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The Center Square – An investigation done by the Office of the Executive Inspector General reveals improper employee benefit fundraising by the Illinois Department of Corrections, including the misuse of prison labor. The investigation, which stemmed from an anonymous complaint in June 2017, showed that although IDOC’s administrative directives limit the primary source of employee benefit fund (EBF) revenues to profits from vending machines and the employee commissaries, most of the EBFs have expanded their revenue streams by generating large sums of money from fundraising. Jenny Vollen Katz of with the prison watchdog group The John Howard Association explained what was in the OEIG report. "Unfortunately the report highlighted some really unfortunate behavior and a complete lack of oversight over fundraising around employee benefit funds for the Illinois Department of Corrections," Vollen Katz said. The report also showed that the IDOC was improperly using prison labor

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Illinois American Water’s work to separate the Alton combined sewer system and install new sanitary sewers continues. Below is information about this week’s road closures – Feb. 14, 2022 Piasa Valley Area: 6th Street east of Alby Street is open to George Street, with surface restoration work being completed as weather permits. Please drive carefully as some of the roadways are still rock surfaces. Alby Street is closed from 6th Street north to 7th Street, with future closures north and east of Alby/7th Street starting this week. 7th Street east of the square to George Street is open, with pavement restoration still being completed. 7th Street from George to Mechanic Street is closed. Turner Tract Area: Danforth Street will be closing in the next week or two to all thru traffic to allow for sewer installation work. The alley south of McKinley east of Lincoln is back open to traffic, with pavement restoration happening as weather permits. Douglas Street, between Stat

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MASSAC COUNTY - Illinois State Police is probing a two-vehicle personal injury crash from Sunday in Massac County. The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 22 WHAT: Two-Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash. WHERE: Illinois Route 145, just south of Country Acre Lane, Massac County WHEN: Sunday, February 13, 2022 at approximately 11:56 a.m. VEHICLES: Unit 1 – Black 2014 Cadillac SRX Unit 2 – White 2018 GMC Sierra DRIVERS : Unit 1 – Melanie L. Dutton, a 42-year-old female of Metropolis, IL - Transported by helicopter to a regional hospital with life-threatening injuries. Unit 2 – Nicholas J. Zertuche, a 27-year-old male of Harrisburg, IL – Transported by ambulance to a regional hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. PRELIMINARY: Preliminary investigative details indicate the following occurred: Unit 1 was northbound on Illinois Route 145, just south of Country Acre Lane in

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Jess and Michelle Vega from Belleville Date Met/Started Dating: October 29, 2017 Briefly Describe First Date: Sushi Dinner and Movie Date Married: August 10, 2021 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: We enjoy hanging out at home together laughing, sharing stories, doing projects, and playing with our dogs. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Constant open communication, keep issues light-hearted, let go of the petty stuff, and focus on the happy little things.

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ST. LOUIS – Tickets are on sale now for a brand new theatrical-style concert that chronicles the amazing journey George Michael had with music and his fans. The show will play River City Hotel and Casino on Wednesday, March 1, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. The Life and Music of George Michael captures the performance and sound with concert-style staging and lighting while telling his story through early music hits from Wham! and his illustrious solo career. Tickets are $20.50, $30.50, $35.50, $40.50 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or http://www.thelifeandmusicofgm.com and one hour before showtime at the River City Casino box office. You must be 21 and older to attend. “This show is going to honor George Michael’s career and be a celebration for his fans,” says producer Ralph Schmidtke. “Over the years, George’s popularity has continued to grow and The Life and Music of George Michael will give fans a glimpse of his life and they will hear

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ST. LOUIS - Two great days combine for love and fun on Monday, February 14. It's Valentine's Day and also National Ferris Wheel Day. To celebrate the dual holiday, the patient robots from SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital will take a ride on the Wheel and visually connect kids who are unable to leave the hospital with the sights and sounds at the St. Louis Wheel. The robots, which are controlled by the hospitalized patients, will roll onto the Wheel for their ride at 2 p.m. VALENTINE'S DAY The 200-foot-tall observation wheel at St. Louis Union Station will be lighted in red and pink themes for Valentine's celebrations. Riders can cozy up to their loved ones in the Wheel's 42 gondolas, which are enclosed and kept at a comfortable 72 degrees no matter what the weather outside. A special date package is available for couples, Gal-entine's groups or families. It includes two Wheel ride tickets, two drinks (soft or hard) from the Anheuser-Busch beverage container, and a professional

