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MATHCON promotional video from 2021. ALTON - MathCON 2022 is proud to announce that Blake Schaper, Freshmen Homeschool Student of Alton has qualified as a MathCON 2022 Finalist. Blake is the son of Tyler & Christy Schaper. MathCON Finalists are those students who score in the top 96% percentile or above of mathematics students nationally. This is the third time Blake Schaper has attempted qualification to MathCON but due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, he was unable to attend in 2020. Blake's first qualification was in 2019 as a middle school student. MathCON is a nonprofit national mathematics organization recognized for its annual student math competition for students in grades 4-12, with more than 200,000 participants since 2008. It is an innovative Mathematics platform, including a competition series developed to enhance mathematics education. Our vision is to build a collaborative mathematics community for students and educators to enhance and support STEM education in the United

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EDWARDSVILLE - Six men face charges of mob action from a March 22, 2022, incident at the Madison County Jail. Madison County Sheriff’s Chief of Detectives David Vucich reported about what happened on March 22 at the jail. “The synopsis was on March 22, at 9:50 a.m., jail staff alerted the department to a disturbance in the jail facility. The investigation revealed a bunch of people reacted violently to an individual in a property dispute. The staff quickly had the situation under control and no one was seriously injured. Those in the jail are held at the same standards of those who do this outside the jail facility.” Vucich said he could not release at this time exactly what the property dispute was over. Those charged are Curtis A. Ray, 32, of Granite City, Curtis L. Faust, 33, of St. Louis, Joseph P. Pellazari, 37, of Granite City, Devon J. Stewart, 20, of Granite City, Terrell L. Griffith, 50, of Godfrey, and Jimmy Carrasco, 25, of Glendale, Arizona. The sheriff’s

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ALTON - A COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, at Webster Temple COGIC at 1100 Highland and Webster streets in Alton. The vaccine clinic is sponsored by Webster Temple COGIC, Pastor Sancho Williams, and Alderwoman Rosetta Brown. COVID-19 Booster shots and also all of the first three shots are available at the clinic, Brown said. The clinic is in partnership with the State of Illinois Department of Public Health. Brown added voter registration opportunities will also be available. “My community is of the utmost importance to me and I want to make sure we can make things like the vaccines and voter registration available,” she said. “COVID-19 is still real and there are many who aren’t yet vaccinated, so this is a good opportunity for them. The primary election is June 28 and we want people to be registered.”

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Between a new all-time NBA Hoops high score record, a limbo competition, S’mores Night and more, there’s been a lot of activity at the Riverbender.com Community Center the past couple of weeks. Bishop Stotler scored 126 points in one minute playing NBA Hoops last Friday night at the community center, shattering his previous record of 110 points in one minute. By beating his own personal best, Stotler continues to hold the community center’s all-time high score record in NBA Hoops. In addition to NBA Hoops history being made, last Friday night also saw Birdie Elliott win the “Low Low Limbo” competition. She went home with a $35 Walmart gift card donated by Lucinda Lowe. Kids also got the chance to roast their own marshmallows and make their own s’mores on “S’mores Night” during the prior week’s Friday Night Open Play on March 11. The Riverbender.com Community Center is a recreational space for primarily grade-school-age

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GODFREY – Multiple area agencies have teamed up to coordinate and conduct a large-scale HazMat mass casualty exercise for first responders Friday, March 25, on the Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey Campus. The scene at L&C was highly active on Friday morning with an abundance of first-responder personnel on hand. L&C has held disaster exercises on campus before, but not at this scale, and not involving students, who will be volunteering and learning from the simulation. The drill runs from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Friday, primarily in the area around the Hatheway Cultural Center. At least a half a dozen first response and other local mutual aid companies from across the region will be participating and that includes Lewis and Clark Community College’s Incident Management Team, Nursing Program, and Campus Safety Department, along with the Godfrey Fire Protection District, Madison County Emergency Management Agency, Alton Memorial Hospital EMS, AVEC, and

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EAST ALTON – Helmkamp Construction continues to grow with the addition of Stuarrt Bailey to their project management team. Bailey joins Helmkamp with a background in estimating and project management in industrial work and will be mainly focused on serving Helmkamp’s clients in industrial markets. Stuarrt Bailey graduated in 2016 from the Construction Management program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Since, he has worked on construction projects at both Berco Industrial and Ameren Transmission. When asked why he decided to join Helmkamp Construction, he said “Helmkamp has a great culture. The benefits are amazing and that says a lot to me about the leadership.” Helmkamp President and Owner, Rob Johnes, said “I am pleased to announce Stuarrt as the most recent addition to our team. He comes to us with industrial experience that will allow him to jump into and excel on industrial projects. The industrial market is a specialty that Helmkamp

