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MADISON — The Major Case Squad is investigating after a body was found in a Madison alleyway on Saturday morning. The Madison Police Department responded to a call just before 9 a.m. reporting a body in an alleyway near the 1600 block of 5th Street. Upon arrival, police and the coroner determined that the man, identified as 37-year-old Levell Douglas of Madison, Illinois, had died from a gunshot wound. The Major Case Squad has assigned 16 investigators to the case. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Major Case Squad at 618-709-7750 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).

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September 15, 2024, marks another year of remembering some of the most significant events in history that shaped our world. 1821: Independence of Guatemala On September 15, 1821, Guatemala declared its independence from Spain. This day is celebrated annually as Guatemala's Independence Day. The event marked the end of Spanish colonial rule in the region and the beginning of a new era for the country. It was a significant moment in the history of Central America, as it paved the way for the independence of other nations in the region, including El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. 1916: First Use of Tanks in Battle During World War I, on September 15, 1916, the British Army used tanks for the first time in the Battle of the Somme. These armored vehicles, designed to break through enemy lines and traverse difficult terrain, represented a significant technological advancement in warfare. Although the initial use was met with mixed success, tanks would go on to becom

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BUZZ MAGAZINE - The LoveJoy United Presbyterian Church, located at 2550 Rock Hill Rd. in Wood River (across from the Wood River soccer complex) is having their annual rummage sale Thursday, Sept. 26 to Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Proceeds from this sale goes to the Good Samaritan Fund. This fund will assist local families in need. The presale is Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. with a $3 entry fee. There is no entrance fee on Friday or Saturday, and hours will be from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. both days. You can expect to find a lot of nice, reasonably priced merchandise at this sale. For more information, contact Jenny at 618-466-2328 or the church office at 618-254-5880. This story originally ran in the September 2024 issue of The Prairie Land Buzz Magazine http://www.thebuzzmonthly.com .

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ALTON - Over 80 vendors and hundreds of community members turned out for Alton Pride’s third annual festival. From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, community members could celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with live music, vendors, food trucks and more in downtown Alton. Anne McCoy, one of the board members with Alton Pride, noted that the festival has expanded since its first year in 2022. “It’s grown a lot. We expect that it's going to just keep getting bigger,” McCoy said. “It's always about connecting communities. We're just trying to bring everybody together and let everybody know they're welcome.” Attendees enjoyed performances by Porch Cafe, Mz Goldie, Izzy Salhani and several drag queens. McCoy said the festival began with a “very welcoming and affirming” speech by Alton Mayor David Goins. The Pride Festival is the biggest event that Alton Pride sponsors, but they have several other events and promotions throughout

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ALTON - The Alton High School Class of 1974 will be sponsoring an exciting weekend for their 50th reunion. From 5–10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, members of the AHS Class of 1974 are invited to come out to Bluff City Grill in Alton for a night with their classmates. The weekend fun includes a mixer on Friday night and a “Sunday on the River” afternoon. “I think people are excited. We had a really big class,” said Linda, one of the reunion’s organizers. “There are a lot of people out there.” Linda and Mark, who run the official AHS Class of 1974 website , said they have just under 1,000 members in their graduating class. They are hoping to contact as many people as they can to bring everyone together for one of the last reunions they will host. Tickets to the reunion on Oct. 12 cost $50 and include a buffet dinner, a free drink and entertainment by Eclectic Celebrations. You must register by Oct. 1 to attend. The

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These photos show a couple of the kitchens included in last year’s tour. Top: Dana and John Yowell, bottom: Keran and Walt Harrington. BUZZ MAGAZINE - Chapter AB of the International PEO Sisterhood will host its annual Kitchen Tour of selected homes from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. This year’s tour will highlight the kitchens of six Carlinville area homes owned by: Shannon and Paul Boente, Stacey and Quinn Steiner, Danielle and Owen Sullivan, Siri Engstrom and Tim Wilson, Julie and Chad Stults, and Brandon and Taylor Little. “After several years of no kitchen tours due to Covid, we brought it back last year and enjoyed the most well attended event as yet,” said Janet Lippold, a member of the Tour committee. “It’s become a popular end-of-summer event, and we’ve had a lot of requests for it this year.” “People take the tour for a variety of reasons,” added committee member Elisabeth Herndon. “Som

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BUZZ MAGAZINE - At the junction of Interstate 55 and IL State Route 40 sits the most amazing shopping venue you could hope for - Kim’s Countryside Marketplace. Formerly known as The Rusty Star, the business was purchased by Kim Bowen and her husband Steve just a few months ago. They took over ownership and changed the business name in May. Kim’s Countryside Marketplace is very similar to what it was as Rusty Star, with 81 individual booths in the sprawling 14,000 square foot building, featuring antiques, vintage, collectibles, primitives, home decor, farmhouse chic, painted and refurbished furniture, boutique clothing and accessories, and so much more. There is literally something for everyone inside Kim’s. Kim has always been an artisan and sold her products for years at area markets. When the couple’s four children were all grown and out on their own, she decided to dive a little deeper and expanded her offerings via booth space in a local craft mall.

