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WASHINGTON, D.C. — I am deeply honored to witness this momentous occasion, taking in the weight of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Senate confirmation proceedings. Hearing the depth of her qualifications and credentials and her lifelong career of advancing justice makes me so proud as a fellow lawyer and American. There have been 115 Justices on the United States Supreme Court, and Judge Jackson is the very first Black woman to be nominated to the highest court of our land. As a Black woman and as the mother of four daughters, I'm overjoyed that children throughout Illinois and, quite frankly, the world will have a broader, more imaginative view of what's possible for their futures. Judge Jackson stands on the shoulders of Jane Bolin, Constance Baker Motley, and so many Black women of history who dared to strive for more in the legal profession. Like her predecessors, Judge Jackson's achievements today represent the excellence she holds and the potential that is in all of us. Becaus

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville seventh- and eighth-grade language arts teacher Mrs. Jordi Harre is one who thrives on giving back to causes she loves, and recently, she designed shirts for Liberty Middle School families to purchase. Harre involved her students in the fundraiser and proceeds were donated to the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis. A total of 98 shirts were sold, allowing Liberty Middle School families to donate a large total of $490 to the Down Syndrome of Great St. Louis. Harre's students also made a video to teach their peers about Down Syndrome Association. The students learned valuable lessons in the fundraiser about assisting others in the community. Harre previously said she loves working at Liberty Middle and that the Edwardsville community is "incredible," in a previous interview. Harre said at that time she loves seeing the students succeed and watching them grow. Harre is a business administration grad from SIUE and obtained a Master's in Education

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SPRINGFIELD – The innovative plan to create a mobile retirement savings account that travels with the worker topped the 100,000 enrollment milestone, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today. Frerichs set up the Secure Choice retirement savings program to combat the retirement savings crisis in Illinois and across the country. Illinois is a national leader in offering an auto-enroll IRA program. Workers in Illinois began saving in July, 2018. “A retirement savings tool that can travel from job-to-job with the worker makes it easier to save, allows a worker to retire with dignity, and saves taxpayer money by reducing the need for publicly funded safety-net programs,” Frerichs said. Today, more than 100,000 workers and 6,400 employers participate in Secure Choice, with $82 million already saved. None of this was possible without Secure Choice. The 100,000 milestone was surpassed in the first quarter of this year. “I chose to enroll in Illinois

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CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced today that it has awarded $4 million in grant funding to support the Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) Success program. The CRSS Success program prepares students for entry-level positions as behavioral health workers, specifically in the areas of mental health and substance use recovery. The program is administered through IDHS’s Division of Mental Health and was created by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act which Governor Pritzker signed into law in 2019 and is funded by adult-use cannabis tax revenue. IDHS awarded CRSS Success Program grants to 11 post-secondary educational institutions across the state. Recovery Support Specialists work in a variety of capacities, such as inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance use treatment services, mobile crisis teams, recovery homes, and living rooms, which are programs that provide a safe, inviting, home-like atmosphere where individuals can calml

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ILLINOIS - Today, conservative champion Senator Ted Cruz announced he is endorsing Congresswoman Mary Miller for re-election in Illinois' 15th District. "I'm proud to endorse Mary Miller for Congress in Illinois' 15th Congressional District, and I ask my fellow patriots to support her," said Sen. Cruz. "Mary is a conservative and the kind of fighter we need in Congress who works every day to secure our border, protect life, and protect the Second Amendment." "Senator Ted Cruz is a conservative champion, and I am honored to have his endorsement," said Congresswoman Mary Miller. “I am proud to fight alongside Senator Cruz to protect our Second Amendment, defend the unborn, and stop the Democrat takeover of our elections. We will never back down in our fight against Joe Biden and the Democrats’ America Last agenda." "Grassroots conservatives across the country follow Senator Cruz's lead because he is an unapologetic conservative, and he is not afraid to take on the corrupt

