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CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton joined local and state leaders today to celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting of Brown Sugar Bakery’s manufacturing facility. The 10,000 square-foot facility will enable large scale production on Chicago’s South Side while creating jobs for the local community. “One of the most important things I get to do as governor is help entrepreneurs start new businesses, and help small businesses become big ones. That’s the best way to create jobs and grow the economy,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I couldn’t be prouder of the Brown Sugar Bakery team as they continue to uplift the community, making a difference in so many people’s lives while bringing smiles to the faces of people everywhere.” Brown Sugar Bakery received $500,000 in grant funding from the state’s Minority-Owned Business Capital and Infrastructure Program in 2020 to support the expansion,

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GILLESPIE - Community members are invited to visit with residents and get their sugar fix at the annual trunk-or-treat at Gillespie Health & Rehab Center. From 5–8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, kids can stop by the facility’s parking lot at 7588 Staunton Road in Gillespie. Staff members will be parked and waiting with candy, popcorn, cotton candy and “little trinkets,” said Activity Director Jolynn Hemken. The community is then invited to walk through the halls of the facility and trick-or-treat with residents. “The residents just love the kids,” Hemken said. Gillespie Health & Rehab Center is a long-term care facility with several rehabilitation programs . Director of Nursing Sara Tex explained that they have many residents who live at the facility full-time and others who live there for a few months as they recover from surgeries and similar health issues. While treatments like physical therapy are important, activity and socialization

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GODFREY - Godfrey Fire Protection District personnel responded to a report of a vehicle overturned off Clifton Terrace Road in Godfrey at 6:36 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Thankfully, the person involved in the crash was not seriously injured, Godfrey Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Thomas Wills said. The road was closed down for a brief period until a tow truck came and recovered the vehicle, the assistant chief said. He said there have been multiple crashes in the area and he advised that anyone driving in the area slow down to the speed limit of 35 mph to be safe.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Many parents spoke about bullying at the recent Edwardsville Community Unit School District #11 Board of Education meeting. On Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, a total of ten parents addressed the Board during the public comments portion of their regular meeting. Several of these parents shared accounts of bullying and discrimination in the school district, while one parent spoke about the district’s response to her son’s passing, which she said was mishandled. Jamie Miller was the first speaker of the evening. She shared that her son, Gavin Miller, passed away on Oct. 6, 2023. ECUSD11 sent a letter to district parents in which they did not identify Gavin, citing the family’s privacy. The district offered support to grieving students and expressed “great sadness” for Gavin’s passing. “The problem was, nobody from the district leadership or anything decided to contact our family and what we wanted,” Miller said. “My

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ALTON - The Owl’s Club Fall Festival is sure to be a hoot with raffle prizes, food, live music and a full-service bar. The public is invited to party until midnight on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 at the Owl’s Club, located at 227 Blair Avenue in Alton. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Local rock band HOOKiE will play from 8 p.m. to midnight, and dancing is encouraged. “We’ll get people in, get people fed. Everybody’s happy,” said Chairman of the Board Tim Borman. “We’ll start drawing prizes, and once that band starts, it’s kind of like, okay, now everybody’s got something to focus on and can dance and have a good time.” Borman has been a member of the Alton Owl’s Club for 32 years. The men’s community social club also serves as an event center, which they regularly rent out. But the Fall Festival is a longtime tradition and “party for the Owl’s Club” that encourages people to stop by and see

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EDWARDSVILLE - After being arrested and charged with prostitution, a former employee of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) University Housing recently resigned. Cory L. Harlan, 43, of Edwardsville, was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023 at 3 p.m. and charged with prostitution by the SIUE Police Department. According to the SIUE Police Activity Blotter for October 2023, Harlan “was fingerprinted, photographed, processed and released with a Notice to Appear.” Harlan formerly worked as the Community Director for the 400 side of Cougar Village, one of the student housing facilities on the SIUE campus. Harlan’s name and photo are now absent from the Cougar Village staff webpage . According to The Alestle , SIUE’s student news organization, Housing Director Mallory Sidarous announced Harlan’s resignation in an email to students and named Brandon Perjak as the 400 side’s “immediate supervisor” while a “plan

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SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Gaming Board (the "IGB" or "Board") licensed new casinos in Danville, Carterville and Chicago and renewed the existing license for the Argosy Casino Alton during today's October meeting. At the meeting, the IGB issued new casino owners’ licenses to Danville Development, LLC d/b/a Golden Nugget Danville, Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort, LLC d/b/a Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort and Bally’s Chicago Operating Company, LLC d/b/a Bally’s Chicago. The Board also renewed a four-year license for Alton Casino LLC d/b/a Argosy Casino Alton following a license renewal hearing. Before the Board voted on licensure, representatives from each of the casinos addressed the Board about their suitability for licensure, providing highlights of their respective operations since opening and sharing their future plans. In addition to licensing Bally’s Chicago, the Board also approved a request from Bally’s Chicago under Rule 3000.540(d)

