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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that applications are now being accepted for a competitive grant program that aims to expand safe, equitable access to public transportation throughout the state. Selected projects will feature transit opportunities while furthering the goals of IDOT’s Illinois Long-Range Transportation Plan . The grants will fund studies on planning and preliminary engineering issues regarding public multimodal, intermodal and non-motorized transportation. Previously chosen projects focused on topics ranging from bus-on-shoulder travel to transit equity, trails and bikeways, transit system expansion, travel behavior of people with disabilities and transportation for veterans. The program’s total funding is $2.5 million, with awards averaging $200,000 and requiring a 20% non-federal match. Applicants can request IDOT provide this match, particularly if the study benefits a historically disadvantaged community.

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EAST ALTON - United Way’s Illinois Region will host its annual Power of the Purse event on Thursday, April 27 to help local people. The event will begin at 5:00 p.m. at Lewis and Clark Community College – N.O. Nelson Campus, 600 Troy Road, Edwardsville, IL, 62025. Those in attendance will enjoy appetizers from Bella Milano, a cash bar, silent and live purse, and accessory auction, and a showcase of designer handbags highlighted by local community leaders and United Way-funded agencies. Admission is $35 per person, and additional sponsorship opportunities are also available. All proceeds will help local people through the 9 Illinois counties served by United Way of Greater St. Louis. To purchase tickets or become a sponsor, visit Helpingpeople.org/purse or contact Millie Bond at 618-258-9800. Some of the high-end live auction handbags that will be up for bid include items from Kate Spade, Nanette Lepore, Michael Kors, Dooney & Burke, Coach, Brahmin, Tory Birch,

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State Representative Amy Elik (R-Alton) passed several bills out of the Illinois House of Representatives during the first half of the legislative session so far this year. Rep. Amy Elik’s legislative proposals include addressing the teacher shortage, improving background checks on contractors providing transportation for foster children, and honoring Constitution Day in the state. With nearly 3,000 teaching positions left unfilled as of February 2023, State Representative Amy Elik’s legislation (House Bill 1297) would allow a private school teacher or administrator the option to purchase up to 2 years of service credit if a teacher completed at least 10 years of service as a teacher. “With the ongoing teacher shortage in our state, this is another incentive to encourage former teachers to come back to teach in our schools,” said Rep. Elik. “With almost 3,000 educator positions unfilled, the legislature needs to continue to find ways to help recruit mor

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JERSEYVILLE - The Unified Child Advocacy Network, a local organization which assists child victims of abuse, is hosting an Open House this Friday, April 14 from 1 to 4 p.m. to debut their new office at 101 N. State Street in Jerseyville to the public. “Unified Child Advocacy Network (UCAN) is an organization which was developed to bring together a community effort to ensure the safety and well being of our children,” said Melissa Dandino with the organization. “Our mission is to serve, protect and advocate for children affected by sexual and serious physical abuse, and to educate the community about child abuse.” UCAN conducts forensic interviews with children to allow them to tell their story one time in a comfortable environment, for those interviews to be used in investigating their case of abuse. At the Open House, attendees will be able to tour the interview room as well as the rest of the new office space, and meet the UCAN staff. Food and drink

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ALTON - Karen Wilson with Pride, Inc. made a public comment at last night’s Alton City Council meeting raising concerns about the increasing traffic accidents and diminishing condition of the historic State House Square landmark in Alton, which is technically a circle currently functioning as a roundabout. “It’s a very historic place - and as you all know, it’s a source of pride for the city,” Wilson said. “It’s a focal point. It’s an entryway to our city for visitors to the hospital or those entering the city from Martin Luther King Boulevard. We give directions based on it … most importantly, it’s a very important historical location.” Wilson also expressed a need for enhanced traffic safety measures around the square, citing an “ever-increasing number” of accidents in the area. “That circle has seen an ever-increasing number of traffic incidents that have caused damage to the circle,”

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PIASA - After an exciting, back-and-forth game against the Marquette Explorers Wednesday afternoon, the Piasa Birds came out with an 11-8 win. Lots of good things happened offensively for the team, but it was sophomore pitcher Ian Brantley who left with the game ball. Brantley made his first career start on the mound and threw the first four frames. While he wasn't awarded the win, that would go to Quinten Strohbeck who came in to relieve him, Brantley still had an impressive outing against a "very good hitting" Marquette team according to Southwestern head coach Brian Hanslow. For the achievement, Ian Brantley is an Altonized Federal Credit Union Athlete of the Month for Piasa Southwestern. Brantley wouldn't have typically made the start, but because of a busy schedule this week, six games in six days, he got the nod. “We got six games this week, so we started a sophomore, his first varsity start in his career, and he pitched pretty well,” coach Hanslow said abou

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, along with six other attorneys general, announced a $462 million settlement with Juul Labs Inc. (Juul), one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of e-cigarettes. The settlement provides critical injunctive relief to prevent Juul from marketing and selling its products to youth. In 2019, Illinois was among the first states in the nation to sue Juul alleging the company marketed its harmful nicotine products to minors. Attorney General Raoul’s office co-led negotiations resulting in the largest settlement any states have reached with Juul to hold the company accountable for contributing to the youth vaping epidemic. Illinois will receive approximately $67.6 million under the agreement. “Juul has intentionally targeted minors for the sale of its e-cigarettes. After inappropriately marketing its product as a smoking cessation device, Juul products actually served as a gateway to cigarette use for youth who had never smoked

