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EDWARDSVILLE - Jack Rigoni, the son of Christin and Alex Rigoni of Edwardsville, recently delivered an Eagle Scout project to Edwardsville Township that will have a lasting impact. Jack constructed a concrete pad and built a bicycle repair station that is visible to bike riders. Jack’s idea came to him about four years ago when he was riding bikes at his grandparent's home in Staunton and saw a very similar project right next to the bike trail. “I thought this would be a good idea even to this day,” he said. “I finally got to the point where I wanted to do the project. The Township people and Eagle Scout Board Members were all very supportive.” The 15-year-old new Eagle Scout said he feels extremely honored to earn the new status in Scouts. “It is a huge accomplishment, and the good thing is it benefits the community," he said. At least 21 merit badges are required to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Of those 21 badges, 14 must come from a list

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) is now accepting nominations for the Senior Illinoisan Hall of Fame, open to adults aged 65 and older who excel in the categories of community service, education, performance and/or graphic arts, and the labor force. “When I think about the people of Illinois, a couple of words come to mind: kindness, generosity, ingenuity, and perseverance. Each year, my administration is proud to honor four older adults who embody these values through service, education, arts, and labor by inducting them into the Senior Illinoisan Hall of Fame,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Whether you know a teacher who goes above and beyond for their students or a community member who you can always find out and about lending a hand to others, we want to hear about the seniors in your life that make Illinois, Illinois.” The Senior Illinoisan Hall of Fame was established by the General Assembly in 1994 to honor older adults’

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EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Denise Cobb, PhD, has named Saulius Drukteinis, DMD, MS, PhD, as the dean of SIU School of Dental Medicine (SDM) following a national search. The appointment is subject to final approval by the Office of Human Resources and the Board of Trustees, with Dr. Drukteinis to assume his new role at SIU SDM on Monday, Jan. 16. “Dr. Drukteinis brings great enthusiasm and commitment to the School of Dental Medicine and their mission,” said Cobb. “I look forward to partnering with him to support an even brighter future for this outstanding School. His interdisciplinary expertise, collaborative spirit and deep commitment to improving equitable access to quality dental care will be critically important as we move forward. I also want to thank the search committee members for their work and their collaboration with Greenwood Asher.” "I am excited for Dr. Drukteinis

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ALTON/JERSEYVILLE - Samuel M. Plunkett, 39, of Alton, has been charged with violating an order of protection pursuant to the Illinois Domestic Violence Act after repeatedly texting someone who filed an order of protection against him last year. Plunkett had previously been convicted of violating that same order of protection on Dec. 1, 2022, but posted bond and was released. Recent court filings state Plunkett “sent multiple text messages” to the victim on Jan. 6, 2023, in violation of the already-standing order of protection. While the first violation was a Class A misdemeanor, this second violation is a Class 4 Felony. The latest charge carries a sentence of one to three years in prison, one year of mandatory supervised release, probational discharge of up to 30 months, a fine of up to $25,0000 and/or restitution costs. His bond was set at $10,000 based on the bond of the previous charge. More information about Plunkett’s first order of protection

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EAST ALTON - Germania Brew Haus employees are in a state of mourning this week after one of its frequent patrons - area resident Steve Overlin - died. "Steve has frequented the Alton and East Alton stores for quite some time," the German Brew Haus management said in a Facebook release. "In East Alton, the team would see his truck pull in and excitedly chant his name. They didn’t even need to ask him about his order before making it. In Alton, he had the same special bond. "Sadly, we found out Steve passed away. Steve was delightful. He made our days brighter. He kept up to date with employees. He kept us in the loop with his life, too." "We all loved Steve so, so much. There are very few employees that don’t know of Steve’s warmth and kindness. His smile is something we will never forget." Alex Cole, an assistant manager at the Germania Brew Haus in East Alton, was a big fan of Steve, as were the other employees. "Steve was a regular that always came through,

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GRAFTON - The Illinois Department of Transportation announces intermittent daytime lane closures in both directions of IL 100, (the River Road) between Grafton and Lockhaven Rd. beginning on Monday, January 16, 2023, weather permitting. A minimum of one lane in each direction will remain open throughout all work on the project. This project is needed to do guardrail replacement and work at this location is scheduled to be completed by the end of April. 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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SPRINGFIELD – Workers who participate in the Illinois Secure Choice retirement savings program have set aside more than $100 million of their own money for their retirement, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today. The threshold signals a growing recognition that workers understand Social Security alone will not provide enough income after their working days are over and reflectsdata that shows workers are more likely to save for retirement if they can do so through workplace payroll deductions. “Secure Choice helps workers in Illinois retire with dignity and confidence,” Frerichs said. “The program is one way my office provides people the tools to achieve the American Dream.” Through Illinois Secure Choice, workers can save for retirement through Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) funded by payroll deductions facilitated by their employers. The default option for program participants is to enroll in a target-date Roth IRA with a 5 percent

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ALTON - Thirteen actors, seven crew members, two directors, and one wonderful choreographer create a magical musical, SHE LOVES ME, set in a European Perfumerie. With so many beautiful and humorous moments so the audience can watch more than a few twists and turns before discovering "True Love"! This Broadway Musical inspired two movies and inspired us all to cherish the tender and stellular partnership that launched the genre of " Rom-Com" even in the early 1930s. So yes, SHE LOVES ME is a sentimental and stylish, most beguiling story; and the performers travel from the entire region with their trained voices to fulfill their love of Broadway Musicals. Now, everyone can see SHE LOVES ME at Alton Little Theater ( ALT) - from January 20th - 29th, with eight evening performances and two Sunday matinees. Call 618-462-3205 for tickets or online at altonlittletheater.org . Get Tickets TODAY - Don't let "LOVE" fly away!

