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SPRINGFIELD — Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the state has officially repaid the remaining $1.36 billion unemployment insurance (UI) Trust Fund debt. The payment was made possible after a historic agreement was reached between the state, and representatives from business, labor, and bipartisan members of the General Assembly. It was then signed into law by the Governor. “I’m proud to announce that today, we officially paid off our state’s UI Trust Fund debt—further fueling Illinois’ strong economic trajectory,” said Governor Pritzker. “This achievement will save Illinois businesses hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade, and will save taxpayers $20 million in interest costs that would otherwise have been due next September.” “IDES is proud of the hard work and dedication it took members of the agreed bill process to achieve repayment of the

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MADISON COUNTY – The Salvation Army has exceeded its red kettle campaign goal of $217,000 by raising more than $364,000 to help people in Madison County. Reflected in the total are donations made through mail appeals, corporate gifts, unsolicited gifts, Schnuck’s Round-Up at the Register, and donations made at red kettles throughout the area. “Once again, the generous people of Alton and Godfrey and all of Madison County have shown how caring they are toward those in need,” said campaign co-chair Dr. John Hoelscher. “Even during this tough economy, the spirit of giving remained strong. This allows the Salvation Army to continue its good works for another year, providing food, clothing, shelter and guidance to our neighbors who need help.” “We want to thank everyone who gave so generously - those who signed up to ring bells in the cold and the many local businesses who set out red kettles in their shops and allowed ringers to stand outside thei

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EDWARDSVILLE - Liberty Middle School had something to celebrate this week after defeating Lincoln Middle in the annual District 7 Math Counts competition. Liberty Middle School recognized the following individuals with a special salute: Ameila Zhang, Annica Miller, Daniel Wang, and Alan Chen for being the first-place team. Daniel Wang won first place in the individual and Countdown rounds. Alan Chen won second place individual and Countdown round. Liberty officials said luck to all members participating in the Regional Completion on Saturday, February 4.

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WATERLOO - The jackpot for the Waterloo Queen of Hearts drawing continues to grow - Tuesday night’s jackpot total was $1,574218, a substantial increase from last week’s jackpot of $1,397,265. Event organizers expect the final jackpot to reach the $2 million limit. Card #12 was revealed to be the Five of Spades. Since the Queen of Hearts card was not found, the final drawing of this round will be held next Tuesday, Jan. 31. 20% of the funds raised will benefit Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School in Waterloo . Music and Band Teacher Chad Minier said next week’s jackpot may meet - or exceed - its $2 million limit. “We at SPPCS are making an estimated judgement that the prize will reach - or just exceed - the $2 million mark,” Minier said at the most recent drawing. “Please know that ticket sales will not get cut off before Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. “What that means: we’re pulling until we find that Queen. It could happen th

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EAST ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man was sentenced to 235 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons after admitting to his involvement in a methamphetamine operation in southern Illinois. Terrence Thompson, 35, pled guilty to one count of Attempt and Conspiracy and one count of Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments. Following his prison sentence, Thompson will have five years of supervised release. He was fined $750 and $200 in special assessments. In addition, the federal indictment lists seven other defendants for their alleged involvement. “Methamphetamine and other illegal narcotics are poisoning our families and communities, and individuals responsible for its distribution will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Southern Illinois is a transportation hub with major interstate highway systems, and law enforcement play a key role in detecting and disrupting the flow of methamphetamine across the country.

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EDWARDSVILLE - With extensive experience in the banking industry, Kent Weber has joined Busey Bank as Vice President - Treasury Management Executive. In his role, he works closely with commercial business owners to ensure their needs are met through Busey’s expansive suite of Treasury Management products and solutions, including ACH Services, Positive Pay, Remote Deposit Capture, Lockbox Services, and Integrated Payables. With a banking career spanning over 40 years, Weber has a prolific understanding of bank management, operations, treasury management, retail banking, marketing, and consumer and commercial lending. He started his 25-year career with TheBANK of Edwardsville—now Busey Bank—in 1980 before establishing TheEDGEBANK in Edwardsville, IL, in 2005. Ten years later, TheEDGEBANK was acquired by Town and Country Bank, where Weber was Executive Vice President and Community President until 2017. He went on to serve as Senior Vice President of Operations at the

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville/Glen Carbon street crews were out in force overnight salting and clearing and by 9 a.m. Wednesday the surfaces were clear but mushy, officials said. Edwardsville city officials had this statement on its Facebook page: "The high snow totals that were possible did not materialize, but that doesn't mean the roads aren't slick in spots - they are - or that you shouldn't drive carefully - you should. Plus, as temperatures fall later Wednesday and into Thursday, the wet, mushy remains of the snow could refreeze, creating slick road conditions. "Our Public Works crews are working to clear the roads, so be alert, give plows and other vehicles extra room and be careful."

