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WOOD RIVER - The year ended on a great note for the City of Wood River. After a very busy summer we moved to the fall months and holiday times with enthusiasm and expectation of an exciting new year and to carry the momentum of growth and improvements throughout our community. Below is a rundown on some of the great events from the past Fall & Winter. We would like to thank all of the volunteers that make these events a success. On October 7, the Annual Food Truck Festival was held at Central Park. Thank you to the Enrichment Network for all their work on a great event that was enjoyed by all. October 18, The Child Advocacy Center, (located in the old WR Hospital Building) celebrated 20 years of service to child victims of abuse and their families. City officials attended the anniversary ribbon cutting. October 19, a Job Fair was held at the Roundhouse for the new Rec Center. Park and Rec. Director Jason Woody said the turnout was great and he wanted to thank all who participated

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CHICAGO — Attorney General Kwame Raoul today co-led a coalition of 21 attorneys general, along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and New York Attorney General Letitia James, in submitting a letter urging the Biden administration to complete its review and swiftly implement proposed regulations prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. Raoul and the attorneys general argue that the proposed FDA Rules , which are supported by ample evidence, are years overdue. In their letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget, Raoul and the attorneys general highlight calls for action from civil rights and public health groups to remove menthol tobacco products from the marketplace to protect public health and address the systemic and disproportionate impact of these products on minority communities and other vulnerable populations, including young people. “I am asking the FDA to ban menthol cigarette

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SPRINGFIELD - Due to inclement weather conditions, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is encouraging those seeking Secretary of State services at Driver and Motor Vehicle facilities to call (800) 252-8980 or visit www.ilsos.gov to ensure availability. “In times of inclement weather, like the current cold snap the state is experiencing this week, Illinoisans should check ahead to ensure that they have access to the services they require before heading out to the DMV,” Giannoulias said. “We’ve also made more services available online at www.ilsos.gov so people no longer need to visit a DMV.” In addition to more services now available online at ilsos.gov as a part of Giannoulias’ “Do-it-Online, Skip-the-Line” approach, the office has made design changes to its website to make all available online services more accessible and expanded eligibility for online driver’s license and state ID renewals.

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CHICAGO – Even with the below-freezing temperatures, one Illinois iLottery player is feeling flushed, or at least flush with cash, after winning a Fast Play Twenty 20s jackpot of $721,388 over the weekend. There were over 5,600 winning tickets sold on Sunday, January 14 for the Fast Play Twenty 20s game, netting Illinois Lottery players more than $950,000 in prizes. Twenty 20s is an Illinois Lottery progressive jackpot Fast Play game. The jackpot begins at $50,000 and grows with each ticket sold statewide - in-store and online - until the jackpot is won. You could be next! Fast Play is a quick and easy draw game that can be played at any time. There are no numbers to pick, no play slip to complete, no scratching, and no waiting for winning numbers. There are currently over 25 Fast Play games offered at various price points and play styles.

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GODFREY - A man from Godfrey has been charged with meth possession, his latest in a series of felonies committed in recent months - including battery, unlawful restraint, and more - according to Jersey County court filings. Joseph L. Miller, 27, of Godfrey, was most recently charged with possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine on or about Jan. 11, 2024, according to court documents. Miller was charged with a Class 3 felony in this case, and his arraignment hearing is set for Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 at 9 a.m. at the Jersey County Courthouse. Miller had previously been charged with aggravated domestic battery and unlawful restraint on or about Nov. 29, 2023. Court documents for that case allege Miller strangled and “knowingly and without legal authority detained” the victim. He received a Class 2 felony for aggravated domestic battery and a Class 4 felony for unlawful restraint. Three months earlier , on Aug. 14, 2023, Miller had been charged wit

