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BETHALTO - The Village of Bethalto and its Fire Department have placed a ban on all burning within the village until further notice, citing “dry conditions.” Bethalto Fire Chief Brian Buhs said the ban includes burning trash, using fire pits, and all other forms of burning. He said it’s partially due to dead vegetation. “What prompted it is a lack of precipitation was causing much of the vegetation to die within the area, and rather than to run an unnecessary risk and for somebody to cause a fire that damages their own property or somebody else’s, we decided to stop it until we get some rain,” he said. Chief Buhs said he doesn’t expect or hope for it to be a long-term ban and said there is a chance of rain within the next couple of days. “I don’t expect it to last long, we just want to make sure that we can protect everybody’s property,” he added. The Village made the announcement on its Facebook page , whic

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JERSEY COUNTY - The Jersey County Historical Society will host a one-room school reunion on the lawn of the Lone Star School on Saturday, June 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. The address is 601 N. State St., Jerseyville. Anyone who attended a one-room school in Jersey or the surrounding counties or who is interested in one-room schools is welcome to attend. Historical Society Board Member Patsy Halemeyer says, “Bring lawn chairs, your family, friends, and memories. We’ll provide iced tea and cookies. There will be no recitations, tests, or grades, just a relaxing and fun afternoon.” The Lone Star School dates back to 1877 and was one of more than 70 one-room schools located throughout the county. The school originally stood roughly 13 miles west of Jerseyville, near the intersection of Routes 16 and 100. For more than 75 years, students in the area were taught the three R’s (reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic) in the humble one-room school. Water for the school

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ROODHOUSE - Roodhouse firefighters battled a destructive blaze on Monday that damaged a home at 1270 County Line Road, and the lives of two dogs trapped inside were lost. The fire call came in at 1 p.m. on Monday and appeared to begin in a nearby shed and spread to the house. The family also lost all the contents inside. The Roodhouse Fire Department has not yet released the cause of the fire. The White Hall Fire Department provided mutual support to combat the fire. The shed was described as a 12 x 12 to 12 x 14 shed behind the home and was located about 30 feet from the house. Fire officials said the wind blew the heat to the back side of the modular home and it then caught fire. There were not any injuries to people or firefighters in the incident.

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HOLIDAY SHORES - A Holiday Shores boy named Cannon was reported missing today. He has been missing since 7 a.m. Wednesday and is 12 years old. He is described as wearing a red shirt with black shorts and has a buzzed haircut. If you have any information on the boy's whereabouts, contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office at (618) 692-4433.

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ALTON - Growing up on a farm a couple miles from the clinic where she works, Bethany Huelskoetter , APRN, knows the importance of playing it safe in a rural setting, whether you’re young or old. With kids out of school and farmers in the fields, Huelskoetter, a nurse practitioner at OSF HealthCare, says now is the time to review the basics of farm safety. Heavy machinery: For big equipment like a tractor or auger, know how to use it before you get in the driver’s seat. Know how to shut the machine off quickly in an emergency. When behind the wheel, know your surroundings. Go slowly and be very cautious in places like driveways where kids run around. Wear fitted, not loose, clothing. “Machines have shafts and moving parts,” Huelskoetter explains. “You don’t want to have loose sleeves or something that can get caught in that mechanism and cause a catastrophic injury.” Driving smaller vehicles: Children and young adults are often found whizzin

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MADISON, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin–Madison has recognized students named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. Edwardsville's Zack Harmon, of the College of Engineering, was named to the list. Students who achieve a high level academically are recognized by the dean at the close of each semester. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must complete a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in that semester. Each university school or college sets its own GPA requirements for students to be eligible to receive the distinction. To view an online listing, visit registrar.wisc.edu/deanslist. Use the data display dashboard to find students from your circulation area who have received this honor. For questions or concerns about eligibility, please contact deanslist-registrar@em.wisc.edu

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GODFREY - New signage has been approved for an access road to Godfrey Road which is technically also known as Godfrey Road. After the Public Safety Committee considered re-naming the road, input from local residents and a business owner led to a debate around the name change and ultimately resulted in the road keeping its name, but gaining signage that had been missing. Roland Hopgood, an owner of Godfrey Storage, said the road’s current name confuses customers who are unable to find his business. He suggested it be renamed Storage Lane. “The fact is, we run a business,” he said. “ have no idea where they’re going. We try to explain it to them, they go right on by on 67. They’re calling us going, ‘I don’t see where you’re at, where are you at? What street are you on?’ They don’t know.” Two residents who also live on Godfrey Road near the storage facility said they’d prefer the road’s name sta

