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LITCHFIELD - There are some seed labels that can sometimes be hard to decide on which is best for your garden. The terms I see on seed packages that used to be confusing to me were “Heirloom”, “Hybrid” and Non-GMO”. What do they mean? What should I choose? “Non-GMO” simply means that the seeds in this package are not GMO seeds. GMO seeds are Genetically Modified Organisms. These are seeds that have had their DNA intentionally altered in a lab. For anyone who is hesitant to use GMO seeds, I have some good news for you! It is illegal to sell GMO seeds in any home garden retail venue. There are absolutely no Genetically Modified garden seeds available for sale to the public. They are for commercial sale only. You will never accidentally pick up a package of genetically modified beets at your local garden center or any online store carrying seeds sold to the public. The “Non-GMO” labeling on the packaging of seeds is just for show. It's

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ST. LOUIS - Spectrum is hosting a hiring event for Customer Service Representatives at its Bridgeton Call Center. Job seekers interested in a fast-paced career with Spectrum, a leading St. Louis employer, are encouraged to attend and apply. Thursday, April 14, 2022, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Holiday Inn Express & Suites – St. Louis Airport 10000 Natural Bridge Road St. Louis, MO 63134 Interested applicants can bring their resume and meet with a Spectrum recruiter to learn more about the position. Text “REP” to 97211 to apply before the event. Customer Service Representatives provide over-the-phone Internet and phone support and repair services, which keep our customers connected. All the new roles offer hourly wages of at least $20 an hour. Along with highly competitive wages, Spectrum provides comprehensive health benefits, and for the past nine years, has absorbed the full annual cost increase of medical, dental and vision coverage. The company also offers a market-leading

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GREENVILLE – An agreement between Greenville University and The Salvation Army gives affiliates of The Salvation Army and their family members priority access to the Panther Scholarship. The $19,500 GU-sponsored Panther Scholarship is a character and service-based leadership scholarship awarded to students who strive to exhibit the qualities of a person of character with a mindset to serve others. “Greenville University and The Salvation Army are very like-minded,” says Victoria Clark, GU’s chief enrollment officer. “Every interaction we have had with The Salvation Army shows us that they embody our mission of character and service.” Now available for the fall 2022 semester, affiliates of The Salvation Army receive priority access to the Panther Scholarship. Students must gain acceptance from GU and submit a scholarship application prior to the application deadline. Any student applying must be a degree-seeking student, live on campus, and be enrolled

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EAST ST. LOUIS - Negative narratives, bad perceptions and stereotypical typecasting about the Illinois town is why former and current East St. Louis residents wanted to tell their own stories about their city. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center hosted “Meet the Authors: A Look at East St. Louis Through Real Community Stories” on Monday, April 11 in the SIUE East St. Louis Learning Resource Center. “Since fall 2020, students have been collecting oral histories to highlight truths about East St. Louis and its residents,” said Connie Frey Spurlock, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Sociology and TRHT director, “with a goal of shifting the narrative from one controlled and dominated by falsehoods generated by outsiders to a narrative that is controlled and shaped by those who have a sense of belonging to the community.” THRT debuted its documentary film, “We

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BELLEVILLE - April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Caritas Family Solutions is working to raise awareness about some of the common signs of child abuse. As the largest provider of foster care in Southern Illinois, Caritas currently serves more than 6,500 people including 1,700 foster children. Caritas Family Solutions also provides resources and programs for children who have experienced some form of neglect, abuse, and trauma throughout their childhood. Caritas Training and Compliance Manager, Rico Dunn, said it’s important for everyone to be familiar with how to identify the warning signs of child abuse. “It’s important for people to remember that abuse comes in many forms, whether that be physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect,” said Dunn. “The most important thing to look for, aside from physical indicators, is a significant change in the child’s behavior or attitude. Caritas puts strong importance on training our staff,

