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CHICAGO — Judith Raanan and her teenage daughter, Natalie, were reportedly released from a hostage situation today. The two Americans from Evanston, Ill., had been taken hostage by Hamas and sources say they were released on Friday. The two had been abducted on Oct. 7, 2023. After their release, Governor J.B. Pritzker issued the following statement: "I am incredibly relieved that Natalie and Judith Raanan of Evanston have been released from captivity in Gaza. In what was supposed to be a visit to their loving family in Israel, they were violently abducted by a terrorist organization. After being held against their will for nearly two weeks, they are now safe and receiving necessary medical treatment. "I cannot wait to welcome them back home after demonstrating immense strength and bravery in the face of unthinkable terror. We must continue to advocate and pray for the safe return of those still held by Hamas. We will not let those who use terror as their weapon win." Judith

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CARROLLTON - Four individuals have been charged with driving under the influence and more while another has been arrested on a drug paraphernalia charge in Greene County over the past few weeks, according to a recent report from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. Christina J. Newton, 26, of Eldred, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal possession/transportation of liquor by a driver, improper lane usage, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. She was arrested by the White Hall Police Department on Sept. 18, 2023 and was given a Notice To Appear in court. Shane M. Ingram, 46, of White Hall, was charged with driving under the influence, driving on a revoked license, and a headlight violation. He was arrested by the White Hall Police Department on Sept. 10, 2023 and was given a Notice To Appear in court. Gaybrielle L. Gilbert, 48, of Jerseyville, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia on Oct. 4, 2023 by the Greene County Sheriff’s

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CARROLLTON - Several individuals have been charged with violent criminal offenses including criminal sexual assault, domestic battery, and many more in Greene County over the past few weeks, according to recent filings from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. Steven T. Albers, 73, of Jacksonville, was charged with four counts of predatory sexual assault of a victim under 13 years of age, one count of criminal sexual abuse of a victim between 13-17 years of age, and one count of criminal sexual assault of a family member under 18 years of age. He was arrested by the Scott County Sheriff’s Department on Sept. 21 and remains in custody. Darin M. Morrell, 37, of Carrollton, was charged with failure to register as a violent offender against youth with a prior conviction. He also had outstanding arrest and Failure To Appear warrants out of Greene County. He was arrested by the Greene County Sheriff’s Department on Sept. 30, 2023, and has since been released from custod

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ALTON - Earlier this week, high school students from across the Metro East gathered at the National Great Rivers Museum to learn about career opportunities along the Mississippi River. “Who Works the Rivers?” is a regular event sponsored by the National River Museum and Aquarium and National Rivers Hall of Fame through their program RiverWorks Discovery . This career awareness event invites students to speak with employers in the maritime industry and learn about jobs that are supported by the river. “Whether you’re looking to do a college career path, the trades or even the government agencies, there is a career for you in this industry,” explained Erinn Howard, RiverWorks Discovery executive director. “The mission of RiverWorks is commerce, culture, conservation and careers of America’s rivers, so we try to give a good perspective on all types of careers related to the river.” Over 180 students from six local high

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ALTON - Nicole Wood of the Women’s Health and Childbirth Center is the Alton Memorial Hospital Employee of the Month for October. She received the honor on Oct. 19 from her manager, Jessica Mossman, and AMH President Dave Braasch. The nomination for Nicole came in after her good work earlier this year. “An unfavorable induction was brought in for chronic hypertension. After two days of attempted induction, the patient started to lose hope of a vaginal delivery. Nicole took care of the patient several days in a row. She hung encouraging signs in the room and maintained a positive attitude. On the third day of induction, the provider became concerned with the lack of maternal progress. Nicole continued to advocate for the patient. The provider agreed to use position changes in hopes to facilitate a vaginal delivery. Finally, the patient was 10 cm and going to start pushing. It was shift change, but Nicole stayed after to help the patient with her delivery. A beautiful baby

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate increased +0.3 percentage point to 4.4 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased +9,500 in September to a record high and surpassing the pre-pandemic number of total nonfarm payrolls, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The August revised unemployment rate was 4.1 percent, unchanged from the preliminary August unemployment rate. The August monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from -100 to +3,800 jobs. The September unemployment rate and payroll jobs estimate reflect activity for the week including the 12th. In September, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job gains included: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+3,400), Manufacturing (+2,500), and Leisure and Hospitality (+2,100). The industry sectors with monthly payroll job declines included: Professional

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SPRINGFIELD – The State Treasurer’s Office made nearly $118 million in investment earnings from the state investment portfolio in September, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced today. Another $86.7 million in gross investment earnings was earned for cities, villages, school districts, counties and other units of government that take part in the highly rated Illinois Funds local government investment pool operated by the State Treasurer’s Office. “Every dollar we make through smart, safe investing is a dollar that does not need to be raised in taxes,” Treasurer Frerichs said. “The Treasurer’s Office is part of the solution in Illinois.” Treasurer Frerichs is the state’s Chief Investment and Banking Officer. He is responsible for the state investment portfolio and an investment pool for units of local government called Illinois Funds. Key monthly metrics and more are available in The Vault, the transparency website that