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BOND COUNTY - The name of a victim in shooting Thursday night in Greenville, Illinois, has been released. The Bond County coroner identified the woman who was found dead south of Greenville University as Laquita Sullivan, 37, of Greenville. At 7:24 p.m. on Thursday, February 10, 2022, Illinois State Police (ISP) District 11 and ISP Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 8 agents were responding to the 600 block of East South Street in Greenville, IL., where the 37-year-old female from Greenville was found deceased after a reported shooting. ISP said it was later learned that moments before the homicide, a red Dodge Challenger, was believed to be involved in a separate shooting and fled the scene. A 33-year-old male that was in the area when the fatal shooting occurred went to the residence of an acquaintance in the 500 block of East Main Street in Greenville, IL. He was detained around 1 a.m. Friday but then released after questioning. At approximately 9:06 p.m. Thursday,

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SEE PHOTO GALLERY: SEE VIDEO: ALTON - Marquette Catholic High School raised over $5,000 Friday to benefit St Baldrick’s Foundation that funds research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. This year’s event theme is DFY childhood cancer. Marquette Catholic High School today helped to do just that - Defy Cancer. Every two minutes, a child in the world is diagnosed with cancer, more than 300,000 per year. Childhood cancer is the #1 disease killer of kids. In the US, more children die of childhood cancer than any other disease, and yet, children’s cancer research only receives 4% of US federal funding. All other research is due to organizations like St. Baldrick’s which uses donations to fund research. The St. Baldrick’s Organization was founded by a couple of guys in 1999 who decided to collect money for shaving their heads. Since 2000, over $230 million in research grants have been funded by

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JERSEYVILLE - Junior Kari Krueger is a standout Jersey Community High School athlete and has been a key member of the Panthers' girls basketball squad this season. Krueger plays for Coach Ron Twitchell at Jersey. Coach Twitchell said during his career has coached a lot of solid rebounders both on the boys' and girls' sides of play. "One of my players who was a good rebounder eventually played for Rick Pitino at Louisville," he said. "I can honestly say Kari ranks up there with the best of them." Kari said she would like to thank my parents, teammates, and coaches for her successes. "My parents sacrifice a lot to be at every game and I can't thank them enough for their support. I would also like to thank my teammates and coaches for pushing and encouraging me this year. "I have been playing basketball since second grade, and I've always been playing with my close friends, which is what makes it so fun." Kari added that her high school career and involvement in sports have taught

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ST. LOUIS — The 2022 Gateway Outdoor Expo has been announced for Friday and Saturday, April 1 and 2, at America’s Center Convention Complex in downtown St. Louis. The event will showcase new outdoor gear, services, and resources as well as interactive demos and experiential attractions — all in a festive, family-friendly environment. The Expo was rescheduled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Big news for 2022 is that entrance to the Expo will be free to the public, making it more welcoming and accessible than ever before. In addition, the Expo has partnered with GO! St. Louis to be the official packet pickup location for the 2022 GO! St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend. This means all GO! St. Louis marathoners, half marathoners, 10K runners, and marathon relay teams will pick up their race packets at the Expo. The races are scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3, in downtown St. Louis. “We are incredibly

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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has announced it ended its mask mandate for fully vaccinated employees and will end its daily health screenings and paid COVID-19 leave. The company said fully vaccinated employees will not be required to wear masks at any Walmart or Sam’s Club facility effective immediately unless required by a state or local mandate or ordinance. The company describes fully vaccinated as having the full two-dose regimen of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The company said unvaccinated employees will be required to continue wearing masks until further notice.

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OTTOWA - Clutter is all around us. It’s the clothes scattered throughout the kids’ bedrooms, stacks of paperwork piled high on our desks at work, even fast food wrappers strewn around in the backseat of the car. While society may lead us to believe that we need more “stuff” to make us happy, in reality it’s making us more anxious, frazzled and often times depressed. “I look at clutter in two different ways," says Loni Nolte, a behavioral medicine provider for OSF HealthCare. "I look at the clutter we carry around in our heads, when our thoughts are racing and overwhelming to us. I also look at it as the physical component when we have stuff hanging around needlessly, overtaking our functional space – a counter where we need to cook, a sink where we need to be able to use water and worst case people storing stuff in their ovens, which is pretty scary to think about. When we get busier or we have emotional attachments that aren’t feeling

