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EAST ALTON - A ribbon cutting was held for Joe's Pizza and Pasta in East Alton at its 17 Eastgate Plaza location. Joe's Pizza and Pasta's Corey McMahan said the staff is ready to serve the public and the signage is in place for the new business. The Riverbend Growth Association hosted the event at Joe's on Friday. "We love it here, and it has been going very smoothly so far," McMahan said. "We are excited to be here. We had a spot in Wood River and everything was going really well there, but the building there was old so we always wanted to keep our eyes open for any other locations in the near vicinity. When this came open we thought this location was perfect." The business is closed on Monday but is open Tuesday through Sunday and it serves lunch at 11 a.m. each day, except 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. For more information, check Joe's Pizza East Alton Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JoesEastGate or call (618) 216-2346.

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EAST ALTON - East Alton Fire Department was called to a report Monday morning of a large cloud of black smoke from a fire and when they arrived, a man who is known as part of the homeless population had a fire going with a large pile of debris. The fire was quickly extinguished, East Alton Fire Chief Tim Quigley said. Chief Quigley said prior to this call they were needed at a serious EMS call and the problem with these types of situations is it takes them away from necessary runs that often result in lives being saved. “I have been here three years, and we have had about a dozen of these calls,” he said. “It does often take us away from important EMS runs.”

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EDWARDSVILLE - Jackson Suhre, who competed in the 11-12 age group for Paddlers Swim Club in Granite City, had one of the biggest days for an individual swimmer at the 60th Southwestern Illinois Swimming Association championship meet July 17 at the Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center at Edwardsville High School. Suhre won his three individual events - the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard individual medley and the 50-yard butterfly - along with a second with his team in the 200-yard freestyle relay and a third in the 100-yard medley relay in helping the Pirates finish third in the meet. Suhre is a Stillwater Senior Living Male Athlete of the Month for Granite City. In an interview conducted after one of his races, Suhre felt he had swam well, but also knew that he can improve in other aspects in his form. "I think I'm doing pretty well," Suhre said. "I could have done some things better, but it's always nice to come up here and have a good time." During the regular SWISA season, Suhre broke

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EDWARDSVILLE - Madelyn Pamatot, who swam this season in the 13-14 age group for Paddlers Swim Club in Granite City, had a good SWISA Championships meet, gaining two thirds and a fourth for the Pirates, along with a pair of second-place finishes in relay races. The Paddlers placed third overall and also third in the girls' meet at the 60th annual Southwestern Illinois Swimming Association championship meet on July 17th at the Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center at Edwardsville High School. Pamatot thought her overall season was a good one, and she felt that she swam a good meet for the Pirates at SWISA. "Well, I've done OK," Pamatot said. "I've placed in all my events so far, so I've got two." Madelyn is the Stillwater Senior Living Female Athlete of the Month for Granite City. Placing at the top, where points are greatest, is always important for how the team scores add up during the meet. "Yes, it is," Pamatot said. "It's important for the team, so we can do our best." The championship

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JERSEY COUNTY - A 26-year-old Lebanon man died in a fatal motorcycle accident on Illinois Route 100, approximately 1 mile north of Mills Street in Elsah at 11:15 p.m. Saturday, July 23, 2022. Illinois State Police District 18 released the accident information Sunday afternoon. The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police: VEHICLE: Unit 1- 2012 Black Yamaha Motorcycle. DRIVER : Unit 1- Dustin Brown, a 26-year-old male from Lebanon, IL - Deceased. PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling south on Illinois 100 approximately 1 mile north of Mill Street in Elsah, Jersey County. Unit 1 left the roadway to the right and struck a guardrail. Unit 1 then crossed the road before coming to rest in the left ditch. The driver of Unit 1 was pronounced deceased on scene.

