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To the Editor, As President of the Alton Branch of the NAACP, I cannot remain silent while the Madison County Board chooses to celebrate Charlie Kirk on Oct. 14, 2025. This decision is not only deeply offensive-it is an outright insult to every Black man, woman, and child in our country. Charlie Kirk has built his platform on belittling Black people, spreading dangerous stereotypes, and spewing rhetoric that divides rather than unites. His words have not been slips of the tongue or isolated incidents; they are consistent attacks aimed at downgrading the worth, dignity, and humanity of so-called "Black people". For the County Board to lift him up as someone worthy of celebration is to endorse those attacks and to tell our community that our pain and our struggle mean nothing. Let's be clear: this is not about politics. This is about decency, morality, and respect. Public officials should never place a spotlight on voices that mock, demean, and degrade a people who have fought for

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O’FALLON – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that intermittent lane closures on eastbound and westbound Interstate 64 between West Highway 50 (exit 14) and Illinois 158 (exit 19) will begin, weather permitting, Friday, Oct. 10, for road construction. One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction throughout the duration of the project. To minimize the impact on commuters, lane closures will be scheduled to avoid peak travel times. Eastbound I-64: All lanes will be open from 6 to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. Westbound I-64: All lanes will be open from 6 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday. The daily lane closures are expected to continue through mid-December 2025. This work is part of advance preparations for a $72.45 million project that includes widening, resurfacing, interchange improvements and drainage system upgrades along a 3-mile stretch of I-64 from west of Green Mount Road to 1.1 miles west of Illinois 158 in St. Clair County

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COLLINSVILLE - Collinsville High School’s Marching Kahoks took second place out of 17 bands at the Gene Hunt Invitational on Saturday evening, Oct. 4, 2025, in Washington, Mo. The Washington, Mo., event is one of the longest-running marching band festivals in the state and each year features bands classified by school size. The Kahoks earned a score of 78.8, marking a notable improvement from their earlier performances this season. The competition was part of the marching band circuit leading up to next week’s Illinois State Marching Championships. Collinsville’s strong showing at the Gene Hunt Invitational underscores its continued progress and preparation for the upcoming state-level contest.

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EFFINGHAM - Civic Memorial High School’s marching band earned top honors at the Effingham Marching Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, taking home Best Percussion and Best Color Guard awards in Class 4A. The Marching Eagles competed in Effingham, showcasing their skills in front of judges and a large audience of spectators. The accolades recognize the band’s strong performance and the dedication of both students and directors. “We are so proud of our students and directors for their hard work, dedication, and passion,” the Bethalto School District 8 said in a statement. “Way to represent Eagle Nation with excellence.” The awards highlight the band’s continued commitment to musical and visual excellence in competitive marching events.

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BETHALTO — Friday night, Oct. 3, 2025, the Bethalto community and Civic Memorial High School (CMHS) students and staff filled Hauser Stadium with pink in a powerful show of love and support for Nicole Parris, a CMHS football mom courageously battling breast cancer. The stands were a sea of pink as families, players, and fans joined together to honor Nicole and all those whose lives have been touched by this disease. “It was truly inspiring to see our school and our community come together as one family to lift up one of our own,” said event organizer Selina Brawner. Nicole, a single mother and special education teacher in the Collinsville School District, has faced not only the physical and emotional challenges of her diagnosis, but also the mounting costs that come with treatment. Her son, Ephriam, is a junior on the CMHS football team—and when the CM Football family learned of their struggle, they immediately stepped up to help. So far, between direct donation

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ALTON — Charges have been filed in connection with a fatal traffic crash that claimed the life of 17-year-old Grace Bustos of Alton on October 3, 2025. Zachary A. Shewmake, 28, of Glen Carbon, was charged Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence, including a Class 2 felony and a Class 4 felony. The crash occurred around 9:05 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, at the intersection of Homer Adams Parkway and Seminary Road. Alton Police responded to the scene where Bustos, the driver of one vehicle, was pronounced dead. Meghan Bustos, her mother and passenger in the vehicle, was airlifted to a hospital in the St. Louis area and is reported to be in stable condition. The driver of the other vehicle involved, identified as Shewmake, showed signs of impairment and was booked into the Alton Police Department. He remains held pending a detention hearing in accordance with the Illinois Safe-T Act.

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CAHOKIA HEIGHTS — Firefighters responded to a large fire at a vacant strip mall on Route 157 near Range Lane in Cahokia Heights on Sunday evening, Oct. 5, 2025. A large number of firefighters battled the blaze, attacking the fire from the roof as smoke remained visible. Fire department officials confirmed the building was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire has not been disclosed, and no injuries were reported. Fire crews worked to bring the situation under control.