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ALTON - The Alton Little Theater Showplace is running full speed ahead and presenting the wildly hilarious comedy, THE WILD WOMEN OF WINEDALE less than two weeks after showcasing a big spring concert tribute to Barry Manilow. Of course, the cast and crew of the last production of the 88th season, have been hard at work rehearsing in the newly renovated ALT foyer - and loving every minute of the non-stop action. THE WILD WOMEN OF WINEDALE stars Kathy Piercy, Donna Wilson, and Lee Cox, and Cox says there is "nothing better than live theater and creativity going on in every part of our building." The May comedy (running May 6th -15th) is written by the favorite American playwrighting team of Hope, Jones, and Wooten and is the fourth production presented by the popular writing team in the last 10 years. THE WILD WOMEN OF WINEDALE was released just before COVID shut-downs and so bringing the show to the stage has an extra-special good-time feel says Cox. She is also thrilled that

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United States inflation is hitting a 40-year high as US inflation is up 7.9% year-over-year. While that is not good news as we are all paying more for almost everything we need to purchase daily, it does provide some unique opportunities for investors. Let’s look at a few sectors of the market that should be attractive for the foreseeable future. The US economy is still strong as 678,000 jobs were added during the month of February. Americans are leaving their homes to spend money at restaurants, retail stores, and hotels despite inflation. The unfortunate military conflict in Russia presents multiple opportunities for investors. 1. Fertilizer - Russia is the world’s largest exporter of nitrogen in the world which is used to manufacture agricultural fertilizer. Fertilizer prices have already risen significantly and may well continue to do so. We have identified two large publicly traded companies that manufacture potash and nitrogen-based fertilizers as attractive Investments.

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BETHALTO - Villa Rose, an independent senior living community, is hosting an open house event from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 24, at their location at 401 South Moreland Road in Bethalto. Villa Rose Executive Director Cindy Cannon said attendees will get an inside look at the range of apartment styles Villa Rose has available for seniors ages 55-plus. “Our plan is to kind of do mini-tours every 15-20 minutes,” Cannon said. “They’ll get an overview of all the different services that are included with the rental program. They will also get to see a couple of different types of apartments … we have a range of different apartments that very suited to their needs, so we’ll be able to show them different apartment types.” Cannon said that in addition to taking the tours, attendees can also enjoy some refreshments while they meet some of the current Villa Rose residents. She sees this open house as an opportunity to facilitate the type

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SEE WOMEN OF DISTINCTION MEDIA DAY VIDEO: For Women Of Distinction Ticket Information Click Here: https://www.altonywca.com/ (This is one in a series of Women of Distinction honoree profiles) Bio – Debra Frakes ALTON - Debra Frakes is an exemplary example of the Women of Distinction Award in each day of her busy life. Debra's contributions to the region and seniors are endless. Her full-time role is the Marketing Director for Senior Services Plus (SSP). For seniors, Ms. Frakes seeks to connect them with services they may require. She has moved even a step beyond SSP in her role as Vice President of the Madison County TRIAD, a model organization in Illinois that creates collaboration between law enforcement and health care agencies to enhance seniors’ quality of life. TRIAD has led the way in protecting seniors from scams that devastate their finances. Debra has played a big role in the development of the TRIAD organization. During the last two years,

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See Women Of Distinction Media Day Video: For Women Of Distinction Ticket Information Click Here: https://www.altonywca.com/ (This is one in a series of Women of Distinction honoree profiles) ALTON - Latasha LeFlore-Porter is recognized as a devoted and inspiring long-time resident of Godfrey and Alton. Latasha is a loving wife and mother to three highly accomplished men - Adrian, a Captain in the Army in El Paso, TX; Christian, with Bank of America Securities in Manhattan, NY; and Donovan, at Chapman University in Orange, CA. The YWCA Women Of Distinction event starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2022. Latasha graduated from Alton High School Class of 1989 and went on to the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1995. In 2005, she received a master’s degree in Educational Leadership. Latasha has over 25 years of experience as an Educator and Administrator. She has 16 years of experience

