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SPRINGFIELD - Local Election Officials in Illinois have the responsibility of being defenders of our democracy. We benefit here in Illinois by having local control of our elections, rather than state centralized control as in many parts of the United States. This local control of our elections is done by 108 independent Local Election Officials; overwhelmingly locally elected County Clerks and a few appointed Election Commission Directors. This gives you the citizens the highest level of oversight of your election’s operations. These activities are not being conducted by some faceless bureaucrat in a secret centralized office far from your home but rather by individuals who live within your jurisdiction, shop at your local supermarket, have children in school with your kids, and located in offices that you can easily visit and inspect. As a matter of fact, we want you to visit our offices, ask us questions, tell us your concerns, and see for yourself how we safeguard your

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Rotary Club has chosen to honor Edwardsville High School student Hayden Volz with the Student of the Month Award for the month of September. Hayden was nominated by his business teacher Dean Schickedanz of Edwardsville High School. Hayden is the son of Todd and Trina Volz. In addition to achieving the honor roll, Hayden is also a varsity letter recipient in track and football. He was recently recognized as a Spencer Homes Athlete of the Month. In his spare time, Hayden also volunteers with the Glen-Ed Food Pantry. Hayden also enjoys fishing, playing video games, spending time with his family and friends, and helping coach Little Tigers Football. In the future, Hayden would like to either attend Oklahoma State University, Southeast Missouri State University, and Western Kentucky. He plans on getting a degree in Computer Science or Information Technology. The Edwardsville Rotary Club recognizes a student each month September through April. Each May,

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - On Monday, September 16, 2024, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office issued charges on suspect Eugene Times, 18 years of age, of the 6000 block of Enright Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri 63112, for two counts of Burglary First Degree, three counts of Stealing – Firearm, three counts of Stealing – Motor Vehicle, three counts of Stealing – Credit Cards, one count of Stealing $750 or More, and one count of Property Damage First Degree. Times is being held on $125,000 cash only, no 10%, bond. The probable cause statement reads: "Victims reported various offenses committed in south St. Louis County over a period of several weeks between mid-July 2024 and early August 2024. Victim #1 (Count 1) reported that a purse containing multiple credit cards had been stolen from her car while it was parked outside her residence. Victim #2 (Count 2) reported the theft of a 9mm handgun from his unlocked truck outside of his residence. Victim #3 (Count

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Discover a diverse array of events that cater to all interests and age groups, from family-friendly festivals and engaging art exhibits to exhilarating live music performances and community gatherings. For a comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit RiverBender Events . If you want to make sure even more of the region is aware of your event email cj@riverbender.com and explore our range of Event Promotion Services! Featured 9th Annual Holy Family School Golf Classic invites you to join Holy Family Catholic School for their 9th Annual HFS Golf Classic on Friday, September 27, 2024, at Legacy Golf Course in Granite City. The event will feature a 4-Person Scramble Format with a registration fee of $400 per team. Registration starts at 7:00 am followed by an 8:00 am Shotgun Start. Highlights include Senior Tee Boxes, Closest to the Pin Contest, Longest Drive Contest, Refreshments All Day, Lunch after the tournament, Skins included, and 50/50 Tickets for purchase. Flights will

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O’FALLON, Ill. — On Friday, Nov. 1, at the 2024 Elizabethan Gala fundraiser, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Foundation will present Herb Roach, Mayor of the City of O’Fallon, with the 2024 Elizabethan Award. The award recognizes Mayor Roach for his commitment to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and the expansion of health care services in Southwestern Illinois. Mayor Roach is a longtime advocate of HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and has championed the expansion of our mission as a community member, business owner, alderman and mayor. He consistently advocates for accessible health care, and his support of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital related projects has led to significant growth in the availability of health care services in the metro east. Since he was elected as mayor in 2017, new care locations were opened, including the HSHS St Elizabeth’s Outpatient Therapy Clinic at the Metro Rec Plex in 2019 and the O’Fallon Cancer Care Center in 2020. “Mayor

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WOOD RIVER - Riverbend Family Ministries (RFM) is proud to announce that it has been selected as one of the recipients of the 2024 Community Impact Challenge Grant from the Edwardsville Community Foundation (ECF). The $4,050 grant will support RFM’s SOAR Program, which empowers adolescents by teaching critical skills for resilience and healthy decision-making. Thanks to this generous grant, students from the Edwardsville School District will be further empowered to access this transformative program, strengthening the reach of SOAR within the Edwardsville community. “ECF is pleased to support Riverbend Family Ministries’ important work of serving vulnerable youth in our communities through their SOAR Program,” said Pamela Farrar, ECF executive director. “The adolescent years are a pivotal developmental stage, and we appreciate RFM’s efforts to positively impact this age group, which in turn helps to strengthen our communities as a whole.” T

