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The Conversation - Even as the COVID-19 pandemic persists, there’s hope that life will return to some level of normalcy in 2022. This includes more opportunities to meet new people and build friendships, a process that’s critical for mental and physical well-being . This does not, however, mean that everyone will take advantage of these new chances to connect. Even before fears of a virus compelled most people to stay physically distant, our research suggests that people were already keeping too much social distance from one another. In particular, our forthcoming behavioral science research suggests that people tend to be overly pessimistic about how conversations with new acquaintances will play out. Across a dozen experiments , participants consistently underestimated how much they would enjoy talking with strangers. This was especially true when we asked them to have the kinds of substantive conversations that actually foster friendships. Because of these mistaken

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ALTON - When you or someone in your family is injured or are feeling ill with symptoms of COVID-19 or other illnesses, deciding what type of medical care to seek is a decision you want to make quickly. But going straight to the emergency room may not be the best option. Urgent care clinic options , such as OSF PromptCare and OSF OnCall Urgent Care , which has walk-in clinics and virtual visits, may be a better choice for care. These care options are most appropriate if you’re experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and require testing. OSF also offers immediate connections through Clare, our digital assistant that can be found at osfhealthcare.org . Clare can assist in directing you to the proper level of care you need. “If you believe you have a life-threatening injury or illness, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room,” said Brandi Clark, vice president of On Demand Services at OSF HealthCare. “If you do not believe your concern is life threatening,

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EDWARDSVILLE – Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli is pleased to welcome veteran attorney Robert Bruegge to the firm. Bruegge will serve as of counsel for the firm, with his practice focusing primarily on business transactions, real estate, bankruptcy, estate planning and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to attending law school, Bruegge studied accounting at the University of Illinois in Champaign, IL. He then passed his CPA exam and became a Certified Public Accountant while attending the University of Houston Bates College of Law in Houston, Texas. Bruegge has practiced law for over 40 years. “Bob’s experience and knowledge of accounting has served him well throughout the years, and we are honored to have him join our debtor/creditor team with Joel Kunin, Sandy Tatoian and Steve Wallace,” said Mark Goldenberg, founder and managing partner of the firm. Bruegge served as Chapter 7 Trustee for the Southern District of Illinois for 16 years. In addition, he also

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ST. LOUIS - Five pet care startups from across the U.S. have been selected as the 2022 winners of the sixth annual Pet Care Innovation Prize powered by Purina. From a company giving dog breath a lasting mint aroma to a tool that helps pets communicate better with humans, the 2022 class of Pet Care Innovation Prize winners represents some of the latest and greatest products and service startups in the estimated $109 billion* pet care industry. The 2022 Pet Care Innovation Prize Winners are: Bright Planet Pet ( brightplanetpet.com ) Bloomington, Minnesota-based Bright Planet Pet makes 100% plant-based dog treats that taste and smell like real meat. Made from sustainable and all-natural ingredients, Bright Planet treats create up to 90% less carbon emissions and use 68% less water than comparable meat-based treats. For every bag sold, Bright Planet makes a donation to plant one tree. FluentPet ( https://fluent.pet/ ) San Diego, California-based FluentPet, Inc is the company

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URBANA – Whether you have a multi-row backyard vegetable plot or a patio with room for a few containers, now is the time to start planning for a successful gardening season. Over the past several years, there has been a surge of gardeners taking up the trowel for the first time to try their hand at growing fresh produce at home. Dig in with confidence this spring with Growing Great Vegetables, a five-week webinar series starting February 15 that will cover how to grow a vegetable garden from seed to harvest. Participants will check in during a weekly workshop covering a new topic, engage with University of Illinois Extension horticulture experts, and receive emails with even more research-based tips and factsheets. Growing Great Vegetables will be 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays from Feb. 15 to March 15. Sign up by Feb. 9 at go.illinois.edu/GrowingGreatVegetables . The cost to participate is $10. Sessions will be recorded and made available to registered participants if they cannot atten

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BETHALTO - The Madison County Coroner's Office pronounced a man deceased at the scene of a fatal crash in the 900 block of South Moreland Road in Bethalto on Friday. Bethalto Police and Fire Departments responded to the crash at 4:44 p.m. Friday. Bethalto Emergency Services were assisted by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the Rosewood Heights Fire Department during the investigation and care of those involved. The Bethalto Police Department said: "Preliminary information from witnesses indicate the accident occurred as a south-bound vehicle attempted to pass another vehicle on the curve and collided with a north-bound truck, in the northbound lane. The single male occupant of the southbound vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Madison County Coroner’s Office. "The two occupants of the north-bound truck were transported from the scene by ambulance for medical treatment at an area hospital." The crash is still under investigation, and the name

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ALTON - The Riverbender.com Community Center will again open its doors to 5th - 9th grade students for their Friday Night Open Play beginning February 4th, 2022 from 6:30 - 10:00 p.m. and each Friday forward. The Riverbender.com Community Center (RBCC) located at 200 W. 3rd Street in Alton has been closed due to the pandemic for nearly two years. The Board of Advisors have put many safety measures in place to ensure that children attending will be able to enjoy the facility with minimal concern. Number of attendees will be limited. We will be limiting the attendance at all of our events – a necessary step in following pandemic health guidelines. Limited tickets are available and a ll families are strongly advised to purchase tickets in advance each week so that the number of children in the facility can be monitored. Families can register and pre-purchase their tickets here: https://riverbendercommunitycenter.org/tickets Cleaning protocols will be implemented.

