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ST. LOUIS - Volunteers and members of the American Red Cross of Greater St. Louis, will join with the Alton Fire Department on May 10 and the Ferguson Fire Department on May 12to install free smoke alarms for local families vulnerable to home fires during a Sound the Alarm event. This effort is part of a national Red Cross Sound the Alarm initiative to install 50,000 free smoke alarms in more than 50 at-risk communities across the country in May. WHAT: Sound the Alarm kickoff with remarks and volunteer training, followed by smoke alarm installations at area homes where volunteer teams will also discuss home fire safety with families. WHERE: Area homes in Alton, IL (May 10) and Ferguson, MO (May 12). WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. Teams will meet on May 10 at 10 a.m. at the Alton Fire Department Training Center, 333 E. 20 th Alton, IL. Smoke alarm installations to follow. Teams will meet on May 12 at the Red Cross Chapter Offices, 10195 Corporate Square Drive

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ALTON - The Alton Community Service League met on May 9th, 2022 for their last meeting of the year at the Resurrection Lutheran Church. The Silver Bowl recipient was announced and the New Board was installed for the 2022-2023 year. The Silver Bowl Recipient, which honors the member with the most volunteer and league hours for 2021-2022 was Nancy Johnson. She volunteered 54 League hours and 122 Community hours making a total of 176 Hours. The value of these hours is $5,023.04. The total number of volunteer hours from all members was 2,292.25 which equates to $65,420.82. The organization has been keeping a tally since 2014-2015 and they have volunteered 47,591.05 hours which equates to $1,214,870.30. ACSL prides its organization on volunteering and giving out grants for beautification and to charitable organizations. Allocations for Charitable and Beautification Grants totaled $7,396. The new ACSL board will be under the leadership of their new president: Cathy Droste.

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GREENVILLE - The Greenville University Choir is looking forward to presenting a free concert and Q&A session, both open to the public, as part of Commencement weekend on Friday, May 13. The GU Choir will be performing selections from their spring tour this year which will include works by Franz Joseph Haydn, W.A. Mozart, Hyun Kook, Dominick DiOrio, and more. Immediately following the concert, attendees are invited to participate in a 15-minute Q&A session with Don Frazure, GU’s director of choral activities. Frazure says he will introduce GU’s newly hired Choir Recruiter Andrew Gibb-Clark and present the vision for the GU Choir, including plans for an upcoming European tour. “I am very excited about presenting this concert to our Greenville community,” Frazure says. “The choir has done an exceptional job this year working on and performing some very demanding repertoire. We are also implementing some incredible new recruiting efforts for the upcoming

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LENEXA, KAN. – This Wednesday, May 11, leaders from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are hosting a Mississippi River Corridor Summit on Water Infrastructure Funding in East Alton, Illinois, with state co-regulators and Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative (MRCTI) mayors. To kick off the summit, federal, state, and local leaders will host a press event overlooking the Mississippi River on top of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center Confluence Field Station. The Mississippi River Corridor Summit on Water Infrastructure Funding is focused on engaging MRCTI mayors to better understand their water and wastewater challenges and needs, especially those with equity and environmental justice concerns like small rural locations. Reporters are invited to attend the press event in person. EPA Region 7 will stream it on Facebook Live . Reporters may also attend the Mississippi River Corridor Summit on Water Infrastructure Funding in-person or virtually

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SPRINGFIELD – Spots are still available for an introductory wingshooting clinic Saturday, May 14 at the Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area in Will County. The clinic is designed for boys and girls 10 years and older and adults who are interested in learning to shoot or improving their ability to shoot a shotgun at moving clay targets. For this wingshooting clinic, participants need to be in the beginner/novice shooting skill level. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the Illinois Conservation Foundation, and several co-sponsors are hosting the clinic, which is designed to teach participants how to safely shoot a shotgun at a moving target with reasonable reliability. The clinic will begin with a shotgun safety presentation at 10 a.m., followed by a short, small-group, hands-on shotgun orientation session with each group’s wingshooting instructor. Clinics are taught by instructors certified by the IDNR or the National Sporting Clays Association.

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY: The deceased in a St. Louis County crash has been identified as Sylvia Twigger, 89 years of age, of the 9700 block of Jackie Lane in Saint Louis, Missouri 63123. St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives and the Accident Reconstruction Unit are currently investigating a fatal motor crash in the area of Reavis Barracks Road and Lemay Ferry Road which resulted in the death of an adult female. On May 6, 2022, at approximately 3:50 PM, St. Louis County police officers from the South County Precinct responded to a call for service for a motor vehicle accident in the area of Reavis Barracks Road and Lemay Ferry Road. Arriving officers located two motor vehicles involved in a motor vehicle crash. Preliminary investigation has revealed a Nissan Rogue, driven by an 89-year-old female, was eastbound on Reavis Barracks Road in the northbound turn lane onto Lemay Ferry Road when it crossed the centerline, striking a Hyundai Santa Fe driven by an adult male.

