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ST. LOUIS — Big Muddy Adventures (BMA) is excited to announce the opening of a boat rental operation at Simpson Lake, located at 1234 Marshall Road in Valley Park, MO. Starting this weekend, the public will be able to rent kayaks, canoes, and stand-up-paddleboards (SUPs) at the 72-acre lake, which is located in Simpson Park. “Simpson Lake is an untapped, yet integral part of St. Louis’ paddling scene. We’re excited to get the opportunity to help more people explore this natural beauty located right in the heart of St. Louis County,” said Roo Yawitz, owner of BMA. This isn’t the first foray into the rental business for Big Muddy Adventures. BMA has been the exclusive rental operator at the Boathouse in Forest Park since 2018. Since that time, Big Muddy Adventures at the Boathouse has replaced and updated the boat rental fleet, introduced bicycle rentals and hosted numerous special events and instructional classes including SUP Yoga, Moonlight Picnics

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ALTON - Bright Hope Chapter No. 85 Order of the Eastern Stars of Alton, IL., Prince Hall Affiliated will be celebrating its 100 th Year Anniversary at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 7, 2022. This celebration will be held at the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 2621 Amelia Street, Alton, where the host Pastor is Reverend John Buford. The speaker will be Pastor Donald Tolbert of the Church of the Living God, Alton. The public is invited. There will be a fellowship dinner afterward. For more information please contact Worthy Matron Maxine Caldwell at 618-795-5786 or Past Worthy Matron Rosie Brown at 618-580-2394.

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ALTON - From 9 a.m to 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 30th, the Alton Athletic Association will be hosting the 1st annual Redbird Amazing Race. It costs $100 to make a team of five athletes to participate in the race. Teams will need a driver to get from place to place. The driver can be either a student or parent with a valid driver's license. Lunch and a T-Shirt will be included in the cost. Teams will visit 10 locations around town and complete a task at each one. Everything begins and ends at Piasa Motor Fuels Field, the soccer/baseball complex behind Alton High School. As Amy Lombardi explained it, the event is less of a race ad more of a scavenger hunt. The teams will receive riddles and search for clues that help guide them to the next location where they'll have to complete a task. They currently have 10 teams participating, but were hoping for a few more. They're already talking about next year's event to be around summertime and are hoping that after this year's publicity th

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CHICAGO - The Mega Millions jackpot is now an incredible $1.025 billion for the next drawing on Friday night. While the jackpot rolled in last night's Mega Millions drawing, an Illinois Lottery player woke up this morning as a millionaire after matching all five numbers. The $1 million winning ticket was bought at JM Food Shop at 11200 N IL Route 47, Huntley, IL 60142. The Illinois Lottery encourages all winners to write their name on the back of their ticket and make an appointment at a claim center to claim their prize. For more information on how to claim a lottery prize, visit Illinois.Lottery/winning Only three jackpots over $1 billion have ever been won in the U.S. A $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot was won by three tickets bought in California, Florida, and Tennessee in 2016 A $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot was won by a ticket bought in South Carolina in 2018 A $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot was won by a ticket in Michigan in 2021. The next Mega Millions

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Fire and Police Departments and the Illinois Department of Transportation both issued warnings today to motorists about flash flood conditions. Tuesday morning, the entire region was belted with multiple inches of rain, creating massive flash floods and traffic issues. St. Peters, Mo., received 12.34 inches of rain in a short period of time and Granite City even received 8.5 inches, the tops on this side of the river. IDOT says do not drive in flooded areas. If a road is covered by water that seems shallow to cross do not attempt to do so. If your car stalls, do not attempt to push it out, seek higher ground. IDOT also says to take it slow when approaching intersections, off-ramps and bridges in flash flood conditions. IDOT said the best approach is just to stay off the roads until they clear during these types of situations. Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford reminded people to be careful during heavy rainfall and there is an old saying that i

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ST. LOUIS - Many area residents are frequent riders on the MetroLink system. As of July 27, the lines are very disrupted due to the massive thunderstorm that ripped through the St. Louis area on Tuesday. This is the status of service as of July 27: MetroLink is only operating between the Central West End & Shiloh-Scott Stations on the Red Line (20-minute frequency), and between the Shrewsbury & University City-Big Bend Stations on the Blue Line (40-minute frequency). MetroLink Station Shuttles are transporting passengers by bus between Lambert Airport and Central West End Stations and between University City-Big Bend and Central West End Stations. Riders traveling through these areas should expect delays of up to 60 minutes for the bus shuttles. MetroLink riders traveling through the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County are encouraged to seek alternative transportation options until further notice. Airport Riders: To access the station shuttles, you will need to be at the

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COLLINSVILLE – Ameren Illinois collaborated with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to provide $12 million to help income-qualified customers pay their energy bills through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Summer Supplemental Benefit program. The LIHEAP Summer Supplemental Benefit Program provides additional relief to aid LIHEAP customers impacted by higher power supply prices. Inflation and supply constraints have led to an energy shortage and the resulting supply cost increases have caused monthly bill amounts to increase significantly over last year. Ameren Illinois does not profit from energy supply; power is purchased by an Illinois state agency and the costs are passed directly to customers, dollar-for-dollar. Households who received a benefit through the state-administered LIHEAP program between Sept. 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, and whose original LIHEAP benefit account is still active with Ameren Illinois during the

