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CARROLLTON - Greene County Clerk Melissa Carter announced there will be a drop box in the western parking lot of the Greene County Courthouse for voters which will arrive sometime this week before early voting officially begins on Thursday, Feb. 23. Early voting hours will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday, April from 9 a.m. to noon. For those who can’t make it during those hours, Carter said a new drop box is being installed, and that mail-in ballots can still be requested by calling (217) 942-5443. “If they would like to call in and get a vote-by-mail ballot, they can call the office. We do have a drop box which is coming this week, it will be here before Thursday,” she said. “If they don’t want to mail their ballot back and they can’t make it between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., they can drop their ballot into the drop box located in the west parking lot.” Carter said she isn’t expecting a high turnout

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HARDIN - The Calhoun County Clerk’s Office is preparing for early voting to begin this Thursday, Feb. 23 for the April 4 consolidated election. County Clerk Amy Friedel said early voting will be available at the Calhoun County Courthouse, located at 301 S. County Road in Hardin. Early voting hours will be from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday, April 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friedel said that based on previous voting records, she’s not expecting a particularly high turnout of early voters this election, except for a few places and races in Calhoun County. “The Village of Kampsville should have a pretty good turnout, they have a Village President and some trustees that are up for election,” she said. “Also the school boards, both Brussels and Calhoun, have multiple openings and multiple candidates, so that should have a hopefully good voter turnout for those two school districts.” Friedel said her office is

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WOOD RIVER – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, and the City of Wood River, Illinois, recently entered into a cost-shared Project Partnership Agreement, or PPA, for sewer improvements included in the State Street Sewer Separation Project. The $4.6 million project, of which $3.5 million is federal, will involve of separation of combined sewers, construction of a new storm water collection system, and expansion of existing storm water detention and pumping facilities. These improvements would not only benefit the numerous businesses, schools, civic centers and residences in the project area by reducing sewer backups, but it would also greatly reduce the amount of wastewater the city is required to treat, extending the operable life of the wastewater treatment facility. The State Street Sewer Separation project will be constructed in four phases and located primarily in partially in downtown or light industrial area as well as within a densely populated residential

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JERSEY COUNTY - The Jersey County Against Drugs (JCAD) Coalition and Jersey Community Hospital (JCH) are hosting a Community Resource Fair at the Susnig Center on Thursday, March 9, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. The Susnig Center is located at 401 Mound Street in Jerseyville. The Community Resource Fair is a free event and appropriate for youth in 6 th grade and up, parents and caregivers, and all community members. There will be door prizes and other giveaways. JCAD is dedicated to developing and offering the highest quality of prevention, intervention and awareness programs to keep youth healthy and drug free. JCH is committed to the treatment and recovery of individuals and their families experiencing substance use and mental health disorders. Working together, they strive to connect community members to local resources, educate the youth, and provide evidence-based support for recovery and prevention. The Community Resource Fair is an interagency collaboration of vendors

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HIGHLAND – The Illinois Department of Transportation announces intermittent daytime lane closures on Illinois Route 143 between Prairie Road and Highland Park Road (Silver Lake) beginning on Monday, February 27, 2023, weather permitting. Two-way traffic will be maintained by the use of flaggers. This project is needed to do guardrail replacement and work at this location is scheduled to be completed by the middle of March. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. The contractor on this project is Lovewell Fencing, Inc. of Davenport, IA. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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BETHALTO - Tyler I. Duncan, 20, of the 100 block of Main Street, Bethalto, has been charged with five counts of child pornography resulting from an investigation by the Bethalto Police Department. Bethalto Police Chief Mike Dixon said the charges stem from an investigation conducted by the Bethalto Police Department after they received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing Exploited Children (NCMEC) that linked possible child pornography with an address in the Village of Bethalto, which was linked to Duncan. "On February 16, 2023, the Bethalto Police Department executed a search warrant on the home in question, which was in the 100 block of West Main Street," Dixon said. "Duncan was taken into custody during the search warrant execution and transported to the Madison County Jail, where he was held pending a formal presentation of facts to Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas Haine’s Office. "A criminal information and warrant application was prepared by the

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EAST ALTON - One individual died in a blazing fire at a storage unit in East Alton early Tuesday. Fire departments responded to the situation in the 600 block of West St. Louis Avenue in East Alton around 1 a.m. Tuesday. Multiple storage units were on fire when the firefighters arrived at the scene. A Box Alarm was issued in the fire. East Alton, Wood River, Roxana, Alton, and Rosewood Heights fire agencies responded and the Madison County Emergency Management vehicle was also called to the scene. The Illinois Fire Marshal has also been called to investigate after the body was discovered. The victim of the fire has not yet been identified. More to come.

