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EAST ST. LOUIS – United Congregations of Metro-East (UCM), is thrilled to announce its 25th Anniversary Celebration- A Celebration of Our Beloved Community: A Vision of Then, Now, and What’s Possible. The event will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Regency Conference Center, 400 Regency Park, O’Fallon, IL. 62269. Tickets to the event are required: $75 per ticket or $550 per table of eight available. Deadline to purchase tickets is March 15th. “This milestone is a moment of reflection and gratitude,” said Darnell Tingle, Executive Director of UCM. “For 25 years, we have worked hand-in-hand with the community to combat the root cause of systemic injustice in our region by empowering individuals, driving social-change, and fostering collaboration. We look forward to celebrating this journey with all who have supported us along the way.” The event will commemorate 25 years of faith, unity, and action, bringing

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EAST ALTON - NGRREC Announces 2025 STREAM Series EAST ALTON – The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC?) is excited to announce the return of its popular community events with a new STREAM Series in 2025. The series will take place at the Confluence Field Station in East Alton, a LEEDcertified building, and is free and open to the public. NGRREC invites people of all ages to engage in exciting, hands-on activities that blend STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with Research and Art. “We are thrilled to offer our community these opportunities to explore the world around them through the lens of science and art," Environmental Educator Erica Doerr said. The 2025 STREAM series will launch from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, with the World Water Day Photo Contest and continue throughout the year, featuring various engaging events. STREAM offers an enriching platform for learning, bringing together diverse activities that focus on

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ALTON - Community members are invited to a glo bingo night that will raise money for mental health care in Alton. Centerstone, an organization that specializes in mental health and substance use disorder treatment, will host a glo bingo fundraiser on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the Alton VFW. The organization is looking for sponsorships and raffle donations as they prepare for the event. “All the proceeds from the event will go directly back to supporting patient care at Centerstone,” explained Erin Camfield, one of the event organizers. “Centerstone is a nonprofit health system that provides mental health and substance use treatment. There’s a multitude of services that we provide, and all of these proceeds will go back to providing direct care to patients for things that they might need on their mental health wellness journey.” The glo bingo fundraiser is open to all. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the games start at 7 p.m. on April 12. People are

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GRANITE CITY – Two individuals have been charged in separate cases of child battery filed recently in Madison County. Gordon S. Williams, 40, of Granite City, was charged on Feb. 21, 2025 with a Class 3 felony count of aggravated battery. On Aug. 13, 2024, Williams allegedly struck a 6-year-old child on the legs with a belt, “leaving bruising and red marks,” according to court documents. The Granite City Police Department presented the case against Williams, who was granted pretrial release from custody. In a separate but similar case, Sierra A. Lawson, 25, of Highland, was charged with a Class 3 felony count of aggravated battery on Feb. 18, 2025. Lawson allegedly “struck buttocks multiple times causing extensive bruising.” The victim in this case was 2 years old at the time of the incident on Jan. 3, 2025. Lawson’s case was presented by the Highland Police Department, and she has also been granted pretrial release from custody. All individuals

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today led a coalition of 23 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to act to protect a key provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that guarantees access to critical preventive care for millions of Americans. Raoul and the coalition urge the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court’s decision stating that the structure of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is unconstitutional – a decision that will impair access to lifesaving medical care. Before the ACA’s enactment, many Americans struggled to afford preventive services, such as cancer screenings, which can be lifesaving but were often not covered by insurance. Congress enacted the ACA’s preventive services provision to eliminate this financial barrier by requiring most private insurance plans to cover preventive services recommended by the task force without charging out-of-pocket costs, including copayments or deductibles.

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SPRINGFIELD - Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs returned $22 million to nearly 19,000 people in January through I-CASH, the state’s missing money program. “Returning this money to the rightful owners is better than keeping it in our bank vaults,” Frerichs said. “It helps our state’s economy when people have a little more money in their pockets to spend at local businesses.” Companies and banks turn over uncashed rebate checks, unpaid life insurance claims, forgotten checking accounts and the contents of overlooked safe deposit boxes to the Illinois Treasurer’s Office after a few years. The state treasurer is legally required to return unclaimed property to its owners or their heirs, no matter how long it takes. One way the office tries to return missing money is by highlighting National Unclaimed Property Day (Feb. 1) to encourage people to check the I-CASH website . Media coverage helped set a record this year. For the week ending

