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JERSEY - Jersey junior Amelia Strebel is working with tenacity this fall as winter begins in preparation for the 2024 indoor and spring outdoor track and field season. She has been diligent about her time in the weight room and her father, Kevin, who doubles as Jersey’s head girls track and field coach, said he expects big things from her in the spring. Amelia is a Sparklight Internet Female Athlete of the Month for the Panthers. Kevin Strebel said Amelia works out often during early bird time before school and he said he was proud of all the improvements she made last season. Amelia said she agrees she has worked hard and hopes to improve her technique going into next season. “I am excited to see what I can do next season,” she said. Last year, Amelia posted bests of 96-1.25 in the discus and 32-3 in the shot put. She hopes to post some even better performances this coming spring. The Panthers' junior placed third in the shot put in the Mississippi Valley Conference

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ALTON - Alton Band and Orchestra Builders (ABOB) is calling all crafters to participate in their 34th Annual Olde Alton Arts and Craft Fair. On Dec. 2–3, 2023, approximately 200 crafters will gather at Alton High School to sell their crafts to the Riverbend community. The crafters keep their profits, but proceeds from the fair itself will go to ABOB to provide uniforms and instruments to the Alton Community Unit School District #11 music program. “ABOB holds a special place in our heart to support, and it’s such a worthwhile cause,” organizer Dave Fritz said. “I’m not sure that we’d have such a strong instrumental music program in the Alton district without the support of ABOB and our community that supports it. So we thank everybody that supports ABOB to provide this musical opportunity for our students.” This is ABOB’s 75th year. As Alton alumni, Fritz and his children have benefited from the organization’s work, and

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EAST ALTON - The demolition of the old Citizens Savings & Loan Bank at 700 Berkshire Blvd. in East Alton began Thursday morning, Nov. 2, 2023. By 9:30 a.m., the demolition was in full gear and shortly after a crowd collected in a parking lot across the street to take photos, video and simply reminisce about yesteryear with the historic bank. The Citizens Bank was built in 1964 and the architect was Alvin K. Stolze. Russ Colona, the long-time track and field and cross country coach at East Alton-Wood River, lives down the street from the old Savings and Loan. He said, "We moved here in 1982. It is kind of sad. It was about a quarter a mile around it to go by my house and my kids used to do hill training here. I also used the round building as a landmark to tell people how to get to our house. I am right behind it. The father of Kathy, my wife, banked here. It is a neat thing the architecture used on it. I feel they are taking a piece of history away, I think." Christine, another

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STAUNTON - Madison Communications Broadband Technician, Bryan Huffstutler, was selected to compete this year for the second time at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers Expo in Denver, Co. which was held from October 16 th – 19 th . This was a huge honor since he was personally selected to compete in the games. The SCTE (Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers) is an international organization that is split up between 68 chapters. Bryan did an outstanding job representing Madison Communications and the SCTE Gateway Chapter, competing against 5 other teams consisting of 4 competitors, all which have earned a spot at the International Games by winning their local regional Cable-Tec Games. The 7 competitive events consisted of games that evaluated the technicians in these categories: MTDR (Metallic Time Domain Reflectometer - used for finding faults in metallic cables such as twisted pair copper and coax), OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer - used for findin

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EDWARDSVILLE - Metro-East Lutheran High School announced its Honor Roll lists for the first quarter of the 2023-24 school year. The link to the Honor Roll lists can be found below: Metro-East Lutheran First Quarter Honor Roll

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STAUNTON - During their Employee Appreciation Week celebration in October, the employees at Madison were challenged to donate non-perishable items to the local food pantries as part of a team bonding exercise. The Madison employees collected a total of 8 milk crates and multiple boxes of food. The items were then divided evenly between the Mt. Olive Care Center and the Staunton Helping Hands Center. These donations are just a small part of Madison’s commitment to care for the communities that they serve. Along with donating to the local food pantries, Madison is also sponsoring the Community Hope Center’s Christmas Toy Drive once again! Please help spread the love to a child for Christmas by donating a new and unwrapped toy for girls and boys ages 0-12. Toys will be accepted until December 6th in their main office lobby at 21668 Double Arch Road in Staunton. They thank you in advance for your generosity this holiday season. To learn more about Madison’s services

