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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 8,039 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including an increase of 109 deaths since March 18, 2022. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 3,061,224 cases, including 33,307 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Since March 18, 2022, laboratories have reported 563,249 specimens for a total of 56,891,628. As of last night, 470 individuals in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 64 patients were in the ICU and 33 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from March 18-24, 2022 is 1.4%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from March 18-24, 2022 is 1.6%. A total of 21,315,893 vaccines have been administered in Illinois as of last midnight. The seven-day

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EVERGREEN PARK - If you are the parent of a young child, chances are you have dealt with picky eating at some point. Maybe your child only likes one type of food or refuses to eat at dinner time – whatever the case might be, getting your child on a healthy eating track can seem daunting at times. But when does picky eating become a concern? A well-balanced diet is crucial for one’s overall health – especially during their childhood years when they are still growing and developing. Dr. Safiat Amuwo, an OSF HealthCare pediatrician, says healthy eating habits start at home. “A lot of times, children learn from their parents. So if the parents are picky eaters, or don’t eat a lot of fruits or vegetables, they mimic what they see their parents do. If you are eating fried foods or foods with high sugar, the child wants to eat that, too. It is always good to make sure that whatever you are giving the child, you also eat it,” Dr. Amuwo says. According t

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PEORIA - The American Nurses Association estimates that 2.2 million new nurses are needed to replace those retiring in 2022 alone. Add to that the recent pandemic-related staffing issues and one thing is certain: nurses are needed. Sue Brown, RN, PhD, DNP, is the dean of undergraduate studies at Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing in Peoria, Illinois. She and her colleagues are working to educate the next generation of health care workers, something she says is imperative – now more than ever. “Nursing is under pressure right now with COVID and the pandemic, but also because we have baby boomers retiring,” says Dr. Brown. “So we have nurses retiring in record numbers, aided by the pandemic, obviously, and we have a decrease in enrollment in higher education across the board.” The numbers, however, seem to be taking a turn in the right direction. According to data released by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN ) , student

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COLLINSVILLE - Legal risks can be fatal to a farm business. Understanding legal issues can dispel anxiety and help farmers realize their power to control their circumstances. University of Illinois Extension partners with Farm Commons for a four-part series on legal issues for farms. "Every farm or ranch no matter its size, location, or longevity is in a great position to build resilience," says Kathryn Pereira, Illinois Extension local foods system small farms educator. Farm Commons is a nonprofit organization that assists farmers to solve their own business law challenges in a community of support. Farm Commons Executive Director Rachel Armstrong will provide the interactive workshops, including time for questions from participants. As the founder and executive director of Farm Commons, Rachel Armstrong leads workshops for farmers nationwide and created the organization’s innovative approach to farm law risk reduction. She has authored publications on farm law matters for

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EDWARDSVILLE - Woodland Elementary School special education teacher Kelly Baird was in grade school when they used to let the sixth, seventh and eighth graders help with kindergartners and first graders during recess. “I really enjoyed that and decided I wanted to be a teacher.” At the same time, PL94-142 had passed and special education was coming into being. “I thought that sounded even better. The more I learned, the more I thought special education was for me.” When Baird began at District #7 30 years ago, her mentor teacher was a communications disorder teacher. “She was amazing! I learned so much about how language affects everything we do. Then I got to work with two girls who were on the Autism spectrum (although not yet diagnosed), and I was fascinated by how their minds work.” Baird had opportunities to attend workshops and learn even more about Autism. “I knew these were my people! I’ve been in love with that population

