to writing and publishing her story. Her first book, “Amoriah’s Magic Afro Puffs,” debuted when she was just 7 years old. Now, she’s helping other kids to work out their feelings and tell their stories with “Amoriah’s Social Emotional Learning Coloring Book.” “I hope they get positive thoughts and creative minds,” Amoriah said when asked what kids should take away from the book. The coloring book features affirmations, mindfulness techniques, and other social emotional coping skills. The aim is to empower kids and teach them basic emotional regulation skills through interactive crosswords, games and coloring pages. Angela, Amoriah’s mother, serves as a school social worker. The mother-daughter duo collaborated to come up with the book’s contents. “We were looking for how

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EAST ALTON – Another individual has been charged with calling in terrorist threats to local businesses for nearly a month. Jarrett M. Maki, 25, of Detroit, was charged on Sept. 8, 2025 with 11 Class X felony counts of making a terrorist threat. The case against Maki was filed just four days after a similar case against Austin H. Blair , 25, of East Alton, who was charged on Sept. 4, 2025 with 11 counts of making a terrorist threat, each Class X felonies. The charges against Maki mirror those filed against Blair. Both individuals are charged with threatening to commit a terrorist act or creating the impression that a terrorist act was about to be committed on 11 different occasions from July 28 to Aug. 27, 2025. Both individuals are accused of making phone calls to several local businesses, including various fast food restaurants, a convenience store, and a local bar. According to charging documents, Maki made the same threats against the same businesses on the same dates

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CHICAGO – Landmarks Illinois has awarded $43,000 in grant funding to 10 preservation projects across the state through three grant programs: the Preservation Heritage Fund, Barbara C. and Thomas E. Donnelley II Preservation Fund for Illinois and the Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago’s South Side. These grants provide critical seed funding to nonprofits, congregations and community groups working to restore culturally and historically significant sites in the Illinois communities of Chicago, Galesburg, Greenup, Kampsville, Naperville and Peoria. Read below for more information on our grant programs and our latest grant recipients. Grant applications for the next round of funding through all three of Landmarks Illinois' grant programs are due October 1. Eligible organizations and entities are encouraged to apply. PRESERVATION HERITAGE FUND GRANT RECIPIENTS Landmarks Illinois’ Preservation Heritage Fund grants provide monetary assistance to significan

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O'FALLON - O'Fallon Police Department partnered with the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Illinois in a fundraising event held Thursday evening, Sept. 11, 2025, at the O'Fallon Police Department. The third annual "Let's Go to Jail for Special Olympics Illinois" event brought together community members, local athletes, and their families to raise money for the organization. During the event, four local athletes and their families shared their personal stories, while participants, referred to as "inmates," competed to raise the most "bail" money. The effort resulted in a record-breaking total of more than $37,000 raised for Special Olympics Illinois. A significant portion of the funds came from local schools, whose administrators raised a combined $17,470. Notably, Principal Ybarra of St. Clare Catholic School and Superintendent Hruby of O'Fallon Community Consolidated School District #90 each raised over $6,000. The top individual fundraiser was Brad

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GLEN CARBON — The community is invited to attend A Choral Flourish, a series of concerts marking the 25th anniversary of a local singing group. The concerts will take place over three days this fall at different venues in the Metro East area. The first concert is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. at New Bethel United Methodist Church, located at 131 N. Main St. in Glen Carbon. The group will continue its performances on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 3 p.m. at Lovejoy Presbyterian Church, 2550 Rockhill Rd. in Wood River, followed by a final concert on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 3 p.m. at Godfrey First United Methodist Church, 1100 Airport Rd. in Godfrey. The singing group has been performing together for 25 years, focusing on music appreciation and community engagement through choral music. According to Bev Schultz, a representative of the group, “We have been singing together for 25 years, sharing music appreciation with our community, and enjoying the blessings that come with singing.&rdquo

