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EDWARDSVILLE - After decades of ensuring program compliance, working with children, families, staff and more, longtime Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS) staff member and interim program director Carolyn Jason was named HS/EHS Program Director. “I am pleased and excited to continue to help the program that I love and that has advanced so many lives over the years,” said Jason. “SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start has a commitment to provide services that not only prepare children for school readiness and success; but is also key to improving the lives of families.” “Early childhood services in a Head Start community, of course include education services, but also integrate those comprehensive services of health, dental, hearing and vision, and family goal setting,” she continued. “Since the inception of Head Start, these are services that help remove barriers to a child’s education.”

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ALTON - From a solar project agreement to park improvement funds and more, here’s a look ahead at what’s next on the agenda for the Alton Committee of the Whole. The committee meets next on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 at Alton City Hall, with all meetings streamed live on Riverbender.com . Loan Agreement For “Solar For All Projects” Monday’s agenda includes a laid-over resolution authorizing a Loan Agreement for the “Solar For All Projects” at the Public Works Facility in the amount of $626,512.00. According to the resolution itself, the Alton City Council engaged GRP Wegman to pursue a state and federal grant and “incentives for the installation of the ground mounted solar energy array at the City's Public Works Facility.” When and if awarded the grant, GRP Wegman will “design, develop and construct the solar array in accordance with the Illinois Solar For All (ILSFA) program requirements.” The resolution will

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JERSEYVILLE - The Jerseyville Rotary Club’s long-running annual ChiliFest event is returning soon on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church located at 200 W. Pearl St. in Jerseyville. Proceeds from the event will help the Rotary Club continue its service projects around the community. Tickets are available for $10 each and can be purchased in advance from any Rotary Club member - a full list of members is available at the bottom of this year’s ChiliFest flyer or on Riverbender.com . Tickets can also be purchased at the door on the day of the event, and each ticket purchase includes chili, a hot dog, and a cookie, all for $10 - homemade vegetable soup is also available for those who don’t prefer chili. Kim Hardin with the Jerseyville Rotary Club recently appeared on an episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to share more about the event as it inches closer. Hardin recommended ChiliFest attendees park in the parkin

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has issued an updated standing order allowing schools to keep a supply of medications like naloxone on hand, and also permitting school nurses or other trained personnel to administer them to students in the event of an opioid overdose. The updated order, signed by IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra, builds upon authority established in 2015 to expand access to naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The new order makes clear that schools can obtain a supply of such medications, known as opioid “antagonists,” without a prescription, and that a school nurse or other person who has been trained in their use may administer the medications to someone exhibiting signs of an overdose on school property. Under Public Act 103-0348 , which took effect January 1, 2024, public and private schools are now required to keep a supply of an opioid antagonist on hand to be used in the event of an overdose

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ALTON - A few community members spent the day protesting outside of the Alton Police Department on Feb. 23, 2024. Led by Lee Barham, the community members were protesting the lack of Black officers in the police department. Alton hired five new white officers earlier this month. In a recent letter to the editor , Barham expressed disgust about the hiring of no new Black officers, and he called on Mayor David Goins, Police Chief Jarrett Ford, the Alton chapter of the NAACP, local Black leaders and others to do more. He echoed these sentiments during the Feb. 23 protest. “I feel it is a tragedy that we elected the first Black mayor and we only have one Black officer down here,” Barham said. “We’re not reaching out to our own, but when it comes to the election, we’re going to be reminded, ‘I’m Black, I want you all to vote.’ But by the same token, where’s the Black officers? Where’s the difference you have made? There isn’

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SPRINGFIELD – Higher education leaders across the state applaud Governor JB Pritzker’s budget announcement, which includes a fiscal year 2025 higher education budget of $2.55 billion. The budget includes a $10 million increase for the Monetary Award Program (MAP), a $24.6 million increase for public universities, and a $5.9 million increase for community colleges. The governor’s budget builds on the historic funding of higher education over the last several years, which included the largest investment and the largest increase in higher education in two decades in fiscal year 2024’s higher education budget. Continuing to build on historic higher education investments from the last several years is key to removing barriers and ensuring all students have equitable access to higher education. “The governor’s investments proposed in this budget build on his previous historic higher education investments and allows us to continue the progress we have

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – During her official visit to Sweden and the Netherlands on the eve of the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees—reaffirmed our nation’s steadfast commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and all its members after Donald Trump’s latest swipe at the alliance. After the U.S. Senate recently passed strong bipartisan legislation that would provide additional aid to Ukraine, Duckworth also underscored how important it is for the United States and the free world to remain united in support of Ukraine as they fight against Vladimir Putin’s continued aggression, which threatens global security. Photos of Duckworth during her official visit to Europe can be found on the Senator’s website . “As we reach the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Erica Harriss (56 th -Glen Carbon) has released the below statement following the Governor’s 2024 State of the State and State Budget Address: “As a strong advocate for working Illinois families, I believe that today’s budget address failed to meet the needs of our state’s residents. I am disappointed not to see one cent of property tax relief, yet the Governor has proposed over $2.2 billion in new spending with $1.1 billion in tax hikes. While this administration is focusing on funneling billions of dollars to migrants coming to our state, my focus remains on the citizens of our state and our hard-working Metro-East families.”