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SPRINGFIELD - Madison County has been issued a tentative property assessment equalization factor of 1.0889, according to David Harris, Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue. The property assessment equalization factor, often called the “multiplier”, is the method used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties, as required by law. This equalization is particularly important because some of the state’s 6,600 local taxing districts overlap into two or more counties (e.g. school districts, junior college districts, fire protection districts). If there were no equalization among counties, substantial inequities among taxpayers with comparable properties would result. State law requires property in Illinois to be assessed at one-third (1/3) of its market value. Farm property is assessed differently, with farm homesites and dwellings subject to regular assessing and equalization procedures, but with farmland and farm buildings assessed according to standard

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TROY - Madison County Coroner Stephen P. Nonn is identifying a woman who died after being involved in a two-car traffic crash on Wednesday morning, Oct. 25, 2023. The victim is identified as Catherine L. Leathers, 81, of Troy, IL. Leathers was a front-seat passenger of a 2006 Suzuki Vitara being driven by her husband. The crash occurred at 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, at the intersection of US Highway 40 and Bauer Road/Glen Rea Road when the victim’s vehicle was struck on the passenger side after driving into the path of a westbound 2021 Mazda CX-7. The driver of this vehicle refused medical treatment at the scene. Coroner Nonn said the decedent’s husband was taken to a St. Louis Hospital for treatment. Nonn added that the extent and severity of his injuries were unknown at the time of this release. "Leathers was pronounced deceased at Anderson Hospital emergency department after being transported from the scene by Troy Fire Department EMS," he said. "Her cause

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WASHINGTON COUNTY – On October 25, 2023, a Washington County Judge convicted 44-year-old Kevin Loucks, of Belleville, with First-Degree Murder (Class M Felony). The charge comes after an exhaustive investigation by the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 7 into the murder of 44-year-old Montez Pearson. On July 19, 2023, Pearson was located deceased near Lunte Creek Road in Washington County. Loucks was taken into custody on July 23, 2023, after a search warrant was executed at his residence in Belleville. The ISP was assisted during the investigation by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Belleville Police Department.

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MARYVILLE - Two were transported to trauma facilities in the St. Louis area after a pair of vehicles collided Thursday morning, Oct. 26, 2023, on Illinois Route 162 and Amberleigh Drive. With the two vehicles involved, five were injured in the accident. Three were transported to Anderson Hospital for evaluation and one was immediately transported to a trauma facility in St. Louis and another was transported to Anderson, then flown to a trauma facility in St. Louis. Maryville Fire Chief Doug Dankenberg said the vehicles ended up on Anderson Hospital property by the west entrance to the hospital at the end of the crash. He said there was a light pole struck and the west entrance to the hospital was closed for a small period of time while the area was cleared. The crash was dispatched as a head-on collision, but was actually a T-bone incident, the chief said. The Maryville Fire and Police crew were dispatched at 10:23 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, Fire Chief Dankenberg said. He als

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GRANITE CITY - Granite City hosted a business summit for business owners to learn about property tax reform and economic development in Madison County. On Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, owners and community leaders listened to speeches by Granite City Mayor Michael Parkinson, Madison County Treasurer Chris Slusser and Granite City Economic Development Director Cathy Hamilton. “Part of economic development is retaining what you have,” Parkinson said. “It’s leadership working together and working for you.” Slusser spoke about tax reform and noted that Illinois has the second highest real estate tax in the country. The Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) has been one proposed solution. PTELL is an optional law in IL counties that would limit tax increases. If the county hits the debt ceiling, PTELL also requires them to put out a referendum to voters about additional borrowing before any decisions are made. Slusser has researched PTELL for

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EAST ALTON - Wieland Rolled Brass Plant in East Alton filed a Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN Notice) with the state of Illinois on Oct. 19, 2023, and is expected to idle around 100 employees in the coming weeks. Wieland is located at 305 Lewis and Clark Blvd. in East Alton. Wieland Rolled Products NA is the leading manufacturer and converter of copper and copper-alloy sheet, strip, foil, tube and fabricated components in North America. It was formerly known as Olin Brass and Global Brass and Copper. While primarily processing copper and copper alloys, Wieland also rerolls and forms other metals such as stainless and carbon steel. The company’s products are used in five primary end markets: building and construction, munitions, automotive, coinage, and electronics/electrical components. The integrated brass mill in East Alton is the main operating facility, which produces strip products. Wieland has been the operator of the plant since 2019. East Alton Mayor