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MADISON – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that maintenance on westbound Interstate 55/70 between Illinois 203 and Exchange Avenue in St. Clair County will require lane closures starting, weather permitting, at 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15. Two lanes will be closed to perform necessary bridge maintenance. All lanes are expected to reopen by 6 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 25. Motorists should expect long delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during the closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on the social media platform X at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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GODFREY - Alton Grace United Methodist Church has sold its building and begun offering services at Asbury Village in Godfrey. At 10 a.m. every Sunday, community members are invited to Asbury Village’s chapel for worship. Pastor Alan Abert noted that the services are open to the public. He is excited about this next chapter for the church. “About 18 months ago, we began envisioning what our ministry was going to look like going forward. The second question was, can we do that ministry without the weight of a building?” Pastor Abert shared. “This has been a God moment from beginning to end.” The congregation realized their building wasn’t suited to the growth they wanted. In July 2025, they decided to sell their building, located at 702 Henry Street in Alton, to a church group based out of North County called El Bethel Church of God in Christ. El Bethel COGIC will begin services in the Henry Street building soon. In the meantime, Alton

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GODFREY - The Riverbend CEO program invites community members to join them for a pickleball tournament. The Riverbend CEO program encourages area high school students to learn about entrepreneurship by conceptualizing and starting their own businesses. On Oct. 17 and 18, 2025, at Glazebrook Park in Godfrey, community members can support the program by playing pickleball. “It’s all fun,” said one Riverbend CEO student. “There are prizes. We literally just want everybody to have fun.” The tournaments run from 6–9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18. Each day is a new bracket. The students ask players to sign up by Oct. 10. It costs $15 per play or $30 per team to participate. They explained that the money will allow them to start their businesses. “Each fund is for our own separate business,” they said. “Closer to the winter and the spring, we’ll start developing our own businesses.

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Did you know that the average person consumes nearly 9 pounds of chocolate each year? This seemingly simple indulgence has a rich history and cultural significance that spans continents and centuries. International Chocolate Day, celebrated on September 13th, offers a perfect opportunity to delve into the fascinating world of chocolate beyond its sweet taste. From its ancient origins to contemporary culinary innovations, chocolate continues to captivate and inspire. This article explores the origins and significance of International Chocolate Day, highlights unique recipes that elevate chocolate’s versatility, and provides practical tips for incorporating this beloved ingredient into everyday cooking. The Origins and Significance of International Chocolate Day International Chocolate Day is more than just a celebration of a popular treat; it honors the legacy of chocolate’s discovery and its cultural impact worldwide. The date commemorates the birthday of Milton S. Hershey,

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BELLEVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that pavement evaluations on Illinois 13 and Illinois 158 in St. Clair County will take place on Thursday, Sept. 18, weather permitting. The work will require intermittent daytime lane closures at the following locations: Illinois 13 from 23rd Street to Illinois 158 Illinois 158 from Illinois 15 to 0.2 miles east of Rentchler Road Work on Illinois 13 will be completed prior to beginning pavement evaluations on Illinois 158. Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on the social media platform X at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) today are expressing their opposition to the Administration’s use of Naval Station Great Lakes (NSGL) for support to federal law enforcement operations in Illinois and demanding written confirmation of how the installation is being used. In a letter sent to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem today, the members are calling on the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide answers after DHS’s refusal to meet with the members at NSGL last week. “We are gravely concerned about the decision by the Secretary of Defense to designate U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) installation Naval Station Great Lakes (NSGL) as a staging location for U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel for federal law and immigratio

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Chestnut Health Systems offers free NARCAN® and free training on how and when to use it. The free training is virtual, on Zoom, so you can attend without leaving your home. You can attend anonymously. The training is user-friendly, easy and interesting. There are no tests or quizzes. The training is offered every 3rd Thursday of the month at 10:00am and 2:00pm. The next training is scheduled for Sept 18, 2025. To sign up for the next training, or for more information, email mdrainer@chestnut.org . Chestnut also provides free in-person trainings for individuals and groups, such as families, churches, offices, book clubs, libraries, food pantries, homeless shelters, businesses, etc.

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