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EDWARDSVILLE - A.J. Epenesa, a defensive end for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, is a household name throughout Edwardsville and the entire Metro East region. He was an All-Stater in football, basketball and track and field for the Edwardsville Tigers and attained more fame at the University of Iowa and now the NFL. A.J. also attended Lincoln School while in the junior high ranks. On Friday, he made a surprise visit to his fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Lora Wagner, at Woodland Elementary. A.J.’s intent in coming back was to express his appreciation for one of the people who helped mold him. It is a reminder of the profound impact teachers have on the lives of their students. A.J. took the time to speak to Mrs. Wagner’s students, take photos and sign autographs, which meant everything to his teacher and the students at the school. A.J. was in a photo shown above sitting in a Woodland Elementary seat, something the students also will never forget. Edwardsville High Schoo

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CHICAGO - Building on the State’s data-driven plan to improve the asylum seeker response, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), and the Greater Chicago Food Depository announced an additional $4 million investment to provide meals to asylum seekers through the end of the calendar year. The additional $2 million state investment will be matched by philanthropy through the Food Depository. At the request of the City of Chicago in June 2023, the State has provided $10.5 million in funding to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a food bank with a network of community-based providers, to deliver meals to asylum seekers while the City worked to procure additional vendors. Due to delays in the procurement process, the State and Food Depository will now contribute an additional $2 million each, to ensure asylum seekers are fed through the month of December. In January, the City of Chicago will assume this responsibility as the State ramps up its shelter,

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HARDIN - Jennifer M. Geninatti, 43, of Jacksonville, IL., faces three serious charges after a traffic stop in Calhoun County. Geninatti has been charged with the following: Driving Under the Influence - Drugs Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia On November 15, 2023, a Deputy Sheriff with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a white 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe at Illinois River Road near Gallinepper, in Calhoun County. The Calhoun Sheriff's Office said Geninatti was arrested without incident and transported to the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office. As is now required under the provisions of the new House Bill 3653, known as the SAFE-T Act; Geninatti was booked and released with a Notice to Appear at a later date at the Calhoun County Courthouse. All suspect(s) are innocent until proven guilty.

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HARDIN - A Hardin man faces charges of stalking, violation of an Order of Protection and Criminal Damage to Property. Charged in the case is Donald G. Dawson, 55, of Hardin. On November 19, 2023, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint of Stalking and Criminal Damage to Property. The Calhoun Sheriff's Office said Dawson was arrested without incident and was booked into the Greene County Jail and is currently being held without Bond. Dawson was currently on Mandatory Supervised Release (Parole) from the Illinois Department of Corrections, in relation to a 2021 Calhoun County conviction for the offenses of: Intimidation and Threatening a Public Official. The Illinois Department of Corrections has since ordered a Parole Violation Warrant and Dawson is to return to the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections. All suspect(s) are innocent until proven guilty.

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BENTON – A district judge sentenced a man from Marshall, Illinois, to spend more than three years in federal prison after he called in a bomb threat to a company in Paris, Illinois. Justin L. Switzer, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of willfully threatening the use of explosives. According to court documents, Switzer called in a bomb threat to North American Lighting Company, Inc. in Paris, Illinois on Nov. 2, 2022. He admitted to calling the business and stating “two minutes to detonation”. In response to the bomb threat, North American Lighting evacuated personnel, which caused the company to lose approximately $456,000 in gross revenue. In addition to his prison sentence, Switzer was ordered to pay $456,000 in restitution. FBI Springfield Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Burke and Liam Coonan prosecuted the case.

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PONTOON BEACH - The enchantment of the holiday season is once again rolling through the streets of Madison County with the return of the MCT “Holiday Bus.” This tradition celebrates the spirit of giving, delivering the gift of a complimentary public bus ride to MCT passengers who step aboard one of these special buses throughout the month of December. In 2022, MCT Holiday Buses accounted for more than 3,800 free rides. Commencing December 1 and continuing through December 31, MCT will enhance passengers’ travel experience by deploying the Holiday Bus daily on three MCT buses of varying sizes. These festive buses will embark on randomly assigned routes daily throughout the MCT service area. A delightful surprise awaits passengers boarding the Holiday Bus when they encounter a farebox playfully wrapped like a present, symbolizing the gift of a free ride. The buses may also be adorned with additional festive decor. "Our passengers really appreciate the surprise of steppin

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SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Energy has announced $2,909,890 of grant funding available for the development of local strategic energy plans as well as energy efficiency audits and local government building upgrades. Under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG), grant awards ranging from $200,000 to $249,900 will aim to create long-term sustainability and energy reduction roadmaps and reduce energy usage for Illinois municipalities and counties. The grant program will invest U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funds in energy planning, energy audits, and energy efficiency building upgrades. Municipalities and counties eligible for direct formula funding through the U.S. DOE are not eligible for funding through this state program. Grant applications will undergo a comprehensive, merit-based review. Scoring factors will include funding justification, projects