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See Photo Gallery: Photos in article and gallery may be purchased for personal use at: https://www.randymanning.com/Alton-Football-Practice ALTON - Alton Redbirds quarterback Graham McAfoos and running back Keith Gilchrese have emerged as strong leaders for the team over the summer of 2022. Graham and Keith will be keys to this year's Alton fall football success. The pair both believe Redbird football will be different in 2022 than the 2021 season. Graham and Keith are Auto Butler Alton High School Male Athletes of the Month. "In the past, Alton Redbird football has been very special to the community," Graham said. "We have a new coaching staff (led by Coach David Parker) that are bringing a different effort and ways to put in the effort. I think they are making some changes and I think we will be a different team this fall." "I think there is a different energy that appeals to the guys a lot of the guys who are a little younger and gives them inspiration," the quarterback

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EDWARDSVILLE - Owen Gruben, who swam the 2022 Southwestern Illinois Swimming Association season for the Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, had a very good SWISA Championship meet on July 17 at Edwardsville High School's Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center, placing second in three events, which was among the best performances for the Stingrays at the meet. In an interview conducted during the meet, Gruben also felt he was performing well and looked forward to what was to come later on in the meet. "I've done fairly well," Gruben said. "I've got second in two events so far, I've got one left. It's going pretty well, I think I'm going get third place high points, so that would be a nice finish for the year." Gruben enjoys the summer swimming season very much, with its great competition while everyone is very friendly with a relaxed atmosphere. "Yeah, the summer season's always great," Gruben said. "I like it a lot out here. Great competition, everyone's always fun to race against and

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EDWARDSVILLE - Karis Chen enjoyed a very good Southwestern Illinois Swimming Association championship meet July 17 at Edwardsville High School's Chuck Fruit Aquatic Center, winning the 100-yard breaststroke, while also placing second and third in two other races in helping the Marlins win both the girls and overall championships in the meet. Chen also felt she did well in her races, swimming a pair of best times in her races and helping the team do well. "It was a good meet," she said. Chen felt she had a good summer season, moving up an age group to compete in the 15-18 division and was able to hold her own against new competition. "I think it's been a pretty good season," Chen said. "I just aged up, it's the 15-18 age group, so new people, but it's been pretty good." Chen also swims for Edwardsville High during the high school season, and she feels the summer season will help her prepare for the much more competitive high school season. "Definitely," Chen said. "I have been going

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HIGHLAND - The Madison County Fair is bringing carnival rides, fair food, arena events and more to the Madison County Fairgrounds in Highland from Tuesday, July 26 - Sunday, July 31. Here’s a rundown of the fair week schedule to help plan your visit accordingly! Carnival rides will be open every night of the fair from 5 p.m. - 11 p.m., except on Saturday when they will be open from 2 p.m. - 11:30 p.m and on Sunday, when rides will be buy-one-get-one with a food drive donation of at least two items from 12-3 p.m. Carnival armbands will be available for $20 each during the times the rides are open, except on Saturday when they will be half-price at $10 from 2-5 p.m. Festivities will kick off on Tuesday morning with two livestock shows: a 4-H Bottle Calf Show at 9 a.m., followed by a 4-H Dairy Show at 10 a.m. Tuesday is also Senior Citizen Day, when seniors (65+) can get half-price parking until 5 p.m. with valid ID (the full price of parking is $5 per day, or $15 for a fair wee