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HIGHLAND - In a recent episode of “Our Daily Show!” with CJ Nasello , GRID Solar breaks down a net metering policy change that will affect Ameren Illinois customers. Ryan Wagner, co-owner of GRID Solar, explained that the new policy is “less than advantageous” to customers because it will affect how solar customers “trade” energy with Ameren. Solar systems overproduce electricity in the summer and underproduce in the winter. In the past, Ameren would calculate how much energy was overproduced in the summer and provide this energy back to the customer during the winter. Now, Ameren Illinois will make these calculations every month, meaning winter power bills will likely rise. To prevent this, GRID Solar will begin installing systems with a battery included. The surplus energy produced during the day will now go to the battery, so the battery can power the home during nighttime when no energy is being produced. “If you

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EAST ALTON – The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC?) is encouraging community members to attend an Illinois RiverWatch Mentoring Event this fall and help collect stream-quality data from sites across Illinois. The Illinois RiverWatch Network is hosting a number of these events across the state in September and October, including two in Lewis and Clark Community College’s district. These events are intended to help new RiverWatch volunteers get involved without first attending a training workshop and to help current volunteers get more comfortable with the monitoring methods. “Our mentoring events are a great way for volunteers to participate in stream monitoring for the first time,” said RiverWatch Volunteer Coordinator Hannah Griffis. "Volunteers can learn about stream health and RiverWatch monitoring or spend the day looking for bugs in a creek." Volunteers who participate in the Mentoring Events will collect macroinvertebrates

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HARDIN - A Hardin man is facing multiple charges after being arrested two consecutive days in Calhoun County by the Calhoun Sheriff's Office. The summary of his report is as follows: The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office responded to a burglary complaint on May 22, 2024, in the 100 block of Cass Lane, initiating an investigation that would lead to multiple arrests and charges. Authorities executed a search warrant on a residence in the 400 block of West Main Street in Hardin, resulting in the arrest of Charles “Joey” Mielke, 42, of Hardin. Mielke was taken into custody for unlawful possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. The investigation continued, and on August 6, 2024, the Calhoun County State’s Attorney’s Office issued a felony warrant for Mielke for residential burglary. The following day, Mielke was arrested again, this time for a felony no bon

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CAHOKIA HEIGHTS – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that pavement repairs on southbound Interstate 255 between Illinois 15 and Illinois 157 in St. Clair County will require lane closures over several weekends. Throughout construction, at least one lane will remain open at all times. Starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, weather permitting, the two left lanes of southbound I-255 between Illinois 15 and Illinois 157 will be closed. One of the southbound lanes will reopen by 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. 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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EAST ST. LOUIS – A district judge in southern Illinois sentenced DeAyre M. Jones, a 32-year-old man from Land O’ Lakes, Fla., to 87 months in prison for making a bomb threat to Scott Air Force Base and cyberstalking an active duty Air Force member. Jones pleaded guilty to one count of interstate communication with threat to injure, one count of cyberstalking, and one count of threatening and conveying false information concerning the use of fire or an explosive. “The defendant intentionally disrupted operations at Scott Air Force Base to make a bomb threat and send harassing messages to base officials,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Luckily, this incident was a false alarm, but our national security and the Air Force community depend on uninterrupted service at the base. I’m grateful to the investigators for their efforts to hold this offender accountable.” Court documents revealed that Jones used multiple fake Facebook profiles

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BELLEVILLE — Dr. Marshaun Warren, Assistant Superintendent of Belleville Township High School District 201, was honored with the 2024 Champion for Diversity and Inclusion Award on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. The annual program administered by the St. Louis Business Journal aims to highlight those who are actively working to make St. Louis a more inclusive place to live and work. Honorees are selected from among the region's largest private and public companies, as well as several for-profit and non-profit organizations. "We are extremely proud of Dr. Warren's accomplishment," a spokesperson for Belleville Township High School District 201 said. "This recognition underscores his dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion within our community." Dr. Warren's recognition places him among a distinguished group of leaders committed to championing the cause of inclusivity in the region.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Classes were canceled on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Jackson High School in Missouri, and because of that, the scheduled home game against Edwardsville was moved to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Edwardsville. Jackson R-2 School District announced the game cancellation on its Facebook page with the following: "All home sporting contests that were scheduled for today, Friday, September 13, 2024, will be canceled or postponed due to an investigation of a possible threat against the school. No practices will be held on campus at this time. "All home sporting contests scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, September 14, 2024, will also be canceled." The Jackson R-2 School District also said the closure on Friday will give law enforcement plenty of time to investigate the threat.