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ST. LOUIS - Spectrum today announced donations totaling $34,000 to 11 St. Louis nonprofits through the company’s national community philanthropic program, Spectrum Employee Community Grants. The nonprofits provide a variety of services to help people in areas of need, including food, clothing, shelter, job training, and more. Since its inception in 2019, Spectrum Employee Community Grants has provided more than $195,000 in funding to more than 35 St. Louis area nonprofits. Spectrum hosted a special recognition ceremony and check presentation with each of the nonprofits, the Spectrum employee volunteers, and other leaders to commemorate the donations. The latest St. Louis area Spectrum Employee Community Grant recipients are: Faith Walk Ministries - $2,500 (first-time recipient) to provide food and basic needs items to those requiring special assistance in the East St. Louis area. Loaves and Fishes - $2,500 (first-time recipient) to help the growing need for a homeless

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ALTON - Funky Cards & Collectables, a new trading card and memorabilia shop in downtown Alton, celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, Feb 18. Located at 104 W. 3rd St. in Alton, owner and founder Don Funk said the store carries a wide variety of hard-to-find items and has been off to a great start so far. “We carry quite a few different things, primarily different types of trading cards - anything from Pokémon to baseball, football, basketball - we sell loose cards, boxes, single packs,” Funk said. “We do a lot of signed sports memorabilia - signed autographed jerseys, helmets, and balls, and card supplies as well.” Funk said most trading cards are usually sold at big box stores, but Funky Cards & Collectables is working with distributors to specifically find products that they don’t carry at those stores. He added that there aren’t many cards & collectibles stores like his in the Alton area, which all got started after re-discovering

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ALTON - Melanie Parker, an Alton High School senior, has been selected as a finalist in the Saint Louis Young Artist Competition and will perform on March 18 at the Flute Day Festival. All flutists in this division will perform the first movement of Burton's Sonatina and two movements from Hindemith's Acht Stucke. She is thrilled to have this opportunity and excited to be able to perform in front of other flutists. The Flute Society of Saint Louis (FSSL) Young Artist Competition is held every year at SIUE's Flute Day Festival. Flutists from the Saint Louis area are welcome to apply to one of three divisions in the contest: Intermediate High School, Advanced High School, and College. Three finalists from each category are selected to perform for the final round at SIUe's Flute Day Festival. "We are extremely proud of Melanie's hard work and accomplishments," AHS Head Band Director Blake Korte said.

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MADISON, Ill. - World Wide Technology Raceway - the home of NASCAR, INDYCAR, and NHRA in the St. Louis-Metro East region - will host two job fairs next week in preparation for the 2023 events season. Many positions in all departments are available. Positions also are available at the Gateway Kartplex. The drag strip has launched a paid internship announcer program for students in broadcast curriculums. The first job fair will take place on Wednesday, February 22, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The second will be held on Saturday, February 25, from 9 a.m. until noon. Both job fairs will be held in the infield media center, inside the oval track. To access an online application, please visit https://wwtraceway.com/job-application/ . World Wide Technology Raceway is located at 700 Raceway Blvd. in Madison, Illinois. Prospective candidates should bring a resume and identification. Please bring a completed application or your own pen to complete an application in person. For tickets an

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ALTON - Alton Schools Superintendent Dr. Kristie Baumgartner today issued a statement about some precautionary measures taken for about 10 minutes at Alton Middle School on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. "Shortly before 11 Friday morning, we were notified of a disturbance in the community by the Alton Police Department," Alton Schools Superintendent Dr. Kristie Baumgartner said. "The neighborhood this occurred in was near Alton Middle School. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, the school was placed on a very brief lockdown for approximately 10 minutes. "This was only a precautionary measure and law enforcement officials soon gave us immediate approval to resume our normal school operations."

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CHICAGO - The Illinois Lottery today announced record results, including sales of $1.8 billion and estimated returns to the State of Illinois of $468 million, for the first six months of the 2023 fiscal year. “I’m proud to announce another record sales period, leading to increased returns to public education in Illinois,” said Lottery Director Harold Mays. “The Illinois Lottery is a valuable state asset with the core purpose of generating essential funding to the State of Illinois to support K-12 education and good causes across Illinois.” The first six months of the year have been notable for the Lottery, with two jackpots over $1 billion - with the Mega Millions jackpot rolling to $1.34 billion in July 2022 and the Powerball jackpot rolling to $2.02 billion in November 2022. The $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot was won by an Illinois resident on a single ticket bought in Des Plaines, Illinois. The winning ticket ended up being shared by two players,

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GODFREY – Over the past weeks, five new members have been added to the roster at the RiverBend Growth Association. This group of new members includes Danny’s Lounge, Factory Direct Mattress-Bethalto, Lifesaver Senior Care Services, Susie Sweetman CPR/First Aid Training, and Sweet Little Things, LLC. Danny’s Lounge “has been calling the shots” for well over 70 years now since first arriving on Alton’s bar scene in 1951. Located at 118 W. 4 th Street, part of historic and iconic downtown Alton, its owners are Keith Hall and Regina Stewart. “There’s no better place to enjoy a drink, a pizza, and have a great time out,” the owners noted. “Grab your friends and make your way down to Danny's Lounge for a great atmosphere and an even greater time. Stop by and join in on the fun.” Open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday along with Sunday, the lounge stays open an hour later on Friday and Saturday night, until