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BETHALTO - Bethalto Police Department announced today on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, that on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, officers assisted the Department of Children and Family Services with an investigation into a minor child in the 500 block of Mill Street. Bethalto Police Chief Jason Lamb said during the investigation, the parent of the child identified as Jeremy M. Calvert, 34, of the 500 block of Mill St., became physically combative with officers. "He was arrested on scene and later charged through the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office with Aggravated Battery, Resisting a Peace Officer, and Obstructing a Peace Officer," Chief Lamb said. "Calvert, who is currently on parole for Aggravated Battery to a Police Officer, was also being held in the Madison County Jail pending an IDOC revocation warrant." It should be noted that all parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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EDWARDSVILLE - A man from Edwardsville faces multiple criminal charges after fighting the guests of a party he was asked to leave and allegedly biting one of the victims’ legs. He fled the scene when officers arrived, elbowed one officer in the face, then threatened to kill multiple officers at the scene. Nathan S. Medsker, 25, of Edwardsville, was charged with aggravated battery, threatening a public official, and battery on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. A petition filed to deny Medsker’s pretrial release describes the incident as follows: “Defendant was identified as the suspect who appeared at a party very intoxicated and, upon being asked to leave, fought with party guests,” the petition states. “When officers arrived, he attempted to leave the scene despite being lawfully detained. “As officers attempted arrest, he elbowed one officer in the face, then threatened to kill multiple officers.” Medsker faces a Class 2 felony for aggravated

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ALTON - Christina Foster Beegle knows grief. She has lost three brothers to suicide and a best friend to a drug overdose. Beegle herself was once homeless and struggling with substance use. Today, Beegle is 26 months clean, and she has decided to do something with her pain. She started Foster’s Light in the Dark, an organization that aims to bring awareness to suicide and overdose deaths while commemorating the loved ones who are lost. Foster’s Light in the Dark has a goal to eventually create a memorial park for people who die by suicide or overdose. “Me helping others helps me in my grief,” Beegle explained. “I can show people that, look, I've been through three suicides. All my mom's sons are dead by suicide and a best friend to a drug overdose. If I can try to help the next person, so can anybody, because we need to get through this together. We need to be a voice for people that can’t." While it’s a big goal, Beegle knows how much

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GRANITE CITY - The Granite City Police Department provided information about a response at 12:17 a.m. on Feb. 23, 2024, in the area of Leonard Avenue at Myrtle Avenue about a caller who reported hearing gunshots. The Granite City Police said upon arrival, officers encountered a subject who had sustained at least one gunshot wound which is non-life threatening. "A person of interest has been identified throughout this investigation," Major Gary Brooks, assistant chief of police of the Granite City Police Department said. "This investigation is currently ongoing and no further information will be released at this time."

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CHICAGO – Today, Carol Moseley Braun, the former U.S. Senator from Illinois and Ambassador of the U.S. to New Zealand, published an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune about how this Black History Month, Democrats are celebrating – and making – Black history. Ambassador Mosely Braun is a history maker herself as the first Black woman and first Black Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate. She highlights the progress the Biden-Harris administration has delivered for Black communities, what’s at stake in 2024, and how Democrats are continuing to make history leading up to this year’s Democratic National Convention. Key Excerpts: Black history can’t be confined to just one calendar month. It’s an integral part of our national identity that deserves far more than just an annual commemoration. But every year, marking February as Black History Month feels more and more essential. In a country where extremist forces and Republican politicians are fighting