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ALTON – Mayor David Goins, alongside elected officials including State Representative Amy Elik, Senator Erica Harriss, and other local leaders, are actively collaborating with key stakeholders to ensure the safety and well-being of the City of Alton and its residents. In ongoing discussions with the Illinois Municipal League (IML) and the City's insurer, the Risk Management Association (RMA), the primary focus remains the protection of public spaces and residents. Safety First: Mayor Goins and the City Council are committed to prioritizing the safety of Alton’s citizens. The City continues to work diligently with experts, including civil engineers and geotechnical specialists, to ensure public areas are thoroughly evaluated before reopening. Recent efforts have been coordinated with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and other relevant agencies to assess the situation and determine next steps. Positive Partnerships: The City of Alton has received significant

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EDWARDSVILLE - Near noontime on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, a massive fire engulfed a Devon Court Apartment Complex in Edwardsville leading to a partial roof collapse and the deployment of multiple firefighting units. Heavy flames were visible shooting through the roof of the building in the 100 block of Devon Court, which houses an estimated six apartments. The entire roof eventually collapsed, prompting firefighters to temporarily evacuate the interior of the building for their safety. A fire was reported at an apartment complex on Devon Court just after 11:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 13. The fire appeared to have started on the second floor and spread to the attic, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said. The City of Edwardsville reported there were some occupants inside the building when the fire broke out, many of whom helped to ensure the building was empty. The Edwardsville Fire and Police Departments also helped to ensure the building was empty, the city said. "Several occupants

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O’FALLON — HSHS Medical Group is pleased to welcome Macee Smith, APRN, to their medical team. Smith specializes in pain management and sees patients at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Interventional Pain Management Center, located at Three St. Elizabeth’s Blvd., Suite 3800 in O’Fallon, Illinois. Smith is a skilled family nurse practitioner offering patient-first care alongside pain management specialist Dr. Kristina Naseer. Smith earned her Master of Science in nursing from Maryville University, in St. Louis, Missouri, and her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. To schedule an appointment with Smith, ask your primary care physician about a referral to HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Interventional Pain Management Center. For more information about HSHS Medical Group, visit hshsmedicalgroup.org .

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ALTON – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that all lanes of East Broadway from Allen Street to Illinois 3 in Madison County will require intermittent daytime lane closures beginning, weather permitting, on Monday, Sept. 16. 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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ALTON - A few local organizations will come together to host a Recovery Month Celebration and Vigil. From 6–7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, community members are invited to the Centerstone office at 2615 Edwards Street in Alton to participate in the celebration and vigil. The event is hosted by Centerstone , the Metro-East Recovery Council , Amare and Foster’s Light in the Dark . There will be testimonials, resource tables and more. “We’re doing this because September is Recovery Month, and we knew we had to use the occasion to honor those in recovery and raise awareness about substance use resources available in our community,” explained Jennifer Schulz, outreach liaison with Centerstone. “We just wanted everyone in recovery to know that they aren’t alone. Not only is Centerstone here to help along the way, but there are so many other community resources as well.” Centerstone, the Metro-East Recovery Council, Amar

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EDWARDSVILLE - The ninth annual SIUE Cougars Unleashed 5K/10K Run and Pancake Breakfast, a hallmark of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Homecoming & Family Weekend, is set to take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Organized by the SIUE Alumni Association, the event invites runners of all ages and skill levels to lace up their shoes and enjoy a morning of fitness, community spirit and fun. Last year, the run attracted nearly 400 participants and organizers project to break that record this year. Participants will traverse a scenic route starting at the University’s iconic Cougar Statue, winding through SIUE’s campus and bike trails and passing through the lush SIUE Gardens. The race also features a Fun Run, offering a more relaxed option for those looking to join in without the pressure of competition. Christina Carlson, ’11, ’12, Associate Director of Alumni and Donor Relations, emphasized the event’s importance in connecting

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