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ST. CLAIR COUNTY - Illinois State Police reports a single-vehicle fatal traffic crash at 10:38 p.m. on March 24, 2022, in St. Claire County. Kevin L. Clark, 30, from Centreville, died in the crash. This is the preliminary ISP report on the crash: WHERE: Interstate 255 northbound Milepost 20, near Interstate 64, St. Clair County VEHICLES: Unit 1- White 2017 Ford Fusion DRIVERS: Unit 1- Kevin L Clark Jr., 30-year-old male from Centreville, IL - Deceased PRELIMINARY: Preliminary investigative details indicate the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling northbound on Interstate 255 at Milepost 20, near Interstate 64, in St. Clair County. Unit 1 left the roadway to the left, entered the grassy median, and struck the end of a concrete barrier. Unit 1 became engulfed in flames. The driver of Unit 1 was fatally injured. The right lane of Interstate 255 southbound near Milepost 20 was closed for approximately two hours and was reopened at approximately 12:48 a.m. No further

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GODFREY – Campus and community emergency response teams – including ambulances, fire trucks and a helicopter – converged on Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey Campus Friday morning for a simulated HazMat incident. “We hold a mock disaster training exercise every few years to ensure the campus is prepared in the event of a real emergency,” said L&C Campus Emergency Management Consultant Chris Sichra. “This year, we were able to include students in the exercise, and give them some hands-on training for how to operate during a complex emergency incident.” L&C deployed its Emergency Operations Team at 10:23 a.m., and crews began responding to the area near the Hatheway Cultural Center. Godfrey Fire Chief Eric Cranmer, who served as incident commander, laid out the scenario. Godfrey Fire received a (mock) call about a HazMat incident involving chlorine, in which a new delivery person was involved in an accident inside Hatheway that

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URBANA – Crouched between rows of tomatoes and peppers tucked inside a high tunnel, researchers pluck insects off plants in the name of science. Because to catch a pest, you may have to release a predator. The flourishing local foods movement is driving more Illinois farmers to grow fruits and vegetables, using high tunnels to extend the growing season. All that fresh produce in an enclosed space makes insect outbreaks common. To help growers protect their investment, University of Illinois Extension is researching how to use predator insects to control pests. Bronwyn Aly , an Extension local food systems and small farms educator in Southern Illinois, knew local farmers needed a safe, efficient, and cost-effective way to deal with pests in high tunnels. This need prompted her to reach out to University of Illinois researcher Kacie Athey , assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences , for a solution. The question is, can other insects – their natural predators

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ST. LOUIS - Machine Gun Kelly will play St. Louis' Enterprise Center on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, with various special guests. Machine Gun Kelly announces this international Mainstream Sellout Tour - a colossal 52 arena run across North America and Europe featuring an incredible roster of special guests including Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, blackbear, Trippie Redd, WILLOW, iann dior, PVRIS, and 44phantom on select dates. The multi-platinum selling artist’s first-ever arena tour will also feature a special hometown stadium performance in Cleveland, OH at FirstEnergy Stadium, the largest venue in the city. The genre-bending performer has amassed over 15.5 billion streams online and sold over 10 million album units. Produced by Live Nation, the North American leg of the tour kicks off this June at Moody Center in Austin, making stops in Miami, Boston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, St. Louis and more before wrapping up in Cleveland at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 13th. The 15-stop European

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The Conversation - You probably clean your shoes if you step in something muddy or disgusting (please pick up after your dog!). But when you get home, do you always de-shoe at the door? Plenty of Australians don’t. For many, what you drag in on the bottom of your shoes is the last thing on the mind as one gets home. We are environmental chemists who have spent a decade examining the indoor environment and the contaminants people are exposed to in their own homes. Although our examination of the indoor environment, via our DustSafe program , is far from complete, on the question of whether to shoe or de-shoe in the home, the science leans toward the latter. It is best to leave your filth outside the door. What contaminants are in your home, and how did they get there? People spend up to 90% of their time indoors, so the question of whether or not to wear shoes in the house is not a trivial one. The policy focus is typically on the outdoor environment for soil, ai