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CHICAGO – November is Adoption Awareness Month, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is celebrating the lifelong commitment of thousands of families across the state who have opened their hearts and homes to 17,159 children in need of loving families over the past decade. “It is our mission to ensure that every child in Illinois grows up in a safe and loving family,” said Illinois DCFS Director Marc D. Smith. “During Adoption Awareness Month we encourage Illinoisans to get involved and become licensed foster, adoptive or guardianship parents to children who need them and celebrate the thousands of families across the state that have been made whole though adoption.” Last fiscal year 1,939 Illinois children were adopted into permanent, loving families. Today there are 19,835 youth in care waiting for a family and place to call home. To learn more about some of them, visit the Heart Gallery of Illinois at https://greenlightfamilyservices.org/heartgalleryofil/

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WEST ALTON - The US Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project Office, will temporarily close Maple Island Access Recreation Area beginning November 2, 2023, due to necessary re-painting work on the Missouri side of Melvin Price Locks and Dam to prevent any potential overspray onto vehicle traffic. Weather permitting, this work will be completed by the end of the weekend, and the Access Area will be re-opened on Monday, November 6 th . For more information, please contact the Rivers Project Office at 636.899.2600.

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Michelle DeLaune, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), along with NCMEC General Counsel Yiota Souras, to discuss NCMEC’s Congressional appropriation and Durbin’s efforts to protect children online. “I’ve worked hand-in-hand with Ms. DeLaune and her team since the Senate Judiciary Committee began its legislative push to protect children online earlier this year. Their support is a testament to the importance of Congressional action to hold Big Tech accountable for its failure to protect our kids. NCMEC and its programs and services are a critical lifeline for victims, survivors, and their families. As I push to bring our bills to the Senate floor for a vote, I am proud to have NCMEC’s partnership and will do whatever I can to fund their lifesaving services,” said Durbin. NCMEC was

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees—spoke with U.S. Special Representative Penny Pritzker about her role and vision to help advance Ukraine’s economic recovery as that nation continues to fight for their freedom and sovereignty against Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war of choice. During their meeting, Duckworth also reiterated the need for continued American support for Ukraine, which is not only critically important for our Ukrainian partners, but also important for America’s own national security and preventing Putin from continuing his march West, which would threaten our NATO allies. “So long as Ukraine needs our support, the United States should not shy away from our role as a global leader in the fight to uphold democracy and the rule of law,” said Duckworth. “As we continue to work to secure additional,

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ALTON - Each November the home care and hospice community honors the millions of nurses, home care aides, therapists, and social workers who make a remarkable difference for the patients and families they serve. These heroic caregivers play a central role in our health care system and in homes across the nation. To recognize their efforts, both at home and in their local communities, OSF Hospice and OSF Home Care Services, along with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), celebrate November as National Home Care & Hospice Month. With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the need for health care will continue to rise, and costs will continue to skyrocket. This is where home care and hospice come in. As the preferred choice for most patients, it also offers the greatest cost savings. For example, Medicare pays nearly $2,000 per day for a typical hospital stay and $450 per day for a typical nursing home stay. Meanwhile, home care costs less than $100 a day and helps

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CHICAGO - It’s the first day of Open Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace, and Illinoisans will once again have an additional month to enroll in a health plan through January 15, 2024. The Illinois Department of Insurance also released health insurance rates for the 2024 Plan Year, announcing that there are now twelve issuers offering ACA Marketplace health plans in Illinois. “Our list of health insurance carriers continues to grow, and this year Aetna Life Insurance Company will join that list, offering ACA Marketplace plans in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties,” said IDOI Director Dana Popish Severinghaus. “Just three years ago, there were five carriers offering plans throughout the state, and now that number has more than doubled to twelve.” Director Popish Severinghaus said that Illinoisans will have many coverage options to choose from, “We know that having affordable health insurance to help

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12) announced today that 10 Southern Illinois counties will receive a combined $1.2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) to fortify rural energy. "Biofuels and renewable energy are key components to ensuring America's energy independence," said Bost. "Farmers in Southern Illinois have experienced increased uncertainty over the last two years, but grants like these are a crucial step in ensuring that biofuels remain a part of America's fuel supply. I support an 'all-of-the-above' approach to meeting our energy needs and will continue to fight for energy resilience and reliability in Southern Illinois." Bost authored a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture in support of robust funding for rural energy programs, helping secure more than double the funding from the previous year for the REAP program. This increase will continue to help small businesses

