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PEORIA – Today, Governor JB Pritzker highlighted the more than 5,800 preschool seats created in the first year of Smart Start Illinois. The Governor visited Rochester Elementary School and Peoria Heights Grade School, and yesterday visited Ellis Elementary School to highlight the program’s successes . Smart Start is Governor Pritzker’s transformative plan for early childhood education and care that represents the State’s ongoing commitment to children, families, teachers, and childcare providers. “As a longtime advocate for early childhood education and as a father, I know this work begins long before a child steps foot into a grade school classroom,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Quality early childhood care and education are vital for both working parents and their young children. That’s why my administration launched Smart Start, ensuring that every child in Illinois is set up for a lifetime of success.” “Every child

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EAST ST. LOUIS – Recognizing the role small businesses play in the community, State Senator Christopher Belt is hosting a small business town hall Wednesday, Jan. 24 at Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Ed Campus. “Small businesses are the backbone of our communities, and it’s important their voices are heard,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “By working together, we can explore solutions that will contribute to the continued success of these businesses.” The town hall will be held Jan. 24 from 6:30-8 p.m. at Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Ed Campus, Building D in the multipurpose room, located at 601 James R. Thompson Blvd. in East St. Louis. The event is in partnership with Woodstock Institute, Small Business Majority, Community Organization and Family Issues, and United Congregations of the Metro East. There will be presentations, conversation regarding access to credit and consumer protections and time for questions. Refreshments will be provided. For more information,

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WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at protecting access to infertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization, amid growing concern that anti-abortion bills may threaten access in some states. On Thursday, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild plan to introduce the Access to Family Building Act, which would make it a statutory right for patients to access assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization or IVF, continue treatments and retain authority over how sperm or egg cells are used during such treatments. “It will be in federal code that you have this right,” said Duckworth, who has been outspoken about her own experience using IVF to grow her family. IVF is a form of assisted reproductive technology in which eggs are fertilized by sperm cells in a lab and the resulting embryos transferred into a person’s uterus in hopes of leading to pregnancy. The new bill could supersede states’

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with Judge Carlton Reeves, Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, to discuss policy priorities for the upcoming sentencing guideline amendment cycle. During their meeting, Durbin encouraged the Commission to consider an amendment to the Guidelines Manual that would prohibit the use of acquitted conduct in applying sentencing guidelines. This potential amendment would align with Durbin’s bipartisan Prohibiting Punishment for Acquitted Conduct Act , which would preclude any federal court from considering acquitted conduct at sentencing, except for the purposes of mitigation. Durbin and Judge Reeves also discussed reframing provisions used for sentencing youth, including by strengthening the existing downward departure at sentencing on the basis of an individual’s age at the time of the offense. “The U.S. Sentencing Commission is tasked with the

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GRANITE CITY – The Granite City Police Department has something to express pride about today as it announces a remarkable 15-percent decrease in overall crime rates. Granite City Chief of Police Nick Novacich said this positive trend is a testament to the dedicated efforts of law enforcement officers and collaborative initiatives within the community. The latest statistics reveal a substantial decline in various categories of criminal activity, reflecting the commitment of the police force to ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents. Specifically, crimes such as Burglary are down over 27%, Larceny and other theft-related offenses are down over 23%, and Drug/Narcotic violations saw a decline of over 23% this past year. During this same time frame, arrests for Weapons Violations and Animal Cruelty have increased, which is a direct correlation to the commitment of this department to reduce violent crimes and crimes against animals. The concerted efforts of officers, communit

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GODFREY - Phase 1 of the F.E. Widman bike/pedestrian trail project in Godfrey is officially moving forward after the Village Board at their meeting this week unanimously approved advertising the project for bids. Juneau Associates Inc., the village’s project consultant, has finally received formal direction on tree removal/mitigation for the project after waiting for a Natural Resources Review for nearly three years, according to a memorandum from the Village Engineering Department. Now, the next step is for the village to seek bids for the project. The estimated construction cost for the F.E. Widman Trail Project is approximately $1.3 Million. Approximately 46% of the construction costs will be reimbursed by various grants, saving the village $600,000 and lowering the final cost to the village to $700,000. According to the village’s invitation for bids , “the scope of work for this project involves construction of a bike trail on a new alignment including

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ALTON - Illinois American Water’s work to separate the Alton combined sewer system and install new sanitary sewers continues. Below is information about upcoming/current road closures – Jan. 16, 2024, Belle Street, between W. 13th Street and W. 16th Street, remains closed to thru traffic. This section of roadway will continue to be closed for the next month or more as work to repair/rebuild a sewer tunnel is completed. West 15th Street is closed, with future sewer installation work beginning on W. 13th, W. 15th, and McGuan Streets in the next several weeks. Please continue to use US 67, Alby Street, or State/9th Streets to traverse north-south in lieu of using Belle Street. Road Closures Sewer separation work continues on Hardy and Elm Streets, with Elm Street closing to traffic in the next week or two. Please keep on the lookout for future roadway closure notices pertaining to Elm Street closure. Pavement restoration work should begin in the near future, weather dependent,