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that applications are now being accepted for grants to provide public transportation providers with paratransit vehicles. Municipalities and local governments, as well as nonprofit agencies providing specialized transportation to seniors or individuals with disabilities, are encouraged to apply. “Public transportation is an essential service throughout the state in rural, suburban and urban communities,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “These grants – and the paratransit vehicles they provide – are an important part of our continued efforts to ensure everyone has safe, equitable access to the transportation they depend on.” The deadline to apply is May 2. Through its Consolidated Vehicle Procurement program, IDOT purchases accessible paratransit vehicles on behalf of eligible recipients using various federal funding sources. Applications should be submitted

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High School history teachers Jill Gibson and Dave Dougherty are giving students the opportunity to learn a different side of American history. The pair designed a class called Black Experience that focuses on people and events in history that are not often talked about. “As a history teacher, we talk so much about the same people and the same things,” said Dougherty. “Every year, history gets longer, and we don’t have enough time to dedicate to other groups of people who don’t get talked about a lot. History tends to focus on the same people over and over. And when it comes to black history, it's typically along the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Harriett Tubman, and Rosa Parks. But there are so many other people.” Both Gibson and Dougherty were involved with the creation of the class. Gibson is in her 18 th year at EHS, while Dougherty is in his seventh year. “With the racial reconning that our country has gone

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The Conversation - March Madness is here, and basketball fans are making predictions: Who will be the Cinderella story of the college tournament ? Which teams will make a run to the Final Four? And of course, which player is going to get “hot” and carry their team to a championship? To say a player is “hot” or has “hot hands” means the player is on a streak of making many consecutive shots. A question that has dogged researchers, coaches and fans for years is whether players on these streaks can defy random chance, or if hot hands are just an illusion and fit within statistical norms. We are two researchers who study information sciences and operations and decision technologies . In our recent study , we examined whether players can indeed get hot in actual live-game situations. Our analysis showed that some players do get consistently “hot” during games and make more shots than expected following two shots made consecutively. However

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EDWARDSVILLE - The following students have been named to the Honor Roll at Metro-East Lutheran High School for the third quarter of the 2021-2022 school year. Grade 9 Honor Roll with High Distinction (g.p.a. 4.0) Logan Abbott, Edwardsville Rachel Brown, Edwardsville Joseph Feldhaus, Collinsville Elijah Moore, Litchfield Sofia Schwartzkopf, Edwardsville Grade 9 Honor Roll with Distinction (g.p.a. 3.75-3.99) Yoonseo Jo, Edwardsville Kate Jose, Worden Jacob Kober, Collinsville Ethan Linnenbrink, Maryville Andrew Maske, Greenville Isabelle McLeod, Troy Erik Neath, Edwardsville Timothy Rainey, Collinsville Faith Sigstad, Belleville Alexis Weber, Alton Taylor Weber, Alton Kathren Wright, Troy Grade 9 Honor Roll (g.p.a. 3.5-3.74) Rianna Jenkins, Glen Carbon Christian Kuethe, Moro Grade 10 Honor Roll with High Distinction (g.p.a. 4.0) Charles Fedder, Edwardsville Faith Hall, Edwardsville Avah Jones, Bunker Hill Vivienne Runnalls, Glen Carbon Grade 10 Honor Roll with Distinction

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ALTON - More than 200 attendees packed the Best Western Premier Hotel in Alton on Sunday for the 75th Gallatin Players of the Year Banquet. Marquette Catholic and Civic Memorial fans left happy as Owen Williams of the Explorers and Kelbie Zupan of the Eagles took home the male and female Player of the Year awards respectively. They headlined a great night for the diamond edition of the longtime high school basketball banquet. Alton Mayor David Goins served as keynote speaker and gave a passionate speech about success. The former Redbird basketball player used the word success as an acronym to inspire the young basketball players in the crowd, connecting hoops with the game of life. Goins, a winner of the POY award in 1978, was one of 15 former recipients of the honor who attended Sunday. He joined Ricci Stotler (CM, 1967), Kevin Caldwell Sr, (Alton, 1990), Eric Frankford (CM, 1994), Amie Gernigan (Marquette, 1994), Nic Stotler (CM, 1996), Angela Payne (Roxana, 1996), Michelle Beiermann