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Fire Department responded to a report of a tree that fell on a home on McKinley after the heavy thunderstorm on Tuesday, but once they arrived, they determined it was on private property. Homeowners then had to tend to the situation. Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said thankfully, that it appeared that damage was not major to the house. He said tree limb break may have been caused by a gust of wind or external weight, but at the present time, the cause was not known. The fire chief said Edwardsville was “pretty lucky” overall during Tuesday’s thunderstorm because there were no water rescues or flooding that he is aware of in the community.

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EDWARDSVILLE – Participation in competitive online gaming has become increasingly popular, with opportunities for building community with other players and showcasing gaming skills nationwide. SIUE’s Esports team is gradually making its mark in the industry, most recently finishing in the top five overall during the collegiate Call of Duty (CCL) spring season. The team went undefeated in the main portion of the CCL league consisting of 205 teams. Subsequently, the team progressed to a bracket of 60 teams which would later participate in a playoff of 32 teams. Eight teams proceeded to the final, represented in-person at Columbus, Ohio. SIUE Esports team members who traveled to Columbus included Ryan Pree, Drevin Day, Mohammad Khan and Michael Simpson. “I was proud as ever when our team finished in the top four among many strong programs,” said Wilke, of St. Rose, president and manager of the SIUE Esports Club. “We started the Call of Duty portion of

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GODFREY - It isn’t beginning to look a lot like Christmas yet, but one local auto shop is getting a head start on the festivities this year while supporting a charitable cause. Freer Auto Body in Godfrey is hosting their 14th annual “Christmas in July” fundraiser this Friday to support Community Christmas, an organization helping local families in need this holiday season. This year’s Christmas in July will be held this Friday, July 29 from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Freer Auto Body, located at 4512 N. Alby St. in Godfrey. For a cash donation, attendees can enjoy Sloppy Joes, chips and a cold drink. Several valuable prizes will be given away in a raffle and tickets are $10 each. Prizes include a $2,500 Apple Vacations gift card, a seven-night stay in a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom condo in Panama City Beach, $2,500 cash, a four-night stay in a Tan-Tar-A Estates resort home in the Lake of the Ozarks and four St. Louis Cardinal Green Seats. Freer Auto Body Secretary

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MARYVILLE – Illinois will institute a 10-day tax holiday on school supplies, and working families can expect to have reduced shopping costs ahead of the upcoming academic year, State Senator Kris Tharp announced. “As a nod to our working parents, guardians and teachers in Illinois, lowering the tax rate on school supplies reduces a burden when preparing students and classrooms for the academic year,” said Tharp (D-Bethalto). “By instituting a tax holiday, Illinois can help relieve families and educators of some financial costs in order to ensure students have the tools to be successful in the upcoming school year.” The law lowers the state tax rate on school supplies, eligible clothes and footwear from 6.25% down to 1.25% for 10 days from Aug. 5 to Aug. 14, 2022. “By lowering the tax rate to be competitive with neighboring states, we can give residents one more reason to shop local,” Tharp said. “We need to be doing all we can to support

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ST. LOUIS - Popular singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes was supposed to be playing a show in St. Louis coming up. That was until he took to his Instagram and announced that he is going to cancel the remainder of his 'Wonder: World Tour.' The St. Louis date on July 16 was originally postponed before Mendes announced the cancellation of all his tour dates. Below is the statement he made on Instagram: Ticket refund info: The Shawn Mendes concert, originally scheduled for July 16, has now been canceled. For tickets purchased through Ticketmaster, a refund will automatically be issued. For all other refunds, please contact the original point of purchase.

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GRANITE CITY - Cedarhurst of Granite City hosted a ribbon cutting this past week with solid attendance to showcase its 24 new memory care units with its 72 assisted living apartments. The Dover Companies CFO Stephen Wertman was in attendance and spoke, Granite City Mayor Mike Parkinson also was present and Dover Companies CEO Joshua Jennings also attended. Cedarhurst is the operating arm of St. Louis-based Dover Companies, an integrated builder, owner, acquirer, and management firm. Executive Director Cindy Woods also provided a dynamic greeting to those in attendance. These are some facts about Cedarhurst: Cedarhurst of Granite City has been open since 2019. Cedarhurst of Granite City is now officially among the 40 of 54 Cedarhurst communities that offer memory care. Cedarhurst has four communities in the Metro East (Troy, Bethalto, Granite City and Highland), and a dozen in the St Louis Metro area. "We are thrilled to officially unveil the work we have put into making Cedarhurst