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EDWARDSVILLE - Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced late Wednesday afternoon that Scott T. Hyden, 31, of Highland, pled guilty to one count of first-degree murder for the October 2021 killing of Officer Tyler Timmins. “This was a brutal murder of a hero who dedicated his life to serve and protect us all,” Haine said. “Now at least the justice system has ensured that Officer Tyler Timmins’s murderer will spend the rest of his life in prison. That is some consolation, though nothing can ever bring Tyler back to his incredible family. They will continue to be in our prayers.” Officer Timmins' wife, Linsey, gave a powerful victim impact statement at this afternoon's plea hearing, which was attended by dozens of local police officers and many other family members. “Justice for my husband was served today from this senseless act of violence,” Linsey Simmons said. “The outcome of the court hearing does not change what Hyden

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ALTON - Quick Bite at 1626 Main Street in Alton has attracted immense attention since it opened. Quick Bite is known for its wide variety of hot dogs. Owner Valerie Davis said she loves her new location on Main Street in Alton and business is definitely booming. She said her business serves about every hot dog variety a customer could want. Quick Bite has everything from Chicago Style, New York Style, a Steakhouse Dog, Plain Dog, to S.T.L. Style, Carolina Style, Coney Dog, Backyard BBQ Dog, Flaming Hot Dog, Pizza Dog, Frito Dog, and Jumbo Beef Polish on its menu. Nachos are also exceptionally popular there, along with fries, chili, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, and a recent addition garlic-buttered corn on the cob. Davis said the garlic-buttered corn on the cob is a hot seller especially as spring starts to unfold here. Davis said the business received a most loved recognition for March from Door Dash, which she thought was impressive. “I really like our new location

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ALTON - A pair of popular twins - Abby and Owen Williams - emerged as the queen and king of the Marquette Catholic High School Prom Saturday night at Edison’s in Edwardsville. Abby and Owen are both outstanding athletes, students and community citizens. Members of the Prom Court are shown above in this order: Gavin Roberts, Allison Geiger, Noah Spencer, Abby Williams, Dillon Menke, Tori Fox, Caleb Gardner, Ellanour Brass, Owen Williams and Hayley Porter. Marquette Catholic Principal Tim Harman said he thought the Student Council and other school volunteers and Beth DeCourcey did a wonderful job with the prom. “Beth DeCourcey spearheaded the entire effort,” he said. “The junior and senior parents also did a ton of work and organized some fantastic prizes for the kids. They made sure every kid received something.” Preston Stork, Marquette Student Council President, said the night started with a catered dinner, followed by dancing until 10:15 p.m. Saturday,

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ALTON - The YWCA Southwestern Illinois 31st Women of Distinction Celebration will be held on Thursday evening, April 28 at Julia’s Banquet Center, 101 Eastgate Plaza, East Alton, IL 62024. The deadline for reservations is Friday, April 22, 2022. Doors will open at 5:15 p.m., with the event starting promptly at 6 p.m. The community is strongly encouraged to attend the gala event and meet 2022 Women of Distinction Honorees and the Josephine Marley Beckwith Future Leaders scholars. Tickets are $65 per person, or $520 per table of eight. Reservations can be made online at www.altonywca.com , or at YWCA, 304 E 3 rd Street, Alton or by calling (618) 465-7774. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the event as well. Each year, some of the region’s brightest, boldest, and most influential women are honored at YWCA’s Women of Distinction celebration. The women honored at this event represent a diversity of women’s interests, talents and achievements

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ALTON - Basketball and athletic talent seem to be in the blood of the Stotler family. A new Stotler talent, that of 12-year-old Bishop, emerged recently when he cracked one of the more significant marks in Riverbend Community Center games. Bishop recorded a record 135 on the NBA Hoops Game, a remarkable feat. Bishop's grandfather, originally of Bethalto, was a University of Missouri football defensive back/placekicker on the 1969 Missouri team. Nic Stotler, Bishop's dad, was a standout basketball player for Civic Memorial High School and then Illinois State University. Bishop's mom, Amanda, who she said was not a college athlete, but excels more in the artistic arena, is so proud of her son not only for his basketball shooting skills but what kind of young man he is already. "Bishop was really happy about breaking the Community Center NBA Hoops Game record," she said. "He broke it first one week, then went back and broke it again." Bishop said without a doubt, that he loves basketball