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ALTON - Christine L. Brice Foundation, INC, will be hosting a Community Outreach/ Family Fun Day on April 9, 2022, featuring an Easter egg hunt for children ages 0-12 at Hellrung Park in Alton, IL from 1-4 pm. The goal of the Christine L. Brice Foundation, INC is to bring both fun and awareness to the families of our community. This event will have fun and games for the entire family. Christine L. Brice Foundation, INC will be partnering with several others in our community to make this day a success. Molina healthcare will be there to help educate and assist those in the community who are in need of health insurance. SIHF will be in attendance providing Covid-19 vaccines and boosters. Familia Dental will also be in attendance advising on keeping up with good oral hygiene. Representatives from the Riverbend Headstart Program will be in attendance as well. The mission of Christine L. Brice Foundation, INC is to work in collaboration with other organizations in order to alleviate the

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GRANITE CITY – Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has awarded more than $1.4 million in FY 22 School District Library Grant Program awards to 672 public school districts. More than 1.5 million Illinois students served by school library programs will benefit from the grants. From FY 22 appropriations approved by the General Assembly and the Governor, school library grants were awarded based on a formula of $.885 per student, with a minimum grant award of $850. Granite City Community Unit School District #9 was awarded $4,777.23. The School District Library Grant Program is used for: Fiction and/or non-fiction books Educational CDs and DVDs Library subscriptions Electronic resources New computers Wi-Fi connectivity improvements Information on the grant program can be found at: ilsos.gov/departments/library/grants/schoolpercapgrant.html .

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ALTON - Jeff Larner, Republican candidate for Madison County Sheriff, is pleased to announce “America’s Sheriff” Mark Lamb of Pinal County, Arizona and Sheriff Mike Lewis of Wicomoco County, Maryland will be coming to Alton for a special campaign event on April 2. Lamb and Lewis are nationally-recognized law enforcement leaders known for their efforts to promote law and order policies. Lamb, who has held office since 2017, has been a frequent contributor to the television series, “Live PD,” “Live PD: Wanted,” and “60 Days In.” He is also a frequent guest on Fox News and NewsMax. In 2021, he co-founded “Protect America Now,” a coalition of 69 sheriffs with the purpose of "educating Americans about how the law enforcement community is standing for the Constitution and law and order.” Lewis is a 37-year law enforcement veteran who has dedicated his life to enforcing the law and Constitution. Throughout his career,

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MARYVILLE - The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis announced at a press conference on Monday afternoon at the Maryville Police Station they have apprehended a person who was wanted in the murder this past Thursday. The man is Danyiel M. Johnson, 40 of St. Louis. The two men knew one another, authorities said with the release of information. The Maryville Police Department was called to a scene in the 2000 block of North Bluff Road in Collinsville at 4:05 p.m. this past Thursday. A deceased male subject was found at the scene. At 4:05 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, 2022, Maryville Police Department received a call about a deceased subject found in the 2000 block of North Bluff Road, Collinsville. The caller discovered a male subject face down in blood who appeared to have been shot multiple times. The Madison County State's Attorney's Office has charged Johnson with two counts of first-degree murder, a count of possession of a stolen firearm, and a count of possession of a firearm

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ALTON - A 45-year-old man - Thomas J. Hughes - tragically died from injuries suffered in a crash reported at 1:53 a.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2022. Hughes is an Alton resident. No other vehicles were involved in the crash. Alton Police Officers and the Alton Fire Department responded to the area of Illinois Route 140 at the entrance to Gordon Moore Park, in reference to a traffic crash with injuries. Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said preliminary investigation revealed that a black 2006 Ford pick-up truck was traveling westbound on Illinois Route 140, approaching the entrance to Gordon Moore Park. For an unknown reason, the truck left the north side of the roadway (right side), and the front end of the truck collided with a traffic light fixture. Chief Pulido said the Alton Fire Department had to extricate the driver and sole occupant from this vehicle. The driver was transported to an Alton area hospital where life-saving measures were attempted, but the driver died. This traffic