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PEORIA - The latest surge in COVID-19 cases is easing across Illinois and other parts of the Midwest, but the arguments around wearing masks to curb the spread of the virus rage on. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced February 9 the state’s indoor mask mandate in most public places will be lifted at the end of the month, but will remain in place for schools for the time being. Some school districts across the state have taken the matter into their own hands, filing a lawsuit saying local boards of education should have the say on whether to require kids and staff to mask while at school. A judge in central Illinois issued a temporary restraining order in favor of those districts Feb. 4, striking a major blow against masking and COVID-19 vaccination requirements in schools. The Pritzker administration has since filed for an appeal. Among the arguments made by those who filed the lawsuit are claims that requiring masks does nothing to curb the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Justin and Taylor from Brighton Date Met/Started Dating: October 8, 2011 Briefly Describe First Date: Dinner and Runescape until 4 am. Date Married: November 8, 2015 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Spending time with our kids, xbox, and movie nights. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: If he can't out DPS you, he’s not the one.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Michael & Haley from Wood River Date Met/Started Dating: January 1, 2015 Briefly Describe First Date: We went to Pizza Hut in California. Date Married: September 17, 2016 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: We love going fishing and spending time with our fur babies. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Never stop believing in one another it’s never just the partner's job you have to work together. When times get tough lean on one another and pray together.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Taylor & Erica from Jerseyville Date Met/Started Dating: April 20, 2014 Briefly Describe First Date: After 3 months of spending every day together, he finally took me on a date to Applebees followed by a trip to the movies. Date Married: March 5, 2019 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Cruising backroads, making the wildest plans for our future, planning our dream home all while raising 3 beautiful, brilliant humans. (2, 4, & 6 years old) Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Marry your best friend.

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URBANA – A properly constructed and maintained water well can provide many years of trouble-free service, but over time, wells can deteriorate or become damaged, allowing surface contaminants to enter the water in the well. In addition, groundwater can become contaminated. Safe drinking water is crucial. Public water systems must monitor water’s safety at least monthly. For private well owners, testing falls on the homeowner. University of Illinois Extension's Doug Gucker recommends annual inspections and testing. "Spring is the best time to test your well’s water," Gucker says. Illinois receives its largest amounts of rainfall from April through June. During periods of higher rainfall, surface water may pick up contaminants, such as bacteria, nitrates, or pesticides. "If the upper part of your well has any cracks or leaks, this contaminated water could find its way into your well," says Gucker. "Additionally, you should test the well’s water after the wel

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COLLINSVILLE - With spring approaching, that means planting season is right around the corner. Learn more about gardening and how to prepare your garden during our Weekend Gardener virtual event, held on Saturday, March 5, 2022. The topics discussed will include Extending Your Harvest, Container Gardening with Fruit, Thinking Beyond Flower Color in the Garden, and IPollinate Project. Learn about different techniques to help extend the gardening season into colder months, the pros and cons of container gardening, which fruit species are best suited to container gardening, and general management practices. Presentations will begin at 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, and noon. You may participate in all or selected individual sessions. The registration deadline is February 28, 2022. To register, head to go.illinois.edu/WeekendGardener . For more details, please contact the Extension office at 619-344-4230. If you need disability accommodations to participate in this program, please call the

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GILLESPIE - Libraries are a community’s source of information and all libraries take this job and develop it in various directions. Libraries use books, encyclopedias, magazines, the internet as sources of information. Some libraries have an “in-depth” collection of genealogical and historical materials. These libraries are blessed with a larger budget and space to house these materials. The Gillespie Public Library has a limited amount of these materials yet is often contacted to see if there is information about persons buried in the Gillespie City Cemetery. Until recently, the library could unfortunately not provide much help to these people, some of whom had traveled quite some distance. The Gillespie City Cemetery was established around the same time the city was, around 1853. Records of who was buried there, and where, were not kept accurately by any one source. Sometime in the ’90s the local genealogical group attempted to remedy this and started a list

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Over the last 96 years, the escapades of Al Capone, Chicago's legendary gangster and mob boss, became inescapably entangled with the legends and lore of Route 66. After all, Capone rose to fame – or infamy – during the mid-1920s, and U.S. Highway 66 was born as part of the federal numbered highway system in 1926. But more importantly, Chicago was the designated original eastern terminus (at Jackson Boulevard and South Michigan Avenue) of Route 66, and the City of Chicago was Capone's adopted home city. Sitings of Capone and his associates were commonplace along the length of Illinois' highways, especially between Chicago and St. Louis, during the Prohibition years (1920-1933). Illegal booze manufactured in carefully-hidden stills ruled the underworld and made deadly enemies of rival gangs. The SMC Cartage Company garage at 2122 Clark Street in Chicago stood three miles north of Route 66, but the horrific event that took place there on Valentine's Day in 1929 became part o

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