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ALTON - Alton Little Theater is super-charged with excitement to offer its first-time-ever production of “ROCKY HORROR – The Musical,” with seven performances from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, 2024, with a midnight (11:59 p.m.) performance on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2024! Fun bags of “ props” will be sold and the audience is encouraged to dress up, let go, and have a blast with this cult-favorite celebrating 25 years of pure enjoyment! The Author, Richard O’ Brian, wrote the show with some great jokes - and even though “ROCKY HORROR” encompassed his love for B-Science-Fiction-movies and frivolous entertainment, he also found himself unwittingly compelled to write his unique take on the “fall of man,” with lead roles Brad and Janet being the depiction of Adam and Eve and the snake’s temptation being Frank-N-Furter! The stage version features all of your favorite characters and songs from the movie, including “Time Warp”

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WOOD RIVER - Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine and Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells announced today that a Glen Carbon man has been charged in connection with a home invasion that ended in a fatality. August C. Archambault, 20, has been charged with Home Invasion (class X felony), Aggravated Robbery (class 1 felony) and Residential Burglary (class 1 felony). The charges allege that on May 16, 2024, Archambault, or one for whose conduct he was legally accountable, entered a residence on Thompson Street in Wood River. The charges also allege that the defendant, or one for whose conduct he was legally accountable, caused injury to the resident and took property, a firearm, from the resident. The most serious of the charges is Home Invasion, which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Police responded to the apartment on the night of May 16 after receiving reports of a gunshot. Haine’s office has filed a detention petition against the defendant, arguing that h

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ALTON - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project and The National Great Rivers Museum is thrilled to announce its inaugural Halloween event, Haunted Night at the NGRM, set to take place on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 from 6 to 9 p.m. Nestled in America’s most haunted small town, Alton, Illinois, this festive fall event promises a night filled with thrills, chills, and family-friendly fun! The public is invited to visit the National Great Rivers Museum for a wide array of family-friendly yet spooky activities to kick off the Halloween season. Visitors can enjoy "Haunted Dam Tours" from sunset to dark, offering guests the chance to travel 80 feet to the top of the Melvin Price Locks and Dam above the Mississippi River at night, a rare opportunity. “We encourage guests to join us for the Haunted Dam Tours, an intriguing exploration that combines Navigation with a touch of Halloween excitement” said Natural Resources Specialist and Museum Director Allison Kennington.

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FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — Fairview Heights City Officials joined representatives from various organizations for the North Bend Senior Residences Groundbreaking Ceremony, marking a significant step toward providing affordable housing for seniors in the area. The event, held at 301 Monticello Place in Fairview Heights, brought together city officials and representatives from New Life Community Development Corp, AHDVS LLC, Carlson Nationwide Construction, Illinois Housing Development Authority, US Bank, IFF, and the St. Clair Housing Authority. The new community aims to address the increasing need for senior housing in Fairview Heights. Geoffrey V. Dudley Sr., Ph.D., D. Min., Board President of New Life Community Development Corp., addressed attendees at the ceremony. He highlighted the collaborative efforts that made the project possible. "This groundbreaking is a significant milestone for our community. We are grateful for the support and partnership from all involved organizations,"

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ALTON - Sierra Club Illinois’ Three Rivers Project, Alton Main Street, Jacoby Arts Center, and the Army Corps of Engineers are calling for volunteers to support the Mississippi Earthtones Festival’s 18th annual Great River Clean-Up. The clean-up will take place on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 to coincide with the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)’s National Public Lands Day (NPLD). During the clean-up, volunteers will work together to remove litter and debris from the Mississippi River and its shoreline. Community members can register to volunteer at the clean-up at sc.org/MEFRiverCleanUp “We’re proud to partner with local organizations, National Public Lands Day, and the Army Corps of Engineers to host the Great River Clean-Up in an effort to encourage environmental engagement with wild places such as the Mississippi River,” said Christine Favilla, Co-Coordinator of the Three Rivers Project of Sierra Club Illinois. “To date,

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JERSEYVILLE - Illinois American Water has issued a systemwide boil water order for its water customers in the Jerseyville District operations Tuesday night. The boil water order became necessary following a water main break on a transmission line that caused water pressure to drop below 20 pounds per square inch in portions of the Jerseyville water system. Illinois American Water crews are making repairs to the transmission line located at Pine Lane and Vhale Road in Jerseyville Tuesday night. Jerseyville customers may experience temporary cloudy water, reduction or loss of water pressure or discolored water while repairs are being made. During the boil water order, customers should bring their water to a rolling boil for five minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. Water is OK for bathing, washing and other common uses. When the boil water order is lifted, impacted customers will receive a phone call from Illinois American Water after tests confirm the water meets

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Let's delve into important events that have occurred on September 25 throughout history. In 1513, the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa became the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean. Balboa's journey across the Isthmus of Panama marked a pivotal moment in the Age of Exploration, opening up new opportunities for trade and expansion. His sighting of the vast ocean paved the way for future expeditions and the eventual establishment of trade routes connecting Europe and Asia. Fast forward to 1789, and the United States Congress passed twelve amendments to the Constitution, ten of which would become known as the Bill of Rights. These amendments, ratified in 1791, enshrined fundamental liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. The Bill of Rights has since become a cornerstone of American democracy, protecting individual freedoms and limiting the power of the government. In 1890, the Sequoia National Park was established in California, becoming

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JERSEYVILLE - Late Tuesday night, Illinois American Water announced a boil order for Jerseyville that includes Jersey Community High School, Jersey Community Middle School, East and West. “If you have a bottle of water, please send it with your student to school. The District will be working to get some bottles to our schools this morning,” the school district said in a statement.