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ALTON - Positive. Diligent. Passionate. These are just some of the words that describe the nurses of OSF HealthCare. They go above and beyond every day in service to patients, and that’s why many of them were recently recognized with I Am an OSF Nurse Excellence and Legacy Awards during OSF HealthCare’s annual “I am an OSF Nurse" Symposium. Locally, Shannon Vitali, RN, Pre-operative & Post-operative Services, OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center, was one of two direct care nurses from across the entire organization to receive the prestigious Nurse Legacy Award. This award, sponsored by the OSF Clinical Nursing Executive Council, is given annually to recognize/celebrate an individual who has demonstrated our founding Sisters' attributes. In addition, individuals considered for this distinction will have demonstrated a commitment to others through avenues such as: Fundraising/philanthropy Giving the gift of time or service to family, friends, community or

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and 21 Senate Democrats today in calling on Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, urging FTC to investigate two newly-proposed mergers by the two largest oil companies in the United States. In the letter, the Senators also are urging FTC to oppose the mergers proposed by ExxonMobil and Chevron if any anticompetitive harms are discovered. ExxonMobil’s proposed $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources and Chevron’s proposed $53 billion acquisition of Hess Corporation are two of the largest petroleum deals in American history. These proposed acquisitions could be disastrous for American consumers–greatly reducing competition and driving up gas prices at the pump. “Exxon’s and Chevron’s operations downstream would enable them to redirect Pioneer’s and Hess’s crude supply to themselves, away from (and possibly to th

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CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) are encouraging additional income-eligible families to apply for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to support with utility bill assistance for natural gas, propane, and electricity. Applications expanded today, November 1, to include income-eligible households that are disconnected or facing imminent disconnection. “With temperatures dropping and the winter season just weeks away, my administration is ensuring that every family has the assistance they need to keep the lights and the heat on,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With DCEO’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, we are providing utility bill support to thousands of income-eligible families—and I urge those who are disconnected or facing imminent disconnection to apply. Here in Illinois, we look out for our neighbors, and that’s exactly what LIHEAP is all about.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act of 2023 . This bipartisan legislation will reauthorize key federal grant programs to provide states with funding to help thousands of homeless young people nationwide. “This legislation is an investment in the future of our nation and a promise not to give up on any child,” said Durbin. “It will help us empower our youth—especially those in underserved communities—to realize their dreams for a better and brighter future, regardless of the traumatic experiences they may have faced.” “Having a caring and safe place to sleep, eat, grow, and study is crucial for any young person’s development,” said Collins. “Our bipartisan legislation would support young people who run away, are forced out of their homes, o

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GLEN CARBON - Father McGivney Catholic High School, a coed Catholic college preparatory high school, held a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the expansion of its campus today. The new addition will be a 3,550 sq. ft. facility called the “Commons Building”. The new addition, once complete, is slated to provide an indoor gathering space to support the school’s growing student body. The student body along with staff members, donors, parents, and supporters gathered today to celebrate All Saints Day with an all-school mass followed by the Groundbreaking Ceremony. The new Commons space is part of a four phase expansion. The addition of the Commons will be the first phase of the McG Master Plan, the remaining plans will include a larger gym with locker rooms and offices, a beautiful chapel, dedicated space for fine arts performances, a band and chorus room, and completion of the athletic complex with an all-weather track and tennis courts. The funds necessary to build the new

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ALTON – Simmons Hanly Conroy , one of the nation's largest mass torts firms and a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families, is pleased to announce that the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms® (formerly known as U.S. News – Best Lawyers ® “Best Law Firms”) has awarded the firm with a Tier 1 national ranking in the practice area of Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Plaintiffs. In addition, the firm received 10 metropolitan rankings in Tier 1 (the highest recognition level) and three additional metropolitan rankings across its offices. Now in its 14th year and compiled by the legal peer review publication company Best Lawyers, the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 practice areas across metropolitan regions. Best Law Firms rankings are based on client/professional reference feedback, information provided by firms through the formal submission process,

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CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced today that his office charged a Franklin County man with possession of child pornography. The Benton, Illinois resident is also facing separate federal child pornography charges. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child pornography online. Austin W. Lee, 29, was charged today in a Franklin County Circuit Court with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, Class 2 felonies, each punishable by up to seven years in prison; and five counts of sexual contact/sexual conduct with an animal, Class 4 felonies, each punishable by up to three years in prison. He is currently detained at the Franklin County Jail and his next court date is Nov. 15. “Child pornography is a horrific crime that can leave life-long scars on victims and their families, and we

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