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Letter to the Editor: This past Friday I received a phone call from Congresswoman Mary Miller, who just made her second trip to the southern border to see the situation with her own eyes. She told me, “There are 10 million illegal migrants already in Texas and Arizona. It’s an invasion. It’s estimated that 70 percent are men of military age. In some areas, cartels control both sides of the border.” For more information, I would refer readers to her Twitter/X account: @RepMaryMiller . She recommended that local government officials make clear public statements that they don’t have money in their budgets, can’t provide services, and therefore it’s irresponsible to send buses full of migrants to their communities. In 1985, Chicago declared itself a “sanctuary city” for illegal aliens, which means that all city officials are prohibited from helping federal immigration agents. The State of Illinois adopted similar policies

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EAST ST. LOUIS - East St. Louis School District 189 Superintendent Arthur R. Culver issued information on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, about the E-Learning Day today. "Due to the forecasted extreme cold temperatures, School District 189 was closed on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. This will be a full E-Learning Day; instruction will be provided for students virtually using district-issued Chromebooks. Tuesday's Parent Teacher Conferences and athletic games will be rescheduled. "Students will use their district-issued devices and should log on for school from 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Login instructions will be provided by each school. Teachers will take attendance on e-learning days and will announce when breaks and lunch can be taken. Students are expected to engage throughout the entire class period and school day. "Attendance will be based on a student’s consistent engagement and participation. Please ensure your child fully participates in class activities by signing into their

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GODFREY - A local Paralympian is gearing up for the Paris 2024 Games with a new wheelchair. Eric Newby, who lives in Godfrey, plays wheelchair rugby and is co-captain of Team USA. He recently received a new titanium chair via a grant from the Kelly Brush Foundation (KBF), an organization that helps fund adaptive sports equipment for people who are living with spinal cord injuries, and the Disabled Athletes Sports Association (DASA), which offers adaptive sports training. As he prepares for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Newby is ready for another active year on the rugby court with the help of his new equipment. “It’s the best tool I’ve ever had to do my job, which is very exciting,” he said. “I’ve never been the most talented rugby player or anything, but I’ve definitely worked the hardest and I’ve had a lot of luck that’s led me through my career, so it’s been very special.” Newby started playing rugby in 2006 afte

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use its authority to protect children from the dangers of vaping as the agency continues to miss and delay critical deadlines in a letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf. Durbin has repeatedly criticized FDA for its long-overdue review of pre-market tobacco product applications (PMTAs) from e-cigarette manufacturers, which had a federal court deadline of September 9, 2021. FDA has missed that court-ordered deadline by 28 months as unauthorized e-cigarettes flood the market and addict America’s children. “This repeated failure to meet FDA’s own stated projections tells us FDA is not meeting its obligations under the court order. Given these delays, and with no end in sight, there is absolutely no reason why FDA continues to permit unauthorized e-cigarettes to remain on store shelves. FDA has the tools and the authority to clear the market

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5th Grade Honor Roll COLLIN ABBOTT, MAYCEE CARRAWAY, HAILEY DARR, LUKAS DARR, AIDEN DAUGHERTY, CLAYTON DAUGHERTY, HANNAH GILLESPIE, NEHEMIAH HARGIS, LIAM HAZELWOOD, JOSEPH HEITZMAN, HUNTER HORTON, AIDEN KRAUSHAAR, ELLISON NEWTON, LAYTON OSELAND, LIAM REISCH, KINDELL REPPENHAGEN, ABEL SHORT, SAMSON TAYLOR, TATE VALSTAD, JERI WAHL, REMINGTON WEDDING 5th Grade High Honor Roll LOGAN ALLGOOD, LIAM ANDERSON, CATHERINE BALCER, JESSA BARO, MADELYNN BAZE, AUBREY BEHL, BRYNNA BICK, ABILENE BRAY, KARLEEN BRITTAIN, ANNORA BURKMAN, MAKAILYNN BYRD, MOLLY CAMPION, RICHARD COOLEY, OLIVIA DALTON, LANDEN DEVERGER, HAYLIE DEWITT, PEYTON EICH, ARTHUR FALLIN, CHIARA FALTER, HAYLEIGH FERGUSON, PIPER FRY, VIOLET GAJEWSKI, SAWYER GREATHOUSE, CLEIGHTON GREEN, MYA GREEN, ROBERT GRESHAM, KNOX HAMILTON, CARSON HAYES, EVA HERRING, CARTER JOHNSON, GAGE JORDAN, JAXEN KLUNK, KADE LAKIN, ANNABELLE LAMBERT, WILLIAM LAUBSCHER, LUCY LILLEY, BRYLEE MADSON,