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JERSEYVILLE - Construction is now complete on Illinois American Water’s new 16,000-square-foot operations center, consolidating field operations, administrative, and operations support staff in a single location. The new center, located at 502 Mound Street in Jerseyville, was celebrated with a ribbon cutting to signify the grand opening. Joining on the momentous occasion was the Jersey County Business Association and the City of Jerseyville’s mayor, William Russell, who kicked off the ribbon cutting by welcoming Illinois American Water to the community and thanking attendees for participating in the day’s celebration. Ethan Steinacher, Sr. Manager of Operations for Illinois American Water’s Central Division, addressed the audience, saying, “Illinois American Water committed to building a new operations center in Jerseyville, not only as a sign of our commitment to the City Administration and our customers but also to be an integral part of economic development

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Public Works Director Eric Williams confirmed there are currently no plans to open a Krispy Kreme at the former Annie’s Frozen Custard location on South Buchanan Street, saying it’s “just a rumor that’s going around.” Williams said there is technically work being done on the site, just not the construction of a Krispy Kreme. “I did get a site grading permit that came in on Friday to do soil remediation,” Williams said. “I guess there used to be a former gas station on site that they’re going to start remediating some soil, but as far as future improvement plans, we have not received anything.” White Castle was another chain rumored to be opening a new location at the site, but he said that is also “just a rumor.” “There’s been a Krispy Kreme/White Castle rumor going around for a little while now, but right now, it’s just a rumor,” he said. “The

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 18 attorneys general supporting a New York law to hold the firearms industry accountable. In an amicus brief , Raoul and the coalition argue that New York has the authority to protect residents and public safety. New York enacted its statute to hold gun industry members accountable for the irresponsible sale and marketing of firearms when that conduct results in harm to the public. Under the law, public officials or private citizens can file a lawsuit against a gun industry member when they knowingly or recklessly endanger the safety or health of the public in New York state through the unlawful or unreasonable sale, manufacturing, importing, or marketing of firearms. Gun industry members can also be held liable when they fail to use reasonable controls and procedures to prevent firearms from being unlawfully used or sold in New York state. “Attorneys general play a key role in protecting residents from unlawful industry

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BELLEVILLE - Caritas Family Solutions is celebrating its 75th anniversary by hosting its 10th annual Heart & Soul Gala on February 4 at The Regency in O’Fallon, Illinois. The nonprofit currently serves more than 7,000 people annually including 1,700 foster children throughout Southern Illinois and the Metro East region. Caritas Family Solutions services include foster care, pregnancy care for women experiencing homelessness, adoption, counseling, and independent living for adults with disabilities among other service lines. “Our gala will be the perfect opportunity to celebrate our 75th anniversary, which means so much to us in a variety of ways,” said Caritas Family Solutions CEO Gary Huelsmann. “It speaks to our history of caring for people all across Southern Illinois and in all our communities. It means that we have thousands of people throughout our communities that have been impacted by Caritas in such positive ways over the years that really changed th

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EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Yun Lu, PhD, professor in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, has recently been awarded a $433,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his biomolecular reaction mechanism study project entitled, “Temperature Dependence of Hydride Kinetic Isotope Effects in Solution to Test the Proposed Role of Protein Dynamics in Enzyme Catalysis”. "The search for the origin of the enormous catalytic power of enzymes has a long history and has led to many proposals,” said Lu. “In this project, we will design enzyme model reactions and use the same methodologies that enzymologists recently use to replicate the observations in enzymes in an attempt to provide insight into the questionable physical origin of enzyme catalysis. Our results are expected to help develop theories for enzyme catalysis that can guide future efforts at design of efficient drugs and biocatalysts.”

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ALTON - The ongoing sewer separation in and around Downtown Alton continues. Below is information regarding some more road closures in the area. Piasa Valley Area: 9 th Street remains closed to thru traffic from Alton Street east to George Street. Pavement restoration is ongoing and should be completed in the coming weeks. Belle Street sewer work has moved north of the intersection of 7 th Street. 7 th Street east of Belle Street is partially restored, with some restoration work to continue in the coming weeks. The area between 8 th Street and 9 th Street on Belle Street has had a large amount of work completed which will be wrapped up in the next two to three weeks. Please use caution in work zones and where final pavement restorations have not been completed. The next stretch of the work area will progress north to the intersection of 9 th Street and Belle Street. New sanitary sewer, storm sewer and water mains will be installed in this intersection, with work starting

