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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF) is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of the Conservation Achievement Scholarship, honoring high school seniors who have demonstrated outstanding voluntary dedication to the preservation, protection, enhancement and promotion of Illinois’ natural resources. “These young leaders are the future of conservation in Illinois,” said Natalie Phelps Finnie, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director and ICF board chair. “Their passion, initiative, and long-term commitment to protecting the outdoors inspire us all. We are also deeply grateful to the generous donors who make these scholarships possible.” Each winner receives a $2,000 scholarship to support their continued studies and conservation efforts. This year’s honorees represent a broad range of environmental service, leadership and community impact. The 2025 Conservation Achievement Scholarship recipients: M

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Congressman Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) introduced the bipartisan Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act. This legislation would address staffing shortages at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) by streamlining the pathway for participants in VA’s Health Professionals Scholarship Program (HPSP) to begin in full-time roles at VHA. "VA’s Health Professionals Scholarship Program supports students pursuing healthcare careers while connecting VA with talented staff, but there is room for improvement. As HPSP participants graduate – eager to begin careers at VA – they often face delays in receiving a contract. With the Veterans Health Administration already experiencing staffing shortages, we need solutions to address this inefficiency,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “The bipartisan Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act would streamline the path

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor, making clear that Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act will only raise prices and slash Medicaid and Medicare coverage for working Americans in order to pay for significant tax breaks for billionaires. Durbin reiterated in his remarks that the legislation will harm Americans as the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an estimate showing that 16 million Americans will lose their health insurance under the Republicans’ reconciliation bill. “They are considering a tax bill that will eliminate health insurance coverage for 16 million Americans. More people and families will lose health insurance coverage by virtue of this ‘big, beautiful bill’ than any legislation we passed in modern memory,” Durbin began. Durbin explained how unpopular it would be to cut health insurance coverage for Americans, which has prompted a small number of Republicans

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BELLEVILLE – Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged a Belleville, Illinois man for allegedly disseminating child sexual abuse material and disseminating private sexual images of an adult without consent. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child sexual abuse material online. The Attorney General’s office charged Owen Corder, 22, in St. Clair County Circuit Court with eight counts of Class X felony dissemination of child pornography, each punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and two counts of Class 4 felony non-consensual dissemination of private sexual images, each punishable by up to three years in prison. Sentences are ultimately determined by the court. Corder is currently detained at the St. Clair County Jail. “Survivors of child exploitation and their families can face life-long trauma, and

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Did you know that the fashion industry is responsible for nearly 10% of global carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply? These staggering numbers compel us to rethink how we approach our clothing choices—not only during summer but year-round. Building a sustainable summer wardrobe is more than a trend; it’s a necessary shift toward reducing environmental impact while maintaining style and comfort. Understanding Sustainability in Fashion Before diving into wardrobe choices, it’s important to clarify what sustainability means in the context of fashion. Sustainable fashion emphasizes ethical manufacturing, eco-friendly materials, longevity, and reducing waste. For a summer wardrobe, this translates into selecting clothes that are made to last, crafted from sustainable fabrics, and ideally produced by brands committed to responsible practices. Choosing the Right Fabrics The foundation of a sustainable summer wardrobe lies

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June 10 is a date marked by a rich tapestry of historical events that have influenced societies, politics, culture, and science across the globe. One of the most impactful events to ever occur on June 10 happened in 1940 during the height of World War II. On this day, Italy declared war on France and the United Kingdom, officially entering the global conflict. This declaration dramatically expanded the war's theatre and had lasting consequences for the geopolitical landscape of Europe and beyond. Italy’s entry into the war added a new front in North Africa and intensified military operations in the Mediterranean. The reverberations of this decision influenced the strategies and alliances that would shape the eventual outcome of the war. Traveling back to the early 19th century, June 10, 1829, marks the birth of the Metropolitan Police Service in London, widely recognized as the first modern police force. Established by then-Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel, this institution introduced

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GLEN CARBON - Randy L. Gori will be posthumously awarded the prestigious Leonard M. Ring Lifetime Achievement Award at the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association’s (ITLA) annual convention on Friday, June 13, 2025. The convention will be held at the Sheraton Grand in Chicago, Illinois. The criteria for the award are as follows: This award is given annually to someone selected by a committee appointed by the president. The recipient is someone who has devoted, as Leonard did, a substantial part of their life and their practice to ITLA, someone who has done more than is called for. Someone who has the standards of Leonard, the work ethics of Leonard and the commitment to ITLA that Leonard had. At the same time, it keeps alive the memory of Leonard Ring. Randy Gori, 47, passed away on January 4, 2020, at his residence. Prior to his death, Gori was a highly regarded trial lawyer and businessman who offered his insight and experience to those who walked alongside him in seeking

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GRANITE CITY – A new comedy show will be playing locally at Patrick’s Bar and Grill following a nearby toy and comic book convention. Following the Midwest Toy and Comic Fest Presents: Side Quest Granite City, Cryptid Comix will be hosting a comedy night at Patrick’s Bar and Grill. This unique show combines art and comedy. Every ticket purchased enters the attendees into a raffle for a chance to win original artwork made by the founder Wesley Riley. Cryptid Comix is proud to showcase the growing central Illinois stand up comedy community by providing opportunities for comedians and audiences alike to enjoy a fun filled night of laughs.

