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BRIGHTON - Southwestern High School senior top-notch athlete Morgan Durham has been a basketball player for eight years and her determination and defense add tons to the Piasa Birds girls squad. She said her overall personality quality is the tempo she sets for the team. "I feel I bring the other players up and help create things on the floor," she said. Morgan is one of the Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athletes of the Month for Southwestern High School. "I would like to thank my mom, Kim, and my dad, Jimmy," for their No. 1 support. "My parents are my everything. Without them I would not be the person nor player I am today, they push me to be my best, that they know I can be. They took me everywhere until I could drive, including those 8 a.m. practices, and the games hours away. They also take me to play AAU basketball. Not only have my parents been there but my two brothers, Dalton and Cooper, come to support me." Darren Mosley is Morgan's head girls basketball

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Devin and Chancey Parker from Bethalto Date Met/Started Dating: December 15, 2013 Briefly Describe First Date: Met at the Walmart parking lot. Went to McDonald’s and bought her a 10 piece McNugget. Date Married: May 9, 2020 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Riding our motorcycle, camping, building demolition derby cars. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship : Always be true with each other. Never hold anything back from each other.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Becca and Eddie from Wood River Date Met/Started Dating: April 12, 1995 Date Married: September 11, 1995 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Spending time with our kids and grandkids and bowling. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Communication and trust.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Joey and Jenny Lavite from Jerseyville Date Met/Started Dating: March 17, 1987 Briefly Describe First Date: Driving around in his Camaro drinking a few beers listening to Sammy Hagar. Date Married: September 20, 1989 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Being outside grilling, loving on our grandson. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Never give up when times are tough.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Lindsay and John from Woode River Date Met/Started Dating: September 3, 2020 Briefly Describe First Date: Rolling Skating at Skate Way and 3rd Shoot Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Go on walks. Skating. We listen to a lot of music together. We like to go on road trips together. Even if it is for a few hours. Love seeing him smile. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Always be honest with each other. Grow and build together. Makes goals. Enjoy each other.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Blake and Paige from Bethalto Date Met/Started Dating: September 12, 2019 Briefly Describe First Date: Went to the movies and ate dinner. Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Watching tv, playing with our daughter, and spending time together. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Always be truthful and loyal, and love each other no matter what.

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JERSEYVILLE - These are the Jerseyville FFA results from Wednesday's Section 15 Proficiency Judging: 1st place Small Animal Production - Kate Jones, she will compete at district competition in March. 1st place Agricultural Sales Placement, Sara Poletti, she will compete at district competition in March. 2nd place Beef Production Entrepreneurship, Clay Wadlow. 2nd place Equine Production Placement, Caitlyn Poletti. 4th place Food Service, MacKenzie Bell. 4th place Poultry Production, Meredith Doughtery.

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SPRINGFIELD – The 88th annual National American Legion Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Abraham Lincoln will take place Friday and Saturday, Feb. 11-12, in Springfield. Springfield Post 32, the American Legion and its Auxiliary organizations are sponsoring this event in commemoration of the 16th President’s birthday. Springfield Post 32 is the only organization that has honored Lincoln on his birthday annually for 88 consecutive years. Paul Dillard of Texas, the national commander of the American Legion, representing 2.4 million American war veterans, will lead this year’s pilgrimage. He will be joined at the event by officers from national and state veterans organizations, as well as local elected officials and others. The commemoration will begin with an open house at 5 p.m. Friday at Springfield Post 32, 1120 Sangamon Ave. The Mess Hall Restaurant will provide dinner service from 4-8:30 p.m. The public is welcome. The ceremony at the Lincoln Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The St. Louis County Police Department Highway Safety Unit will be participating in a state-wide speed enforcement campaign on Friday, February 11, 2022. Recent crash statistics are as follows: • In 2020, 404 people were killed in Missouri traffic crashes that involved at least one driver speeding or driving too fast for conditions. Preliminary data indicates 365 people were killed in speed-related crashes in 2021. • Speed involved fatalities increased by 30% from 2019 to 2020, but preliminary data shows there has been a 10% decrease in 2021. • Speed is the most common cited contributing circumstances in Missouri fatal crashes. In 2021, it was cited as a contributing circumstance nearly one and a half times as often as substance-impaired driving. For more information about the Speed Awareness campaign, visit: https://www.savemolives.com/mcrs/speed-awareness-campaign

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Samuel & Christain from Jerseyville Date Met/Started Dating: September 16, 2018 Briefly Describe First Date: Sam met me at the end of my sister's wedding reception, then we went out for drinks with my mom and her husband. It felt like I had known him my whole life, even though we had just met about a week earlier. We have been inseparable since! Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: We enjoy going to Arkansas to dig for diamonds and trips to Florida!

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JERSEYVILLE - In conjunction with Jerseyville Banking Center, J.C.H.S. has selected their “Students of the Month”. The recipients for the month of January are Cole Martinez (12th grade), Lucy Fritz (11th grade), Mary Higgins (10th grade), Katreona Benedict (9th grade), and Abigail Behl (8th grade). The selection of a “Student of the Month” is based upon the number of F.O.C.U.S. nominations, which a student receives for a given month. F.O.C.U.S. (Finding One Clearly Unique Student) is a program, which acknowledges a student each week for academic or kindness. Each week teachers may recognize students who have performed well in their classes by selecting them as F.O.C.U.S. students for that particular week. During January, these students received the most F.O.C.U.S. nominations. Because they received the most nominations, they were named “Students of the Month” at JCHS.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: John and Becky Goulart from Brighton Date Met/Started Dating: May 14, 2010 Briefly Describe First Date: First date was actually just a casual hangout with a movie at John’s house. Date Married: August 30, 2014 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: We enjoying anything really. Vacations, family time, movies, dinners, nerdy things (lol). We are both big nerds at heart and the best of friends. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Never go to bed or leave the house angry, always say I love you, admit when you’re wrong even if you don’t want to, and always let them know how much you love and appreciate them.

