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CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is currently accepting applications for the 2023 DCFS Scholarship Program. Through the program, a minimum of 53 academic scholarships will be awarded to current and former youth in care for the upcoming school year, with four awards reserved for the children of veterans. Scholarship recipients receive up to five consecutive years of tuition and academic fee waivers to be used at participating Illinois state community colleges and public universities, a monthly grant of $1,506 to offset other expenses and a medical card. On average, the department receives 200 application packets each year, and has awarded over 1,500 scholarships since the program began in 1971. “Students who have been involved in the foster care system face a unique set of challenges from a young age that often set them at a disadvantage when it comes to funding their education,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The DCFS Scholarship

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WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act to strengthen elementary and secondary school procedures for preventing, identifying, and treating student-athletes who sustain concussions. While athletics are important to helping students learn team-building skills and connect with their peers, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, participating in school sports is not without risk. The National Federation of State High School Associations estimates that about 140,000 students playing high school sports suffer concussions every year, though many go unreported. Despite potential long-term impacts, concussions are not always easily diagnosed, and symptoms do not always manifest themselves immediately. Durbin’s bill requires states to adopt a “when in doubt, sit it out” policy, which prevents student athletes suspected of having sustained a concussion from returning to play

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ALTON - The month of February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. Riverbend Head Start & Family Services (RHSFS) is committed to educating and offering free dental services to the children and their parents who participate in our program(s). The scope of this ongoing project is to provide oral health services to the more than 750 at-risk children under the age of five who live in Madison County, IL and attend one of our Head Start centers. We also provide oral health education for kids and their parents or caregivers. The children in our program receive dental screenings, treatments, and surgeries thanks to our community partners like Delta Dental. RHSFS covers the cost of treatments and surgeries performed by Associated Pediatric Dentistry and Riverbend Pediatric Dentistry because our families cannot afford to pay for them. Our staff can also help transport the child and their parents or caregiver to dental appointments. “Poor dental health can contribute to

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Among the New Year’s resolutions worldwide, many people have pledged to find and stick with a healthy diet. But there’s a lot more to it than just grabbing every “reduced fat” item off the grocery store shelf. Karen Whitehorn, MD , an OSF HealthCare internal medicine physician, hears questions all the time about diets. Her first question back is usually: what do you want out of your diet? Do you want to be healthy? Lose weight? Manage a medical condition? Sort through the details, and you’ll find the best option.Exploring the popular optionsU.S. News and World Report recently consulted a panel of medical and nutrition experts to rank the best diets . The Mediterranean diet topped the list. Dr. Whitehorn says this diet is based on the eating habits of people who live near the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a plant-based diet, incorporating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, brown rice and seafood.“The Mediterranean diet is actually pretty easy to

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ST. LOUIS - St. Louis-based law firm Lewis Rice has promoted Kelly M. Gorman and Justin M. Ladendorf to members of the firm. Gorman joined Lewis Rice as a summer associate in 2014 shortly before graduating from the University of Missouri School of Law. She practices in Lewis Rice’s Pension & Employee Benefits , Health Care and Corporate departments. Her peers have selected her for inclusion in Best Lawyers ’ “Ones to Watch” for the last three years. Ladendorf practices in the firm’s Commercial Litigation , Labor & Employment , and Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Workouts departments. He also started his career with Lewis Rice as a summer associate in 2013 and 2014 before graduating from Saint Louis University School of Law. Active in his community, Ladendorf serves on Aim High St. Louis’ Board of Directors.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor highlighting the dangers of cryptocurrency and emphasizing his continued skepticism. During his speech, Durbin outlined the collapse of various crypto firms such as FTX, which imploded and led to the resignation of CEO Sam Bankman-Fried a few months ago. “It’s been called ‘new money,’ ‘digital cash,’ and even the way of the future. I have another name for it: reckless, predatory, foolish, dangerous. I’m referring, of course, to cryptocurrency. The latest scam to rip off millions of hardworking Americans to the tune of billions of dollars. In under a decade, this industry skyrocketed in popularity—and raked in big bucks for its leading speculators—before exploding into dust for all the world to see,” said Durbin. In 2022, Bitcoin cratered—losing more than 60 percent of its value in one year. If you purchased one Bitcoin

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Couples names: David and Theresa City: Mt Olive Date met pr started dating: October 9, 1997 Date married: May 22, 1999 What makes your relationship special? Love to spend time together Share a memory you have made together: Grandchildren

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Couples names: Jacob and Christina Hall City: Godfrey Date met pr started dating: March 16, 2022 Date married: October 12, 2002 What makes your relationship special? We tried to get married after a month of dating. Our parents were not happy! (Having our own children now, we can understand why. Lol) We married on our 6 month anniversary and have been married for 20 years now. Share a memory you have made together: There are so many that it is hard to choose but one that sticks out would be hiking up Bell Mountain in Missouri on Easter weekend during Covid and listening to a sermon with our 3 kids at sunset on top of the mountain.

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Couples names: Josh and Rebecca Billingsley City: Alton Date met pr started dating: July 14, 2020 Date married: September 11, 2021 What makes your relationship special? We try and put each other first. If we get into an argument we apologize, talk it out, and learn from it. We keep christ in the center of our marriage. Share a memory you have made together: We have made a lot of memories in a short period of time like getting married, having a child but one of our favorites was going to Lambeau Stadium to see the Packers.

