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CARROLLTON - Mark Shade, owner of Bucks Crossing in Carrollton, announced today that he closed the business for the final time on Monday night. Buck's Crossing contained a gas station and convenience store that also served some hot prepared foods. He said it will now become a Casey's. "The last time Ken and I were together and put a key in that door, it was when we opened up almost 11 years ago," he said. "While I can’t say I will miss all the responsibilities of owning a station that is open 24/7/365, I will miss working with the great team at Bucks Crossing. We have been blessed over the years to work with some of the best, hardworking managers and employees. I know I will miss those relationships." Shade continued: "Looking back, we really do have a lot to be thankful for." When Shade took over Buck's Crossing, the business had sat empty for over a year. Shade and the others worked diligently to build the business back to respectability and made the inside and outside comfortable

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BELLEVILLE – St. Clair County Transit District’s Board of Trustees has selected Breese, Ill. – based Poettker Construction to oversee the construction of a new 16,000-square-foot Public Safety Center project planned at Emerson Park Transit Center in East St. Louis. The contract is valued at $13,584,000 and is being funded by a $9.975 million “Rebuild Illinois” grant received from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker earlier this year, along with funding from St. Clair County Transit District and Bi-State Development. It will be owned and operated by St. Clair County Transit District. Construction will commence later this year and is expected to be completed in 2024. The state-of-the-art, two-story facility will house office space for St. Clair County MetroLink Sheriff’s Deputies, Metro Transit Operational Control Center and the St. Clair County CENCOM West 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatch Center. The goal of the new space is to help bolster communications and security

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The deceased in a homicide in unincorporated St. Louis County has been identified as Jynese King, 21 years of age, of the 5500 block of Golf Ridge Lane in Saint Louis, Missouri 63128. St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives are investigating a homicide in the 5100 block of Golf Ridge Lane in Unincorporated St. Louis County, which resulted in the death of an adult female. On September 26, 2022, at 2:12 PM, Affton Southwest precinct Officers responded to a call for service regarding a shooting in the 5100 block of Golf Ridge Lane. Responding officers located two adult females suffering from apparent gunshot injuries. One victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. A second victim was transported to an area hospital with a non-life threatening injury and was treated and later released. St. Louis County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons detectives conducting the investigation. Preliminary investigation has revealed the shooting

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GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College Athletics is inviting the community to enjoy two days of soccer and family fun on Friday and Saturday. The first-held Tailgate Weekend kicks off at 1 p.m. Friday at Tim Rooney Stadium on L&C’s Godfrey campus, as the Trailblazer men’s team hosts Lincoln Trail. The women follow at 3 p.m. Both events will offer concessions, halftime giveaways and a 50/50 raffle. Admission is free. Saturday’s Tailgate Weekend festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. with a bounce house sponsored by Trailblazer Commons and music by guest DJ “Big Bill.” There also will be face painting for children, done by students of L&C Art Program Coordinator Angela Hung. Trailblazers soccer action starts at 2 p.m., with the men taking on Jefferson College. L&C Athletic Director Cedric Brown said the event is designed to showcase Trailblazers athletics. “This inaugural Trailblazer Tailgate Weekend is an event we hope to share with the

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GREENVILLE, IL - Greenville University invites community members, alumni, and friends to campus for Homecoming activities October 13-15, 2022. The weekend kicks off with a jazz band concert at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Whitlock Music Center on GU’s campus. Friday’s events start with a Praise and Prayer event, led by Pastors Doug and Margie Newton, along with GU President Suzanne Davis. Other featured events of the day include the Homecoming Parade at 4 p.m. along College Avenue; Food, Friends, and Fun on Scott Field—featuring food trucks, live music, and more; the GU Choir Concert at 7 p.m. at the Whitlock Music Center; and fireworks at 8:30 p.m. Activities on Saturday hit the ground running with the return of the Panther 5K run/walk. “We are so excited to bring back the Panther 5K tradition to Homecoming weekend,” says Tina Watterson, coordinator of alumni and church relations in GU’s Alumni Office. “We invite you to bring your whole

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CARLINVILLE, IL - Blackburn College has again been recognized by U.S. News & World Report's rankings of the best colleges and universities in the country. Considered one of the most comprehensive research publications for students and parents considering opportunities in higher education, U.S. News evaluates more than 1,500 institutions based on 17 measures of academic quality, including educational outcomes and student excellence. In the publication's 2023 Best Colleges guide, U.S. News places Blackburn in the top tier of Midwestern colleges with an overall rank of 35. They also recognized Blackburn as a "Top Performer on Social Mobility" for the fourth consecutive year. While offering the engaged academics of a traditional college, Blackburn adds an additional dimension to the college experience. One of ten federally-recognized work colleges, the College offers the only program in the nation exclusively managed by students. Blackburn students gain real-life work and leadership skills