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GRANITE CITY - Granite City Rotary Club made a $4,000 donation to Twigs to assist with the construction of its new facility at 21st and Cleveland. Launched in 2011, Twigs is a summer lunch program and school-year pack-a-sack program in multiple communities in Illinois. Thank you to Lisa Gulliams and the many volunteers who continue to make an impact in Granite City.

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GRANITE CITY - 1st MidAmerica Credit Union announced its three recipients of the Granite City Community Unit School District #9 Teacher Grants for the 2022 Fall Semester, as announced on Jan. 24 at the GCSD9 School Board Meeting. 1st MidAmerica Credit Union President/CEO Alan Meyer presented each honoree with a $250 grant. In addition, the grant winners received a certificate from GCSD9 Superintendent Stephanie M. Cann. Below is a list of the three honorees and how the $250 grant will be used: Kelly Fitzgerald - Frohardt Items for Sensory Room Karen Phillips - Maryville & Wilson New instruments at Maryville and Wilson and wants to add scarves to show movement Marcie Sedabres - Grigsby Provide high-interest books for students to read while they are waiting 30 minutes for school to begin For more information about 1st MidAmerica Credit Union, visit www.1stmidamerica.org/# .

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JERSEYVILLE - Thomas Klasner, county engineer for the Jersey County Highway Department, said road conditions are “all clear” so far today. “Road conditions in Jersey County are all clear and open,” Klasner said. “Everything’s fine, no issues here in Jersey County.” While there was a bit of snowfall earlier, high temperatures kept the pavement warm enough to keep anything from sticking or freezing. “Anything that came down initially, because temperatures were kind of warm, melted,” he added. “I’d say we only had 2 inches up here in Jersey County.” He said Highway Department workers didn’t need to apply salt to the roads overnight and have mostly been pushing slush off the roads this morning.

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HARDIN - Kyle Godar, county engineer with the Calhoun County Highway Department, said road conditions in Calhoun County are mostly clear so far, but he still advises the public to avoid travel if possible. “We applied salt starting between midnight and 1 a.m. this morning,” Godar said. “Temperatures have stayed warm enough that most of the snow has melted.” While road conditions aren’t necessarily dangerous, he still advised the public to avoid driving to keep the roads clear for Highway Department workers. “I would say if they could stay off the roads if possible when there’s a snow event, that allows our drivers to do what they need to do without coming into conflict with other drivers,” he added. Godar said he hasn’t received any calls regarding accidents or power outages, but if drivers do experience dangerous road conditions, they can contact the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office at (618) 576-2417 or the Highway

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GODFREY - This is a drone view of around rural Elsah Township and also photos in Godfrey around Lewis and Clark Community College and the rest of the community on Wednesday morning. The snow started to taper around 9 a.m. and roads throughout Godfrey were clear. Travel should not be hampered around the region Wednesday.

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ALTON - These photos showcase a view of Alton on Wednesday morning after the snow. Public School Stadium's turf was covered with snow, but most streets in Alton weren't snow-covered, just very wet and slushy. Once out of their driveways, Alton residents shouldn't have any issues getting around the city and area on Wednesday. Between one to two inches of snow accumulated in Alton, but should melt soon. Wood River Roads Clear The Wood River Public Works Department, led by Director Steve Palen, is always on top of things during inclement conditions. Wood River streets were wet but with no problem with travel Wednesday morning.

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CARROLLTON - Aaron Havrefield, county engineer with the Greene County Highway Department, said road conditions are fairly normal in Greene County so far today. “Right now, everything’s pretty well melting off. It’s a lot of slush for the most part,” he said. “The temperature’s up high enough that nothing’s really freezing to the road … it’s died off quite a bit, we have good visibility and everything else up here.” Havrefield said the Highway Department hasn’t received any reports of power outages or accidents in the area, but they’ll continue to monitor road conditions tonight. “It shouldn’t freeze anytime soon, but I’ll keep an eye on it later tonight to make sure it doesn’t re-freeze or anything,” he said. If Greene County residents encounter any dangerous road conditions, Havrefield said to contact the Greene County Highway Department at (217) 942-6941.