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GODFREY - Pride, Inc.'s 8th annual Local Celebrity Roast will be held next Thursday, March 31 at The Commons at Lewis & Clark Community College located at 5800 Godfrey Road. This year's Roast Master is State Farm Insurance Agent and long-time Pride, Inc. Board Member Karen Wilson. This year's Roastee is Zeke Jabusch, president of North Alton/Godfrey Business Council and entrepreneur. This event is a time when supporters of Pride, Inc., friends, family, colleagues and local business owners get together for some good-natured ribbing at the expense of a local business leader. Pride, Inc. Executive Director Pat Stewart shares that there are still tables to fill for the upcoming roast. "Pride's Celebrity Roast of Zeke Jabusch will be a great time, and there are still many tables available," Stewart said. "All event proceeds will go toward beautification projects in the Riverbend area. Individuals can purchase a ticket to the roast for $60. A table of 8 costs $450. Ticket prices include

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell -0.2 percentage point to 4.8 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +19,600 in February, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The January monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report from +8,600 to +10,800 jobs. The January unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 5.0 percent. The February payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th. In February, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+8,300), Manufacturing (+4,800), Leisure and Hospitality (+4,800) and Educational and Health Services (+4,300). The industry sectors that reported monthly payroll declines were: Professional and Business Services (-3,400) and Financial

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ALTON - SIHF is highlighting Endometriosis Awareness Month; it’s an important time to bring women, families, and medical communities together to recognize the signs and symptoms of this disease that affects nearly 176 million women worldwide. “Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue – similar to endometrial tissue (the inner lining of the uterus) – spreads to areas outside the uterus, including the ovaries and the Fallopian tubes’” explained Jamie Hardman, OB/GYN Physician at SIHF Healthcare in Alton. Common signs and symptoms of endometriosis include pelvic pain, painful periods, pain with intercourse, pain with bowel movements or urination, excessive bleeding, and infertility. Other signs and symptoms include fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or nausea, especially during menstrual periods. “Endometriosis can be a challenging condition to manage. An early diagnosis, a multidisciplinary medical team, and an understanding of your

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ST. LOUIS - Five pet care startups from across the U.S. pitched their businesses to pet industry influencers and investors at Global Pet Expo for a chance to win the 2022 Pet Care Innovation Prize powered by Purina. The Global Pet Expo is the pet industry's largest trade show attracting pet-focused entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes and stages from around the world. The grand prize is worth $10,000 and comes with support from pet care leader Purina. This year's grand prize winner was FluentPet . The San Diego-based startup is the company behind the FluentPet HexTile System: a way to combine recordable sound buttons and connecting HexTiles that enables dogs, cats, and other animals to express themselves and be understood by humans. FluentPet uses cognitive science and academic research to make teaching, learning, and communicating easier for pets and their people. "We are so grateful to be this year's Grand Prize winner, a prize we've been working toward for a number of years

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ST. LOUIS - Since the founding of the Nat'l Museum of Transportation in 1944, the museum and staff have worked to curate the largest collection of its kind in the world. Today, their mission is to be the leader in protecting and interpreting North America’s transportation heritage. The Museum’s rail and transit collections have grown to encompass more than 190 major exhibits. The collection is recognized as the largest collection of transportation vehicles in the world. A day at the National Museum of Transportation is the "perfect St. Louis family outing." With a new year comes new exhibitions, and TNMOT has much to offer. Raffle to Win a 1924 Model T – through June 19 The 'Road to the Big Raffle' prizes include a beautiful 1924 Ford Model T Coupe, gas gift cards (Who doesn't need that right now?), WeatherTech Gift Card, Mobile Detailing, and more! Each day from June 12 through June 19 a winner will be drawn. Tickets are $25 each or five for $100.00. Two tickets

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ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Area Foodbank has been selected for the 2022 Best of Bridgeton Award in the Non-Profit Organization category. About the Best of Bridgeton Award: Each year, the Bridgeton Award Program identifies companies that have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Bridgeton area a great place to live, work, and play. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy. The St. Louis Area Foodbank celebrates being the recipient of this award and we are grateful for this recognition by the City of Bridgeton. The need for food is immense and continues to grow. In an average year, nearly 400,000 people rely on the St. Louis Area Foodbank for assistance, and during the pandemic, we’ve served more neighbors

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SPRINGFIELD - Illinois is putting our fiscal house in order and paying off our debt. I applaud House Democrats for prioritizing legislation that will use our resources in the most fiscally responsible way: SB2803 will pay down more than $4.1 billion in debt. I especially appreciate the tireless work to dedicate additional revenues to one-time efforts that will produce a stronger budget for years to come, and I extend my gratitude in particular to Leaders Greg Harris, Marcus Evans and Jay Hoffman and Reps. Will Davis, Robyn Gabel, Lisa Hernandez and Michael Zalewski for advancing this priority. I’m disappointed that Republicans are putting their politics ahead of fiscal responsibility while Democrats in the General Assembly are taking the lead to put our fiscal house in order. SB 2803 Key Facts As amended in the House, SB 2803 accomplishes several key goals the Governor laid out in his State of the State and budget proposal, paying off $4.1 billion in debt: Dedicates a substantia