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BELLEVILLE - The Belleville Area Humane Society (BAHS) is so very grateful for their community. Yesterday as the waters rose around Belleville Area Humane Society and St. Clair County Animal Adoption Center and Animal Services (SCCAC), THE COMMUNITY SHOWED UP. The evacuation at the Adoption Center and Animal Services building started there at 6am. Over 40 animals were transported to safety by The Public Building Commission, the police and fire departments, Belleville Area Humane Society , Gateway Pet Guardians , Stray Rescue of St. Louis , Helping Strays of Monroe County , Partners 4 Pets , St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency , St Clair County Highway Department , Bi-State Pet Food Pantry , Helping Hounds Dog Training , Robert Trentman , Shelly Tribout-Korves and Jack Korves , Jamie Anderson Case , Mark Kern . Countless neighbors stopped by to help when their own houses were flooding, and the community dropped off supplies, snacks, and good cheer. BAHS Executive

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ST. LOUIS, MO – Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants , a lifestyle brand centered around food and wine, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, July 5, to celebrate the grand opening of its new location in St. Peters, MO, at 5300 N Service Rd. This is the company’s 3rd location in Missouri and 50th in the country. Mayor Len Pagano and representatives of the St. Charles Regional Chamber were in attendance. After the ceremony, guests took a tour, had sparkling wine, and met with the team. Senior Marketing Specialist Erin Vainer, Senior Area Culinary Manager Edmund Vogel, Area Director Ryan Fitzpatrick, and General Manager Alysia Gonzalez were there to answer questions. Cooper’s Hawk combines a casual dining restaurant, full-service bar, private dining room, Napa-style tasting room, and artisanal retail market. Its contemporary American menu, created by Executive Chef Matt McMillin, has 100+ items that each pair with a wine, labeled on the menu by its bin number

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MADISON - This is my eleventh update to the citizens of the 111 th district, as your State Representative. The summer has been busy with events, meetings and advocacy for constituents. Each day my office staff and I work on a wide variety of constituent services, policy issues, and pressing topics that affect peoples’ lives and livelihoods. Therefore, the job is always engaging and interesting and there is never a dull moment. I’m often popping in and out of the office as I frequently go to meetings off-site. I love being able to meet with groups, businesses, and non-profits in their offices so that I’m out and about in the community as much as possible. One memorable event I attended over the last couple of months was the Madison County Drug Court graduation. It is so inspiring to hear the difficult steps each graduate took to gain their lives and freedom back, and the impact it had on their entire family, especially those with children. The trajectory of the graduates’

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ST. LOUIS - If there’s one message Logan Hernandez, 20, of O’Fallon, Ill., wants to share with other kids his age who may receive a cancer diagnosis, it’s this: “Be grateful and focus on the good in your life, because life is precious – don’t take anything for granted.” Logan was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, at the age of 17 – only a few months before the COVID pandemic began in the U.S. According to AACR (American Association for Cancer Research), approximately 3,900 cases of bone and joint cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2022. This is why Logan wants to help spread awareness for Sarcoma Awareness Month . “This shouldn’t happen to children or young adults,” Logan said. Before Logan was diagnosed, he had been preparing “his entire life” to join the Air Force. Being the son of military parents, it had always been his lifelong dream to be a pilot in the Air Force,

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism hearing entitled “Decriminalizing Cannabis at the Federal Level: Necessary Steps to Address Past Harms.” Durbin first commended Weldon Angelos, President and Co-Founder of The Weldon Project, for sharing his experience as someone who has been personally impacted by the “war on drugs,” and for his continued advocacy for criminal justice reform. Mr. Angelos was serving 55 years in federal prison for three counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and various charges related to marijuana trafficking. He was released on May 31, 2016, after a federal court granted him a reduction in sentence. Mr. Angelos’ sentence was so extreme that his judge, unable to go below the mandatory minimum, called on then-President Obama

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tina Smith (D-MN) requested answers from Fidelity Investments on their decision to allow 401(k) plan sponsors to offer plan participants exposure to Bitcoin, a highly volatile and unregulated digital asset. Fidelity is one of the largest 401(k) providers with around 40 million individual investors and around $11.3 trillion in assets under administration. The letter said in part, “we write today to ask why Fidelity, a trusted name in the retirement industry, would allow plan sponsors the ability to offer plan participants exposure to Bitcoin. While plan sponsors ultimately are responsible for choosing the investments available to participants, it seems ill­ advised for one of the leading names in the world of finance to endorse the use of such a volatile, illiquid, and speculative asset in 401(k) plans-which are supposed to be retirement savings vehicles defined b

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WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Department of Transportation (DOT) officially launched the All Stations Accessibility Program —an initiative that Duckworth led the charge to include in the recent Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and that will provide $1.75 billion over the next five years to help build the ramps, install the elevators and make another improvements to ensure that America’s public transportation system is actually, finally usable for those with disabilities. “When the ADA was signed 32 years ago, it was supposed to consign ableism to the history books—yet we still have a long way to go to ensure that every corner of this country is actually, truly and fully accessible for the 61 million of us living with a disability. I was proud to lead the effort to include the A SAP Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and I’m thrilled that the DOT is making ASAP funding available to transi

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