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These photos may be purchased for personal use at: https://www.randymanning.com/Alton-Farmers-and-Artisans-Market ALTON - The Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market kicked off with an outstanding start on Saturday in the Downtown Alton Historic District. The market is organized by Alton Main Street. Alton Main Street Executive Director Sara McGibany said she couldn't have been more pleased with the start this past Saturday. The market runs from 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday through October 15, 2022. "It is super exciting to have the Farmers' and Artisans' Market underway again," she said. "We are all now almost like family and we miss each other when it is in the off-season. There were a lot of hugs today. The community has really embraced this event year after year and new vendors and crowds of people just keep coming along with the returning vendors." Live entertainment, artist demonstrations, and other special activities have been scheduled every week, McGibany said. Shoppers

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Pontoon Beach– The Illinois Department of Transportation announces intermittent lane closures of IL 162 between IL 157 and Nameoki Rd. near Granite City beginning on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, weather permitting. Two-way traffic will be maintained by the use of flaggers. This project will update pavement marking and it should be completed by the end of the month. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert to changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. The contractor on this project is RoadSafe Traffic Systems, Inc. from Romeoville, Illinois. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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ST. LOUIS – The 80,000-plus fans projected to attend the upcoming Enjoy Illinois 300 Presented by TicketSmarter NASCAR Cup Series race and related festivities will be entertained at every turn throughout race weekend. Live performances will begin at the Ballpark Village Fan Fest presented by Enterprise on Thursday, June 2, and will continue at World Wide Technology Raceway on Friday, June 3; Saturday, June 4; and Sunday, June 5, concluding with a post-race concert. Confluence Festival: Crossroads of Concert & Community – a showcase of innovation, talent, and live entertainment – represents the region’s communities coming together in welcoming NASCAR, the No. 1 form of motorsports in the U.S, to World Wide Technology Raceway. “We promised our fans a world-class event, and this festival will deliver on a wholenew level,” said Curtis Francois, owner, and CEO of World Wide Technology Raceway. “Collectively, with our incredible partners World Wid

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GRAFTON - The Village of Grafton is accepting applications for full-time and part-time patrolmen. Candidates must be certified through the Illinois Training and Standards Board. Starting pay is $21.50 per hour with time and a half for holidays. Applications can be obtained at the Grafton Police Department, 118 E. Main St., Grafton, IL., 62037, by e-mail at graftonilpd@gmail.com or on the City of Grafton web page; cityofgraftonil.com .

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Belleville - St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) today announced it will provide complimentary round-trip rides, via the SCCTD Trolley Bus, from the Belleville Transit Center (800 Scheel Street, Belleville, IL 62221) to the Art on the Square event, which is being held in the Belleville Public Square in downtown Belleville, from Friday, May 13, to Sunday, May 15. The SCCTD Shuttle Bus will drop riders at the corner of East Main and North Jackson streets. Art on the Square is being held from 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 13; from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 14; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 15. The SCCTD Shuttle Bus will begin service 10 minutes before the event opens each day. Trips will be made to and from the Belleville Transit Center and Art on the Square every 15 minutes throughout the duration of the event each day. The final trip each evening will depart from East Main and North Jackson streets 20 minutes after each day’s event is scheduled to end. “Art

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The Southern Illinoisan: Lowering prescription drug costs By: Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) May 4, 2022 Recently, I opened a letter from a constituent in Illinois. The woman—a nurse—was writing to me about her husband, a diabetic who has to use insulin four times per day. But a little while ago, as a result of insurance delays, he found himself without health coverage for two months—a span in which his insulin costs alone came out to more than $2,900. The two of them were frantic. They went round and round with their local pharmacist, desperate to find some—any—solution to get him the medication he urgently needed. His blood sugar levels doubled over the course of about 12 weeks, until, finally, they reached a point where they were forced to take out a loan to pay for the prescription his life depended on. This family isn’t alone. A recent poll found that this is a nationwide crisis, with 9 out of 10 voters saying that drug pricing refor

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PIASA - Southwestern High School has announced its 2022 Prom Court. The 2022 Prom Court is as follows: (from left to right) Emily Lowis, Hannah Nixon, Jelsie Biciocchi, Whitney Keith, Laini Bock, Prom Queen Quinn Owens, Prom King Aaron Frost, Caleb Mary, Ashton Seniker, Tanner Albrecht, Carson Cooley, and Charlie Darr.

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GODFREY - A new water tower is being built at 2609 Airport Road near Godfrey. Greg Bates, manager of Jersey County Rural Water Company, said the tower’s construction is expected to be completed in mid-July. The water tower will serve the southern end of the Jersey County Rural Water system, which extends from southern Jersey County into northern Madison County in Godfrey, Bates said. “Basically, it’s just to provide better pressure to the area in the reserves for high-demand times,” Bates said. A 250,000-gallon sphere sits on top of the tower, its design mimicking a “tee with a golf ball on top,” Bates said. For more information about the water tower, call Jersey County Rural Water Company at (618) 498-9534.