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ALTON/EDWARDSVILLE - The volunteer-run Overnight Warming Locations (OWL) are expanding from Alton to Edwardsville as the nonprofit prepares for its fifth consecutive season of providing shelter for unhoused members of the community on winter’s coldest nights. On nights when temperatures are forecasted to drop to 20 degrees or below, OWL volunteers help activate an emergency shelter at Deliverance Temple Church, located at 1125 E. 6th St. in Alton. Last winter, the Alton OWL opened its doors on 16 nights, serving 60 different guests, according to a press release from the organization. Volunteers were also able to help one guest secure permanent housing after he aged out of foster care last season. “Friendships have formed with our unhoused neighbors and volunteers, resulting in getting folks connected to life-saving services such as housing and social service providers,” Alton OWL Operations Director Tyler Dreith said. On Nov. 4, 2023, Germania Brew Haus fans

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WOOD RIVER - Old Alton Edwardsville Road has been officially renamed to Tyler Timmins Drive following a dedication ceremony to honor Tyler for his service as a police officer. Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, marked the second anniversary of Tyler’s passing. Friends, family, fellow police officers, community leaders and members of the Tyler Timmins Memorial Foundation gathered at the intersection of Rock Hill Road and Tyler Timmins Drive in Wood River to unveil the new street sign and share stories about him. “Two years ago today, in a matter of seconds, I lost the love of my life. My daughter lost her father. My family lost their protector and this community lost one of their own,” Linsey Timmins, Tyler’s wife, said. “However, within an instant of all of that loss, we gained this community as our own…My family and I have been so blessed by the members of this community and I cannot express enough how thankful we are for the love and support you

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ALTON - Brian Morris was presented the Hometown Star Award by John Hopkins at a recent Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey meeting. Brian is the owner of Shiver’s Frozen Custard in Godfrey. Accompanied by his parents, Gary and Mary Ann Morris, Brian described his path to success as an entrepreneur in our community. Born and raised in Alton, he attended Alton schools, graduating from Alton High School in 2007. While pursuing his career path, he enrolled in Lewis and Clark, studying computer technologies, but concluded that area was not his passion. While in high school, Brian worked part-time at Shiver’s Frozen Custard, which at the time was just beginning as a business on Godfrey Road. The business struggled and finally closed. The owner of Caesar’s Pizza bought the business and, while examining the records in the office, came across a list of former employees with Brian’s name and phone number, resulting in a call asking Brian to return to work at Shiver’s. Afte

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today on the Senate floor requested unanimous consent (UC) to schedule confirmation votes on two U.S. Attorney nominations being held by U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH)—Rebecca C. Lutzko, nominated to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio; and April M. Perry, nominated to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. U.S. Attorneys are empowered to prosecute all federal criminal offenses and are an integral part of our justice system. Despite these nominees’ eminent qualifications, U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) once again objected to the unanimous consent request. Last month, Durbin attempted to confirm these two nominees, as well as Todd Gee, nominated to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi; and Tara McGrath, nominated to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, by UC

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate approved today an amendment patterned after legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12) to protect veterans’ Second Amendment rights. Bost, the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced legislation earlier this year that would end the Department of Veterans Affairs’ practice of automatically submitting veterans’ names for background checks when they need help managing their finances. “Until now, a veteran who needed help managing their finances wouldn’t be able to go deer hunting because their name would have been submitted for a government-run background check that restricted their Second Amendment rights without due process,” said Bost. “It’s taken Congress over 30 years to right this wrong. I appreciate the bipartisan work the Senate has done on this issue, and in partnership with the House, I look forward to it being enacted in the final version o

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Rotary Club has chosen to honor Edwardsville High School student, Kaitlyn DeVries, with the Student of the Month Award for the month of October. Kaitlyn DeVries was nominated by English teacher, Ms. Heather Haskins, of Edwardsville High School. Kaitlyn is the daughter of Erin and Bill DeVries. She is involved in many extracurricular activities, such as Key Club, National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, Debate Club, and the OMG Pickleball Club. In addition, she is a nominated student leader in Thirst Project, German Club, National English Honor Society, and Ethics Bowl; she is also the president of the German Honor Society. Kaitlyn’s achievements also include: receiving several medals in competitive pickleball at a 4.0 rating, maintaining a 4.64 GPA through several AP and Honors classes, and holding a first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys writing short stories, reading, archery, practicing the bo

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resource (IDNR) is reminding deer hunters of locations where deer can be tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD) free of charge during the 2023-2024 hunting season. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal disease of the central nervous system in deer and elk. It was first detected in a suspect adult female deer from northwest Boone County in 2002. Since then, 162,099 wild deer have been sampled statewide, and 1,752 individual deer tested positive for CWD. The disease is currently confined to a 19-county area in the northern third of Illinois. Wildlife biologists monitor the geographic distribution and intensity of CWD primarily through testing of hunter-harvested deer. Chronic wasting disease is not transmissible to humans; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend consuming CWD-positive venison, or deer meat. Hunters can visit participating vendors, including taxidermists and meat processors, or

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