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GODFREY – The Nature Institute, located at 2213 South Levis Lane in Godfrey, IL, is happy to announce the trails will open on April 1 for public use. TNI has over 5 miles of trails of easy to difficult terrain. Most trails have a dirt tread, but there is one ½ mile paved trail which is home to the Hayner Library’s StoryWalk. The public is welcome to enjoy hiking the property between the hours of 7 am and dusk. Trail maps are available at the trailhead, and bathrooms will be available for use near the lodge. There are also picnic tables scattered around the trailhead and lodge that families are welcome to use, but please gather your trash and belongings and take them with you. Since The Nature Institute is an Illinois Nature Preserve, meaning everything is protected under state law, flowers and mushrooms should be left to grow and rocks and feathers should be left on the property. Pets of all kinds should be left at home as TNI does not allow pets on the trails. Also

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High School student Sarah Meng is the Edwardsville Rotary Club Student of the Month Award for March. Sarah was nominated by her mathematics teacher, Tiffany McBride. Sarah achieved the honor roll last semester in her academic courses at Edwardsville High School. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, dabbling in art, and baking. Sarah says she would like to attend the Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville after her high school graduation to major in psychology. The Edwardsville Rotary Club recognizes a student each month September through April. Each May, Edwardsville High School staff chooses one of the monthly winners to receive the $1,500 Edwardsville High School Rotary Scholarship. The awards have been given since 1996 and the Edwardsville Rotary Club has given out over $28,000 in scholarships to date.

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WOOD RIVER - Charlie’s Drive-In in Wood River is about to be back in business. Chastity and Aaron Niemeyer, and Fred and Jeri Shaw purchased the Charlie’s Drive-In business at 7262 Wood River Avenue in Wood River from the previous owners recently. The plan after some work on the building is to be open in mid-April, Chastity said. Chastity and Jeri are the main partners in the business. Chastity said the two became friends with their sons involved in East Alton-Wood River wrestling. “Our sons wrestled together from fifth grade through East Alton-Wood River High School,” she said. “We love East Alton and Wood River. I graduated from high school in 2001.” Aaron Niemeyer Jr. and Jason Shaw were the sons who wrestled together. The big question is will the famed homemade root beer and mini-burgers be part of the menu, and the answer Chastity says is “yes,” right at the top. Coffee and iced coffees may also be added at some point to the menu

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WOOD RIVER - Carlos E. Watson, 23, of East St. Louis, was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, aggravated assault, and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He allegedly fired in the direction of another man on March 20. The other two charges involve the same conduct but different sections of the criminal code. Bail is set at $150,000. The charges were filed on March 21. GLEN CARBON - Rudy J. Hampton, 45, of Granite City, was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine. He allegedly possessed less than five grams of the drug on March 19. Bail was set at $25,000. The charge was filed on March 21. EDWARDSVILLE - Calvin L. Heath, 46, of the first block of Devon Place, Edwardsville, was charged Wednesday with aggravated domestic battery and misdemeanor domestic battery. He allegedly choked a household member on March 18. He was also accused of domestic battery for striking the victim. Bail was set at $50,000. EDWARDSVILLE - Kolbe P. Hughes, 23, of Independence,

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GRAFTON - Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow is proud to see one of the city’s treasures - the Loading Dock-Boat House - moving closer to the National Register of Historic Places list. Mayor Morrow said it was announced at the Grafton City Council Meeting that the historic Boat Works building has been approved as a historic site on the state realm and is now headed for those who decide on the National Register of Historic places buildings. The Allen family are the owners of the Loading Dock-Boat House. Peter Allen announced the state decision at the Grafton Council meeting this week. The National Register of Historic Places is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. “I think everybody in Grafton is absolutely pleased to see it go to the National Historic Register of Places decision-makers,” Mayor Morrow said. “One positive is buildings

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EDWARDSVILLE - Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced today that Jacob Godoy, 17, of St. Louis, pled guilty to one count of first-degree murder for the January 2021 killing of SIUE student Moneer Damra. “The Defendant turned the streets of Madison County into a shooting gallery that evening, and took the life of a wonderful young man, senselessly and brutally,” Haine said. “Such violence will be met with the strictest prosecution in Madison County. We continue to pray for Moneer’s family, the SIUE community, and the ROTC program as they continue forward in the face of this horrific tragedy.” On the evening of January 14, 2021, Damra was a passenger in a vehicle on Interstate 270 and Route 157 in Edwardsville when he was struck by gunfire. He was taken to a local hospital and passed away several days later as a result of the injury. The first-degree murder charge is a Class M felony, and the sentencing range is 20-60 years in the Illinoi

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ALTON - Alton Fire Chief Jesse Jemison expressed pride that the contract between the Firefighters and Teamsters unions and the City of Alton had been approved by the deadline and it seemed a fair agreement for both sides. In previous years, the chief said some of the negotiations had been very heated and it was hard to come to a compromise. The chief says the other good news is it is a four-year agreement that runs from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2026. Chief Jemison has been a firefighter for many years and remembers how difficult some of the negotiations had been in the past. He explained the pay raises as 3 percent in the first two years and 2.5 percent in the third and fourth years. “This is a very historic thing,” he said that the contract had been settled before the deadline. “My approach was not to argue about little things and keep me vs. you out of it. "I think we were able to come up with a fair contract and equipment for firefighters and Teamsters

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