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ST. LOUIS - Mitchell Wall Architecture & Design is proud to announce its Cascade Mausoleum is recognized by the 2022 Architecture Awards. Architecture MasterPrize gave the mausoleum, located in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, an Honorable Mention in Architectural Design. A mausoleum had not been built in Bellefontaine Cemetery for over 70 years. Then a family approached Thomas Wall of Mitchell Wall Architecture & Design to design a mausoleum. They trusted Wall and his process and allowed him to express his creativity without financial or aesthetic restrictions. “Thomas has an amazing appreciation of art and beauty,” said the client, who wishes to remain anonymous. “He has the unique ability to extract, cultivate, and realize a vision that goes far beyond simple bricks and mortar. Mitchell Wall does not miss a detail." Built at a cost of $5.3 million, the structure with a solid concrete core encased in granite panels and blocks overlooks Cascade Lake. Visitors

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ST. LOUIS - To honor veterans this Veterans Day, Scooter’s Coffee is giving back to those who have proudly served our country. On Friday, Nov. 11, veterans can receive a free handcrafted drink of any size at Scooter’s Coffee. Veterans can choose from any of Scooter’s Coffee hot, iced or blended drinks, including holiday favorites such as a Peppermint Mocha , Praline Caramelicious®, and Sugar Cookie Latte – all made with rich, fresh espresso. Veterans can visit scooterscoffee.com/menu for a full list of delicious drink offerings. “We are grateful to veterans and all military members for their courage, sacrifice, and commitment to serve and protect our freedom,” said Joe Thornton, President of Scooter’s Coffee, LLC. “Scooter’s Coffee customers, dedicated franchisees, and employees are passionate about helping veterans in the communities we serve, and we are honored to give back to those who exemplify our company Core Value

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ALTON - Alton Alderwoman Rosetta Brown shared today that the weekend Souls To The Polls voting campaign in Alton was "well-attended" and "a huge success." "Over 300 people voted on Sunday," she said. "The caravan to the polls was phenomenal. The voters were ignited." Brown thanked the pastors, church members, voters, and community organizers and leaders for the effort. "Thank you for exercising your right to vote," she said. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8, and the polls in Illinois are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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MARYVILLE - Angela and Steve Gorazd, owners of Bella Vista Winery in Maryville and Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston, had an exciting Friday evening. Angela, Steve, and son and grape grower Matt Gorazd and winemaker Cory Kunkle, were on hand to receive the Illinois State Governor's Cup Award for their wine Off-Duty. The Illinois Grape Grower and Vitner Association (IGGVA) was present at Bella Vista Winery at 5:30 p.m. Friday to present the award. Several of their wines also won Double Gold awards. Illinois Gubernatorial Candidate Darren Bailey visited the Maryville location on Friday night. "Every year there are Illinois Grape Growers competitions throughout the state," she said. "We are a member of the association and usually do well. Winning the Governor's Cup Award is something we are quite proud of." Steve Gorazd retired from his job after 30 years and Angela retired from her nurse practitioner role, and their hobbies were studying wines. The couple took wine classes in their spare

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EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD), have awarded three SIUE students scholarships for the Water Quality Control Operations Program at the Environmental Resource Training Center (ERTC) of SIUE. The student recipients include Karli Mackey of Hillsboro, Donovan Simpson of O’Fallon, and Jordon Williams of St. Louis. “This is a great opportunity to get into a meaningful career and lessen the financial burden of earning my degree,” said Simpson. “Thanks to the scholarship, I don’t have to pick up a part time job, I can solely focus on my schoolwork.” “This scholarship and this program are helping me get my water and wastewater certifications,” said Mackey. “I would like to work my way up to being in some kind of supervisor role at a plant one day, and this opportunity will help me do just that.” The MSD/ERTC scholarship was created to encourage minorities

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EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville engineering students saw great success at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers St. Louis Section Blackbox regional competition held on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Washington University in St. Louis. Students competed in teams of two to analyze a mystery circuit and were tasked with figuring out the circuit details. SIUE students Jaya Chitrakavi and Alex Abernathy placed first in the Analog Blackbox competition and Kelsey Haines and Izzy Lamonte placed third in the Digital Blackbox competition. “We are extremely proud of our student's performance,” said Amardeep Kaur, PhD, associate professor in SIUE’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “This competition gave our students a chance to put their skills to the test and use their knowledge to come up with the mystery circuit details.” The SIUE students received a monetary prize and SIUE will host the competition next year

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WOOD RIVER - Senior Tyler Robinson is a three-sport athlete for the East Alton Wood River Oilers. He just wrapped up his football season and is getting ready to start up in basketball. Then in the spring he'll be playing baseball. He's been playing baseball and basketball since kindegarten and football since the 5th grade. He says his favorite thing about playing all of these sports is being able to play them with his friends. He wanted to thank his dad and grandpa for helping him become the athlete he is today. "They've always worked with me to help me become the best that I can be," he said. For the football season he plays at tight end. He's scored a touchdown and helped score a couple of two-point conversions. He's also made seven tackles and assisted on another seven. In basketball he plays at forward. HE played in all 32 games last season for the Oilers who had a 12-20 record. He scored 63 points last season and had 71 assists. He also pulled down 103 rebounds. In th