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ALTON - The YWCA Southwestern Illinois 31st Women of Distinction Celebration will be held on Thursday evening, April 28 at Julia’s Banquet Center, 101 Eastgate Plaza, East Alton, IL 62024. The deadline for reservations is Friday, April 22, 2022. Doors will open at 5:15 p.m., with the event starting promptly at 6 p.m. The community is strongly encouraged to attend the gala event and meet 2022 Women of Distinction Honorees and the Josephine Marley Beckwith Future Leaders scholars. Tickets are $65 per person or $520 per table of eight. Reservations can be made online at www.altonywca.com , at YWCA, 304 E 3 rd Street, Alton, or by calling (618) 465-7774. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the event as well. Each year, some of the region’s brightest, boldest, and most influential women are honored at YWCA’s Women of Distinction celebration. The women honored at this event represent a diversity of women’s interests, talents, and achievements in support

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ALTON - Laura Greenwood had her day in the sun on Friday at Lewis and Clark Elementary in Alton when she was honored with a permanent "Buddy Bench" for the school playground in her honor. Laura retired last year after 34 years in the school district. Through donors and other contributors, the "Buddy Bench" was purchased. Laura said she wants the bench to be a place for students when they want to sit or a place where they can invite someone else to play or just talk. Laura's daughter, Cathryn Greenwood Zerkel followed her mother's footsteps in education and is a teacher assistant for seventh graders in the Annex Building at Alton Middle School. "It truly meant a lot to finally be able to honor my mom for her years of service to the Alton School District," Cathryn said. "My mom taught and had loyalty to not just the district but to Lewis and Clark Elementary. She spent her entire teaching career there. "I mentioned how long she taught there and asked students questions about having

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ST. LOUIS - The U.S. National Weather Service in St. Louis announced Wednesday afternoon that the forecasts they made earlier in the morning regarding severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes in the area didn't pan out as severely as expected. “It’s frustrating for us and you when our forecasts don’t go as planned,” the weather service stated in a Facebook post . “So much thought and energy goes into our forecasts, we don’t take tornado or severe thunderstorm forecasts lightly. “When things like this happen we take a critical look at what went wrong. Many aspects of this event favored severe weather, but a few critical details did not develop.” Early Wednesday morning, the weather service predicted severe thunderstorms, high-speed winds, high potential for tornadoes and golf-ball-sized hail in the St. Louis area of southeastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois from about 11 a.m.-4 p.m. “This morning started out

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CHICAGO – Celebrating the passage of a FY23 budget that prioritizes responsible spending, Gov. JB Pritzker joined students, lawmakers, and advocates at Gately Park Indoor Track in Chicago to highlight programs designed to foster the success of young people throughout the state. “Last week we passed a budget that will have an enormously positive impact on the wellbeing of young people in this state,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “It focuses on giving them every opportunity to succeed, investing in their future like never before. Our children deserve a stronger, healthier Illinois to grow up in, and by continuing to make responsible financial decisions we are delivering on that promise.” “Every child and teen, regardless of their skin color or background, has the potential to do great things,” said House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, (D-Chicago). “It is our duty and responsibility to ensure our youth have the necessary tools fo

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CARLINVILLE - Blackburn College has been awarded a $250,000 two-year Teacher Residency Grant from the Illinois State Board of Education (IBSE) to help address the state’s teacher shortage. The funds will be used to accelerate Blackburn’s established Teacher Licensure Program (TLP) which the College launched in 2020. Blackburn’s fully-online licensure program provides the opportunity for individuals with bachelor’s degrees in other fields of study to pursue new careers in teaching. Dr. Michelle Stacy, Professor of Education and Teacher Licensure Program Coordinator, explained that these funds will allow Blackburn to provide additional resources to continue to address the teacher shortage in Illinois. She noted, “Our Teacher Licensure Program was originally designed to train high-quality teachers for areas most in need. It’s very popular because it is a fast-track licensure program that can build a ton of essential training and first-hand classroom experienc

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