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GLEN CARBON - The Meijer grocery store set for the center lot of Orchard Town Center will be built later than expected. The Glen Carbon Village Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to extend the store’s site plan, which was originally set to expire on Oct. 11, 2024. The request comes after the board previously extended the site plan for one year in 2023. In a memo to village trustees, Community Development Director Erica Heil cited “mine remediation issues” as a contributing factor to the most recent delay. “As the building will still be completed, but after the deadline, they have requested a one-year extension,” Heil wrote. “Meijer has begun work in earnest addressing the mine remediation issues that must be resolved prior to moving forward with the site plan.” At Tuesday’s meeting, she added that aside from the construction timeline, no other changes to the site plan were requested. With no further discussion, trustees voted unanimously

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CASEYVILLE – A 64-year-old man was struck and killed by a vehicle while pushing his bicycle in the 1600 block of Black Lane in Caseyville, according to authorities. The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office is actively searching for a suspect in the case as the driver fled the scene. The Illinois State Police Reconstruction team was called in to investigate the incident. Deputies were dispatched to the Black Lane location on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, after receiving a report of a man down alongside the roadway. The victim has been identified as Benigno Torres. He was transported to Memorial Hospital in Belleville from the scene with severe injuries, where he later died. Anyone who witnessed the accident or who may have information to contact the sheriff's office at (618) 277-3505.

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ALTON - In an effort to tackle hunger and foster community spirit, Marquette Catholic High School and Belleville Althoff High School are engaging in a friendly competition to collect canned food from September 23-27, 2024. The initiative, known as the KSDK Tackle Hunger Challenge, encourages students and community members to donate canned goods to support Marquette Catholic. Participants are asked to bring 10 cans of food to the Marquette Athletic Office. In return, they will receive a Dress Down Pass, which can be used at school before October 31, 2024. This pass allows students to dress in casual attire, deviating from the usual school dress code. The competition will culminate in a football game on Friday, September 27, 2024, where the winner of the challenge will be announced. The school that collects the most canned food will earn the bragging rights. For more information or any inquiries, individuals can contact Brian Hoener, the Athletic Director, or Deanna Bridgewater at Marquette

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The Hayner Public Library District and Alton Odyssey Tours will host their Haunted Hayner program at the Genealogy & Local History Library and Downtown Library on Wednesday, October 2, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., we invite you to kick off spooky season with Hayner Library at our first Haunted Hayner ghost tour! Patrons ages 18 and older are invited to join us for “Haunted Hayner: History & Hauntings,” where we will discuss the history of The Hayner Public Library District, how Alton became known as the most haunted small town in America, and talk Ghosts 101 with Alton Odyssey Tours. After the presentations, guests are welcome to stay and do some ghost hunting. The event will start in our Genealogy & Local History building at 401 State St., and end in our Downtown Library building at 326 Belle St. Ghost hunting equipment courtesy of Alton Odyssey Tours will be provided to use during the tour, but feel free to

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ALTON - The hit food and culture television series Food is Love with Chef Lasse Sorensen picked up two new Emmy Nominations this week for its season 3 episodes. The show follows Chef Lasse Sorensen as he spends time getting to know the people and stories behind the food. Each episode demonstrates the connection between food and love, and dives into the personal stories behind the dishes. Episode 302, featuring James Beard recognized Chef Rob Connoley, and Season 3 episode 307, featuring St. Louis landmark soda fountain Crown Candy Kitchen, are this year's nominees. The recent Emmy nods come just weeks before the new season is set for its broadcast premiere on September 28th. Formerly a PBS-based show, Food is Love has broadened its horizon and will air on KBSI Fox 23 in the Cape Girardeau/Paducah market and on KPLR 11 in St Louis. A resident of Southern Illinois himself, Sorensen hasn’t forgotten the place he calls home. “Even though we have some pretty substantial guests

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ELSAH - The Village of Elsah is gearing up for its 2024 Fall Festival, bringing a day of live music, vendors, tours, and more to the many historic locations around the village. This year’s festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. With several activities on the schedule, the event offers something new to discover at each of Elsah's charming landmarks. The gazebo behind the Green Tree Inn will see two back-to-back live musical acts. Acoustic folk duo Dusty James & Abalone Pearl will take the stage from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by the return of Riverbend guitarist Jay Sabo for a solo performance from 1:30 to 4 p.m. A live DJ will also keep the tunes running all day long at the Riverview House, located at 2 Mississippi St. Built in 1847, this is Elsah’s oldest structure which stood for six years before the village was founded in 1853. On Saturday, it will see a range of artisans inside and outside the building offering their wares, from

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