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ILLINOIS - Ameren Illinois has made efforts to protect birds and their equipment through their avian protection program. Over the past 15 years, Ameren has installed 92,000 new distribution structures that are avian-safe. They work to retrofit existing structures, but they have also developed avian-safe standards when they build new structures. The goal, explained Superintendent of Electric Operations Kyle Maxwell, is to protect birds and avoid outages. “We’re being stewards of our environment because we’re trying to do the right thing and not kill birds, eagles, hawks, all the types of bigger raptors,” he said. “We’re trying to be stewards of the environment, not kill any birds, not have any electrocutions, but it also reduces outages, which is a direct impact to our customers.” As part of the avian-safe structures, conductors are spaced 60 inches apart. This guarantees that birds with wingspans up to five feet do not come into contac

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JERSEYVILLE – Jerseyville officials are asking local parents to complete a quick survey about the safety of their children’s routes to school. The city is seeking input from parents in the Jerseyville school area; their responses will help guide future Safe Routes to School planning. With this data, city officials will apply for state grant funds to improve the safety of students’ most commonly used walking and biking routes to and from school. “The City will use this information to apply for state funding to improve and make safer routes to school for our community,” the city announced last week. “We would greatly appreciate your time in completing the survey.” The survey can be found at this link , and takes an estimated five to ten minutes to complete. Each family is asked to only complete one survey per family.

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CINCINNATI, October 4, 2025 – The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), said today it has recalled Basil Pesto Bowtie Salad and Smoked Mozzarella Penne Salad that was sold in the Kroger Family of Stores in following states: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MO, MS, MT, NE, NM, NV, OH, OR, SC, TN, TX, UT, WA and WV. This follows a recall initiated by Fresh Creative Foods, due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination of the pasta ingredient that was manufactured by Nate’s Fine Foods of Roseville, CA. Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women. No reports of illness or injury have been reported

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TROY – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that intermittent daytime lane closures will take place on Illinois 4 from Illinois 143 to the St. Clair County line, weather permitting, on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The lane closures are necessary for the evaluation of pavement conditions. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all 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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Gov. Pritzker Issues Statement On Texas National Guard Deployment To Illinois CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement after the Illinois National Guard was informed that the Texas National Guard is preparing deployments to Illinois: “This evening, President Trump is ordering 400 members of the Texas National Guard for deployments to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations within the United States. No officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate. “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion. It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops. ? “I call on Governor Abbott to immediately withdraw any support for this decision and refuse to coordinate. There is no reason a President should send military troops

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Today's high reaches 84 degrees with a low of 63. Expect partly sunny skies mixing with clouds and very warm conditions. Late this afternoon, a thunderstorm or two may pop up, so be prepared for possible slippery roads due to rain. Nighttime will continue with some thunderstorms scattered around, with lows staying at a mild 63, feeling cool at night. No watches or warnings are in effect at this time. Allergy alert: Mold and ragweed levels are moderate, so allergy sufferers should take it easy or keep allergy meds handy. Tomorrow's outlook calls for cooler weather with a high near 70 and a low of 46. You can expect mostly cloudy skies with a chance of morning thunderstorms. The day will be cooler and cloudier than today, with some light rain possible. For more weather details, check out https://riverbender.com/weather

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COLLINSVILLE/EAST ST. LOUIS – Ameren Illinois is taking another step forward in its modernization of the electric grid in East St. Louis with the installation of new smart switches and stronger electric infrastructure. Work is currently underway to relocate power poles and power lines from an easement out to a nearby road for improved access and maintenance in the Lansdowne neighborhood. In addition, the new power lines will add capacity to the local grid. The added capacity is similar to expanding a two-lane highway to a four-lane highway. Smart switches, known as IntelliRupters, are also being added. These devices work in tandem with other outage detection devices to isolate outages and reduce the length of service disruptions while reducing the number of customers who experience an outage. “The IntelliRupters we are installing in East St. Louis allow us to reroute power when there is a problem and minimize how many customers are affected by the power outage. It i