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CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will be making a significant payment of $450 million toward the remaining $1.8 billion borrowed under Title XII of the Social Security Act. Due to continued historic low unemployment insurance claims, the unemployment insurance trust fund has the capacity to make this payment without impairing the department’s ability to pay benefits. This is the second significant contribution to the outstanding loan balance. In March of 2022, Governor Pritzker signed legislation that provided a historic $2.7 billion contribution from American Rescue Plan recovery dollars to assist the state’s unemployment trust fund. This payment cut the original $4.5 billion loan balance down to $1.8 billion. “This contribution is direct evidence of labor market strength in Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With unemployment claims levels continuing to reach historic lows, the State’s

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ST. LOUIS - The Gateway Arch will once again host Frights & Heights, a family-friendly Halloween costume party, on Saturday, October 15! The Arch hosted the inaugural Frights & Heights back in 2019, but the event didn’t happen in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. Frights & Heights features the haunted Tram Ride to the Top as well as activities such as face painting, creepy crafts, balloon animals, live DJ entertainment, puppet shows, and much more. This event will take place at the Gateway Arch from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets are available online at gatewayarch.com/Halloween or by calling 877-982-1410.

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BELLEVILLE - Illinois American Water announced that applications are now being accepted for the company’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Grant Program. Through this program, Illinois American Water will dedicate funding to community organizations for the purpose of advancing inclusion, diversity and equity related initiatives. “Illinois American Water is committed to fostering inclusion, diversity and equity not only in the workplace, but also in the communities we serve,” said Justin Ladner, president of Illinois American Water. “By focusing on meaningful partnerships which support inclusion, diversity and equity, we can help make a difference for our customers – our friends and neighbors. This is important to us as a company, as well as to our employees who deliver critical water and wastewater services across Illinois.” The grant program provides financial assistance to organizations seeking to develop and implement programs, training or community-related

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ALTON - Lillian Bates, owner of Lillian By Design at 136 Front St. in Alton, has had many high points in her legendary career as an area seamstress/designer, but recently she had another when she worked on a costume for Andrea Moore. Moore was runner-up in the World's Miss Tourism Pageant in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Andrea participated in the Mrs. Division of the event. Andrea said her costume portion of the event was so much fun and she has now been asked to make a couple of appearances at local events after those photos have been viewed. She said Lillian contributed significantly to the honor with her alterations and sewing work. "Lillian does a phenomenal job," Andrea said. "She will be a go-to person for me now in these kinds of situations. "She met my timelines when I needed them and I couldn't say enough about what she did with my dress and costumes." Lillian said Andrea is a very nice person and she thought her end work with her turned out well. "It was a thrill to work with

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GRANITE CITY - Granite City High School announced Homecoming Week for the 2022 school year will take place on Tuesday-Saturday, October 11-15. Homecoming Week begins with the play and coronation on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and culminates with the Semi-Formal Dance on Saturday, Oct. 15 in Memorial Gymnasium. The 2022 Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned on Tuesday, October 11 and Thursday, October 13 after this year's Homecoming play, Doubting Tom . 2022 GCHS Homecoming Schedule of Events Tuesday, Oct. 11 7:30 p.m. - Homecoming Play and Coronation - "Doubting Tom" in the PAC. Tickets: $10, reserved; $5 general admission. For tickets please contact: PAC@gcsd9.net . Wednesday, Oct. 12 6 p.m. - Homecoming Parade - Begins at 2350 Madison Ave., travels north to 27th street, turns left onto 27th street, right onto State St. and into the high school teacher parking lot. 7 p.m. - Powderpuff Game (Kevin Greene Field) - Tickets: $5. Thursday, Oct. 13 7:

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Chances are you’ve experienced bullying in one way or another at some point in your lifetime. Maybe you were bullied as a child or had a friend or sibling who was bullied. Perhaps you are a teacher who works every day to prevent bullying in your classroom, or maybe you are a parent whose child was bullied. One thing is certain: Bullying has been an issue for years. In fact, at least one in five students report being bullied. If a child shares with an adult that they are being bullied at school or elsewhere, the adult works to help the child cope with the bully and inform school professionals about what’s happening. What if, however, it’s your child who is the bully? Because so many children report being bullied, this means there are nearly just as many who are the bullies. Joseph Siegel, an OSF HealthCare licensed clinical social worker, says the power differences among kids can be the start of the cycle. “The power difference is interesting, especially with

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PIASA - The future looks bright for Southwestern High School female cross country standout Maddie Gordon. Gordon recently posted her best time of 24:16 for 3 miles and will soon snap the 24-minute mark, Southwestern's head girls cross country coach Gary Bowker said. Maddie Gordon is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for Southwestern High School. The Southwestern freshman is a multi-sport athlete and is also a junior varsity volleyball player. Coach Bowker said right now she is splitting her time between the two sports. “One night last week, I had to have practice from 7 to 8:30 p.m. under the lights,” the coach added. “She played a JV volleyball game and then met us at practice and did the 5K time trial in the dark. She is incredible and overall is just a great person." Coach Bowker added that if volleyball causes Maddie to miss a practice, she does the workout on her own after volleyball, but never misses a workout. The coach