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EDWARDSVILLE - A total of 19 Edwardsville High School students earned All-State honors recently. Here is the list of EHS All-State Music students: Selin Aktuna, cello Jane Fitzgerald, violin Ashley Kim, violin Magdalyn Thomas, double bass Karis Chen, violin Alessia Heiser, bassoon Derek Markus, viola Peter Valkov, viola Hansen Zheng, cello Ben Moore, voice Da'Shon Dunn, voice Taylor Mollett, voice Savannah Kohlmiller, voice Julia Towell, voice Lucy Schapman, voice Ella Carter, voice Lauren Bruss, voice Natalie Becker, voice Sydney Andrews, voice These students were selected to All-State based on their All-District audition scores back in October 2022. ILMEA (Illinois Music Educators Association) is divided into nine districts throughout the state. Edwardsville's district region spans from Mt. Vernon to Carbondale. These students represent the top 2 percent of band, choir, and orchestra high school students in the state of Illinois. "The students that score at

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ALTON - The Alton High School Music Department has always ranked among the best in the State of Illinois. Recently, the Alton Music Department proudly represented the school at the 2023 Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA) All-State Festival. These students represent the top 2 percent of band, choir, and orchestra high school students in the state of Illinois. These are Alton High's Music All-Staters: All-State Chorus: Aaron Swanson, senior, 2nd year selected to All-State All-State Honors Chorus: Kyle Neace, senior, 2nd year selected to All-State Matt Taylor, senior All-State Honors Band: Melanie Parker, flute, senior, 2nd year selected to All-State All-State Orchestra: Brody Macias, violin, senior, 2nd year selected to All-State Ethan Fox, viola, junior Stephen Whiteside, cello, sophomore Will Hussey, bass, senior, 2nd year selected to All-State All-State Honors Orchestra: Victor Humphrey, viola, senior, 3rd year selected to All-State Wesley LeBrun,

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WOOD RIVER - C&B Boiled Bagels is making steady progress on the interior of its future location in downtown Wood River, which is slated to open later this spring on April 1. The shop will bring New York-style bagels, Schmears, and bagel sandwiches to Wood River and contribute to the city’s downtown revitalization. Matt Herren, co-owner and co-founder of C&B with his wife Amy, said several improvements have already been made to the interior so far, and they’re currently waiting on parts to renovate the storefront. “We’ve put in all-new electric and plumbing service, new HVAC service, put in a new roof, framed out the service area, employee bathroom, and the floors are done,” Herren said. “We are just waiting on a new storefront - so all-new glass in the storefront, new front doors. As soon as those go in and as soon as Ameren hooks up our electric service, we’re moving forward.” Herren said C&B will be a “traditional New Yor

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JERSEYVILLE - Vicki Watkins has left a legacy for drill team and dance in Jersey County, and recently, she was inducted into the Illinois Drill Team Association Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Springfield. Watkins' induction was done at the February 11, 2023, IDTA State Finals at the Bank Of Springfield Center. IDTA HOF Inductees are nominated and voted upon by the IDTA Officers and Board of Directors. Alex Foster of Jerseyville, IDTA Certified Execution Judge and 2020 IDTA Hall Of Fame Inductee, introduced and presented the honor to Vicki Watkins, Certified IDTA General Effect and Legality/Penalty Judge. Vicki has been involved in IDTA for over 37 years, having served as the JCHS Dance Team Coach from 1986-1999, and for five IDTA State Championship JCHS Dance Teams from 1991-1998. Vicki said she was "deeply humbled" by her induction into the IDTA Hall Of Fame. "I cannot fully explain how meaningful it is to me to be included in this group of exceptional dance colleagues

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WORDEN - The Mardi Gras celebration, 'Wordi Gras,' in Worden was once again a huge hit, and Rick Landrem, of the Yellow Dog Bar and Cafe, said with the perfect weather on Saturday the event was simply “spectacular” this year. Landrem said the beauty of the event is everyone has fun from young to old, and it is a perfect Mardi Gras celebration year in and year out. He said the event means so much every year to the businesses in Worden, including the Yellow Dog Bar and Cafe, which serves fresh Jumbalia all day long, along with corn dogs, cheeseburgers, and alligator on this particular day. The heavy presence of trucks, tractors (old and new), farm equipment, and country feel makes it special each year. “Our food is homemade except for the alligator of course, which is brought in,” he said. “About 99 percent of the people who come that day know Worden exists because of Wordi Gras. It is a huge event. Once again, we didn’t have any problems, everybody

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) Series featured Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Derek Houston, PhD, associate professor in educational leadership, in a recent webinar on Monday, Feb. 13. Houston's current scholarship is centered at the intersection of quantification and criticalism which includes thinking deeply about the training of future scholars. In the webinar, he discussed the pedagogical considerations and possibilities of critical quantification and offered insights into the complexities of the sustainability of critical quantification. “The hope for those who watched the webinar is that they will begin to think deeply and critically about how and where they teach quantitative methods,” said Houston. “I also hope that current and future quantitative methods instructors will think about how they engage with students, particularly with students that may not be or have not been as represented as

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