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ST. LOUIS – The Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division broke its fentanyl seizure record in the Fiscal Year 2022 with more than 671 pounds of the deadly opioid seized through Missouri, Kansas, and southern Illinois. That’s a 41% increase over the 396 pounds seized in the last fiscal year, and more fentanyl seized than the last two years combined. Among the seizures was a record 20,000 fake pills seized in partnership with St. Louis County Police Department, and the first colored fake pills DEA has seized. The latter were seized in Kansas. The colored fentanyl has been also seized in powder form throughout the division. The increase of 41% in fentanyl seizures aligns with the continued increase since the synthetic opioid was first seized by the division in 2017: FY 2022 – 671 pounds FY 2021 – 396 pounds FY 2020 – 180 pounds FY 2019 – 227 pounds FY 2018 – 77 pounds “Looking at this staggering increase in seizures,

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced joining a coalition of 21 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve over-the-counter birth control pills that meet applicable safety and efficacy standards, including a pending application for the nation’s first over-the-counter (OTC) pill. If approved, safe and effective birth control pills will become available for purchase over the counter, removing barriers that currently keep many people from accessing timely reproductive care. In a letter submitted to the FDA , Raoul and the attorneys general argue that approval of the pill would allow individuals — especially those from vulnerable populations — to take greater control over their health, lives and futures. It would also help them avoid the health and economic perils that come with unwanted pregnancies. “Women have the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions, including having access to

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CHICAGO, November 7, 2022 – The Powerball jackpot has officially set another new world record. Tonight’s top prize now stands at a mind-blowing $1.9 billion. There has never been a jackpot this big, meaning tonight’s draw is making history as the largest lottery jackpot of all time. Although no one matched all six numbers drawn to win the historic jackpot on Saturday, eight Illinois Lottery players will be jumping for joy after winning six and five figure prizes. Three lucky players matched four numbers and the Powerball, plus they added the game’s ‘Power Play’ feature to win $150,000 each. Five players matched four numbers and the Powerball to win $50,000 each. Nearly 400,000 other prizes, ranging from $150,000 to $4, were won in Saturday’s Powerball drawing in Illinois. Every single Powerball win is also a win for the retailers selling the winning tickets, as the retailers receive a selling bonus of 1% of the prize amount. The current

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police Department Crimes Against Persons Detectives are currently investigating a fatal railroad accident involving a pedestrian struck in the 1400 block of Kiefer Creek Road near Ridge Road that resulted in the death of an adult male. On November 6, 2022, at 4:01 PM, St. Louis County Police officers from the West County Precinct responded to a call for service for a railroad accident with a pedestrian struck in the 1400 block of Kiefer Creek Road near Ridge Road. Responding officers located an adult male lying on the ground. The victim was pronounced deceased on the scene. This is an active and ongoing investigation. More information will be disseminated when it becomes available. Please contact the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210 to speak with investigators if you have any information regarding this incident. To remain anonymous or potentially receive a reward, please contact CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477).

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EDWARDSVILLE - After many years of playing at the East Alton Ice Arena in both the Mississippi Valley and Mid-States Club Hockey Associations, the Edwardsville hockey team's new hope opened on Thursday night to rave reviews and positive feedback at the Tigers tied with CBC 2-2 in the inaugural game at RP Lumber Center in Edwardsville. The arena is the MSCHA's first-ever on-campus arena, located right down from the Winston Brown Track and Field Center and the Edwardsville Tennis Center, and the facility is very much a state-of-the-art building that fans will very much enjoy, providing a great atmosphere for hockey and exciting times ahead for the Tigers' players. coaches and fans. The opening ceremonies was very impressive, as the house lights were dimmed and orange spotlights where shined on the corner where the Tigers will come out from their locker room, and starting with goalie Kai Vetter, the 2022-23 players were introduced and skated out to the blue line to thunderous applause

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ALTON - A beloved community member/former fire official - Mark Harris - was honored at a widely attended funeral event at Gent Funeral Home in Alton on Sunday afternoon. Visitation was from 1-3 p.m. Sunday at Gent Funeral Home in Alton in the chapel. The Gent Funeral Home is located at 2409 State Street in Alton. Funeral services immediately followed. A Fire Department Walk-Through was conducted at 2:15 p.m. Sunday, led by the active and retired members of the Alton Fire Department with surrounding fire departments following in honor of Deputy Chief Harris. Harris was 61 when he died on Tuesday at Alton Memorial Hospital. He was married to Connie M. Brietzke. A dedicated member of the Alton Fire Department, Mark began his career on April 17, 1991, and quickly advanced through the ranks becoming an Engineer on January 4, 1995. Mark advanced to the Captain position on May 20, 2000, Assistant Chief on December 4, 2005, Deputy Chief on May 28, 2009, Battalion Chief on May 26, 2013,