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EDWARDSVILLE - Kaylea Lacey, who's a sophomore forward for the girls basketball team at Alton High School, has enjoyed a stellar season thus far, as she's played a key role in helping the Redbirds to a 22-1 mark with a few weeks left in the regular season. Lacey scored 11 points in Alton's win over Edwardsville on Jan. 11 67-36 at Lucco-Jackson Gym, a game where the Redbirds outscored the Tigers in the second half 45-16 after leading at the half 22-20. Then in the opening game of the 37th Highland Invitational Tournament on Jan. 13, Lacey scored 12 points as the Redbirds won over Belleville West 91-21, advancing to the quarterfinals. With that win, Alton became the first area team, boys or girls, to reach the 20-win mark this season. Kaylea is an Auto Butler Female Athlete of the Month for the Redbirds. In an interview conducted after the win over Edwardsville, Lacey felt good about how things went in the second half and how the Redbirds executed very well in the final 16 minutes.

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WOOD RIVER - Devon Green, a senior on a young East Alton-Wood River boys basketball team, is providing leadership for the Oilers and also sets an example for the younger players to look up to and aspire to this season. Green was the leading scorer for the team with 10 points recently against Roxana. Green, a very engaging and friendly gentleman, is optimistic about the Oilers improving and reaching new heights before the season's close. Green is a Midwest Members Credit Union Male Athlete of the Month for the Oilers. Green is the leading scorer and rebounder on the team. "I'm feeling pretty optimistic," Green said when asked if the Oilers can turn things around before the close of the year. As the only senior on the team with much basketball experience, Green sees his role on the team as a very simple one: Encourage and help his teammates in any way possible. "I would say I see myself as a senior leader," Green said, "and try to pick people off the ground. I would say, just make

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EDWARDSVILLE - Gabby Cook, a sophomore guard with the Edwardsville High girls' basketball team, has contributed much to the development of the Tigers in the 2023-24 season, and is being looked to to help the Tigers as the season begins to enter its stretch run. Cook has averaged 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds-per-game so far for Edwardsville, also having an assist and steal, along with two blocked shots. Gabby is a Johnston Law Firm Female Athlete of the Month for the Tigers. Cook is now looking ahead to the remainder of the season and feels optimistic about how things may go. "I'm feeling pretty good," Cook said. "I know we're a pretty good team, we've just got to build more. Alton's a great team, so, just going up from here and I think we're starting to finally get our groove." Edwardsville played Alton to within two points at the half of a recent game at Edwardsville before the Redbirds pulled away in the second half. Cook sees her role on the Tigers as doing whatever she can t

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Senate passed a continuing resolution to keep our government open and spare working families the pain of a partial shutdown: “Today’s vote is good for working families, our economy and our entire nation. By passing this continuing resolution, the Senate is providing House Republicans an opportunity to avoid a needless government shutdown that would hurt working families and halt government services relied on by millions of Americans while creating a pathway to pass critical appropriations bills to keep the government open and working for the people for the rest of the fiscal year. “It’s clear that bipartisanship is the only path forward here. The Senate has done our job—and now, it’s critical that House Republicans do theirs by passing this resolution quickly so we can get it to the President’s desk for signature before parts of the government

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SPRINGFIELD - Justice David K. Overstreet and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the assignment of Third Circuit Judge Amy Sholar to the Fifth District Appellate Court. Judge Sholar is being assigned to fill a newly created judicial seat in the Fifth Appellate District. Sholar is a long-time area resident and has a law practice in Alton. The assignment is effective March 1, 2024, and will continue until further order of the Court. “Judge Amy Sholar has excelled in every facet of her legal career including her time as a Circuit Judge in the Third Circuit,” Justice Overstreet said. “She will be an outstanding addition to the Fifth District Appellate Court.” Judge Sholar was first appointed to the bench as a Third Circuit Judge on April 30, 2021, and won election as a Resident Circuit Judge for Madison County in 2022. She has served as the Presiding Judge of the Family Division and was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve on the Judicial Inquiry

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EDWARDSVILLE – Four musicians from Metro-East Lutheran High School have earned All-State honors from the Illinois Music Education Association, with one student earning a top ranking. Kate Mueller, a sophomore at MELHS, has been named first-chair clarinet for the Illinois All-State Honors Band, which comprises the top-performing high school musicians in the state. Christian Greer, a sophomore at MELHS, earned a spot in the All-State Honors choir. Deagan Jones, a MELHS senior, was selected for the All-State Choir, and Harry Mueller, also a senior, was selected for the cello section of the All-State Orchestra. “All-State is a great opportunity for students to be challenged to perform some great works of music with other top-level high school musicians,” said Joseph Meador, director of the MELHS music department. In addition, Meador said, for Kate Mueller to be selected to serve as first chair clarinet in the Honors Band as a sophomore is a great honor for her and