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URBANA – Have you noticed the windowed packets of seeds at garden centers with brightly colored “seeds”? These pelleted seeds are small or irregular seed that have a specialized inert coating applied to improve planting, spacing, and germination. Often the coating, which increases the weight and size of the seed, is colored which aids in planting several varieties of seed in one tray, a row in a garden, or a field. Mary Fischer, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, says while pelleted seed was originally developed for commercial production with a mechanical seeder. Then, seed companies began producing pelleted seed for vegetables and flowers and seeds are now available at local garden centers and big-box stores. Pelleted seed has been used intermittently since WWI. The improved pelleted seed was introduced for cereal seeds in the 1930s by a British seed company, Germains. In the 1940s, the U.S. used several types of pelleted seed in reforestation

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BETHALTO - Donut Express, a donut and coffee shop in Bethalto, has greatly expanded its menu since moving into its newest location at 204 W Bethalto Drive. Owner Rocky Patel said after 12 years at 113 W Bethalto Drive - and after COVID-19 brought new challenges for local businesses - Donut Express was looking for something different. “The reason for moving was just a better location. We were kind of tucked away, a lot of people didn’t realize we were even there,” Patel said. “Just looking for a change - after COVID, it really affected our business a lot and we moved to a better location.” Not only does the new location make the business easier to spot, but Patel said it’s also allowed Donut Express to offer a lot more than just donuts. “At the old location, all we had was basically donuts and coffee and some soda,” Patel said. “When we relocated, we were able to actually expand our menu to include a lot of hot foods, such

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ALTON - The Greater Alton area is invited to join for a combined church Choral Cantata on Sunday, April 3, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alton and Sunday, April 10, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Main St UMC. The choirs of Mainstreet UMC and First Presbyterian Church of Alton are preparing to present Encounters with the Holy . "Embark on a creative musical journey of remembering and imagining holy encounters in our lives as we learn to walk humbly with God, love kindness, and do justice." The program will feature the combined choirs of First Presbyterian Church and Mainstreet United Methodist Church, dramatic readings, and a chamber orchestra. There will be two opportunities to attend: Sunday, Apr 3, 2022 *2:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alton (Corner of 4th and Alby Streets in Alton, IL) A reception will follow. Please bring a non-perishable food donation for the Alton Crisis Food Center. Sunday, Apr 10, 2022 *11:00 a.m. at Main Street United Methodist

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JERSEY COUNTY - Kevin Ayres, Chairman of the Jersey County Republican Party and a Precinct Committeeman for English Township, formally announced his candidacy for Jersey County Coroner. He seeks to replace incumbent Coroner Kari Jo Alexander, who was sworn into the position last fall after the passing of her father, Larry Jo Alexander, who was the longest-serving coroner in Jersey County history. Ayres noted in a Facebook post announcing his candidacy that he worked closely with the two for years. “I have been a Jersey County Deputy Coroner for five years and have been the Chief Deputy Coroner for the past two years working very closely with Larry Alexander and now with Kari Jo Alexander,” Ayres wrote in the Facebook post. “I have also been a Jersey County Sheriff’s Deputy for 20 years. I am very passionate about both positions and enjoy serving the people of Jersey County in both capacities.” In addition to being a state-certified Lead Homicide

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MATHCON promotional video from 2021. ALTON - MathCON 2022 is proud to announce that Blake Schaper, Freshmen Homeschool Student of Alton has qualified as a MathCON 2022 Finalist. Blake is the son of Tyler & Christy Schaper. MathCON Finalists are those students who score in the top 96% percentile or above of mathematics students nationally. This is the third time Blake Schaper has attempted qualification to MathCON but due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, he was unable to attend in 2020. Blake's first qualification was in 2019 as a middle school student. MathCON is a nonprofit national mathematics organization recognized for its annual student math competition for students in grades 4-12, with more than 200,000 participants since 2008. It is an innovative Mathematics platform, including a competition series developed to enhance mathematics education. Our vision is to build a collaborative mathematics community for students and educators to enhance and support STEM education in the United