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Illinois American Water’s work to separate the Alton combined sewer system and install new sanitary sewers continues. Below is information about this week’s road closures – Jan. 31, 2022 Piasa Valley Area: 6th Street east of Alby Street is closed to George Street, with surface restoration work being completed as weather permits. Please drive carefully as some of the roadways are still rock surfaces. Alby Street is closed from 6th Street north towards 7th Street, with future closures north and east of Alby/7th Street. Brick pavement restoration is being completed around the south portion of Public Square. 7th Street east of the square to George Street is closed, with the next block east closing soon. Turner Tract Area: Danforth Street will be closing in the next week or two to all thru traffic to allow for sewer installation work. The alley south of McKinley east of Lincoln is back open to traffic, with pavement restoration happening as weather permits. Douglas Street

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ALTON - City Shapers is a community and economic development cohort that launched in September with leaders from all across Alton, including business owners, nonprofit leaders, city council members, and more. For the past four months, they have been studying the ways in which Alton has been addressing poverty and surveying the Alton public about their opinions. Friday morning, they announced their findings in a virtual meeting. The cohort has been working with The Lupton Center, a nonprofit training and consultancy firm based in Atlanta, to conduct this research. In total, 60 Alton residents who were members of the cohort conducted 21 word-on-the-street interviews. “Over the last four months, this cohort has really gotten into the grassroots of neighborhoods,” said Stacy Brungardt, a consultant with The Lupton Center. “They’ve been going around and interviewing people that are experiencing chronic material poverty in the city and asking them questions

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JERSEYVILLE - Germania Brew Haus will open its fourth location in Jerseyville at the beginning of March, and it will bring with it a range of festivities for its grand opening. Jared Brynildsen, co-owner of Germania Brew Haus with his wife Carolyn, said the grand opening will feature professional axe throwing and the reveal of some additional event and play areas. “We will host a grand opening party that will include Riverbend Axe Throwing’s mobile trailer and their very own top 25 (in the world) pro-Dan Brynildsen. We will also showcase the event center from WOW and the children’s play area that’ll allow parents to get much-needed down time,” Brynildsen said. Brynildsen said they’re looking forward to not only opening their biggest location yet, but also becoming a part of Jerseyville’s City Center downtown development. “This location is going to be our biggest and possibly best,” Brynildsen said. “Jerseyville

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Rotary Club honored Edwardsville High School student Benjamin Schardt with the Student of the Month Award for the month of December. Benjamin was nominated by his foreign language teacher, Christina House. Benjamin is a member of the National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, National English Honors Society, and German Honors Society. Impressively, he scored a perfect math score on his SAT. He also participates in the Edwardsville Band and has led the clarinets in winning the best section award for two years. Additionally, Benjamin is involved in the Edwardsville Peer Influence Club (EPIC) and a member of their council. Benjamin would like to attend the University of Chicago or the University of California – Berkley to pursue a degree in Economics and Analytical Math. The Edwardsville Rotary Club recognizes a student each month September through April. Each May, Edwardsville High School staff chooses one of the monthly winners to receive

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The St. Louis County Police announced today that a female victim in the January 12 shooting in the North County Precinct has died. St. Louis County Police said on January 24, 2022, the female victim succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at an area hospital. The victim has been identified as Latoyria Johnson, 33 years of age, of the 2900 block of Atlantic Park Avenue in St. Louis. The St. Louis County Police Department Crimes Against Persons detectives are continuing to investigate the homicide. At 7 p.m. on January 12, 2022, St. Louis County Police officers from the North County Precinct responded to a call for service for a shooting in the 2900 block of Atlantic Park Avenue. Responding officers located an adult male and an adult female suffering from apparent gunshot injuries. The male victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries while the female victim was transported with life-threatening injuries. The male victi

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EAST ST. LOUIS - East St. Louis Community Arts Access, a re-granting program run by the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation (JJKF) with funding from the Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA), awards grants to local cultural organizations and nonprofits offering arts programming. Schools and individual artists are also eligible for funding. This grants program seeks to provide East St. Louis residents with more opportunities to participate in quality visual, literary, and performing arts experiences. Through project-based funding, the program supports public engagement with, and access to, various arts disciplines, the creation of art, learning in the arts at all stages of life, and the integration of the arts into the fabric of community life. An East St. Louis Community Arts Access project may consist of one or more specific events or activities performed or presented to engage or benefit the residents of greater East St. Louis. The projects may be a new initiative or part of the applicant’s