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EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Public Safety Enforcement Group is requesting assistance in identifying a person of interest. On December 5, 2023, ISP agents were requested by the East St. Louis Police Department to assist with a homicide investigation that occurred in the 600 block of South 15 th Street. The victim, 47-year-old, Dariell Braddix of East St. Louis, IL., was pronounced deceased. The photos below and the video link here are of a person of interest. Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers at 314-725-8477 (TIPS) or ISP Special Agent Shaun Dannenbrink, 618-301-0807. Witnesses can remain anonymous. The public is reminded that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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ST. CHARLES COUNTY, MO. - St. Charles County Police announced Thursday that a murder charge was filed against a Godfrey man - Clyde E. Young - who is alleged to have killed his girlfriend Thursday morning, Feb. 22, 2024, around 3:15 a.m. in the 1000 block of North Service Road in Foristell, Mo. Police said that the 28-year-old Godfrey man contacted dispatchers at 4:40 a.m. Thursday to inform them a woman was deceased at the North Service Road location. When officers arrived at that location, they discovered a female shot to death in a Freightliner semi. Young and the female were involved in a romantic relationship, police said. The St. Charles County Police Department said Young contacted them again and stated he would turn himself in to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. However, he changed his mind and said he would surrender to St. Charles authorities. Young confessed to police that he and the female argued the previous night and he then grabbed his shotgun and shot the woman

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EAST ALTON - A man from Cottage Hills faces several counts of battery and more after allegedly striking two family members in the head and kicking an officer in the chest on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. Joshua S. Foutch, 39, of Cottage Hills, was charged with six total counts, including three felony counts of aggravated battery and three misdemeanors: two for domestic battery and one for resisting an officer. According to a petition to deny Foutch’s pretrial release, he was identified by officers as “the suspect who battered his elderly mother and stepfather.” Once officers arrived at the scene to intervene, court documents state Foutch pulled his arms away to resist his arrest and kicked an officer in the chest. Foutch reportedly struck one victim in the head, causing lacerations, and the other in the face, causing bruising. Both were 60 years or older at the time of the offense. Foutch’s case was presented by the East Alton Police Department. Court documents

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WOOD RIVER - The Wood River City Council on Tuesday approved a three-year $75,000 commitment to financially support the “Wood River Business Alliance,” an Illinois Main Street organization formerly known as Wood River Economic Development. The final vote was cast after much discussion and debate, when the organization’s legitimacy was called into question by community members. The item appeared on Tuesday’s agenda as a “resolution offering financial support for the next three years to the Wood River Business Alliance, a Main Street Organization, as submitted by the City Manager,” Steve Palen. As previously reported on Riverbender.com , the city’s financial obligation to the organization amounts to $25,000 per year for three years, totaling $75,000. The item had been tabled twice by Councilman Bill Dettmers - once on Dec. 18, 2023 and again on Feb. 5, 2024 - in an attempt to give local businesses in and out of the organization more

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ALTON - Marquette Catholic High School students were spotted picking up trash in Alton on Feb. 22, 2024. Principal Tim Harmon explained that service is an important part of the house system that Marquette implemented earlier this school year, which promotes connection and faith within the school community. The school’s motto, serviam, means “to serve,” another reason why Marquette is eager to participate in more community service opportunities in the area. “Honestly, it's one of the most important things that we do here,” Harmon said. “I think that is the main message that we want our kids to be taking away, along with their faith, is that we are here to serve. And so if we can be doing that out in the community, fantastic.” Harmon said the idea to pick up trash was suggested by the students. Half of the juniors and seniors picked up trash on Feb. 22 and the other half will be out on Feb. 23, 2024. “We didn't want to try and

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BUNKER HILL - A student from Bunker Hill High School has signed with the Central Illinois Cougars semi-pro football team. Drake Rose, a running back on the Bunker Hill team, will begin playing with the Cougars in the fall 2024 season. Drake is the son of Keith and Keri Rose from Bunker Hill. “We are so proud of what Drake has accomplished in his football career,” Keith said. “His coach has said that he sees Drake making it even further than this.” Drake’s coach, Kenny Miles, noted that Drake is “one of the best athletes” he has seen at the high school and that he might make it as far as the NFL. Drake will primarily play offense with the Cougars, but Keith said he will also use his skills on defense. “Drake is looking forward to putting Bunker Hill on the map,” Keith added.

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ALTON - Phone and internet service has been spotty for most people in the Riverbend region throughout the morning on Feb. 22, 2024. This is largely due to an AT&T outage that has affected customers nationwide. Jarvis Swope, the IT support person for the City of Alton, said most people are using cellular data to complete work at City Hall. “Unfortunately, we are still one of the affected sites,” he said. “We’re managing. It put us down a little bit, but there’s enough things that people can do to keep working.” He said the fire department does not currently have internet, but it is not affecting calls for service. FirstNet, a broadband network for first responders, is already back up and running. Swope said the “hearsay” is that a semi-truck hit a telephone pole and “broke the fiber,” which would cause widespread outages like the Riverbend is experiencing. “We just have to just unfortunately deal with what

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