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Letter To The Editor: The Madison County Board approved lifetime appointments to two individuals at its January monthly meeting. Bob McClellan for the Agricultural Areas Committee and Matt King, a sitting county board member, to the Southwestern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission. All lifetime appointments. Lifetime appointments are not only illegal, but they are a relic of nobility and the giving of titles. They are contemptible and go against every value of representative government. Should anyone be given a free pass from public oversight? The concept of lifetime appointments, outside of the US Supreme Court, has been clearly and fully eliminated throughout the nation, except in Madison County, where the law never seems to totally apply. Lastly, county board members with 2- and 4-year terms are making decisions they will not be around to answer for. Everyone should insist on these gentlemen being reappointed with a defined 2- to 4-year term. Douglas Hulme Edwardsville - Madison

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PIASA - Cason Robinson is a freshman who is already having an impact in the varsity boys' basketball ranks. Southwestern has a boisterous student fan backing and often when he scores they chant to the opponents: "He is a freshman." Anyone studying Cason on the court can see he has a love of basketball. Cason is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Male Athlete of the Month. The Piasa Birds' head boys basketball coach Jason Darr believes Cason has unbelievable potential for the future and is glad to see the freshman logging so much varsity time on the court in the 2023-2024 campaign. "Cason doesn't play like a freshman," Coach Darr said. "He is super aggressive and you don't see that a lot out of kid that age. I coached all three of his brothers. There has been a Robinson in the boys' basketball program every year for close to the last 14 years. They are a good family and were all great kids and very coachable." Cason has a great eye for basketball and will likely sink man

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ALTON - A proposed partnership to host a Formula 1 powerboat championship race in Alton called the “2024 Alton Midwest Nationals” is on the agenda for Alton city officials to consider this week. If approved, the 2024 Alton Midwest Nationals would take place from Friday, June 21, 2024 to Sunday, June 23, 2024. The race course would consist of a seven-turn loop near the Alton riverfront area of the amphitheater, where there would also be “fan viewing” and “pit area” seating areas. According to “introduction” documents submitted to city officials by F1 Powerboat Championship , “The Formula 1 Powerboat Championship is a 6-8 race series contested across North America from May through October.” “Established in 2017, the series features weekend long community events highlighted by 20+ Formula 1 boats reaching speeds of 120 mph,” they state in the introduction. “The up-close and personal, deck to deck, sponson-banging

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ROXANA - Sophomore forward Tatum Shaw appears destined for a strong future in both girls' basketball and volleyball at Roxana High School. She has been a mainstay of the girls' basketball team this season and was a volleyball standout in the fall of 2023. Shaw is a Midwest Members Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for Roxana. Roxana head girls basketball coach Addaya Moore said Tatum is "absolutely amazing" for her squad. "I love coaching her because of how hard she goes every possession," Moore said. "Tatum can do something that nobody else on the team can do and guard any of the one through five players on a team. She can guard every position and hold their best player to limited points." Coach Moore said Tatum has improved tremendously in the 2023-2024 girls basketball season. "She is right on track to be an important player for Roxana in the future," she said. "We are now starting three sophomores and Tatum is the key to a lot of our game plans." Again, congrats to Tatu

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EDWARDSVILLE - During their meeting on Jan. 17, 2024, the Madison County Board voted to approve a $3M project to build a sally port/intake portal at the Madison County Jail. The Central Services Committee and Finance and Government Operations Committee presented a resolution to award a contract for an addition at the Madison County Jail for the Madison County Facilities Management Department. Later in the meeting, the Board also approved an emergency appropriation of $1,649,207 from the Capital Projects Fund to help fund the sally port/intake portal project. “I’d just like to say it’s a much-needed upgrade at the jail to upgrade the sally port for the safety of all the officers involved in just the overall operations of the jail,” said Dalton Gray, a member of the Finance and Government Operations Committee. “It’s an expensive project. I would like to have seen maybe a smaller price tag there. I think we all would’ve. That being said,

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor recognizing the sixth annual National Gun Violence Survivors Week. During his remarks, Durbin spoke about the horror of mass shootings and shared stories about the emotional and physical toll that gun violence has on communities in Illinois. “This week, we recognize the unbelievable toll of gun violence in America, and we offer our support to the survivors… No state or city is safe from the epidemic of gun violence,” said Durbin. Durbin referenced the impact of gun violence in Illinois, speaking about a mass shooting in Joliet, Illinois, earlier this week. “Just yesterday in Joliet, Illinois, less than an hour outside of Chicago, seven lives were taken within minutes by a shooter with a gun. Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said, ‘I’ve been a police officer for 29 years. This is the worst crime