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation is hosting free virtual workshops in February as part of its continuing Building Blocks of Success series for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise firms interested in strengthening their skills, growing their business, and bidding on state projects. New and existing DBEs, as well as firms interested in becoming certified in the program, are invited. February workshop dates and topics are: Feb. 2, 10 a.m. to noon: IDOT EPAS System – Consultant Prequalification Feb. 7, 10 a.m. to noon: Bidding on the IDOT Website Feb. 9, 10 a.m. to noon: Excel Estimating and Bidding Spreadsheet Feb. 21, 10 a.m. to noon: Contractor Sub Agreements Feb. 23, 10 a.m. to noon: Job Costing & Work-in-Process Feb. 28, 10 a.m. to noon: Contracts Future topics covered will include avoiding pitfalls, daily documentation, contracts, construction materials requirements, getting paid, steps needed to be certified as a DBE firm, and more. Building

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Ian Jeffries, CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), to discuss improving employee benefits for rail workers, including additional sick leave and personal time. While the most recent rail and labor agreement that Congress approved in December prevented a strike and provided rail workers with the largest wage increase in 50 years, it did little to reform point-based attendance policies – which enforce attendance by keeping a running tally of absences and tardiness - and penalize workers for taking time off. In the meeting, Durbin urged Jeffries to push the rail industry to explore reforming these personal time and sick leave policies. Durbin and Jeffries also spoke about the need for continued investment by the freight railroads in the Chicago Region Environment and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program, a public private partnership between the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois,

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SPRINGFIELD - Illinoisans will be turning up their thermostats to stay warm for the rest of the winter season, which brings an increased risk for home fires and carbon monoxide incidents. Unlike smoke, carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas only detectable by special devices and CO alarms. The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) encourages residents to have their furnaces checked, change furnace filters, and make sure carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke detectors are functioning properly. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), heating is the second leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries, and the third leading cause of home fire deaths. Local fire departments across the country responded to an estimated average of 48,530 fires involving heating equipment per year in 2014-2018, accounting for 14% of all reported home fires during this time. These fires resulted in annual losses of 500 civilian deaths, 1,350 civilian injuries, and $1.1 billion

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CHICAGO - The Powerball jackpot is inching closer to becoming one of the top 10 prizes in the game’s history. Tonight’s drawing is now at an estimated $526 million. Less than three months ago, one lucky player in California won the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot - setting the world record for the largest prize ever won in lottery history. Illinois Lottery players also struck it big in the past 12 months. Seven players have won prizes of $1 million or more with Powerball. In total, Powerball players purchased nearly four million winning tickets and won over $41 million in prizes in 2022 in Illinois. With over 7,000 Illinois Lottery retailers across the State, lottery players can conveniently pick up a ticket at their local store - or they can login to the Illinois Lottery website or app and purchase a ticket online. Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, with the next prize draw taking place tonight, January 25 at 9:59 p.m.

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GLEN CARBON - The Glen Carbon Chick-fil-A location is getting closer to opening; Village Administrator Jamie Bowden said the expected opening date is February 9, shortly before the Glen Carbon Village Board approved adding signage and interior barricades to help mitigate traffic around the new restaurant. “This has been requested to allow Chick-fil-A to open - I believe the anticipated date is the ninth of February,” Bowden said, adding that the date was “tentative.” He said the site developers are currently working with the Illinois Department of Transportation on the entrances to the restaurant. “The developer is still working diligently to get the Plum St. entrance open, it’s right-turn-in, right-turn-out,” he said. “There will be no entrance off 159. There will be barricades placed on the extension of Lavelle and Robinson that will allow people to come in off 159.” He added that four new signs with the Chick-fil-A

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The region is being hit this morning with strong snow with some accumulation as of 7 a.m. Wednesday, but overall, weather forecasters say the area has been fortunate for a later snow shower arrival. Temperatures remained higher than originally expected and the rain-to-snow transition was slower than expected, Marshall Pfahler, a National Weather Service in St. Louis meteorologist, said this morning. The NWS in St. Louis reported at 6 a.m. that the area is seeing the heaviest snow of the event. “This is causing the snow to accumulate quickly, even on treated surfaces,” the NWS said. “Please drive carefully if you have to travel.” Chad Scott with Hyper-Local Extreme Weather’s prediction of “a bright, fluffy snow” came true, just a little less than expected because of the slow rain-to-snow transition. Pfahler said temperatures are largely above freezing around the region and should continue to rise this morning as the main part of the snow

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