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EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville issued an update after an e-Lert was sent Saturday, May 27, about an alleged kidnapping and sexual assault incident. "The SIUE Police Department sent an e-Lert text message to the SIUE community early in the morning on Saturday, May 27, informing them of the alleged incident. The e-Lert was issued based upon information reported at the time from Berkeley, Mo. PD, pursuant to the University’s timely warning obligations under the Clery Act," SIUE spokesperson Kalli Collins said today. The e-Lert stated, “A female reported she was taken against her will from Cougar Village parking lot 4D and driven to North St. Louis. The female reported she was held at gunpoint during the drive before being sexually assaulted in Missouri. The female reported she was an acquaintance of a black male suspect. The female reported being pushed from the vehicle after the assault where she called local police.” In addition, the alert

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CHICAGO – Building on four years of fiscally responsible leadership, Governor JB Pritzker signed the Fiscal Year 2024 budget into law today, delivering his fifth balanced budget while making transformative investments in early childhood, K-12 schools, higher education, workforce and economic development and efforts to fight violence and poverty. The Fiscal Year 2024 budget prioritizes fiscal responsibility, contributing an additional $200 million to the state’s pension systems beyond what is required, continuing to pay down the state’s remaining outstanding debts, and making ongoing contributions to the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund, set to surpass $2 billion. “From the beginning, I promised to work together with the General Assembly to restore fiscal responsibility to our state government after years of mismanagement,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to our firmer fiscal foundation, we have been able to put billions of dollars back

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 28 state attorneys general, filed comments calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to clarify the federal rules requiring telemarketers to obtain consent between an individual consumer and one specific seller or business before making telemarketing robocalls and text messages. Raoul and the coalition filed the letter in response to an FCC notice of proposed rulemaking. The FCC has proposed an amendment to its rule concerning the proper way to obtain a consumer’s consent to receive robocalls as required under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Raoul and the coalition also call for the FCC to strengthen protections against illegal text messages and clarify that National Do Not Call Registry protections apply to text messages. “Robocalls and text messages are a constant source of frustration for millions of Americans, which is why I am asking the FCC to clarify consent requirements

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ALTON - Alton’s 26 th annual All-Wheels Drive-In Car Show will be held on Sunday, June 11 th from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The event typically attracts over 200 classic cars, hot rods and motorcycles, which the public is welcome to browse on 3 rd , 4 th , State and Belle Streets. There is no charge for admission. Alton Main Street organizes this tradition with support from Time Machines Unlimited Car Club. Come out for the autos and stay for the live music, 50-50 drawing, vendor displays and festival food court. This year’s entertainment is Number4Combo; from 1:00-3:00 p.m. the band will perform live rock music with a smooth dance groove. We will also be featuring a pin-up contest at 3:00 p.m. to celebrate the glamour, sophistication and class of the 1950’s. Registration for automobiles is open from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., and trophies will be given at 4:00pm. Please note that we are reconfiguring the event grounds to improve traffic flow, and registration

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today urged Illinois residents to be wary of scammers who use unsolicited email or text messages to trick consumers into sharing personal and financial information. Raoul encourages all consumers to stay aware of these unsolicited messages and to continue to report these incidents to his office. Unsolicited messages may be email phishing or text message smishing scams. Phishing is when scammers send a deceptive email to trick Internet users into revealing personal or confidential information. Smishing, or Short Message Service (SMS) phishing, is when scammers send a deceptive text message to trick cell phone users in the same way. Phishing and smishing messages may contain links to harmful software that could enable scammers to steal information from your phone or computer. Raoul’s office warned consumers to not click any links in an unsolicited email or text and to delete the message immediately. “Consumers should be suspicious

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GODFREY - Godfrey officials are advising residents that Union Pacific Railroad will be temporarily closing the North Alby Street (at Humbert) crossing this Sunday near Humbert Road for routine maintenance and repairs. Village officials are advising local residents and motorists to prepare and pre-plan for temporary detours next Sunday night due to the fact the Union Pacific Railroad will be temporarily closing the North Alby Street railroad crossing (at Humbert) overnight for routine maintenance/repair work. Work shall begin Sunday night, June 11th starting at 7 p.m. and will re-open on Monday morning, June 12th around 7 a.m. Godfrey Public Safety Administrator Chris Sichra states that local first responder agencies and mutual aid companies (Fire, Police, EMS), as well as local utility companies, have already been notified of the upcoming temporary closure so that they can adjust their response routes accordingly. Residents and motorists should also pre-plan to consider alternate

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ALTON - Earlier this spring, Jolena Pang joined the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) education team as an environmental educator. She will be responsible for leading tours of the NGRREC facility for students of all ages and community members. “I hope to make the community more cognizant of the environmental issues facing our rivers and watersheds, and what that means for them,” Pang said. “And I hope to help inspire and motivate the community into positive action.” Prior to joining NGRREC, Pang completed a master's degree in political ecology and environmental justice in Barcelona, where she lived for the past few years. Pang also worked as a community organizer for the Wilderness Society, where she engaged over 600 grassroots supporters and led events focused on bringing a more diverse and inclusive perspective to conservation. “The best part of being an environmental educator is getting a chance to teach kids about the