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ALTON - Ethan Bazzell of Emergency Medical Services is Alton Memorial Hospital’s January Employee of the Month, receiving the award Jan. 15 from Dave Braasch and EMS manager Jason Bowman. Bowman said that “Ethan is a true professional in his field, both with patient care and when it comes to his teamwork with his fellow co-workers. You can always find a smile on Ethan’s face and he leads by example.” Squad leader Mike Mulrean says that “Ethan is always willing to help out in any department and looks for solutions to new ideas in the department.” Ethan is also working tirelessly to complete his Paramedic degree with working full time.

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EDWARDSVILLE - More than 20 years ago, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumnus Khari M. Garvin worked in the SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start program to help educate, strengthen and advance preschoolers, families and communities. Today, he is still a leader in Head Start – but on a national scale. Garvin , who earned a master’s in education in 2005 from SIUE, is director of the Office of Head Start (OHS) at the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The OHS administers grant funding and oversight to the 1,600 agencies that provide Head Start services in communities across the country. OHS also provides federal policy direction and a training and technical assistance system to help grant recipients in providing comprehensive services to eligible young children and their families. “I genuinely believe in Head Start’s mission (to end poverty) and the thoughtful, research-based, two-generation

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BETHALTO - Civic Memorial High School announced its second quarter Honor Roll lists. Seniors - High Honor Roll Alyssa Abernathy Akkadia Allsman Kadince Arico Charly Bellanca Ethan Bruhn Andrea Buchanan David Chen Gabriella Cochran Makayla Collman Avari Combes Anaiah Dabney Brian Dame Jasmine Davis David Dutton Alliya Eckler Justice Eldridge James Farris Brenten Foutch Samuel Frey Abrianna Garrett Bryce Griffin Elijah Gruen Samantha Hamby Bella Hannaford Lela Haskins Lisa Henry Joshua Hodge Alyssa Hoffmann Jayden Huff Drake Jones Ella Landers Sydney Law Lucy Lednicky Madison Lindley Joshua McCune Isabel Mims Lucas Naugle Aniston Naumann Kaitlynn Niemeyer Madelyn Ogden Raegan Ottwell Courtney Picklesimer Shelby Quick Xander Randall Ethan Rea Reagan Richards Meredith Schaaf Kent Scottberg Jae Lynne Shotwell Destiny Slone Avy Smith Lauren Stacknick Taylor Stanford Josaline Stewart Christian Strader Noah Thien Kylie Thomas Lincoln

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WEST ALTON - Eagles might be the main attraction for many people, but trumpeter swans are also here to stay for the winter months. Ashley Lockwood, an educator with the Audubon Center at Riverlands, explained that trumpeter swans and other birds of prey have migrated to the area for the winter season. The birds will be a big drawing point for tourists over the next few months. “Wintertime is definitely known as the month of both eagles and swans. We have, for the past couple months, consistently around 200 of those swans out here,” Lockwood said. “Winter is actually our busiest season, definitely, and we have a good amount that you can see out here, not just the eagles or the swans, but we’ve had a lot of birds of prey this year.” Lockwood explained that the river determines when birds like the swans migrate to the Riverbend region. The swans need colder temperatures to survive, so they are more likely to be in our area when the river has iced over.