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PIASA - Southwestern senior cross country runner Drew Spangler has taken a role of responsibility this season for the boys' squad as one of the leaders. Spangler has the perfect build for a runner with his long, lean frame as his Coach Gary Bowker describes him. He has undergone a big-scale transformation as a runner over the past year, his coach says. “With the added responsibility, he has taken an even greater commitment to the sport,” Coach Bowker said. “He is over 6-foot tall. He has started to get a stronger stride and is utilizing his legs to get into what he now sees as a comfortable stride. When he first started, he shuffled his feet some, but he has improved greatly and increased his speed.” Drew Spangler is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Male Athlete of the Month for Southwestern. In the recent Southwestern meet at North Mac, Drew cracked the 19-minute mark for 3 miles with a time of 18:53 and was the Piasa Birds’ No. 1 runner i

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ALTON – COUNTRY Financial Representative V. Deanne Stegeman is pleased to support local police officers by providing a COUNTRY Financial Operation Helping Heroes donation. Stegeman recently presented $1,500 to Adopt A Cop BJJ at their partner gym Strategic BJJ, located at 2248 E. Broadway. “There’s a troubling trend of increasing violence targeting police officers across our nation. Providing our police patrol officers with skills to protect them from physical violence is one way we can help our communities at a local level,” said Stegeman. Adopt A Cop BJJ is a nonprofit, donation-based program that allows active duty law enforcement officers around the country to train at any affiliated academy. The program also pays 100 percent of the officer’s membership until they reach the rank of Blue belt. Keith Steinacher of Strategic BJJ, said: “I’ve been working with law enforcement since 2017, and I’m excited to be working with Adopt A Cop

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The deceased in a Friday night homicide has been identified as Toni Stroder, 49 years of age, of the 9800 block of Lilac Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63137. The call about the incident to Riverview Police occurred at 10:16 p.m. on September 23, 2022. St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives are now investigating the homicide which resulted in the death of an adult female. Responding officers located two adults, a male and female, suffering from apparent gunshot injuries. Both victims were transported to an area hospital. The female victim was pronounced deceased and the male victim suffered non-life threatening injuries. The Village of Riverview Police requested St. Louis County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons detectives who are now leading the investigation. A preliminary investigation has revealed the shooting to be the result of a dispute between known parties. There is no one in custody at this time. The investigation is ver

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Township Supervisor Kevin Hall had a very positive reaction to the Eighth Annual Saturday Touch-A-Truck event . A day full of sunlight awaited children in Edwardsville’s Township Community Park for the big day. The event gave a rare glimpse to local children in the community to come and play with something that they may not normally get in their everyday lives, Hall said. "It's the chance for the kids to get up close to a lot of cool trucks that they don't get to see every day," he said. "Hopefully not but one day if they have to use one of the vehicles, then hopefully they will not be scared as they might be since they have been up close to one in the past.” At promptly 10 a.m. the event kicked off with a helicopter landing as the township's yearly Touch-A-Truck event took on the day. A multitude of police vehicles, fire engines, and construction equipment from the local community was on display for the handful of children to play

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Art Fair was packed with visitors and had an exceptional display of more than 100 artists Friday through Sunday at Edwardsville City Park. Richard Wehrs of Peoria earned “Best Of Show” at the special art fair. Alton’s Rocky Pardo captured “Best Of Show” last year. Pardo, a local favorite, captured the Best Of Jewelry honor at the 2022 Art Fair. “ We were thrilled to again host artists from across the country to our beautiful Edwardsville City Park and to share our hospitality with guests from near and far,” Melissa McDonough-Borden, executive director of the Edwardsville Arts Center, said. “We had artists visiting from Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and even from Israel.” The show is described by many of the artists as a big show with a small-town feel. Edwardsville Arts Center board members and other volunteers provide a herculean effort each year for the Art Fair and the

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CHICAGO — The Illinois Municipal League (IML) elected officers and members to its Board of Directors at its Annual Business Meeting, held September 17, as a part of the 109th IML Annual Conference at the Hilton Chicago. The IML membership unanimously elected River Forest Village President Catherine M. Adduci to serve a one-year term as President. Also elected during the conference were Fairview Heights Mayor Mark T. Kupsky as First Vice President and Hazel Crest Village President Vernard L. Alsberry, Jr. as Second Vice President. In addition to the officers, 34 Vice Presidents were elected to serve a one-year term, and six IML Past Presidents continue to serve, on the statewide organization’s Board of Directors. Alton Mayor David Goins was elected to serve as a Vice President. These were Mayor Goins comments about the appointment: “I look forward to working with mayors from across the state to address the complex issues our communities face,” said Goins. “By

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Township’s Eighth Annual Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday at Edwardsville Township Community Park, 6368 Center Grove Road in Edwardsville had around 25 vehicles on-site for children to explore and there were many big smiles from the younger population. The free family event has occurred every year since 2014 except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic). About 25 trucks were on hand this year, the Cardinal Glennon helicopter was definitely the most popular item of the day. Each year, Touch-A-Truck brings thousands of people to the park throughout the day. Emergency vehicles, farm equipment, antique tractors, a helicopter, boom trucks, a crane, line trucks, and more were there and local companies handed out free merchandise to attendees while supplies last.

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