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EDWARDSVILLE – R.L.P. Development has announced plans to break ground on a 188-room hotel property in Edwardsville. The dual-brand Home2 Suites and Hilton Garden Inn will be conveniently located near the SIUe (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville) campus at the northeast corner of Illinois Route 157 and Governors Parkway. The property will feature an additional outparcel development offering commercial real estate space to be leased at a later time. "We are very excited to partner with R.L.P. Development on this project,” said Chris Brock, a Senior Director of Development with Hilton Worldwide. “These are two great Hilton brands, and they will be well-received in the market," Brock continued. “We are proud and excited to partner with Hilton on this project in this market,” said Robert Plummer, founder of R.L.P. Development. “We continue to grow our hotel company, providing great service to our guests and career opportunities for our team

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EDWARDSVILLE - Payton Wren, a Metro East Lutheran High School wide receiver, has made a decision to play college football on scholarship at Knox College in Galesburg. Wren announced his decision at a signing at MELHS late last week. Payton Wrenn is a Metro East Lutheran Male Athlete of the Month. Beginning senior year the started college football recruiting process started, Wren said. He considered multiple colleges, but in the end, he decided that Knox College was the best fit. When asked why he chose Knox College, he said: "The field, the weight room, and coaches' interest in me were the key factors in the decision." Wren will make a transition from 7 on 7 football at MELHS, to the normal 11 on 11 next season. He said the transition will not be hard because he played 11 on 11 football his freshman year at Metro. He will be a slot receiver for Knox College. Payton said he loved his mentors at MELHS over the past four years. "I have had a lot of people mentor me here and I grew

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CARLINVILLE - One of the most popular programs at the Carlinville Public Library returns this summer with a packed schedule of activities. “Read Beyond the Beaten Path” is the theme for the library’s Summer Reading Program for 2022, which features fun and enriching weekly activities for all ages. “We have a lot going on this summer, and we’re really excited about it,” said library director Hannah Miller. “Some of our activities are new, and some are old favorites. It’s a great opportunity to spend time in the library and enjoy the wonders of reading, which we hope will last for a lifetime.” There will be Story Time each Tuesday starting at 10 a.m., when pre-kindergarten youngsters will meet for stories, crafts, and activities with a central theme. At 1 p.m. each Tuesday, school-aged children will meet and split into three classes – one for kindergarten and first-grade, one for second- and third-graders, and another for fourth-

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Local Aesthetic Physician Educates Public on the Benefits of Collagen in Aging GLEN CARBON - Many people might be unaware that collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, found in bones, muscles and tendons. It’s also responsible for helping people maintain a youthful appearance. Kristen M. Jacobs, M.D, a local aesthetic physician with more than 14 years of experience, and International Best-Selling Author of “Live Life Beautifully (With a Little Help)” recently held a Collagen and Cocktails event at her office in Glen Carbon to educate people on the benefits of using products and services that help your skin produce more collagen. “I am always so excited to educate people about the important role collagen plays as you age,” Dr. Jacobs said. “Collagen is a protein found in your skin’s connective tissue, and it can help slow down aging, wrinkles and increase skin elasticity. When we don’t have enough of it, that lead

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WOOD RIVER - Lewis & Clark Junior High School and East Alton-Wood River High School celebrated Oiler Day this past week. There was such great participation for the event with both LCJH and East Alton-Wood River High School celebrating our Oiler Spirit. The student winner for wearing the most Oiler wear, head to toe, was Westin Hatch. He had four Oiler shirts on and is shown in one of the photos. The East Alton-Wood River High School winner was Meadow Contratto who is an alumnus of LCJH. Both students received a gift card and an athletic pass to all high school sports next school year. The four runner-up students are Somona A., Ethan B., Kale C., and Ben W.

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Granite City – Juniors Rowan Wallaceand Chloe Widel of Granite City High School were selected as Granite City Rotary Club Students of the Month for May. Students were nominated by teachers, and were chosen on the basis of academics, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and civic honors and awards, and organization membership and leadership. Each honoree will receive a framed certificate and a gift card, and will be recognized at the Granite City Rotary Meeting on Tuesday, May 10. ROWAN WALLACE Robotics Team Head Programmer ... Three-year Honor Roll ... Cross Country All Warrior Award ... Volunteer at Relleke Farm's Haunted Barn ... Daughter of Robert and Kelley Wallace. CHLOE WIDEL Member of Robotics Club as Lead Builder ... Three-year High Honor Roll and Secondary Honors ... Saturday Scholars ... Volunteer Peer Tutor ... Daughter of Rachelle Matheny. For more information about Granite City School District #9, visit Granite City Schools .

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