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GRANITE CITY - Amber Porter is spearheading a fundraiser to support her brother, Matt, who was severely injured in a dog attack at his home on Feb. 19, 2025. The incident involved Karma, a pit bull that Matt had rescued eight months prior from an abusive environment. According to Porter, Matt, 35, had taken extensive measures to care for Karma, ensuring she was up to date on her vaccinations and providing a loving home. However, on the day of the attack, Porter described the situation as shocking and unprovoked, stating that “Karma just switched and started attacking him.” Matt, who is currently recovering at SLU Hospital, described the encounter as a “fight for his life.” He emphasized the unexpected nature of the attack, saying it caught him off-guard. The emergency crew reported that he had lost a significant amount of blood, attributing his survival to the adrenaline coursing through his body during the ordeal. At present, Matt is undergoing multiple surgeries,

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ALTON — In a move to invigorate the bi-state region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the popular startup workshop series, Velocity, makes its return in a reimagined format and at a new location on March 10th. The TechSTL application-only program will now be led by Vikram Lakhwara and Danielle Deavens of Stakehouse Fund and be housed at the Wedge - a 55,000 square-foot social impact, research lab, think tank, and workspace in downtown Alton, Illinois set for its own grand opening in April. The six-week Velocity series, sponsored by Fidelity Private Shares, will provide a comprehensive startup education at no cost to participants. The curriculum covers essential entrepreneurial fundamentals, including customer discovery, value proposition development, market sizing and competitive analysis, and fundraising strategies. As a special incentive, participating startups will receive exhibition space at STL TechWeek 2025's startup alley. "Access to workshops like these - where founders

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today co-led a bipartisan coalition of 38 states and territories sending a letter urging Congress to take action to address the rise in organized retail crime across the country. “I am urging Congress to reintroduce a bill to combat organized retail crime because the complex nature of these crimes frequently involves multiple jurisdictions at the local, state and federal levels. Organized retail crime can take many forms and is often a mechanism used to support other types of crime. It is imperative that Congress pass national legislation to streamline the sharing of resources and information between law enforcement agencies and states,” Raoul said. “I created an Organized Retail Crime Task Force in Illinois to facilitate collaboration between local, state and federal law enforcement. Our bipartisan collaboration is calling for Congress to take action that will allow states to better collaborate and hold accountable the organizations

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CHICAGO - Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined a virtual leadership meeting of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 7 to offer guidance and support to leaders as they navigate new protocols from the White House. The leaders on-call represented over 43,000 federal workers of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. “Federal workers are on the frontlines every single day keeping our country running – protecting our national security, cleaning up our environment, securing the financial future of our seniors, taking care of our veterans. This is some of the most important work in our society and it too often goes unseen,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I have been downright disgusted by the attempts from those in Washington to demonize these jobs – hard, essential work being done by ordinary Americans, for ordinary Americans. This isn’t really about efficiency or saving taxpayer dollars. If it was, we’d be hiring more employees

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Heart and Stroke Caucus, today celebrated Senate passage of their bipartisan resolution to designate February 2025 as American Heart Month. The resolution reaffirms the government’s commitment to fighting cardiovascular disease by supporting research and improving access to affordable, quality care to reduce long-term disability and mortality. “As the leading cause of death in the U.S., heart disease has touched nearly every American family. It’s critical that we advance clinical research and treatments to support those suffering from cardiovascular diseases,” said Durbin. “I’m encouraged that my Senate colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, saw the value in raising awareness around the damaging impacts of cardiovascular disease by passing my resolution with Senator Crapo. I hope together we can use American

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WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) helped lead the first hearing as Ranking Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization. The hearing focused on the ongoing implementation of the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program and the VA’s coordination with Oracle. Budzinski urged the VA and Oracle to work together to implement more disciplined project management protocols, bolster staff training modules, and set benchmarks to meet launch deadlines to ensure that the EHRM project accomplishes its goal of improving quality of care for veterans. She also raised concerns regarding the firing of VA employees by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and the impact these actions will have on the VA’s ability to bring these projects online in a manner that can effectively serve our veterans. As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Rep. Budzinski is focused on streamlining outdated

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ELSAH - Community members are invited to a lecture by world-famous sculptor Leonardo Drew at Principia College. At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, Drew will present a lecture at the college as part of the Schmidt Family Lecture Series on Contemporary Art. Known for his abstract sculptures with showings around the world, including the St. Louis Art Museum, Drew looks forward to talking about his art with both Principia students and the public. “As I’m making, I know there are folks out there today also interpreting,” Drew said. “They need to know that their voice is just as important and viable when it comes to how I’m sort of seeing and sharing. They’re an important aspect of that. I’m not creating in a vacuum.” The Principia lecture is free and open to all. Space is limited, so registration is encouraged; you can register online . The lecture will be followed by a reception. When Drew was approached about the lecture