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ALTON - Sophomore Semaj Stampley has had to make some tough decisions. Go and play his freshman year at Alton High with his older brother, for a program that hadn't been showing much promise the last handful of seasons, or go the private school route. He chose the latter, and doesn't regret it. "It was a big decision between me and my family," Semaj said. "I went there, had a good experience, played a lot of St. Louis teams, different teams across the country. It was a good experience for me." Semaj was playing key varsity minutes for one of the most prized schools in St. Louis, Christian Brothers College High School, better known as just CBC. In his single season as a Cadet, he played in 26 games and scored 152 points. He was a 50-percent three-point shooter, putting down 28 threes which was second on the team. He took on other St. Louis basketball powerhouses like Chaminade, SLUH, De Smet, and Vianney. Semaj says he chose CBC because he had good relationships with the coaches,

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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is implementing its fifth year of the Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program. New this year, users will be able to enter their information into the application and validate it during a pre-enrollment period starting at 8:00 A.M. CST on December 4, 2023. Applications can be submitted once the program opens at 8:00 A.M. on December 15, 2023. Applications can be saved and edited at any time, prior to submittal. Pre-Enrollment Period --- 8 a.m. Dec. 4, 2023 Program Submittal Period --- 8 a.m. Dec. 15, 2023 Program Closes --- 11:59 p.m. Jan. 15, 2024 A total of 140,000 acres are available for the 2024 program. In the 2023 program, this acreage allotment was met in under 24 hours and a total of over 182,688 acres were requested by the time the application period ended. Funding of eligible acreage is on a first come, first serve basis. “The ‘Fall Covers for Spring Savings’ program provides a ‘jump

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SPRINGFIELD – Youth between the ages of 10 and 17 who would like to participate in the annual Central Illinois Youth Goose Hunt sponsored by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources can register now for the event, which is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2024. Registration opens Dec. 1 and closes Dec. 31. To participate, youth hunters must go online to register and follow the instructions. The hunt will be hosted at private waterfowl hunting clubs near Canton in Fulton County, and hunters selected to participate will be pre-assigned to hunting locations. A lottery drawing involving all youth hunters who register will be conducted, and those who are selected will be notified by email. First-time applicants will be given priority over previous participants. The hunt is open to youth ages 10 to 17 at the time of the event. All applicants must possess a valid Illinois hunting or sportsman’s license, have a Harvest Information Program (HIP) registration number, and have a 20

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CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced an additional $13 million investment in the Job Training and Economic Development Program (JTED) for workforce training and wrap-around services that will bolster equitable workforce recovery for Illinoisans struggling to gain meaningful employment. As part of Illinois’ workforce recovery efforts, JTED grants focus on helping increase employment among workers and industries hardest hit by COVID-19. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process. “As we continue to bounce back from the pandemic, my administration remains committed to supporting our workforce and the industries that employ them,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Today, I am proud to announce that we are investing another $13 million into DCEO’s Job Training and Economic Development Program—building on our first round

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke by phone with United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss avenues to reopen key Gaza hospitals under the supervision of a credible, neutral third party in order to help innocent civilians caught in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. “I had a productive conversation with Secretary General Guterres about efforts to alleviate suffering of innocents caught in the conflict in Gaza,” said Durbin. “In particular, we discussed options for helping reopen secured Gaza hospitals under the supervision of a neutral third party that could allow for the treatment of civilians to resume. Any such move will require all sides to agree to end hostilities in and around the hospitals, which I hope can occur without delay.” Earlier this week, Durbin took to the Senate floor to call for the reopening of Gaza hospitals, emphasizing that innocent civilians should not be left without access

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $500,000 she secured through a Fiscal Year 2023 Congressionally Directed Spending Request will be sent by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration to Illinois’s Revolution Workshop to help support its 12-week pre-apprenticeship construction job training program. This Duckworth-secured federal funding will help grow Revolution Workshop’s programs that offer skills training for good-paying jobs for Illinoisans and build economic equity in historically underserved communities. “Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families—and that’s one of the things Congressionally Directed Spending allows us to do,” said Duckworth. “I’m so proud I was able to secure this critical support for Revolution Workshop, and I’m dedicated to ensuring Illinois continues to build upon our career training efforts.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement regarding a report by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employee whistleblower alleging years of deficient medical care at CBP facilities and CBP’s failure to ensure proper oversight of Loyal Source, the agency’s medical care contractor. “The CBP employee whistleblower’s allegations raise serious concerns. As outlined in the report, it appears that CBP failed to hold Loyal Source accountable for unsupported invoicing, severe understaffing, unlicensed medical personnel, privacy breaches, and failure to report allegations of sexual harassment. These systemic failures to conduct proper oversight of its contractor severely impacted the quality of medical care available to individuals in CBP’s custody, endangering vulnerable migrants such as Anadith Danay Reyes Álvarez, an 8-year-old girl with sickle cell and