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EDWARDSVILLE/GLEN CARBON - Members of the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce were able to connect through the October business after hours event at Dieterich Bank. The Ed/Glen Chamber of Commerce advocates for local businesses and provides a space for business owners to network and collaborate. Katie Haas, the chamber’s membership director, noted the benefits to joining the chamber and attending events like the business after hours meetings. “At the heart of all of it is just a desire to get to know people, whether they’ve been connected in this community for a long time or whether they’re brand new here,” Haas said. “We fully believe in the power of genuine relationships, and so we love to be able to encourage our member businesses to host these types of after hour events just to bring people together, to build those relationships, and to do business with those people.” The member businesses are quick to agree. Shaina

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CARLINVILLE - Blackburn College has named Sarah Koplinski Vice President for Institutional Advancement. In this senior leadership role, Koplinski will provide strategic, high-level direction for the College’s fundraising, alumni engagement, and community outreach efforts to support the institutional growth, sustainability, and capacity to deliver exceptional educational experiences to current and future students. She will manage a talented and motivated philanthropy team and serve as a member of the President’s leadership team. A Carlinville native, Koplinski steps into the role with nearly 17 years in Blackburn’s Office of Institutional Advancement. First, she spent time working in this campus area as a student in Blackburn’s unique Work Program, where she gained hands-on and impactful professional experience. After taking a position with Junior Achievement in Indianapolis immediately following graduation, Koplinski soon returned to Carlinville and spent three

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GODFREY - Godfrey officials are advising residents in advance of an upcoming project by Illinois American Water that will temporarily close Godfrey Road to install/upgrade a local water main line next week. IAWC contractors plan to have intermittent lane closures starting next Tuesday (10/24). They will then fully close Godfrey Road (at Harold Avenue) next Wednesday (10/25) through next Friday (10/27). Traffic will be detoured from Godfrey Road via West Delmar Avenue, Strong Avenue, and Homer Adams Parkway. Work is expected to be completed and Godfrey Road re-opened to traffic by the end of the day on Friday (10/27). Godfrey Public Safety Administrator Chris Sichra states that local first responder agencies and mutual aid partners (Fire, Police, EMS), as well as local utility companies, bus companies and MCT, have already been notified of the upcoming closure so that they can adjust their response routes accordingly. Residents and motorists should also pre-plan to consider alternate

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 18 attorneys general, today called on the federal government to implement stronger regulations to ensure behavioral health services are as available to patients as other types of health care. In a comment letter to the secretaries of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury, Raoul and the attorneys general express support for the Biden administration’s proposed amendments to regulations implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 that would improve compliance with the law and access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment. “While some progress has been made, too many Americans still lack access to lifesaving health care services treating mental health and substance use disorders,” Raoul said. “We must continue to work to expand these services and hold insurers accountable to ensure needed health care is readily accessible for patients.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – After the horrific fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian-American in Illinois this weekend, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today underscored the role the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel must play in helping address hateful Islamophobic and Antisemitic rhetoric that threatens to escalate the crisis in the Middle East even further. Duckworth, who has consistently supported Israel’s right to defend itself and its people, raised this issue during today’s U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the nomination of Jack Lew to be the next Ambassador to Israel. Full video of her remarks, where she also underscored the urgent need for the Senate to confirm an ambassador to that country to help our nation respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis left in the wake of last weekend’s Hamas terrorists attacks, is available using this link . “The shocking and tragic murder of six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al Fayoume—and

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 15 state attorneys general in supporting the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in a legal challenge to HUD’s prohibition on housing practices that may appear neutral but in reality are discriminatory under the Fair Housing Act. The HUD regulation, known as the Disparate Impact Rule, has been formally in effect since 2013. “Accessible homeowners insurance is critical to ending housing discrimination,” Raoul said. “Insulating effectively discriminatory insurance policies and practices from federal liability would deal a significant blow to efforts made by states, including Illinois, to combat housing discrimination.” Courts have long recognized that the Fair Housing Act bars housing practices that, while not overtly discriminatory, have a disparate impact on individuals based on race, national origin or another protected characteristic. However, a group of companies that sell property

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GODFREY - On Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, you can find great items and support a great cause at a “pop-up garage sale” to benefit the nonprofit Pride, Incorporated. Karen Wilson, a board member for Pride, Inc., will host the garage sale from 9 a.m. to noon at her State Farm branch at 225 Tolle Lane in Godfrey. Wilson explained that all proceeds from the sale will support the Pride, Inc. nonprofit and their beautification projects throughout the Riverbend area. “Our junk is your treasure,” Wilson joked. “It’s just a way to recycle things that we’re personally not using anymore but that somebody else could find use for, and then it goes towards beautification projects in the area. We can always use those — helping fight litter and pull weeds and brighten a few spots in the community.” Pride, Inc. regularly organizes city-wide cleanups, restoration projects and landscaping updates in Alton and Godfrey. They rely solely on