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DES MOINES - The following local students have been named to the Deans' List at Drake University: Brynn Miracle from Edwardsville, and Grant Morgan from Jerseyville. To be eligible for the Deans' List, students must have earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the Fall 2021 semester at Drake. Drake University is a midsize, private university in Des Moines, Iowa, enrolling nearly 3,000 undergraduate and more than 1,800 graduate students. Students choose from over 70 majors, minors, and concentrations and 20 graduate degrees offered through six colleges and schools. Drake students, faculty, and staff take advantage of the wealth of cultural, recreational, and business opportunities found in Iowa's capital city. In return, Drake enriches the city through its own cultural offerings, considerable economic impact, and many service-learning endeavors, which channel the talent and energy of the Drake students toward meeting the needs of the community.

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MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin officials have recognized Sidney Vetter of East Alton for making the Fall Honors List for the 2021-2022 academic year. To be eligible for the honor, students must achieve a minimum 3.60 GPA. Sidney Vetter is a Junior pursuing her Nursing-Tradit Undergrad. Founded in 1881, Concordia University Wisconsin, 12800 North Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, offers over 75 undergraduate majors and is affiliated with The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The school is located on 200 acres of Lake Michigan shoreline, only 15 minutes north of downtown Milwaukee.

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SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced that all offices and facilities will be closed on Friday, Feb. 11, in observance of President Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday. • Offices and Driver Services facilities operating on a Tuesday through Saturday schedule will be open for business on Saturday, Feb. 12. • Offices and Driver Services facilities operating on a Monday through Friday schedule will be open for business on Monday, Feb. 14. As a reminder, Secretary White has extended all driver’s license and ID card and learner’s permit expiration dates to March 31, 2022. This extension does not apply to commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and CDL learner’s permits. In addition, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has extended the federal REAL ID deadline to May 3, 2023. Individuals can visit the Secretary of State’s website at ilsos.gov for online services including checking eligibility to renew their driver’s

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SPRINGFIELD – To recruit more volunteer firefighters, a measure sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) that would provide an income tax credit for volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel passed the Senate Revenue Committee Wednesday. “After hearing from local fire departments, it is clear we need to find a way to get more people to sign up to join our volunteer fire departments,” Belt said. “It is my hope that providing a tax credit for volunteers who serve at least nine months will encourage more long-term volunteers.” Senate Bill 3027 would provide a $500 income tax credit for volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel who are a member or work for a fire department or fire protection district for at least nine months and do not receive more than $10,000 for their volunteer services during the taxable year. Current law does not provide a tax credit. Other states that offer a similar credit include New York, Iowa and Maryland. The

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EDWARDSVILLE - In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing charge to effectively service students, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has focused on student coaching to meet changing and growing needs. SIUE coaches shared their expertise as well as gained insights during the national “The Connecting Conference,” held virtually from Wednesday-Thursday, Feb. 2-3. Attending the conference were Makesha Harris Lee, EdD, director of CORE TEAM; Joseph Southerland, director of Student Services; Kelly Atkins, assistant director of Student Success; and Stephanie Simpson, assistant director of Online Student Services. “We were delighted to give our presentation, ‘From Implementation to Practice: Perspectives on Academic Coaching,’” said Atkins. “We introduced our student success coaches, and their mission, outreach, strategies and projects.” “The idea of the conference was to find new and effective ideas for supporting students

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SPRINGFIELD – A historical marker will be erected later this year on the grounds of the Old State Capitol to commemorate Barack Obama’s momentous 2007 and 2008 presidential campaign announcements from the building’s lawn. The Old State Capitol Foundation and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced the plan today, the 15th anniversary of Obama’s Feb. 10, 2007, announcement in Springfield that he would seek the presidency. He went on to make history as the first African American elected president of the United States and the fourth Illinoisan elected to the office. “From his official presidential announcement to his service in the Statehouse, President Obama’s legacy of leadership began with his service to the people of Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This marker of Obama’s historic announcement at the Old State Capitol will ensure his story will forever be a part of Illinois’ history. And alongside the

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It was called the slap heard around the world and I am sure if you were to stop and listen, you can still hear that sound echoing and reverberating from every corner of the earth. It probably went into orbit circling the galaxies. This inspirational sound that I speak of came from the unforgettable moment in the Oscar-winning 1967 drama, In the Heat of the Night , when a righteous bigot slaps Sidney Poitier’s character, Detective Tibbs, in the greenhouse, and Poitier, without missing a beat, slaps the man right back. It was a pivotal scene as well as a pivotal moment in time. It was called the slap heard around the world and if it weren’t for Poitier, audiences would have heard nothing at all. The script called for the white bigot to slap Tibbs without retaliation, a response that did not sit well for him. He told producers to change it or find a new actor. They changed it and a cinematic cultural milestone occurred. Poitier made it clear he would not appear weak or less

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Scott and Paula Steiner from Bethalto Date Met/Started Dating: January 1, 1990 Briefly Describe First Date: We met thru her brother and started dating around Christmas of 1990. Date Married: May 30, 1992 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: We love to watch series on Netflix. We also have a side hustle called Killer Kups & Twisted Tumblers. We enjoy working together, for the most part, LoL. We LOVE spending time with our 2 grandchildren, Myra and Kaizen. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Happy Wife, Happy Life!

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