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), author of the historic Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act , and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed strengthening of the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), which would lower the lead action level and require water systems to replace all their old and deteriorating lead pipes within the decade, following the Senators’ continuing calls for these actions: “We applaud the Biden Administration for continuing to prioritize the health of our families by working to strengthen the Lead and Copper Rule. Setting this ambitious goal to remove the vast majority of our nation’s lead pipes within 10 years is a bold action that will help save our children’s future. We know there is no safe level of lead for a child to ingest, and we know that lead-contaminated drinking water is a key source of poisoning that results

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MATTOON — Blackhawk Bank (“Blackhawk”) will convert to First Mid Bank & Trust (“First Mid”) this coming weekend. Blackhawk banking centers will close Friday evening, December 1, 2023, and reopen on Monday, December 4, 2023, as First Mid banking centers. Since the completed acquisition of Blackhawk Bancorp, Inc., parent company of Blackhawk Bank, earlier this year in August, First Mid and Blackhawk have been working closely together to make a smooth transition for both customers and employees. Welcome Packets containing important account information were mailed in advance of the conversion date to prepare Blackhawk customers for upcoming changes. “We are thrilled to welcome our new Blackhawk Bank customers and want to make the conversion as easy as possible for them,” said Joe Dively, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Mid. “There will be some one-time actions customers will need to take, such as logging in to Online Banking

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BELLEVILLE - When Belleville West High School senior Remington Noel learned about the district’s vocational programs, he jumped at the opportunity to study carpentry. For his hard work and devotion to the trade, Remington Noel is a Student of the Month for the Home Builders & Remodelers Metro East Association . Noel has always known he wanted to get involved in the trades. Through Belleville Township High School District #201 and the Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence (CAVE), he can strengthen his skills before he even begins an apprenticeship. “I’m actually thinking of becoming an electrician,” Noel explained. “That’s kind of why I’m taking the construction course, so I know how to build houses and how to work around it.” Noel is studying carpentry through the CAVE. While he said it’s “just a class,” his love for carpentry is obvious as he talks about what they’re up to. The class is currently

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ALTON - The second annual “Christmas By The River” interactive walkthrough event is returning to the Alton Amphitheater soon on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The free interactive walkthrough experience features special guests and scenery such as Buddy the Elf, Whoville, Santa’s Workshop, A Christmas Story, Frosty the Snowman, and more. “Every scene, we have actors there to do an interactive scene from famous Christmas movies,” Jaynanne Calaway-Habeck with Masterpiece Arts Sanctuary said. “We come up with new ideas all the time,” she added. “Two of the scenes are the same as last year - Santa’s Workshop and Whoville … but then we have three brand new scenes: we have the Island of Misfit Toys from the movie ‘Rudolph,’ and we have Buddy the Elf From the movie ‘Elf,’ and then we have a Christmas caroling scene where people will be able to sing with us.” Laura Wind, the creative

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GRANITE CITY - Emily Sykes, a senior forward for the Granite City girls' basketball team, is known as a hard worker who keeps giving her best effort, even in difficult times. Such was the case in a recent game against Collinsville at GCHS Memorial Gym. Sykes led the team with eight points and kept on working hard, despite the team's difficulties against the Kahoks. It has been a very difficult time for the Warriors program, having gone 5-23 last season and having an overall record of 21-72 the last four seasons. Despite the adversity, Sykes and her teammates continue to work hard and keep pushing along. "Well, we're hoping to get over the score of 24, "Sykes said, "and not lose as bad, and just be more of a team than individuals." The team is also picking up invaluable experience throughout, which will help the Warriors down the road as the season goes on. "Yeah, it's going in my last year," Sykes said, "just learning, still learning every day." The team is one that's a typical

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PIASA - Kenzie Stanton was Southwestern's lone senior on the girls' volleyball team this year and she had some memorable performances, especially on the defensive end and at the setter role, her head coach Derek Dempsey said. For her efforts, Stanton is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for Southwestern. "Kenzie started the year as a back row defensive specialist, but was later pressed into duty as a right-side hitter and eventually a setter," Coach Dempsey said. "Despite not having set since her freshman year, she did a tremendous job with that and everything we asked her to do." Stanton, while not particularly vocal, was a great leader for the younger players in terms of how she conducted herself, her approach to practice/games and how she treated her teammates, the coach said. "We are fortunate to have the build of our team returning next year, but she will be missed and very difficult to replace," concluded Dempsey. Again, a salute to Kenzi

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