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GRANITE CITY - Seniors Catelynn Liniger, Brady Smallie, Alivia Vaughn and Alex Weaver of Granite City High School were selected as Granite City Elks Lodge 1063 Students of the Month for September and October. The Elks Student of the Month Program is designed to recognize outstanding young men and women for achievements in school and community life-fine arts, hobbies, athletics, church, school, club and community service, industry and farming. Nominees are judged on multiple achievements including leadership skills, good moral character, community involvement, extracurricular activities, honors and award and scholastic ability. Each student receives a $100 U.S. savings bond and an Elks certificate of achievement. Brady Smallie - September Six-sport athlete (Baseball, Football, Golf, Hockey, Soccer, Swimming) ... Homecoming King ... Yearbook Co-Editor ... Two-year Soccer Team Captain ... Volunteer at GCHS Baseball Camp and Six Mile Community Garden ... Volunteer swim coach at

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DULUTH, Minn. (November 1, 2022) - Jaycie Hudson, a senior, Swenson College of Science and Engineering (SCSE), with a biology bachelor's focus, has been named to the Minnesota Duluth (UMD) has announced its Dean's List. Students on the Dean's List have achieved a grade point average of 3.50 or higher while earning a minimum of 12 letter-graded credits. The four colleges within UMD are: College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) College of Education and Human Service Professions (CEHSP) Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) Swenson College of Science and Engineering (SCSE)

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URBANA - Mountain lions have been on the move this fall with two confirmed sightings of animals in northern and central Illinois. Large predators occasionally pass through Illinois but are not here to stay. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources reported on Oct. 17 that a mountain lion, also known as cougars, had been struck and killed by a vehicle on I-88 in Dekalb County. Another young male mountain lion was tranquilized by the IDNR on Oct. 28 on the western edge of Springfield and relocated to a sanctuary in Indiana. Officials had been tracking its movements through a GPS collar that was attached last fall by researchers in Nebraska. Mountain lions are protected and it is unlawful to hunt, kill or harass them unless they pose an imminent threat to a person or property, which is rare. Black bears, wolves, and cougars are rare but not unheard of in Illinois. These large predators were extirpated from Illinois in the late 1800s as natural habitats changed and white-tailed deer

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EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State Police is requesting the public’s assistance in locating 36-year-old, Jermany Rickman, of Maryville, IL. On August 26, 2022, the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Rickman of Maryville, with First Degree Murder and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. Attempts to locate Rickman, thus far, have been unsuccessful. Rickman was charged with murder in the death of a 30-year-old, Demond W. Steward of Cahokia Heights, IL., which occurred on August 13, 2022, in the parking lot of the Ivy Ultra Lounge in the 900 block of St. Louis Avenue in East St. Louis. Rickman also has an outstanding federal warrant for Motion to Revoke Supervised Release issued on August 30, 2022, by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Do not approach Rickman as he should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with knowledge of the incident or his whereabouts are asked to contact Crimestoppers by phone at 1-866-371-8477 (TIPS) or

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MARYVILLE – With daylight saving time coming to an end this weekend, State Senator Christopher Belt and State Senator Kris Tharp are reminding Metro East families to also check and change their smoke detector batteries as needed. “While we update our clocks to fall back, daylight saving also serves as an important reminder to make sure your smoke detectors are working,” said Senator Belt (D-Swansea). “This is a helpful habit to ensure your household is safe.” If you find an alarm that is not working or is expired, replace the alarm immediately with a new 10-year sealed battery alarm. It’s also a great time to review your family’s fire escape plan. Between the years 2014-2018, the National Fire Protection Association reported that almost three out of every five home fire deaths in the U.S. resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or non-working smoke alarms. The chances of dying in a home fire was reduced by 55% in homes where working

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ALTON - Alderwoman Rosetta “Rosie” Brown, Founder of “Socks for Tots, LLC” announces that her “Seventh Annual Socks for Tots Drive” will begin now in November through December of 2022. New socks only for children are requested. "It’s time to replenish the socks inventory for our youth," Brown said. "My mission is to 'Heat the Feet' of our school-age children. Last year with the help of our community I was able to provide over $3,500 pairs of socks to schools, daycares, the Oasis Women Center, the Boys and Girls Club and Catholic Children’s Home. My goal this year is to provide over $5,000 pairs of socks. Let’s really make an impact in the lives of our children by collectively donating toward this initiative." Boxes will be placed in several venues in our community including the Alton and Wood River Rotary Clubs, Alton Democratic Party, YWCA, City Hall, Today’s Beauty, Bluff City, US Nails, Lovettes, Athletico, New Beginning,

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ILLINOIS - The first thing Illinois voters will see on their ballots this election is a proposal to add the Illinois Workers’ Rights Amendment to the Illinois Constitution - but what does that mean, what would it do, and who would it affect? The amendment would make workers’ rights to negotiate wages, hours, and more part of the Illinois Constitution. When you see it on your ballot, this is the exact wording it will use (which we will help translate): “The proposed amendment would add a new section to the Bill of Rights Article of the Illinois Constitution that would guarantee workers the fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively and to negotiate wages, hours, and working conditions, and to promote their economic welfare and safety at work. “The new amendment would also prohibit from being passed any new law that interferes with, negates, or diminishes the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively over their wages, hours,

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