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ALTON – Lewis and Clark Community College’s National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) will host a Coffee and Cleanup event this month as part of the 1 Mississippi River Days of Action Initiative. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon, Thursday, June 15, at the NGRREC Field Station, located at 1 Confluence Way, East Alton, Illinois. All are welcome to join for free coffee and bagels and to learn about the Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative , a community science project aimed at tracking trash in the Mississippi River watershed using the Marine Debris Tracker app. Community Ecologist Anthony Dell will give a brief overview of his research, which focuses on microplastics found in rivers. Microplastics come from plastic litter and trash that degrade overtime into microscopic pieces and exist in water sources, especially near more populated areas. Microplastics are a growing concern as they become more prevalent in drinking sources,

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O'FALLON - Sam Andria was a man of many talents, and his creative energy held no bounds. Searching for a permanent place where his trio could play, Sam stumbled across the countryside home that continues to operate as Andria’s Steakhouse today. In the late 70’s upon the inception of the restaurant, Sam and his friends held “Jam Sessions” in the house’s basement (rathskeller) for hours on end. Andria’s began as a place for people to dance and musicians to play. When people became hungry, Sam put his creative talents to the test by serving football size prime rib and mouthwatering steaks, the restaurant quickly grew its reputation and patrons raved about the distinct flavor (Andria’s Brush-On Steak Sauce) of the steaks and quickly returned for more. Sam’s music career was always a large part of his identity. He played Gaslight Square in the ’60s, released his technique and passion for the saxophone into archives at Southern Illinois

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GRANITE CITY - The Granite City Police Department is investigating a traffic crash where one individual lost their life Tuesday night in the 3500 block of Nameoki Road. Major Nick Novacich provided this statement from the Granite City Police about the accident: "This is an ongoing investigation that our officers will be working on for some time. We have one suspect in custody and we are not looking for any other suspects. "We at GCPD would like to extend our sincerest condolences to the family of the individual who lost their life and offers our support to them in their time of need." Novacich said that no other information about the crash could be released at this time.

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GODFREY - The Godfrey Village Board of Trustees approved including the entire length of Pierce Lane from Stamper Lane to Airport Road as part of the Pierce Lane Reconstruction project. The total cost of this extension project is not to exceed $190,000. The original Preliminary Engineering Services agreement the Village had with Sheppard, Morgan and Schwaab (SMS) of Alton, IL covered Stamper Lane to Airport Road with no plans for construction or development past Winter Lane. At the time, the Village planned to use Business District funds to cover the design and construction of Lars Hoffman Crossing. Since then, the Village has agreed to transfer jurisdiction of Lars Hoffman Crossing and Airport Road to Madison County, which has more funds available to extend the project’s construction. When the Finance Committee met last month, there was some discussion in support of including the Phase 6 section of the Pierce Lane project (from Winter Lane to Airport Road) into the construction

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METROPOLIS – Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) officials announce the arrest of 29-year-old Eric Rushing of Metropolis, IL, for Aggravated Battery (Class 3 Felony) and Possession of a Weapon by a Felon (Class 2 Felony). On June 5, 2023, ISP was investigating an incident of an aggravated battery involving a firearm in Metropolis. The suspect was identified as Rushing. Following the incident, Rushing barricaded himself inside a residence located in the 400 block of W. 20 th Street. ISP SWAT and Crisis Negotiators responded to the scene to assist. At approximately 7:15 p.m., Rushing exited the residence and was taken into custody without incident. On June 6, 2023, the Massac County State’s Attorney filed the above charges against Rushing. Rushing is currently in custody at the Massac County Jail, with bond set at $200,000, 10% to apply. The Massac County Sheriff’s Office and the Metropolis Police Department assisted with the

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ALTON - Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford this afternoon released more information about the shooting at Rent-A-Center Tuesday morning. "At 10:12 a.m. on June 6, 2023, the Alton Police Department received a 911 call from a female indicating she had just been shot. A separate 911 call was also received from an employee of Rent-A-Center, 2831 Homer Adams Parkway, Alton, Illinois, indicating a shooting had just taken place inside the business. "Alton Police Officers arrived at the business as well as to the female who had been shot. The female was in a vehicle and located in close proximity to Rent-A-Center. Initial investigation revealed that the female who was shot had come to the business to confront a relative who is employed by Rent-A-Center, despite an active order of protection prohibiting contact with her relative and from being at Rent-A-Center. "In doing so, the female engaged in a verbal conflict with her relative which escalated into a physical altercation. A separate Rent-A-Center

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