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ALTON — On Friday, October 3, 2025, Meghan Bustos and her daughter, Grace, were involved in a severe car accident on Homer Adams Parkway in Alton. The Alton Police Department responded to the collision at approximately 9:05 p.m. on Oct. 3. The Alton Police said the teen driver, identified as Grace Bustos of Alton, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother, Meghan Bustos, who was also in the vehicle, was airlifted to a hospital in the St. Louis area and is currently in stable condition. Meghan Bustos sustained multiple fractures and a lacerated kidney and was airlifted to a hospital, where she is currently in the intensive care unit. Meghan’s sister, Kerry Hursey, described the incident as a life-altering event for the family. “In an instant, our lives were flipped upside down,” she said. Meghan is expected to remain in the ICU for at least a week and faces a long recovery ahead. The family is also coping with the financial strain caused by medical bills

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RIVERTON - Marquette Catholic High School’s girls volleyball team captured its first Riverton Fall Classic championship after sweeping all four matches Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, and Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Riverton. The Marquette girls volleyball team members are Tucker's Automotive Repair & Tire Female Athletes of the Month. The tournament marked Marquette’s fifth appearance since 2019. The team defeated Peoria High 2-0 on Friday with set scores of 25-11 and 25-12. Key contributors included Karly Davenport, who recorded eight service points, three aces, four kills and a block, and Mia Moore with six service points and three aces. Ella Tesson and Reese Bechtold each added four kills. Later Friday, Marquette won against Payson-Seymour High 2-0 (25-18, 25-12). Ella Tesson led with five kills, while Sharon Dugas and Reese Bechtold contributed four kills apiece. Alex Stephan posted nine service points on 12 serves and 17 service receptions, and Davenport added six service

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SAUGET/ALTON - You have the chance to watch professional wrestling close to home. On Oct. 4, 2025, Pro Wrestling Epic will present “From Dusk Till Dawn III” at Pop’s in Sauget, Illinois. This will be followed by a match on Nov. 1, 2025, at the Franklin Lodge in Alton. The Morning Star Bax stopped by “Our Daily Show!” with C.J. Nasello to share his perspective on pro wrestling and his plans to win. “It’s honestly been a wonderful ride. It’s been a dream come true, and I’m excited to do more,” Bax said. “I’m excited to take on that entire locker room and take home the gold.” Bax came on the scene in December in Alton last year. He quickly rose to the top of the Pro Wrestling Epic organization, taking on guys like Camaro Jackson and Heath Slater. On Oct. 4 at Pop’s, Bax will compete against EagleEye. He looks forward to “breaking the bird.” “He thinks he can fly, but

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I am not a hockey expert. I’ve attended one other Blues game in my life. But last week, I headed over to St. Louis for a night of hockey. I don’t even own any Blues gear. I pulled on my Overnight Warming Locations sweatshirt, which happens to be blue, and hoped for the best. I cannot overstate how unprepared I was for this game. The fun started on the way there. Immediately, we got lost. We debated which direction to take, and then found ourselves on a completely different route. We crossed the McKinley Bridge and celebrated that we had made our way into St. Louis! And then we immediately took a wrong exit and merged onto the Stan Musial bridge, en route back to Illinois. I wasn’t driving, but I was in charge of the directions, and the pressure was on. There was a lot of yelling and laughing and swerving between lanes, but eventually, blessedly, we found ourselves inside a parking garage. Because of all our wrong turns, we were late. But my gang and I decide

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Did you know that horror films consistently rank among the most-watched genres during October, with streaming platforms reporting up to a 70% increase in horror movie viewership as Halloween approaches? This surge highlights a collective craving for thrills, chills, and communal scares. Hosting a Halloween movie marathon is a perfect way to tap into this energy, bringing friends and family together for an immersive cinematic experience. But what makes a marathon truly memorable? It’s more than just lining up a series of scary films—it’s about crafting an atmosphere, selecting the right movies, and keeping your guests engaged from the opening credits to the final scream. Setting the Scene: Crafting the Perfect Ambiance The success of a Halloween movie marathon hinges largely on the atmosphere you create. The goal is to transform your viewing space into a spooky sanctuary that heightens the suspense and fun. Lighting and Décor: Dimmed lighting is essential.

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Did you know that the average person spends nearly seven hours a day staring at screens? From smartphones and laptops to televisions and tablets, digital devices have become inseparable from our daily routines. While technology offers incredible convenience and connectivity, it also contributes to increased stress, disrupted sleep patterns, and diminished focus. What would happen if you intentionally stepped away from the digital world, even for a short period? The concept of a digital detox—deliberately reducing or eliminating screen time—has gained traction as a powerful way to restore mental clarity and improve overall well-being. This fall presents an ideal opportunity to embrace this practice and reap its numerous benefits. The Hidden Costs of Constant Connectivity Our modern lives are dominated by a constant stream of notifications, emails, social media updates, and news alerts. While these digital touchpoints keep us informed and connected, they also demand continuous

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