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SPRINGFIELD - Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has told Illinois motorists today to stay away from the DMV. That’s because Illinoisans can now obtain more DMV services and complete more transactions online. In addition, Giannoulias unveiled a series of new measures aimed at reducing wait times if a DMV visit is required. “Don’t come to the DMV, skip the trip!” Giannoulias said. “The truth is that most people no longer need to even come to a DMV because the services they need are available with just a few clicks. Our efforts to modernize the office and create efficiencies have led to a ‘Do-it-Online, Skip-the-Line’ approach, which saves Illinoisans time and headaches.” Giannoulias noted that 2.25 million Illinoisans will need their driver’s license or state ID renewed in 2024. Of those, more than 1 million, or nearly half, have the ability to renew online. In 2023, there were just over 1 million Illinois drivers who were part

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EDWARDSVILLE - On Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, In Crowd hosted their fundraiser “Blooming Where We Are Planted” to benefit Habitat for Humanity. In Crowd is a professional development organization that aims to connect professionals throughout the Riverbend community. They decided to sponsor a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, and all proceeds from the brunch, 50/50 raffle and live and silent auctions will help fund the organization’s tenth build starting in the spring. “In Crowd reached a point where they’re really wanting to impact the community and they just reached out and said, ‘Hey, we want to do this for you. This is how we decided we wanted to impact the local community,’” explained Marc Gibbs, president of the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Habitat for Humanity chapter. “And it just got us on this journey of just having conversations, planning this event, starting here and then kind of seeing where it goes from here for year

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SPRINGFIELD - As the Iowa caucuses draw closer each election season, there’s usually lots of talk about caucuses and primaries - but what exactly are they, and what’s the difference between them? CJ Nasello, host of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com , recently sat down to clarify these terms for viewers and voters ahead of the 2024 election. “Caucus season and all that starts today,” Nasello said. “It kind of amazes me, because some of us - I’m not picking on you - just don’t know what the difference is. So what’s the difference between a primary and a caucus?” According to usa.gov , primaries and caucuses use different methods to accomplish the same goal - help states and political parties choose their presidential nominees. In a presidential primary, voters cast secret ballots to anonymously vote for their preferred candidate. Those votes are then taken into account by the state they were cast in before the state

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ALTON - Rosetta Brown, the Alton Branch NAACP First Vice President and Alton Alderwoman had a great way to sum up the Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the Greater St. James Baptist Church: "It was incredible." While it was zero degrees outside with a wind chill 20 to 30 degrees below zero, the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was alive and well in the confines of the Greater St. Baptist Church. People of all ages were present - from very young to even a person in her 90s. The energy of Dr. King appeared present during the Alton ceremony from every speaker and participant. One speaker and participant seemed to naturally flow from one to the next and the beauty was the ceremony encompassed participation from all age levels. Leon Smallwood-Bey, president of the Alton Branch of the NAACP, said he was glad everyone gathered on Sunday to honor Dr. King despite the incredibly frigid conditions outside. Inside the Alton church on Sunday, he said it was a grea

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WOOD RIVER - A man who made every Valentine’s Day and other occasion special for more than four decades has died. Jeffrey McElroy, owner of Jeffrey’s Flowers By Design in Wood River, left a lasting impact on the region. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced for the Wood River businessman. Kristen Burns, a marketing consultant for the City Of Wood River, said Jeffrey was the one who always handled flower arrangements for her kids during homecomings, proms and almost any family event. “He was a great guy,” she said. “I adored working with him. I never saw him when he didn’t have a smile on his face. "His work was always beautiful. He could make a bunch of daisies look beautiful. It was always so nice to see such a friendly face and such a sweet man. It is a huge loss for the community.” Wood River Mayor Tom Stalcup said Jeffrey was a friend of his family and Wood River in general for many years. “He was a great asset to the

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ALTON - A burst pipe at Bluff City Grill called for an emergency response on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. The Alton Fire Department responded around 2:30 p.m. at Bluff City Grill, located at 424 E. Broadway in Alton. The restaurant was closed at the time of the break. With a high of only ten degrees on Monday, burst pipes are a common concern in the Metro East. Temperatures are not expected to rise above 15 degrees Fahrenheit until Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, before dropping back down to single digits on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024. The pipes at Greater St. James Baptist Church, the host of Sunday's Martin Luther King Ceremony also had a similar problem, the pastor reported at the beginning of the event. To avoid freezing and bursting pipes, keep your home above 55 degrees Fahrenheit if possible. Drip cold water in the faucets that are farthest from the main water valve. Open your cupboards to keep the pipes warmer. Open your outside valves and spigots, and close inside valves. If your

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