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SPRINGFIELD – Hunters in Illinois harvested a statewide total of 683 wild turkeys during the 2021-2022 fall archery turkey season. The total compares with a statewide turkey harvest of 783 in 2020-2021 and a five-year average of 688 birds harvested. This season 24,768 permits were sold (excluding landowner permits) compared to 24,187 for the 2020-2021 season. The season dates were Oct. 1, 2021, through Jan. 16, 2022, and all 102 counties were open for hunting. Harvest consisted of 51% toms and 49% hens. The top five counties for fall archery wild turkey harvest this season were Madison (19), Jefferson (18), Schuyler (18), Franklin (16), and St. Clair (15). The table below includes the preliminary 2021-2022 county-by-county fall archery turkey harvest results with comparable totals for 2020-2021: County ’20-‘21 ’21-‘22 County 20-'21 21-'22 Adams 13 8 Livingston 1 2

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SPRINGFIELD –Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), Jerry Costello II, invites Illinois corn producers to provide comments on a proposed corn checkoff referendum at a public hearing on February 10, 2022. The Illinois Corn Marketing Board has proposed to enhance marketing and promotion of Illinois corn by increasing the checkoff amount by 1/4 cent per bushel. This would increase the current 5/8 cent voluntary checkoff rate to 7/8 cent per bushel. Growers would continue to have a right to refund. The public hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in the IDOA auditorium, located on the State Fairgrounds in the John R. Block Building, 801 E. Sangamon Avenue, Springfield, IL. Pursuant to public health guidelines, masks are required to be worn inside the building. Following the public hearing, the Illinois Corn Marketing Board will meet and review all comments presented. If, after reviewing the comments, the Illinois Corn Marketing Board approves the proposed amendment, IDO

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ALTON - Morse Home Improvement, a home improvement and remodeling business based in Alton, is celebrating a milestone anniversary of 60 years in business in 2022. The company has provided kitchen and bathroom remodeling, patio enclosures, awnings, entry doors, and other related services to the Madison, Jersey, and St. Clair County areas for decades. President Jay Lindley said founder Allen Morse started the company in 1962 before selling it to Lindley’s father in 1987. Under his father’s management, Lindley started working in the company warehouse before rising through the ranks and eventually becoming owner himself. “I started at Morse as the warehouse guy, and then I went to helping with contractors, and then I went into sales, so it was just kind of a natural progression - and I’m glad it went that way because now, I don’t ask anybody to do anything I haven’t done or wouldn’t do myself,” Lindley said. Lindley said the company’s

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CHICAGO - With thousands of Illinoisans missing out on the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and state Earned Tax Credit (EIC) each tax season, Governor JB Pritzker is reminding qualifying taxpayers to take advantage of these benefits. "The Earned Income Tax Credit is a huge benefit and puts thousands of dollars in the pockets of low to moderate income families each year,” Governor JB Pritzker said. “Even if an individual does not owe any taxes, they may still be eligible for the credit and receive critical funding that can be used for bills and necessities.” To be eligible for EITC, taxpayers must meet certain income and residency qualifications and file a tax return, even if they do not owe any tax or are not required to file. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recommends that all workers who earned around $57,414, or less learn about EITC eligibility and use the EITC Assistant to find out if they qualify. "A family's eligibility can change year to year,

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STAMFORD, CT – Charter Communications, Inc. today announced it will double its investment in Spectrum Scholars, the company’s college scholarship program for underrepresented students with financial need. Beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year, Charter will award scholarships to a new class of 20 rising college juniors annually instead of biennially, for a $400,000 total yearly commitment. Charter is currently accepting applications here from eligible students for the next class of Spectrum Scholars. “We launched Spectrum Scholars two years ago to support students representing the diverse communities we serve and to better develop our future workforce through career mentorship and internship opportunities,” said Paul Marchand, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Charter. “With our first class of Scholars set to graduate this spring, now is the perfect time to double down on our commitment and expand Spectrum Scholars to

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MATTOON — First Mid Bancshares, Inc. has appointed Gisele A. Marcus to the company’s board of directors, effective January 25th, 2022. Marcus will also serve on the board of directors of First Mid Bank & Trust, which is a subsidiary of the company. Marcus currently serves as a Professor of Practice at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where she focuses on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to prepare students with the tools and techniques for DEI in the workplace. Marcus also currently serves as the Vice President of Operations and Client Engagement at One Stone Development Company LLC, where she ensures operational efficiency and leads client development activities. A five-time General Manager, Marcus has led Profit and Loss for businesses within Fortune 250 companies, such as Johnson Controls, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and AT&T. Marcus has also held the role of Chief Operating Officer of the St. Louis Regional Chamber, one of the top ten revenue generating Chambers

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EAST ST. LOUIS – Over $200,000 in grant funding is coming to Madison and St. Clair Counties to enhance broadband accessibility for residents, thanks to support from State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) and State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D- Glen Carbon). “The pandemic showed the need for an increase in broadband services through economic opportunity, remote learning and health care services,” Belt said. “These grants will bring resources toward the health, growth and education of our community through expanded accessibility.” The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced funding for 22 projects in every region of the state. The money is part of the second round of Connect Illinois to improve the lives of families, farmers, businesses, community institutions and other Illinoisans who rely on high-speed broadband for everything from education to healthcare access. Charter Spectrum Bella Vista, Briars and Equus Lane in Madison

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