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COLLINSVILLE - “My story is not a pleasant story. It’s not a pretty story. But it’s an American story.” So began Rev. Wheeler Parker, Jr.’s keynote speech at the Illinois Higher Education Equity Symposium on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. Parker spoke to Southern Illinois University students and faculty about his experience growing up in the Jim Crow-era South and how he has learned to live after witnessing the abduction of Emmett Till, his best friend and cousin. Parker is the last living eyewitness to the kidnapping before Till was tortured and lynched in 1955. Wheeler’s keynote address kicked off the two-day symposium, which aims to facilitate conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion in all schools in the Southern Illinois University system. The SIUE Gospel Choir performed before Parker took the stage to share his story and speak about his book, “A Few Days Full of Trouble: Revelations on the Journey to Justice for My Cousin an

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GILLESPIE – Gillespie Health & Rehab Center is hosting its annual “Trunk-or-Treat” on Tuesday, October 31, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The free community event will be held in the parking lot of the skilled nursing facility at 7588 Staunton Rd., in Gillespie, Ill. Gillespie Health & Rehab Center staff, many in costume, will decorate their cars and fill their trunks with candy for the trick-or-treaters. In addition to candy, free snacks such as cotton candy and popcorn will be available for the visiting children and their families. “Events such as these are not only fun but are among our ways of giving back to the community we serve,” said Kim Schardan, CEO/administrator of Gillespie Health & Rehab Center. “We look forward to this every year. Seeing local kids in costume is our Halloween treat!" In addition to wearing costumes, children are encouraged to bring shopping bags, pillowcases, or pumpkin baskets for the goodies. “Many staff members

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PIASA - Southwestern freshman Thor Springman has performed just as head boys cross country coach Gary Bowker thought he would in the 2023 boys cross country season. Springman has emerged as a powerful runner as only a ninth-grader. "We knew Thor would be good as a freshman because of what he did in eighth grade in cross country and track," Bowker said. "I saw what he could be in junior high and he has not disappointed me at all as a freshman. He doesn't behave at all like a freshman. He and Garrett Buettell run together and both seem to compete well that way and have good camaraderie together.” Springman is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Male Athlete of the Month for the Piasa Birds. Springman has shown unbelievable progress this season with his times. He recorded a time of 19:27.8 in the Granite City Robinson/Lang Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 2, 2023, then had a time of 18:36.7 on Sept. 9, 2023, at the 2023 SHS Trail Invite. He was 12th in the First Annual

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PIASA - Junior Kaylyn Hortof has steadily improved her times over the course of the 2023 season for Southwestern High School's girl's cross-country team. Recently, Kaylyn placed 17th in the South Central Conference Cross Country Meet on Oct. 14, 2023, with a time of 26.28.0. She placed 10th in the North Mac Invitational on Sept. 16, 2023, at 28:31.0 for three miles. With an injury to another runner, Kaylyn has become the Piasa Birds' No. 3 female cross-country runner. She will compete this Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at the Trenton-Wesclin Regional. Kaylyn is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for the Piasa Birds. The Piasa Birds’ head cross country coach Gary Bowker said Kaylyn is very “important” to his squad’s depth chart and is a talented runner. He said he is also pleased her times have continued to improve throughout the cross-country season. Kaylyn’s best in 2022 for three miles was 28:29.1, so she has significantly

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EAST ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Rachel Aud Crowe announced on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, that the United States has filed a civil lawsuit against a Waterloo woman after she allegedly continued to move money for scammers following warnings to stop from federal law enforcement officers. Janice M. Augustine, 74, is facing a civil lawsuit for her alleged involvement as a money mule. She was recruited to participate in the scheme by an individual claiming to be an American working abroad who was in search of a romantic relationship. “Criminals scour online dating and social media websites looking for lonely or vulnerable people to exploit. Oftentimes, criminals exploit elderly or vulnerable victims by tricking them into believing they are interested in a romantic relationship. But other times, the criminals persuade elderly or vulnerable people into helping them launder the money they receive by defrauding others,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Southern Illinois

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EDWARDSVILLE - Patrick Chism, a junior running back for the Edwardsville High football team, has enjoyed a very successful season thus far for the Tigers and has emerged as a vital part of the team's offense through the first eight games of the season. Chism has carried the ball 32 times for 184 yards and a touchdown, and has also caught eight passes for another 152 yards and two more touchdowns as the Tigers are currently 7-1 going into the final game of the regular season against St. Louis power DeSmet Jesuit on Oct. 20 at Spartans Field in Creve Coeur, Mo. on the school's campus. In the Tigers' loss to East St. Louis 27-15 on Oct. 13 at Tiger Stadium, Chism and his teammates played about as well as possible, but East Side proved to be the better team on the night. Chism is a Johnston Law Firm Male Athlete of the Month for the Tigers. "Right now, I feel real humbled," Chism said in a postgame interview after the East Side game. "I think we've just got to keep our heads high and

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