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ALTON – A resolution to replace an expiring state grocery sales tax with a locally collected grocery tax is on its way to the Alton City Council. A resolution to create an ordinance imposing a 1% sales tax on groceries and grocery “services” was approved 5-2 at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting . Voting against the resolution were Ward 1 Alderman Chris Bohn and Ward 3 Alderman Michael Velloff. The State of Illinois has imposed a 1% sales tax on groceries since 1990, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to local municipalities. To offset significant revenue losses when the state grocery tax expires in 2026, the Illinois General Assembly has allowed each municipality to replace the state tax with local 1% sales taxes on groceries. While difficult to determine due to the state combining grocery and general sales tax figures, it was estimated that allowing the grocery sales tax to expire would result in an annual loss of $400,000 for the Cit

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PIASA - Thor Springman, a sophomore at Southwestern High School, emerged as a key contributor during the 2025 track and field season with notable performances in distance events. Thor is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Male Athlete of Month for the Piasa Birds. Springman posted a personal best of 4:46.13 in the 1,600 meters at the Jokisch-Grandone Invitational, marking a significant improvement from his freshman year. He also competed in the 3,200 meters at the IHSA Class 1A Sectional at North Mac, finishing third with a time of 10:17. He posted a time of 2:10.40 in the 800 meters at the Staunton Quad Meet. His efforts were vital to the success of the Southwestern Piasa Birds, as he led the team in total points and earned the distinction of Most Valuable Performer for the season. Looking ahead, Springman will continue his athletic pursuits this fall with Southwestern’s cross country team before transitioning to basketball for the winter season.

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EDWARDSVILLE – SIUE Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin will serve as this year's Grand Marshal of Glen Carbon's "Village of Rock N' Coal Homecoming" Parade Sat., June 14 beginning at 5 p.m. The Homecoming celebration takes place over two days with carnival rides, great music, food and fun for the entire family. "My family and I are proud residents of the Village of Glen Carbon, and we are excited to participate in the Homecoming Parade this weekend," Gavin said. "I always appreciate the opportunity to connect SIUE Athletics with our great communities in the Metro East, and I am grateful to Mayor Marcus and Glen Carbon for inviting me to participate." In his second full year as SIUE's Director of Athletics, Gavin guided the Department to one of its most successful athletic years since the transition to Division I athletics in 2008, culminating in men's basketball's first-ever OVC Tournament Championship and appearance in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Additionally,

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GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College is hosting a Disaster Relief Drive for victims of the recent tornado in St. Louis now through June 30, through its volunteer effort known as “Trailblazers Give Back.” Donations from team members and the public will be collected at the Campus Safety office, located at Elm/Godfrey Road at the North Entrance to the Godfrey Campus – then distributed through the Urban League of St. Louis. “Although our campuses are located across the river, St. Louis is home to many of our team members, students, family and friends, so this cause is close to our hearts,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Cherise Jackson. The following items have been requested: Paper towels Cleaning products Disinfecting wipes Flashlights/batteries Bleach First aid kits Ponchos Toiletries According to the National Weather Service, the tornado that hit St. Louis on Friday, May 16, was an EF-3, with damaging wind

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ALTON - A special groundbreaking ceremony for the much-anticipated Byway Discovery Center at Great Rivers Park, 10815 Lockhaven Rd., Godfrey, will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Local and regional elected officials will be on hand to put shovels in the ground for the new National Scenic Byway corridor activation project which is expected to open its doors in Spring 2026. The project was funded by a portion of a $10 Million Capital Bill Grant received by the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau. “The new Byway Discovery Center will be a great asset to our Byway region,” Cory Jobe, President/CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau noted. “It is keenly positioned on the Great River Road where visitors will be treated to a natural riverscape and viewshed. We are creating a full immersion experience that we hope will help our visitors and local families discover and explore the region’s premiere outdoor recreation offerings.”