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BLUE ISLAND — Governor JB Pritzker joined Unlimited Potential House (“UP House”) and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) today to announce the grand opening of UP House’s new campus and its transitional living facility, “Logan’s Place,” that offers housing, education, and support services for young women in the care of DCFS as they begin their journey toward independent living. “This is exactly the kind of facility — and organization — that young women in DCFS care deserve as they embark on a new chapter of their lives,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The funding the state is providing to UP House builds on DCFS’ critical work to add capacity throughout the system, work we will continue to prioritize, so every Illinois youth gets the support they need and deserve.” The new campus, located on the grounds of the former Mother of Sorrows Convent in Blue Island, will provide a safe

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ALTON - Marquette Catholic High School's boys captured the Gateway Metro Conference Boys Bowling Tournament, defeating Belleville Althoff, Metro East Lutheran, and Christ Our Rock Lutheran. Explorers’ junior Matthew Cain finished in second place individually with a 613 series and freshman Logan Sherman finished in third place with a 601 series. Marquette posted a score of 2791 or an average of 186.1, Althoff was second with a 2568 or an average of 171.2, Christ Our Rock had a 2526 for a 168.4 average and Metro East Lutheran had a score of 2427 for an average of 161.8. Corbin Barnard scored a 560 for the Explorers, Gavin Tinsley had a 523 and Davin Thompson posted a 494. The Explorers’ boys are Tucker’s Automotive Repair and Tire Male Athletes of the Month. The only two other area bowlers who placed were Joshua Field of Metro East Lutheran, who was sixth with a 576 score, and Christian Severs scored a 502 for the Knights for 10th place. Marquette boys bowling

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GODFREY - On Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, BraunAbility gifted Bright Tomorrows Learning Center with a children’s book series about the disability community. BraunAbility manufactures wheelchair-accessible vans and wheelchair lifts. Matt Contarino, who works for BraunAbility, presented the books to Bright Tomorrows and read a book about Ralph Braun, the founder of the company, to the pre-k class. “Teaching the kids about awareness and not being insecure or afraid of other people ,” said Patricia Dooley, the director of Bright Tomorrows. “It doesn’t matter what their disability is. There’s all different kinds. So getting the awareness and making the kids feel more comfortable, it’s very important.” Dooley noted that many of the kids know people who have physical or developmental disabilities. By reading about the disabilities, she hopes the kids will grow to be more understanding and comfortable around all people, including those in the

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BENTON – A federal jury convicted a Swansea man - Dan R. Waeckerle, Jr. - of sexually exploiting a minor. Waeckerle, 44, was a registered sex offender in St. Clair County. U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said: “I’m grateful for the law enforcement agencies who investigated this case and pursued justice for Waeckerle’s victim and prevented other children from his abuse." According to court documents, Waeckerle had sexually explicit conversations with a minor via text message in July 2021. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Waeckerle sent the minor a nude image, requested sexually explicit images from the minor, and discussed meeting the minor for sex. “We are thankful for the training and resources provided by our federal partners which have allowed our detectives to be extremely successful in investigating cases such as these,” said O’Fallon Police Captain Mike Mojzis. “We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our

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AMES, Iowa - More than 10,800 Iowa State University students have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the fall semester 2023 Dean's List. Students named to the Dean's List must earn a grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 scale while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded course work. The following area students were named to the fall semester 2023 Dean's List: Alton Jason Taylor Godi, 4, Mechanical Engineering Edwardsville Kurt Jacob Brase, 4, Agricultural Engineering John Henry Hilker, 4, Aerospace Engineering Mitchell H. Steinkuehler, 4, Mechanical Engineering Hamel William Reese Kirk, 4, Mechanical Engineering Ryan George Watts, 2, Psychology Jerseyville Chloe Michelle Kallal, 1, Event Management

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ALTON - Centerstone, a national leader in behavioral health care, will co-host, along with Illinois First Judicial Circuit, Heritage Behavioral Health and Kane County System of Care, the no-cost “The Belonging Need: Part 2” webinar on February 21 from 9-11 a.m. CT featuring advocate, speaker and former NFL player Gaelin Elmore. CEUs will be available. “The Belonging Need: Part 2” is geared toward youth-serving professionals, however everyone is welcome to attend. The purpose of this webinar is to develop intentional implementation of belonging, specifically: Why belonging is equally strategic implementation and cultural commitment Stories of already successful implementation Specific strategies for implementation Belonging is a vital component of human flourishing. However, youth who have experienced traumatic and adverse situations often lack a sense of belonging, which can hinder their relationships, development, and their future. Elmore believes tha

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EDWARDSVILLE - St. Louis favorite Spoonful Desserts has opened a second location in Edwardsville. Located in the same building as Poke Munch at 1063 IL-157 in Edwardsville, the Korean dessert café specializes in bingsu, bubble tea, coffee and taiyaki. Owner Monica Lee explained that the café aims to please everyone and give back to the community. “Spoonful is a Korean dessert café that welcomes anyone and everyone,” she said. “Our values are customer service, cleanliness and quality, and a big thing we strive to do is make the environment welcoming so that we take the intimidation factor out. The number of times you’ve walked into an Asian restaurant or even just a foreign food restaurant and you had no idea what to order and you kind of just made a fool of yourself because you just didn’t know, we tried to take out that intimidation factor and just kind of ‘translate’ what these desserts are.” Lee explained