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WOOD RIVER - A Special Meeting of the Wood River City Council was scheduled for Monday, February 24th to discuss failures of management to develop and implement the policies and procedures to properly administer contracts and agreements, follow City ordinances, storage and retrieval of City documents and records, and an investigation into unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. This meeting was cancelled for lack of quorum because three council members decided not to attend. The reason provided for not attending is the council members did not want to spend money on a forensic audit or independent investigation of the City. This explanation is nothing more than a “Red Herring”. Nothing would prohibit a council member voting against a motion for a forensic audit and independent investigation following discussion. The real reason they didn’t show up was to prohibit discussion of these important issues. Once a meeting is scheduled and an agenda is prepared,

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BELLEVILLE — Investigators from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services responded to a child welfare check in the 700 block of South 15th Street in Belleville on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. At approximately 4:08 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, authorities arrived at a residence in the 700 block of South 15th Street in Belleville to conduct the check. While on the scene, the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office said deputies were confronted by a 31-year-old male suspect who allegedly attacked the investigators. During the altercation, the suspect attempted to disarm one of the officers, leading to the discharge of a deputy's firearm. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the gunfire, the sheriff's office reported. As the struggle continued, the officers were able to call for additional assistance, which led to the suspect's eventual arrest. Both deputies sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident

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EDWARDSVILLE - An Edwardsville coach and student recently saved a life. During the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education’s regular meeting on Feb. 24, 2025, Lincoln Middle School Principal Michael Cory introduced the school’s dance team coach, Whitney Klee, and student Hannah as heroes. The quick thinking of Klee and Hannah saved the life of a middle schooler. “I’m going to tell a short little story of what I believe was true heroism,” Cory said. He explained that on the bus ride home from a dance competition, Hannah and her friend Anna were sitting in the back of the bus eating candy when Anna started to choke. “Hannah, being the caring person that she is, leaned over to her friend and said, ‘Hey, are you okay?’ and noticed that she couldn’t breathe,” Cory said. “She couldn’t talk at that point in time, and that’s when Hannah knew something was really, really wrong.”

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ALTON – An Alton resident faces multiple felonies in his second case of domestic battery after an argument over a car purchase turned violent. Leonel L. Carter, 39, of Alton, was charged on Feb. 21, 2025 with aggravated domestic battery (a Class 2 felony), his second or subsequent offense of domestic battery (a Class 4 felony), and criminal damage to property (a Class 4 felony). On Jan. 6, 2025, Carter allegedly strangled a household or family member and “struck her in the face with closed fists,” damaging the victim’s personal property in the process, according to court documents. A petition was filed to deny Carter’s pretrial release, stating he attacked the victim after she went to purchase a new vehicle “but didn't want the one that 's friends had for sale.” “He followed her into the bathroom and struck her in the face multiple times with closed fists,” the petition states. “ said he choked her with his hands, applying

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SHILOH — The Shiloh Police Department has expanded its team with the addition of two new officers, Joseph Myers and Alex DeBourge. The two were sworn in during a recent Shiloh Village Board Meeting. Officer Joseph Myers brings prior law enforcement experience to his role and has already commenced the field training program. Officer Alex DeBourge has also started with the department and taken his oath of office. The recruitment of these officers comes as part of the department's ongoing efforts to enhance community safety and law enforcement capabilities in Shiloh.

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BLOOMINGTON — The Bloomington Police Department and the McLean County Coroner's Office are investigating a tragic incident that resulted in the deaths of four individuals in the 900 block of North Lee Street on February 23, 2025. The victims have been identified as Christopher H. Simmons, 33; Chelsea L. Lusher, 31; Trina J. Hollings, 30; and Armoni L. Bennett, 13, all of Bloomington or nearby Normal. They were pronounced dead at the scene at 12:27 p.m. Preliminary autopsy results indicate that Simmons died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, while Lusher, Hollings, and Bennett sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Toxicology tests are pending for all four individuals. According to the preliminary investigation, Simmons is believed to have killed Lusher, Bennett, and Hollings before taking his own life. A resident of the home discovered the scene and contacted authorities. The firearm used in the incident was recovered at the scene and was found under Simmons'

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EDWARDSVILLE - During their regular meeting on Feb. 24, 2025, the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education voted to approve $10,670,000 in bonding for a new media center at Edwardsville High School. This money is what remains of a $100 million bond referendum that passed in April 2023. The $10.6 million bonds were sold to Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, to construct the new media center. The Board of Education discussed the bond at length before ultimately voting to approve it. Board members Jennifer Brumback and Bob Paty noted that the design for the media center has changed multiple times. They both emphasized the importance of communication to the community about these plans. Brumback asked if the Hamel Elementary School renovation project is covered under the bond. Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton said there is $2 million set aside for asbestos abatement and the renovation of pods, but this money does not include renovations for the

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