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CARLINVILLE - The Great Horned owls of Forest Park in St. Louis will be the topic of a free program hosted by the Carlinville Public Library at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. “Forest Park Owls: Hiding in Plain Sight” will be presented by Mark H.X. Glenshaw, an award-winning naturalist and expert from St. Louis who delivers programs to enthusiastic audiences around the region. Glenshaw has documented the life of Charles, a male Great Horned Owl from Forest Park, as well as his five mates and various offspring, for over sixteen years. “My official start date was Dec. 29, 2005. I call it my ‘owl-i-versary’,” laughed Glenshaw, a manager of university services at Fontbonne University. “Since then, I’ve spent countless hours following Charles and the owls around him.” Glenshaw and his fascinating owl studies have been covered by many media outlets in the area. He delivers around fifty programs a year, mostly in Illinois and Missouri.

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GRAFTON - Joseph and Janice DeSherlia – the husband-wife team who own and operate the Grafton Harbor Marina – have just joined a growing list of small businesses that have filed lawsuits against NBCUniversal and its celebrity star Marcus Lemonis through the CNBC show The Profit. The DeSherlias say they never appeared or even sought to appear on the NBCUniversal show. Yet, in 2019, NBCUniversal produced an episode of The Profit called “ Rise of an American Floodtown,” focused on the city of Grafton, Illinois, (40 miles from St. Louis) and the town’s recovery after a devastating flood damaged the local tourism economy. The DeSherlias allege NBCUniversal and TV star Lemonis used the opportunity as a PR stunt. The DeSherlias claim the on-air tactic defamed the DeSherlias and their business and interfered with their contractual obligations, for the sake of ratings. On-air discussions between CNBC star Lemonis and former Mayor Rick Eberlin included what

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GODFREY – The Illinois Department of Transportation announces that intermittent lane restrictions will begin on IL US 67/IL 111/IL 3 (Godfrey Rd and Homer Adams) between Airport Rd and Alby St. on Monday, March 21, 2022, weather permitting. A minimum of one lane will remain open in both directions at all times. This work is needed do pavement repairs. The work is expected to be completed by the end of May. 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 the Christ Brothers Asphalt of Lebanon, Illinois. 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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EDWARDSVILLE - R.P. Lumber Co., Inc. has opened a new location in Nevada, MO. This is the family-owned hardware and building materials retailer’s 82nd location and its 16th in Missouri. Based in Edwardsville, IL, R.P. Lumber opened its first location in Staunton, IL in 1977 and has continued to grow throughout the states of Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The new facility is located in Nevada at 2201 E. Austin Blvd, a property on a major retail corridor near Interstate 49. “We’re looking forward to delivering our ‘Best Service. Best Value.’ promise to the hard-working residents of Vernon County. Nevada is a great fit for us – exactly the type of Midwestern community where we thrive,” said Robert Plummer, President & CEO of R.P. Lumber. “It’s also located a convenient distance from our locations in Harrisonville and Clinton, allowing us to better serve our customers in Southwestern Missouri,” he added. In

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ALTON - St. Mary's Middle School following students made the High Honor Roll and Honor Roll for the 3rd quarter of the year. 8th Grade High Honor Roll Jack Beaber AJ Brunaugh Lucy Cassenti Olivia Certa Mackenzie Cochran Isabel Downey Sharon Dugas Jackson Ehrman Carson Jones Reese Livingstone Melanie Marshall Noah Menke Owen Page Olivia Prediger Stephen Stobbs Maddie Waters 8th Grade Honor Roll Laci Fischer Jack Hornsey Alex Noll Annie Rea Jack Rea Sam Rea 7th Grade High Honor Roll Ellen Anderson Izabelle Brunaugh Jacob Campbell Ella Curry Chase DeRocchi James Elmendorf Grace Fischer Henry Hornsey Emma Hough Isabel Hough Katherine Kamp Mia Lopez Ethan McLeod Sarah Moehn Morgan Rister Harrison Ross Clayton Scott Sidney Scyoc Alex Stephan Steven Walch Simon Waters 7th Grade Honor Roll Reese Bechtold Lillian Hannigan Patrick Henesey August Koeller Lexi Taylor Lucas Ventimiglia 6th Grade High Honor Roll Alivia Beaber Clara

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