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EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Department of Civil Engineering hosted the local MATHCOUNTS competition on Saturday, Feb. 4 on the Edwardsville campus. This year’s competition featured 60 students from seven local middle schools. “The Department of Civil Engineering has hosted the local MATHCOUNTS competition for the last three decades,” said Susan Morgan, PhD, PE, associate dean for research and graduate studies and professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. “In addition to providing an opportunity for potential future engineers and their parents to be on campus, it provides an opportunity for current SIUE students to interact with practicing engineers as they grade the tests. It also brings engineering alumni back to SIUE’s campus.” “MATHCOUNTS is a yearly math-based competition series for middle school students to compete individually and as a team from chapter level to state and then nationally

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ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Business leaders and one Independence Center member put their dancing shoes on and raised over $700,000 for Independence Center at this year’s Dancing with the St. Louis Stars. The 15th annual event benefits Independence Center, a St. Louis nonprofit committed to restoring the lives of adults with severe and persistent mental illness. Proceeds from Dancing with the St. Louis Stars allow Independence Center to provide a comprehensive system of high-quality programs and services to people with serious and persistent mental illnesses. Independence Center’s goal is to help people live and work in the community, independently and with dignity. “We feel so fortunate that our Dancing with the St. Louis Stars event helps shine a light on some of the mental health issues happening right in our community,” said Independence Center Executive Director Trish Holmes. “Independence Center’s success relies on the proceeds raised at this

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ALTON – OSF HealthCare is offering advanced technology for people with diabetes to get an exam to check for diabetic retinopathy and macular edema when visiting their primary care provider or endocrinologist. Diabetic retinopathy is the number one cause of blindness for adults in the U.S. The IDx-DR software developed by the Iowa-based startup Digital Diagnostics analyzes photos of the retina and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate the extent of damage to blood vessels that might occur from high sugar levels in the blood caused by diabetes. The test typically takes a few minutes, and in most, but not all cases, doesn’t require the eyes to be dilated. The company was the first to receive FDA authorization to market the novel autonomous AI technology. Mark Meeker, DO, vice president of Community Medicine at OSF HealthCare, says many patients with diabetes put off going to an additional appointment at a different office to get a dilated eye exam every year o

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County is in search of a new chief county assessment officer. “We will be hiring a new supervisor of assessments to replace Joe Dauderman who is retiring soon,” County Administrator Dave Tanzyus said. Madison County will hold testing for the position at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 27. The examination will determine candidates who are eligible for appointment for the chief assessment officer. The chief county assessor will serve a four-year appointment. The chief assessment officer oversees the valuation of real estate throughout Madison County for the purpose of property taxes. No person may serve as the chief assessment officer who is not qualified by experience and training in property appraisal and property tax administration. No person may serve for the position who has not passed an examination prepared and administered by the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) to determine his or her competence to hold the office. More information about

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Couples names: Sean & Sydney City: Bethalto Date met or started dating: August 8, 2020 Date married: September 9, 2023 What makes your relationship special? We are a very blended family and completed our family with a baby girl this past August. We are such a team and have so much fun together raising our 3 girls and German Shepherd, Sasha. Share a memory you have made together: We both reminisce on our first weekend trip away together, dating maybe 3 months at the time. We booked a cabin in the woods around Shawnee National Forest. We built a fire by gathering wood from around us and roasted a whole pack of hot dogs over the fire and made some amazing breakfast, enjoying mimosas with a beautiful view. Just talking and realizing how much we both want the same things in life. We both just knew from that trip that we were going to be together. Now we’re getting married this year!

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Couples names: Ariel Moore and Muhammed Morris City: Alton Date met or started dating: May 6, 2021 What makes your relationship special? Im from alton illinois and he is from queens new york . Me and Muhammed (current bf) met playing call of duty a game online and we gamed and chatted over the headset for about 3months then videochatted exchanged numbers after another month he flew me out to New York where I met him for the first time and fell in love I stayed in New York for 1yr 3months seen the city and more and October 28th 2022 I came back to Illinois and brung him here with me and now we been living here since ?? making memories and engaged. Share a memory you have made together: I took him to see the caves in alton since new york (the city)doesn't have any thing like that he absolutely loved it and I enjoyed seeing and being on a beach for the first time when he brung me to new york

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Couples names: Taylor & Brandy City: Brighton Date met or started dating: September 6, 2019 Date married: September 23, 2023 What makes your relationship special? Taylor and I met in 2019 after both of us were getting out of really bad relationships and just starting to find ourselves again. Little did we know, we were meeting the person we would spend our life. Down the road of our relationship, Taylor ended up having stage 3 kidney cancer. It was a situation we never thought we would be in but was a time for us to be strong not as individuals but as a couple. Times were very hard financially and mentally but it showed us both that we can get through anything together! Share a memory you have made together: Taylor and I absolutely love fishing. After bank fishing and going out in the boat with my dad year after year, we finally purchased a boat of our own. We took a trip to Table Rock Lake, took the boat out from sun up to sun down and had the best time. The lake

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Couples names: Harry & Charley City: Alton Date met or started dating: April 13, 1998 Date married: October 3, 2015 What makes your relationship special? I truly believe what makes my relationship special is the way that my Charley loves and the way he has taken care of me and his love for me throughout the years and let me be me even though at times the me is a miserable grouchy irritable old man and I was even that way when I was young there are other words for but since we're in a public forum I won't use them LOL. When I had met him that day I had no idea what was going to happen and that we'd be together 25 years almost later I was on a one-way Road to Hell myself I was into a lot of bad things a lot of self-destructive Behavior and being with him kind of changed all that I found myself wanting to change because of him to become a better person because of him and he believed in me and loved me throughout all of it. his making me a step parent we have helped raise

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Couples names: Chris & Katie City: Alton Date met or started dating: March 11, 2001 Date married: November 8, 2002 What makes your relationship special? We are true partners. We are the best of friends. We bring out the best in one another. We truly want to be together and make our relationship better. Share a memory you have made together: We have shared so many memories together in this life we have created. The last 5 years have been the most memorable for us. We have been raising our 2 nieces and nephew. Seeing life through the innocent eyes of children have changed our outlook on everything we believed and knew before. The adventures we have had and plan on having have made our relationship stronger than I have ever imagined.