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ALTON – With frigid temperatures occurring across the state, Illinois American Water is reminding homeowners and businesses to take steps to prevent frozen water pipes. These tips can also help protect the local water service team as they perform critical work for reliable, safe water service. Customers should: • Allow a small trickle of water to run overnight to keep pipes from freezing. Customers should consider collecting the water for later use such as watering indoor plants and more. The cost of a short-term trickle is much less costly than a repair to a burst pipe. • Open cabinet doors to expose pipes. Opening cabinet doors exposes pipes to warmer room temperatures. Vice President of Operations Beth Matthews said, “These two tips are most important. They help residents keep their home plumbing safe, while also supporting our team in the field. Many times, when pipes freeze, customers will assume there is an issue with their water service and call our team

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STEVENS POINT, Wis. - Madison Ruklic, an Edwardsville native, was recently honored with a large-scale academic accomplishment and is saluted today on Riverbender.com and Edglentoday.com. Ruklic was named to a high honors student list at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for this past fall. Stevens Point honored more than 2,500 undergraduate students for attaining high grade point averages during the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. Full-time undergraduates who earned grade points of 3.90 to 4.0 (4.0 equals straight A) are given the highest honors designation. High honor citations go to those with grade point averages from 3.75 to 3.89 and honor recognition is accorded to those with grade point averages from 3.50 to 3.74. Personalized certificates of scholastic achievement are sent to those who earned highest honors distinction.

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GREENVILLE - Numerous area students were placed on the Dean's List at Greenville University for the fall 2023 semester. To qualify for the Greenville University Dean's List, a student must successfully complete a minimum of 12 hours for the semester. Freshmen (0-29.5 credits) must have a semester GPA of 3.5 or above. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors must have a semester GPA of 3.7 or above. Greenville University is an accredited Christian liberal arts university with more than 1,000 students, including traditional undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree completion students. Founded in 1892 and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, the University is in Greenville, Illinois, 45 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri. Visit www.greenville.edu. HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, CLASS YEAR Alton, IL Christopher Hellrung, JR Eva Schwaab, SR Hailey Wright, JR Bethalto, IL Megan Belangee, SR Janie Edel, SR Brighton, IL Jillian Beilsmith, SO David Watkins, SO East Alton

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BETHALTO —1 st MidAmerica Credit Union will award five $1,000 scholarships to area high school seniors in May. Applications are available online at www.1stMidAmerica.org . Applications are due Friday, March 29, 2024. Introduced in 2005, 72 area youth have benefited from the 1 st MidAmerica Credit Union scholarships. Scholarships may be applied to tuition, fees or other educational expenses. 1 st MidAmerica Credit Union has a mission of exceeding member expectations. Additional information can be found at www.1stMidAmerica.org

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on Senate passage of the Continuing Resolution (CR), which will fund various federal agencies through March 1 st and March 8 th , respectively: “It’s disappointing that the best we can do is ‘keep the lights on’ when funding the government. We should be addressing issues that are important to the American people, not kicking the can down the road once again. The good news is that the Senate came together today in a good-faith effort to pass a bipartisan CR until March. Now, the House must put their extreme MAGA priorities aside and do what’s best to avert a harmful shutdown that would delay veterans’ programs; nutrition assistance for women, infants, and children; benefits for our military; and so much more. Funding the government is an essential part of this job. It’s not the time to play

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EDWARDSVILLE – The City of Edwardsville and the Illinois Secretary of State are teaming up to offer a Mobile DMV service in the City several times a year. The first Mobile DMV will be offered on Friday, February 9, 2024, at the Edwardsville Public Library, 112 S. Kansas Street. The Mobile DMV is part of an effort by the Illinois Secretary of State’s office to provide some of the basic Illinois Department of Motor Vehicle services at easily accessible community sites. It’s an additional and alternative option to visiting a traditional DMV location. “The Mobile DMV is a great way for the community to be able to conveniently access these state services,” Mayor Art Risavy said. “We are very happy to be one of the municipalities where the Illinois Secretary of State’s office will offer it.” The Mobile DMV will operate from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Edwardsville Public Library. No appointments are necessary. Services to be offered include:

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WASHINGTON – Two men from McLeansboro, Illinois, located in the Southern part of the state near Mt. Vernon, IL., have been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to their conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their actions and the actions of others are alleged to have disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election. Justin LaGesse, 37, and Theodore Middendorf, 36, both of McLeansboro, Illinois, are charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony destruction of property. In addition to the felony, LaGesse and Middendorf are charged with misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, act of physical violence i

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