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ALTON - St. Mary's Middle School would like to announce the students who made High Honor Roll or Honor Roll for the 2nd Quarter. 6th Grade High Honor Roll Avery Conrad Elaina Cowan James Fischer Katherine Fitzgerald Tucker Hamilton Eli Heischmidt Joseph Henesey Parker Hough Caleb Kasten Kainan Kelly Colette Manns Lucia Pulido Jenna Redman Caden Roth Caden Shewmake Olivia Smith Elizabeth Strickland William Waters Brendan White Brock Woodward 7 th Grade High Honor Roll Alivia Beaber Brooke Boston Clara Brass Alayna Graham Isabella Greenberg Gianna Grossheim Emily Hough Sophia Jacobs Jensen Janek Ryan Joehl Cameron Jones Chase Jones Samuel Jun Allison Nash Natalie Novak Gianna Pulido Nora Ringering Jocelyn Thomas Mason Widman 8 th Grade High Honor Roll Ellen Anderson Reese Bechtold Vyla Berkenbile Izabelle Brunaugh Jacob Campbell Ella Curry Chase DeRocchi James Elmendorf Grace Fischer Liilian Hannigan Patrick Henesey

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ALTON - Lifestyle/creativity coach and self-described “mind mechanic” Michael Gebben recently appeared on an episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to discuss the results of a recent brain scan and the possible ways ADHD can impact one’s approach to their career. In 2010 and 2011, Gebben had been very successful in the video production industry - he was featured in magazines, traveled, and earned over six figures in video production business two years out of high school at 20 years old. But when COVID hit in March of 2020, he had to rethink his business strategy and transitioned into coaching full-time, which led to a bit of self-discovery. “I noticed there were certain things that were happening with me that were interesting, and some stuff came up about ADHD,” Gebben said. “I’ve had people say with my energy, some things about ADHD here and there … some stuff started to come up and I dug into it really hardcore,

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ALTON - Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis CEO and President Michael P. McMillan was the keynote speaker with the theme; “Injustice Anywhere Is A Threat To Justice Anywhere” in the Annual NAACP Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities Sunday at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Alton. McMillan’s delivery was well-received by the capacity crowd at the church. Alton Branch NAACP 2nd Vice President/Alderwoman Rosetta Brown, Alton Branch NAACP President Michael Holliday Sr., Alton NAACP 1st Vice President Leon Smallwood-Bey, and Alton Mayor David Goins were also key parts to Sunday’s ceremony, along with McMillan. Brown said this Dr. King ceremony was one of the best in recent years. The program for Sunday's event was as follows: Alton Branch NAACP 2nd Vice President Alderwoman Rosetta Brown, Expeditor Invocation – Elder Marcus Harrison, Deliverance Temple Lift Every Voice and Sing Presentation of Dr. King Wreath – Executive Committee Members, Alton Branch

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ALTON - Alton Police are investigating damage to a tombstone in Oakwood Cemetery over the weekend. Dianca Lacey, the mother of deceased De’Andre Shauntez Brewster, Sr., said her son’s headstone was overturned. “I received a devastating phone call at 3:52 a.m., telling me my son’s headstone had been overturned in Oakwood Cemetery,” she said. “I am still grieving the loss of my only child, who was senselessly killed and taken away from his eight young children. At this point, I would like to be able to grieve and for my son to rest in peace.” A shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 2, 2021, in the 200 block of East Elm Street in Alton that claimed Brewster’s life. Brewster and another person were wounded, but Brewster was pronounced dead at Alton Memorial Hospital. Brewster’s mother made this statement this morning about the damage to her son’s grave: “This is totally unacceptable. The lack of respect i

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SPRINGFIELD – An Illinois Conservation Police investigation into the illegal use of bait while hunting deer and turkey in St. Clair County resulted in the arrests of eight individuals for numerous hunting-related violations. Citations, warnings and court dates were issued to: • Seth E. Speiser, 58, of Freeburg – Unlawfully hunting deer with bait, unlawfully placing corn in an area where deer are present, failure to wear blaze orange while hunting, unlawfully transporting an uncased shotgun, failure to have deer permits in possession while hunting, and unlawful take of a whitetail deer with the aid of bait. • Danny B. Cox, 63, of Freeburg – Unlawfully hunting with the aid of bait, unlawful placement of bait, unlawful take of an 8-point buck and a 10-point buck with the aid of bait, unlawful use of an archery deer permit issued to another person, failure to wear blaze orange while hunting, and unlawful possession of a road sign. • Kamdan B. Cox, 27, o

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BUNKER HILL - The Bunker Hill Fire Protection District was joined by several other agencies in a destructive house fire that occurred overnight around midnight. Bunker Hill Fire Protection District Chief William Sloan said the large home was vacant and it will be “a total loss” because of the raging fire. Bunker Hill paged Dorsey, Brighton, Gillespie, Benld, and Dorchester to assist in the fire battle. “When we got there, about 100-foot diameter around the house was already burned,” he said. “Right now we don’t know the exact cause of a fire. It had been burning for at least an hour before we arrived.” Sloan said he appreciated the cooperation they receive from neighboring fire agencies in mutual aid blazes like this one.

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