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Couples names: Ann & Joe City: Jerseyville Date met or started dating: October 25, 2008 What makes your relationship special? What makes our relationship special is our ability to make it work in any situation. We tolerate each other and support each other even in our worst moments. It’s not always easy, but we are resilient in our love for each other. Share a memory you have made together: A memory we’ve made together was climbing Sky Pond located at Glacier Gorge in the Rocky Mountain National Park! It was a huge accomplishment for us both!! Definitely a feel good moment to hit the top together!

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Couples names: Corey and Lillian (Guccione) Bates Date married: February 10, 1987 Years married: 45 Marriage details: In celebration of their anniversary, Corey and Lillian took a European vacation that included a tour of Paris.

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Couples names: Samy & Ryan City: Wood River Date met or started dating: October 7, 2017 What makes your relationship special? Best buds for life. We were friends before we become partners for life. Share a memory you have made together: Waking up every day at 4 or 5 in the morning to walk to the smoke spot at job core just to see you! And I would do it all over again.

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Couples names: Dillon & Mariah City: Alton Date met or started dating: March 20, 2016 What makes your relationship special? Even though we've been together almost 6 years, were still best friends. We have also never second guess about one another! Share a memory you have made together: Our greatest memories are when our 3 children were born!

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Couples names: Sarah & Dyllian City: Wood River Date met or started dating: April 7, 2018 What makes your relationship special? We met in high school. I moved away to Indiana after freshman year. I moved back in 2017, we reconnected, and now have a beautiful family with 3 kids. Share a memory you have made together: We love a good St. Louis Blues hockey game! We’ve made very good family memories taking the kids to games.

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Couples names: Ashlie & Leah City: Jerseyville Date met or started dating: April 4, 2021 What makes your relationship special? We met in Florida 2019 and quickly became best friends. Remained best friends for 2 years until Ashlie had to move back to Illinois after covid. Then Leah realized she was falling in love, told Ashlie, and the rest is beautiful history. Share a memory you have made together: Our favorite (so far) would have to be traveling to Colorado together for the 1st time last year for Leahs birthday and a blizzard hit while we were there. So our flight got canceled and we got to stay a few more days.

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Couples names: Myles & Angie Hayes City: St. Charles, Mo Date met or started dating: February 16, 2002 Date married: October 9, 2004 What makes your relationship special? The last couple years, Angie was diagnosed with breast cancer, had surgeries, chemo and radiation. We’ve come through each hardship stronger than we started. We lean on each other, God, and all our family to get through rough times. Share a memory you have made together: The births of our two kids. Kennedy was born 06/21/2006, and Ryan was born 12/18/2010. We are definitely blessed with all the people we have in our lives!

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Couples names: Ashley & Aaron Connors City: Godfrey Date met or started dating: April 3, 2013 Date married: August 29, 2020 What makes your relationship special? High school sweethearts through & through! Met in the hallways of Alton High, flirting by our lockers & haven’t been apart since! We both have grown as individuals while always staying at each other sides! Every obstacle life has, we overcome it. Truly if it’s you see me, you see him & vice versa. Blessed to know true love so young. Share a memory you have made together: So many too count. From watching each other walk the stage, choosing & finding our careers, vacations, tragedy, his proposal in DisneyWorld, our two weddings (one small & intimate due to Covid, to our big celebration), buying our home, pool parties with our family & friends, adopting our many fur children. So many worth bringing up.

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Couples names: Zachary & Stacy City: Godfrey Date met or started dating: August 3, 2017 Date married: February 23, 2018 What makes your relationship special? What makes our relationship so special is that he found me when I was at my lowest and he made me who I am today. The happiest I’ve been. Share a memory you have made together: The day we got married. It wasn’t the wedding we wanted but we were both ok for not spending a lot on a wedding. We just wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.

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Couples names: Stephanie & Zachary City: East Alton Date met or started dating: July 6, 2014 Date married: October 17, 2020 What makes your relationship special? We are each other’s best friend. Share a memory you have made together: When Zach and I first started dating he lived in Springfield, Illinois and I in Wood River, Illinois. One time I planned to take the Amtrak to see him, I ended up missing my train and there were no more schedule to go that day. That didn’t stop us from seeing each other. Zach took a chance with his beat up, one head lighted intrepid and came and picked my up. Our relationship has continued to defy all odds and it may be us against the world but we are sure that with each other and our love for one another we can conquer what ever obstacles may come.

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Couples names: Kevin & Kris Blumenberg City: Hardin Date met or started dating: March 17, 1984 Date married: September 23, 1989 What makes your relationship special? He’s type A and I’m type B. Complete opposite personalities but we compliment each other. Share a memory you have made together: Our 30 year anniversary trip. We went on a road trip with no reservations or plans. We ended up in Tunica - Memphis - Lynchburg TN and ended in Nashville. A week of open roads and so many memories.

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