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY - A 59-year-old Witt man died in a fatal crash on Illinois Route 16 approximately a quarter mile south of South 5th Street in Witt in Montgomery County at 7:25 p.m. on Friday, July 22, 2022. The driver in the accident - 34-year-old male Daniel Adams of Gillespie - was also transported from the scene to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The 59-year-old was the passenger in the single-vehicle accident. The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 18: VEHICLE: Unit 1- 2016 Black Dodge Van. PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling west on Illinois Route 16 approximately ¼ mile southwest of 5 th Street in Witt, Montgomery County. Unit 1 left the road to the right, and struck an embankment and a tree. The passenger of Unit 1 was pronounced deceased on scene. The driver of Unit 1 was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County officials want to inform visitors of upcoming changes for access to the parking lot behind Administration Building in downtown Edwardsville. Starting Monday, the southern entrance to the parking lot behind the Administration Building on Second Street will be closed and the northern entrance opened (shown in green on map) for vehicles and pedestrians to cross during continued constriction. Keller Construction plans to complete the sidewalk on the West side of Second Street (shown in red), then switch foot traffic to the east side once they complete the western side. Please continue to look for “Pedestrian Crosswalk” signs for current crosswalk location(s). Construction along Second Street from St. Louis to High Street started in mid-April. Work is expected to continue through mid-August. Visit the county’s website at madisoncountyil.gov for continued up-to-date information.

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ALTON - Hayden Garner is one of the leaders of the Alton Post 126 Senior Legion baseball team that has helped the team make a state tournament appearance. On the night he was interviewed, Alton beat Highland in a best-of-three series. The Legionnaires won the first game by a score of 9-0 and game two by 11-0. Garner pitched the second game going all five innings. He picked up three strikeouts and only allowed a single hit. He mentioned that he'd been struggling with his curveball recently, but it was on last night and so was his fastball. Hayden is a Tucker's Automotive Repair & Tire Male Athlete of Month for Marquette. He added that it's much easier going out on the mound when your team is up by so many runs and said that there wasn't much pressure going into these couple of games against Highland. The funny part about Hayden being on this summer Legion team is that he plays on it mainly with players from the cross-town rival Alton High kids. Alton Post 126 Sr. is made up of

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JERSEY COUNTY - Jersey County Sheriff Mike Ringhausen confirmed a fatality in a motorcycle accident at Illinois Route 100 between Chautauqua and Elsah on the bluff side late Saturday night. Sheriff Ringhausen said the Illinois State Police was called in for accident reconstruction and is the lead on the crash and will release more information. The Jersey County Sheriff’s Office and ISP worked the scene and the Jersey County Coroner was called to investigate the fatality. More to come from Illinois State Police.

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ALTON - This is a weekly update on Illinois American Water’s work to separate the Alton combined sewer system and install new sanitary sewers. This was released by Illinois American Water on July 25, 2022. Piasa Valley Area : 9th Street is still closed Alton Street east to George Street. 10th Street between Alton Street and George Street is back open. The sewer installation work on State Street and Grand Avenue is completed. All roads are now open in this area. Road Closures US Route 67 (Piasa Street) will be closed from 20th Street/College Avenue south to 3rd Street . Posted detour routes were in place starting on July 5th. This closure will last roughly one month to allow for sanitary sewer and water main installation work to be completed. This means by an estimated Aug. 5, 2022, this work should be complete, but it is weather dependent. The intersection at 10th Street and US Route 67 (Piasa Street) will remain open to facilitate traffic flow in and around

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GODFREY – Bemis Tupman Chiropractic has been selected as the July 2022 RiverBend Growth Association Small Business of the Month award recipient. Located at 4105 Humbert Road, Suite 102, in Alton, the business formerly known as Dr. Frank C. Bemis and Associates changed its moniker after Frank’s daughter Kristina Bemis and her husband Stephen Tupman bought the practice in December 2019. With their purchase, the practice today is known as Bemis Tupman Chiropractic. “We purchased the practice in December 2019, and the shutdown began three months later, in March 2020,” said Dr. Kristina. “While our doors never closed, our practice suffered a loss as many of our wellness and elderly patients paused on their regular care for a period of time.” And while the name of the practice has been the most visible change to date, perhaps along with its fresh paint job throughout the entire interior, Dr. Kristina further shared that the duo has “big dreams”