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ALTON - The 20th annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival honored the musician’s legacy and supported local students. On Saturday, June 7, 2025, community members gathered at Post Commons in Alton for an evening of jazz music by the Alton High School Jazz Combo and Saman Swanson. The event recognized Davis as an important part of Alton’s history while raising money for scholarships for high school students. “The past 20 years have been fabulous. We’ve watched it grow from a little gathering of people to the actual honoring of the greatest trumpeter in the world, homegrown Miles Davis,” said Lee Barham, chairman of the event. Over the last 20 years, Barham and his committee have given away over 40 scholarships. Four students — one homeschooled student, two students from Alton High School, and one student from Marquette Catholic High School — received $500 scholarships this year through the festival. Barham highlighted the importance of

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ROLLA, MO. - The Steel Bridge Design Team at Missouri University of Science and Technology placed fifth in the nation at the Student Steel Bridge Competition, held Saturday, May 31 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The fifth-place finish is a record for the S&T team, with a previous best result of twelfth place in 2004. The Steel Bridge competition requires students to design a scale model of a bridge, spanning 20 feet and capable of holding 2,500 pounds. The assembly of the bridge is timed, and the completed bridges are load-tested, weighed and judged on aesthetics and cost estimates. The bridges are designed to solve a real-world problem; this year's challenge was to design a bridge over the South Skunk River in Iowa to connect walking trails in a park. The S&T team earned their place at the national competition with their seventh consecutive win at the American Society of Civil Engineers Mid-America Student Symposium, in which they came in first in six out of seven categories

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TROY - The City of Troy and the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce hosted their second First Friday event. On Friday, June 6, 2025, community members came out to downtown Troy to visit with vendors, check out the local businesses, enjoy live music and more. These events, hosted on the First Friday of every month from May to September excluding July, invite the community to have a fun night while supporting local business owners. “It’s so amazing to see everyone downtown celebrating tonight,” said Carol Sparks, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce board. “It’s great, absolutely. When you think about the local community and the local economy and all the things that can happen here, it’s great to see new business coming, new people coming to town, and just supporting what’s here and growing what we have.” Sparks and Dawn Mushill, president of the Chamber of Commerce, noted that the idea behind First Friday came

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GRANITE CITY – A man and woman from Granite City face felony charges of battery and domestic battery in separate criminal cases. Skyla M. Soomro, 18, of Granite City, was charged on June 4, 2025 with two Class 3 felony counts of aggravated battery. Soomro allegedly struck the victim in the head with a glass bottle, causing a laceration to the victim’s head which required multiple stitches to close. The Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to deny Soomro’s pretrial release from custody. According to the petition, the victim told authorities Soomro entered a room and struck her with the glass bottle “unprovoked.” A witness supported the victim’s statement, and Soomro reportedly “admitted to the offense, saying the victim owed her money.” According to a report of Soomro’s criminal history, she was under an active Order of Protection at the time of this incident. The protective order was issued in

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COLLINSVILLE – Illinois State Police (ISP) Troop 8 Commander, Captain Casey Faro, announces the ISP will conduct Distracted Driving Enforcement Program patrols in Madison and St. Clair counties during June. This program allows ISP to focus on distracted driving laws to prevent traffic deaths and serious injury crashes. Distracted Driving is doing another activity that takes the driver’s attention away from driving. Distractions can increase a driver’s risk of being in an accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: - Over 3,000 people annually are killed in crashes involving distracted driving. - Reading a text message cantake a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. - Nearly 1 in every 10 injury crashes involved a distracted driver. Officers will be on the lookout for drivers who disobey Illinois’ distracted driving laws. - All drivers are prohibited from reading, sending, or receiving text messages or

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and fellow Senate Democratic colleagues in calling on the Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to open an investigation into new information obtained by her office revealing that DOGE may have gained access to “two of FSA’s internal systems: Financial Management System (FMS) and Partner Connect,” in addition to sensitive borrower data. Following DOGE’s “takeover” of ED, the Senators opened an investigation into the matter. In response, ED disclosed that DOGE supported a review of FSA’s contracts, and to conduct this review, ED granted “one employee read-only access” to two of FSA’s internal systems, which both hold sensitive personal information for people on Title IV loan and grant programs. “Because of the Department’s refusal to provide full and complete information, the full

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EDWARDSVILLE – As long as there are instances of people dealing with post-traumatic stress, depression and more becoming increasingly intertwined with responses from law enforcement, then it will remain critical for police officers to be properly trained in sensory inclusivity, according to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Dominic Dorsey. Dorsey, Director of SIUE Office for Accessible Campus Community and Equitable Student Support (ACCESS) and President of SIUE’s Black Faculty and Staff Association, presented the topic of sensory inclusivity to the SIUE Police Department. “During a conversation with Director Dorsey, regarding how the SIUE PD could better serve our diverse community, he mentioned sensory inclusivity and the great training provided by KultureCity ,” said Patrol Officer Maria Ferrari. The department is in the process of obtaining sensory inclusion first responder certification from KultureCity. “Sensory inclusivity

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