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GRANITE CITY - GCS Credit Union recently held its 82 nd Annual Meeting Tuesday, March 21 st announcing plans to rebrand this year. Chairman Jim Devine addressed the meeting attendees by saying, “This will be an exciting year! We will be rebranding the credit union as we strive to connect with our entire field of membership. This has been a decision that the Board has taken very seriously as we are all proud of our roots and want to honor our history.” Devine continued by adding, “In order for our longevity to continue, we feel we must continue to be growth-minded as we provide products and services that are relevant to today’s demands. While we will have a new name and look, please know that our values will not change.” In addition, a new branch is under construction for GCS in Edwardsville. The new branch will serve as an expansion of products and services to the Edwardsville community, in which GCS has supported for over 20 years. That project is expected

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BENTON - The former president of the Alton chapter of the AFSCME labor union admitted involvement in the transportation of stolen money after he was caught embezzling more than $200,000 from the organization. Byron Clemons, Sr., 35, of Alton, pled guilty Tuesday in a U.S. District courtroom to one count of Interstate Transportation of Stolen Money. “Labor unions exist to promote the interests of the working men and women who make up their ranks. But instead of promoting the interests of his members, Clemons used his position to enrich himself and get cash to gamble at casinos,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Cutchin. “I commend the efforts of our partners at the U.S. Department of Labor for their diligent work in investigating this case and ensuring that Clemons is brought to justice.” “Byron Clemons, Sr. personally enriched himself at the expense of dues-paying AFSCME members. Tuesday’s conviction affirms the U.S. Department of Labor Office

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ALTON — What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with live music, eco-friendly artisans, and great food and drink? Riverbend Earth Day returns on Saturday, April 15, from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The family-friendly event is produced by Old Bakery Beer Company and takes place at their location in historic Downtown Alton, IL at 300 Landmarks Blvd. The event is free to attend and drinks, food and goods will be available for purchase. This is the 12th annual Riverbend Earth Day, and organizers expect it to be one of the most well-attended. Herbarium and Old Bakery Beer Company COO Lauren Pattan shared, “This family friendly event is highly anticipated by our staff, customers, and friends across the region who care about the environment as much as we do. As the St. Louis Metro Area’s only organic craft brewery, Riverbend Earth Day is an extra special day for us.” More than 30 local earth-friendly vendors will showcase pottery, jewelry, native plants, baked

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GLEN CARBON - Father McGivney High School sophomore Julia Behrmann shines in every aspect of her life from the classroom, to the softball field as a key player for the Griffins, to a shooting guard in basketball. Julia carries an impressive 3.9 unweighted GPA at Father McGivney and has continued to make high honor roll through her two years at the high school. She is a Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb, LLC, Female Athlete of the Month for Father McGivney. She said she wanted to thank her mom Alicia, step dad Chris, dad Bryan, and step mom Deme for all their support and love throughout her athletic career. "My mom has been the biggest supporter and was always willing to bring me to practices and games no matter where it was or even if it was mandatory or not," Julia said. "She deserves the biggest thank you of all!" Julia's stepdad, Chris, is the head coach of the undefeated Father McGivney baseball team. She is the lead-off batter in the lineup for the Father McGivney

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ALTON - The Alton City Council approved and discussed several items at their April 12 meeting, including new ARPA spending projects, an operation agreement for the Alton Marina, the temporary closure of a portion of Belle Street, property demolitions, and more. The most contentious resolution of the night was one authorizing the closure of State Street between 3rd and 4th streets for the grand opening of a new business, “Mr. Everything,” on April 20 from 4 to 11 p.m. Alderwoman Betsy Allen raised concerns that James Hickman with Mr. Everything did not have the support of the local business community for a street closure during their normal business hours. Alderman Raymond Strebel raised concerns that Hickman was advertising that alcohol and food vendors would be present at the event, despite not notifying the Madison County Health Department about the food vendors and not having his liquor license approved by the City Council prior to the event. Confusion ensued

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ALTON - Alton is a special place where others make sure special holidays are celebrated by everyone. It is visible at Thanksgiving, Christmas and, this Easter, it happened again. Alton Area Community Organizations and Leaders hosted their Second Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt at Rock Springs Park. The Easter event was free and open to the public because of some generous sponsors, Alderwoman Rosie Brown, one of the sponsors, said. “We had free food, games for all ages, free haircuts, prizes, and giveaways," she said. The inaugural event last year was something very special, but the 2023 one was equally powerful. The event was a coming together for a significant purpose, Brown said. “There are a lot of under-served children in the community and we were able to have fun with them and they were able to leave all the stress behind,” she said. “Children are No. 1 in our community. Everyone there felt as though they belonged and it was a very diverse group in attendance

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Letter To The Editor: The community of Edwardsville values the arts. Can you imagine living in Edwardsville without the Edwardsville Symphony performing concerts in the park, or the three-day Arts Fair? I was shocked when I recently learned that our local university planned drastic cuts to its arts programs for the upcoming year. The Department of Arts and Sciences will end many tenure-track positions and only hire adjunct faculty to fill those positions in the future – a move that will enable leadership to avoid providing benefits or paying an adequate salary to highly-trained instructors. The Department also intends to reduice the number of graduate assistantships offered. These strategies may save the Department money in the short term, but will result in dire long-term consequences. SIUE will attract fewer highly-qualified students and faculty members to the school, diminishing the quality of the arts programs overall. This will be a tragedy for the Edwardsville community.