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(EDITOR'S NOTE: This letter writer has asked to remain anonymous, but he wanted to share his story of Chris, who was found deceased this week in the First Presbyterian Church parking lot. Riverbender.com continues with another story about Chris on Saturday). Someone we all knew died this week, although you may not have known her name. If you lived in the Riverbend area, I’m certain that you walked or drove by her many times over the past 30 years, but whether you truly saw her may be in doubt. For years, I didn’t see her either. Yet we all knew her as the woman with the artificial leg that limped through town pushing the baby carriage carrying all her possessions. You may have given her money, or you may have given her grief. I suspect that, like all of us, she deserved both at varying times. I want you to know this: Her name was Chris, and she was my friend. On Monday morning, Chris showed me a discarded curtain that she had found and remarked on how beautiful it was

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WILLIAMSON COUNTY - Illinois State Police is investigating a three-vehicle fatal crash at Illinois Route 37, just south of Kellville Road in Williamson County at 9:45 a.m. on July 20, 2022. This is the preliminary information being released by Illinois State Police District 13: WHAT: Three-Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash WHERE: Illinois Route 37, just south of Kellville Road, Williamson County WHEN: July 20, 2022 at approximately 9:14 a.m. VEHICLES: Unit 1 – 2012 White IsuzuTruck Unit 2 – 2006 White Freightliner Truck-Tractor Semi-Trailer Combination Unit 3 – 1985 Blue International Truck-Tractor Semi-Trailer Combination DRIVERS : Unit 1 – Charles M. Hedges, 70-year-old male from Carterville, IL – Deceased. Unit 2 – Darwin E. Titzer, 62-year-old male from Mill Shoals, IL Unit 3 – Monty D. Millenbine, 65-year-old male from Mill Shoals, IL – Flown to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. PASSENGER: Unit

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CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) today issued 149 Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses to applicants selected in three lotteries held in the summer of 2021. All businesses qualify as Social Equity Applicants under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. The list of today’s awardees and the next steps for the conditional license period are available on the IDFPR’s Adult Use Cannabis webpage . Of the businesses selected through the lottery, 41% are majority Black-owned, 7% are majority White-owned, and 4% are majority Latino-owned, while 38% of awardees did not disclose the race of their owners. To date, Illinois has made and executed the greatest commitment of adult-use cannabis tax revenue to community reinvestment, expunged the most criminal history records involving cannabis, and has the highest rate of minority ownership of any state reporting/collecting ownership demographic

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EAST ST. LOUIS - Beginning in School Year 2022-2023, high school students at East St. Louis School District 189 will not be required to wear a school uniform, as they have for a number of years. Rather, students in grades 9-12 must simply abide by a dress code that continues to align with the district’s board policy and current guidance from the Illinois Principals Association. “The dress code will allow students more flexibility,” noted Superintendent Arthur R. Culver. “In the past, high school students were required to wear a polo shirt in a specific color, indicating their grade band.” The change is occurring based on feedback received from students, parents, and the community requesting more flexibility. “Students have been advocating for greater uniform flexibility for some time,” said Sydney Stigge-Kaufman, Executive Director of Communications. In particular, members of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council have

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GODFREY - Beverly Farm is thrilled to announce Kathleen Gastler, a resident at the 125-year-old home for adults with developmental disabilities, has won one gold and two silver medals in Bocce for Team Illinois at the Special Olympics USA Games. More than 5,500 athletes and coaches from all over the US and the Caribbean participated in the USA Games, held June 5-11 in Orlando, FL. Gastler won a gold medal in Ladies Singles Bocce. She also earned two silver medals: one in Ladies Doubles Bocce with partner Karyn Mrotek from Palos Heights, IL, and one in Team Bocce with her Team Illinois partners that again included Mrotek, as well as Kenny Ogden and Frank Kajdanowski. Ogden and Kajdanowski are both from Chicago. Gastler is originally from Martinsburg, Missouri. She has been a Beverly Farm resident since 2011 and currently lives in a group home setting on the Farm’s beautiful campus in Godfrey, IL. She has been playing bocce for 10 years. “I was excited to represent Beverly

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