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Couples names: David and Carrie City: Saint Elmo Date met pr started dating: July 4, 2021 Date married: June 25, 2022 What makes your relationship special? David and I met through some of the same Friends we had on FB. He was extremely respectful and charming. We met and we hit it off right off the bat. He and I have so much in common and he is someone I am blessed to spend the rest of my life with him. Share a memory you have made together: We share many moments together and the best ones are going to concerts and just taking a break and getting away for some one-on-one time. Every moment is amazing with him.

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Couples names: Eric & Jennifer City: Wood River Date met pr started dating: November 1, 2009 Date married: May 1, 2012 What makes your relationship special? We had met as teens and been pen pals for quite some time. Life happens marriage, kids, divorce. Met up to chat about life and it has all been a roller coaster since then. Share a memory you have made together: We have made many memories with our blessed blended family. Favorites would be back yard barbecues with all the kids and grandkids.

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CARROLLTON - The 2023 Carrollton High School Career Fair will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 22 from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., with setup beginning at 8 a.m. Several local businesses and organizations will have the chance to tell students more about their career opportunities and recruit potential employees. Lunch will also be provided during a lunch break from 11:04 a.m. to 11:34 a.m. Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor Blaine Hartwick said the event raises awareness of the opportunities CHS students have right in their own community. “My goal for the career fair is to show students the different opportunities that they have for career choices in our local area if they choose to stay home and raise a family here,” Hartwick said. “I think sometimes small communities like ours get bad reps for not having opportunities,” he added. “I feel like we are blessed in our area with a good variety of options and careers.” Local businesses, colleges, military

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Couples names: Mathew and Jessica Lister City: Jerseyville Date met pr started dating: February 25, 2011 Date married: February 27, 2021 What makes your relationship special? We met and fell in love in Italy. Share a memory you have made together: We moved to Seattle WA together after high school.

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Couples names: Tracey & Donna City: Brighton Date met pr started dating: November 30, 1993 Date married: November 10, 1994 What makes your relationship special? Understanding, appreciation, and a very rare love that not many people are blessed enough to find in their lifetime. Share a memory you have made together: We have welcomed a son into the world , we have welcomed grandchildren into the world there are so many years of love and laughter.

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Couples names: Jacob & Edith Miller City: Wood River Date met pr started dating: April 1, 1945 Date married: July 1, 1945 What makes your relationship special? Faith and love of each other and their family Share a memory you have made together: Being married 78 years in July. Having our three children, 7 grandkids, 18 great-grandkids (not including spouses), and 4 great great grandkids.

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Couples names: Josh, Kara City: East Alton Date met pr started dating: June 24, 2017 What makes your relationship special? This year we will have been together 6 years and I still miss Josh the minute he leaves. Watching him be a dad to Cam is my favorite thing in life! Share a memory you have made together: Last year we brought our son, Cam, into the world! The best thing we’ve ever done.

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Couples names: Kim & Kraig Daniels City: Hartford Date met pr started dating: August 30, 2014 Date married: October 14, 2017 What makes your relationship special? We’re best friends?? Life can be rough and stressful at times but at the end of the day, we always know who to turn to, to make each other smile and feel secure. Share a memory you have made together: One of our best memories outside of having kids was experiencing our first vacation together. I planned a surprise trip to Eugene Oregon, that will be a forever memory we look back on and smile.

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GODFREY – The RiverBend Growth Association added four more members to its organization to kick off its new year. New members included Zonta Club of Alton-Wood River, Final Touch Salon and Boutique, CJ’s Juicery, and Just Right Organizing. Founded in 1949, the Zonta Club of Alton-Wood River is one of about 1,200 clubs in 63 countries. The original Zonta Club was formed in 1919. The organization was begun to advocate for and assist aspiring female business professionals. The Zonta Club also works to increase awareness about the negative impact of child marriage and advocates for legislation throughout the United States to prevent the marriage of anyone under 18 years of age. The local group supports the Oasis Women’s Center and also awards scholarships to women pursuing advanced education at Lewis and Clark Community College. To become a member of the Zonta Club, one must be a female employed as a professional or a businesswoman. For more information about Zonta

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EDWARDSVILLE – The intersection of North Buchanan Street and Hillsboro Avenue will be closed on Friday, February 3, for ongoing work as part of a water main replacement project. Only the intersection will be closed on Friday. Motorists will have access to the rest of North Buchanan Street and Hillsboro Avenue. North Fillmore Street, North Kansas Street, and other nearby roads can be used to bypass the intersection. It will reopen as soon as the work can be completed. The closure is needed to continue upgrading businesses and residents along North Buchanan to a new, larger water main. It is part of a project to move all of the businesses and homes on North Buchanan between Union Street and East Vandalia Street from a century-old 4-inch cast iron main to a new 12-inch water main. The City of Edwardsville appreciates the cooperation and patience of all residents and businesses during this closure. Please contact Public Works at (618) 692-7535 with any questions.

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ALTON - The Overnight Warming Center in Alton will be activating Wednesday evening, Feb. 1, 2023. The center opens at 5 p.m. at Deliverance Temple 1125 E. 6th St. in Alton.

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