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EDWARDSVILLE - Six men face charges of mob action from a March 22, 2022, incident at the Madison County Jail. Madison County Sheriff’s Chief of Detectives David Vucich reported about what happened on March 22 at the jail. “The synopsis was on March 22, at 9:50 a.m., jail staff alerted the department to a disturbance in the jail facility. The investigation revealed a bunch of people reacted violently to an individual in a property dispute. The staff quickly had the situation under control and no one was seriously injured. Those in the jail are held at the same standards of those who do this outside the jail facility.” Vucich said he could not release at this time exactly what the property dispute was over. Those charged are Curtis A. Ray, 32, of Granite City, Curtis L. Faust, 33, of St. Louis, Joseph P. Pellazari, 37, of Granite City, Devon J. Stewart, 20, of Granite City, Terrell L. Griffith, 50, of Godfrey, and Jimmy Carrasco, 25, of Glendale, Arizona. The sheriff’s

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ALTON - A COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, at Webster Temple COGIC at 1100 Highland and Webster streets in Alton. The vaccine clinic is sponsored by Webster Temple COGIC, Pastor Sancho Williams, and Alderwoman Rosetta Brown. COVID-19 Booster shots and also all of the first three shots are available at the clinic, Brown said. The clinic is in partnership with the State of Illinois Department of Public Health. Brown added voter registration opportunities will also be available. “My community is of the utmost importance to me and I want to make sure we can make things like the vaccines and voter registration available,” she said. “COVID-19 is still real and there are many who aren’t yet vaccinated, so this is a good opportunity for them. The primary election is June 28 and we want people to be registered.”

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Between a new all-time NBA Hoops high score record, a limbo competition, S’mores Night and more, there’s been a lot of activity at the Riverbender.com Community Center the past couple of weeks. Bishop Stotler scored 126 points in one minute playing NBA Hoops last Friday night at the community center, shattering his previous record of 110 points in one minute. By beating his own personal best, Stotler continues to hold the community center’s all-time high score record in NBA Hoops. In addition to NBA Hoops history being made, last Friday night also saw Birdie Elliott win the “Low Low Limbo” competition. She went home with a $35 Walmart gift card donated by Lucinda Lowe. Kids also got the chance to roast their own marshmallows and make their own s’mores on “S’mores Night” during the prior week’s Friday Night Open Play on March 11. The Riverbender.com Community Center is a recreational space for primarily grade-school-age

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GODFREY – Multiple area agencies have teamed up to coordinate and conduct a large-scale HazMat mass casualty exercise for first responders Friday, March 25, on the Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey Campus. The scene at L&C was highly active on Friday morning with an abundance of first-responder personnel on hand. L&C has held disaster exercises on campus before, but not at this scale, and not involving students, who will be volunteering and learning from the simulation. The drill runs from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Friday, primarily in the area around the Hatheway Cultural Center. At least a half a dozen first response and other local mutual aid companies from across the region will be participating and that includes Lewis and Clark Community College’s Incident Management Team, Nursing Program, and Campus Safety Department, along with the Godfrey Fire Protection District, Madison County Emergency Management Agency, Alton Memorial Hospital EMS, AVEC, and

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EAST ALTON – Helmkamp Construction continues to grow with the addition of Stuarrt Bailey to their project management team. Bailey joins Helmkamp with a background in estimating and project management in industrial work and will be mainly focused on serving Helmkamp’s clients in industrial markets. Stuarrt Bailey graduated in 2016 from the Construction Management program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Since, he has worked on construction projects at both Berco Industrial and Ameren Transmission. When asked why he decided to join Helmkamp Construction, he said “Helmkamp has a great culture. The benefits are amazing and that says a lot to me about the leadership.” Helmkamp President and Owner, Rob Johnes, said “I am pleased to announce Stuarrt as the most recent addition to our team. He comes to us with industrial experience that will allow him to jump into and excel on industrial projects. The industrial market is a specialty that Helmkamp

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