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ALTON - Vivian Monckton, who was recently elected to the Alton School District 11 board, continues her passion for community service. "I was first elected to the Board in '99, after serving as both President of ABOB and the Alton Athletic Association," she said. "Service to the Alton School District has always been a passion for me. I have been recognized twice by the Illinois State Board of Education for service to the community of Alton. "During my tenure on the board we have opened the new high school; greatly improved the facilities across the district; strengthened our curriculum; and enhanced staff benefits. The challenge of board service is never complete." Monckton said her goals moving forward with the school board include increased rigor for students, especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs. "The teacher shortage is an ongoing problem for everyone," she said. "We just gave our staff a very good contract, but we need to continue to work

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EDWARDSVILLE – Computer science is a growing career path that is fun, challenging and important. The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering Department of Computer Science (CS) wants to ensure females are a part of the field’s surging growth and success by offering a one-day introduction to programming event. The department will host SheCode from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in the Engineering Building. The free event sparks interest and inspires more females to pursue computer science through an interactive programming project and mentorship from an SIUE CS alumna and professional in the technology field. “This event is designed to give young women a chance to try programming and learn about computing,” said Dennis Bouvier, PhD, professor in the CS department. “The event is designed for those who have no programming experience, but those with some experience are welcome to attend." For more information, including

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EDWARDSVILLE – Newly elected Edwardsville Alderwomen Elizabeth Grant and Andrea Miracle are both ecstatic over their recent victories in the April election and look forward to serving in the coming years. Grant has been a council member since she was appointed in 2021 and now will again serve another term. Grant is a representative for Ward 7 and Miracle for Ward 3. Miracle recorded 398 votes, while her opponent Clemmescia Jackson had 171 votes in their race. Grant won her race over candidate Shelly Keeven with 492 votes to her opponent’s 142 votes. Grant said she really appreciates everyone’s vote and how seriously Edwardsville takes local politics. “Local politics affect your life daily,” she said. “Campaigning was hard for me this time because I have had some personal loss, but I appreciate how the voters responded. I will try to do an excellent job.” Grant and Miracle said they both understand the growth of Edwardsville but want to mak

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ALTON - Alton Little Theater will be holding auditions for one of their upcoming musicals, Monty Python’s Spamalot , on April 22 at 10 a.m. and April 23 at 1 p.m. Executive Director Lee Cox appeared on the most recent Theater Thursday segment on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to discuss the auditions, Alton Little Theater's summer youth acting program, and more. “We’re really hoping to have a big turnout, and I think we will from the entire region,” Cox said of the auditions. “We love to get new talents from the whole region and this will be a fun show.” Spamalot will run from July 21-30 with eight or more performances, and Cox said the show requires at least 25 players including both men and women. She said those interested in auditioning should bring some recorded music to sing along to, unless they’re vocally well-trained enough to sing acapella - and she recommended not singing “Happy Birthday.” Alton Little

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GRANITE CITY - The Granite City Police Department was alerted to a possible threat at Granite City High School on Wednesday and the GCPD took quick action and was on site almost immediately. "It has been determined that all students and staff at Granite City High School and Coolidge Junior High are safe and the GCPD will be handling reunification with the district," Granite City Superintendent Stephanie Cann said. "Reunification will take place at Granite City High School. All pertinent information will be shared as soon as it's available. Please know that the safety of our students and staff is the priority at this time." This was also just released to GCSD9 families: Dismissal information for students at Granite City High School for Wednesday, April 12, 2023, is as follows. The procedures are as follows: Make a single line at Exit One (1) - Access will be at the entrance off of State St. only, and the exit will be off of Fehling Road. Remain in your car. A staff person will

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Treasurer’s Ag Invest Program has achieved a new milestone by loaning more than $1 billion to farmers and agriculture professionals across the state, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today. The milestone represents the cumulative amount of Ag Invest loans since Frerichs became state treasurer in 2015. “Agriculture is a valued and crucial industry in Illinois,” Frerichs said. “I’m proud that my office can help provide affordable financing for farmers and agricultural professionals as they pursue their vital work and contribute to the well-being of our state.” Since 2015, the program has supported more than 5,000 agriculture borrowers and partnered with more than 35 financial institutions. Ag Invest is an agriculture-focused impact investment program providing loan opportunities for Illinois farmers and agri-businesses to start, expand or add value to their farm operations. Ag Invest offers affordable

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