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) along with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent the following letter to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urging the Bangladeshi government to end the persistent harassment of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus—and to end its pattern of abusing the justice system to target critics of the government more broadly. For more than a decade, Professor Yunus has faced more than 150 unsubstantiated cases brought against him in Bangladesh. The Senators wrote, “The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have noted irregularities in proceedings against him, including the most recent

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CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker, Nexamp, and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) joined local leaders and partners to announce that Chicago will serve as Nexamp’s second national headquarters. As the nation’s largest community solar provider, Nexamp’s expansion in Illinois will create 50 new jobs as part of more than $2 billion in planned investments in the state through its existing projects and development pipeline. “Illinois’s commitment to sustainable energy wouldn’t be possible without innovative companies like Nexamp—and their decision to open a Chicago headquarters underscores the role Illinois is playing in the national solar conversation,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As solar energy companies like Nexamp expand throughout the Midwest, we see a ripple effect of job creation and skills-building that, just like clean energy itself, will benefit communities and generations for years

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office made $1.33 billion in investment earnings from the state investment portfolio during 2023, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced today. Another $978.8 million in gross investment earnings was earned for cities, villages, school districts, counties and other units of government that take part in the highly rated Illinois Funds local government investment pool operated by the State Treasurer’s Office. “Every dollar we make through smart investing is a dollar that does not need to be raised in taxes for our cities, counties, and schools,” Treasurer Frerichs said. “That means they have more money for public safety, road maintenance, and teaching materials as well as other programs vital to communities across the state.” “We cannot solve all of the state’s challenges,” Treasurer Frerichs said, “but we can be part of the solution.” Treasurer Frerichs

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SPRINGFIELD - A new federal law that took effect on Jan. 1 will impact many Illinois small business owners and companies by requiring they report more information to the federal government, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced. The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) was enacted to establish and maintain a national registry of beneficial owners of entities that are otherwise not subject to disclosure regulations to prevent money laundering, corrupt financial institutions, and financial terrorism. The CTA will affect small businesses, corporations, or other domestic or foreign entities like LLPs or LLCs that file documents with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. Those businesses are now required to disclose the entity’s beneficial owners – individuals who own or control the company – to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau within the U.S. Treasury. The CTA defines beneficial owners as shareholders who own 25 percent

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EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal grand jury in East St. Louis returned a seven-count indictment charging eleven individuals in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of fentanyl, meth and cocaine in southern Illinois and across the country. Granite City individual is on the list. The indictment charges: Rogelio Martinez-Becerra, also known as “Rodrigo” or “Chaparro” (Shorty), 35, of St. Louis; Jose Manuel Garcia-Ramirez, also known as “Panzon” (Potbellied), 34, of Bakersfield, California; Ricardo Lopez, also known as “Ricardito”, 35, of St. Louis; Gustavo Torres-Yerena, also known as “Ojos verdes” (Green eyes), 60, of San Bernadino, California; Oscar Daniel Barajas-Lopez, also known as “Danny”, 21, of O’Fallon, Missouri; Jaime Barajas, 40, of O’Fallon, Missouri; Dary Axel Amaya-Gomez, also known as “Colombiano”, 31, of Bridgeton, Missouri; Deangelo Barnes, also known as “Lentes”

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ALTON - The recent NAACP Alton Branch Martin Luther King Ceremony was special on many accounts, from the keynote speaker to some of the area legends in attendance, but most notable was how President Leon Smallwood Bey and others involved some area youth in the event. Nine-year-old Myles Lacey stole the show with his vocal rendition of “Total Praise.” Myles was simply great, said the event’s master of ceremonies, Rosie Brown. “People loved him,” she said. “It was so impressive to have Myles and the other young people come out with their skills and portray their love for Dr. King.” Jyion Harrison said he felt great to be there and it was the first time he could be there for the annual NAACP King event. Harrison proudly read the following quote from Dr. King in the ceremony: “The measure of a man is not where he stands in comfort and convenience but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.” Tori Porter, president

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TROY - A man from Troy is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly possessing a stolen motor vehicle and attempting to elude a police officer on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, according to recent Madison County court filings. Matthew J. Delaney, 46, of Troy, was charged with unlawful possession of a motor vehicle and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer. According to court documents, Delaney possessed a 2010 Ford van with an Arizona registration number while “knowing it to have been stolen or converted.” According to a petition to deny his pretrial release, Delaney “was located in a vehicle that was reported stolen and fled members of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department when they attempted to apprehend him.” Delaney was reportedly speeding at 87 miles per hour in an area with a 55-mile-per-hour speed limit. He is also on parole for the offenses of Home Invasion and Aggravated Battery with a Firearm, along with other burglaries.

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