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Letter To The Editor: What timing! On July 12, the East Alton / Wood River High School District No. 14 published a legal notice of a $2.4 million backdoor referendum – the tricky legal loophole in Illinois law that allows taxing districts to raise property taxes without voter approval. On July 13, the Madison County Board rejected my request to put PTELL property tax caps (Property Tax Extension Limitation Law) on the ballot, for voters to decide. If PTELL property tax caps were adopted by the voters of the county, the backdoor referendum would be a thing a the past. Four times (2018, 2020, 2022, 2023) I have asked the Madison County Board to put PTELL property tax caps on the ballot, and although some members voted to put it on the ballot, every time a majority of the board said no. A backdoor referendum is a sly way to increase property taxes – here $2.4 million – without voter approval. In this case, the district plans to issue $2.4 million of working cash

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CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) launched $37.9 million in funding for the Illinois Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program or “CEJA Workforce Hubs.” The program represents the largest training component of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), establishing a network of 13 community-based hubs across the state offering training, job placement services, barrier reduction support and more. The organizations that will run CEJA Workforce Hubs will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process. “It’s been our priority since day one that as Illinois moves into the clean energy future, we make sure to continue to build strong career paths for those breaking into this growing industry,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Investing in these workforce hubs is a cornerstone of that commitment, working in collaboration with educational institutions and businesses

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JOLIET – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced three Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills this week for Energy and Water Development; State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. Durbin and Duckworth worked to secure various priorities for Illinois in these appropriations bills, both through Congressionally Directed Spending requests and through the programmatic appropriations process. “These bills make critical investments in Illinois. I’m glad the Senate Appropriations Committee was able to come together on a bipartisan basis to advance these bills, which will benefit families, communities, and the economy in Illinois,” Durbin said. “Senators and Representatives know their states and districts better than federal agency

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CHICAGO, July 21, 2023 – Illinois Lottery players still have another shot at becoming an uber millionaire this weekend. The Mega Millions jackpot for tonight’s drawing is a staggering $720 million - the fifth largest Mega Millions jackpot in history. Last July, a single lottery ticket sold at a Speedway convenience store in Des Plaines, Illinois matched all six numbers - making two lucky Illinois players the winners of the $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot. That jackpot was the largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois, and at the time, the third largest lottery prize ever won in the U.S. Another huge jackpot is up for grabs this weekend. The Lotto jackpot for Saturday night’s drawing has swelled to $19.85 million - the largest Lotto jackpot of the year and the second largest in nearly five years. With over 7,000 Illinois Lottery retailers across the State, lottery players can conveniently pick up a ticket at their local store - or they can login to the Illinois

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (July 21, 2023) - Edwardsville's Josh Kleinheider received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Magna Cum Laude, recently from Rockhurst University. Rockhurst University awarded more than 450 degrees at its spring commencement ceremony, held May 13, 2023, at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. The program featured two student speakers, with Sarah Wilson, a chemistry and Spanish major, representing undergraduate students, and Nathaniel Graham, a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders degree recipient, representing graduate students.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Illinois State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) hosted a grand opening of her Edwardsville District Office on Tuesday, July 18. “We had a great turnout, and it was great seeing so many new faces and familiar ones as well as we welcomed them to our new constituent services office,” Harriss said in a press release. “We had an opportunity to move our office this past spring to Main Street in Edwardsville as it’s a more centralized location in the 56th District and so far it’s been great.” Harriss is a Republican representing the 56th District. The grand opening invited local politicians and constituents to the office for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. State Representative Amy Elik and the Glen Ed Chamber of Commerce were in attendance. The office, located at 120 North Main Street, Suite 1B, has been open for a few months. Now that the Illinois Senate session has ended, Harriss has left Springfield and returned to the area. She

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WOOD RIVER - A proposal to subdivide 10 acres from Belk Park in Wood River, potentially for development of a wedding venue, was tabled at the Planning Commission public hearing on Thursday night. However, the City Council could technically still move the item forward without their recommendation at the council’s next meeting on August 7. The hearing, which lasted over two hours, saw more members of the public attend than many commission members said they had ever seen. In total, 17 members of the public spoke out against the proposal, while two spoke in favor. Supporters cited opportunities for economic growth, development, and an expanded tax base for the city. Critics said the proposal would be an improper use of land donated in Robert E. Belk’s will and voiced concerns about losing greenspace, increased traffic, and much more, recalling fond memories of time spent in the park. Madison County Treasurer Chris Slusser said several Madison County mayors would

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – As FAA reauthorization negotiations continue and our nation faces an ongoing aviation safety crisis, U.S. Senator and pilot Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation—introduced the Experienced Pilots Save Lives Act to strengthen pilot training standards and uphold the 1,500-hour rule, which was enacted in 2010 after the last commercial aviation crash caused by pilot error. There has not been a single civilian death caused by pilot error in commercial aviation since the rule was enacted. With this new legislation, Duckworth is holding the line on safety as some Senators continue to consider watering down pilot certification standards by decreasing flying hours at the risk of public safety amid a spike in near-miss incidents in our commercial aviation system. “When it comes to our nation’s pilot training

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SPRINGFIELD – The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees met in Springfield this week. Among agenda items were performance reviews of System President Dan Mahony and Carbondale Chancellor Austin Lane. SIU Board of Trustees Chairman Phil Gilbert released the following statement after the meeting: “Listening to the discussion today on the performance of our senior leaders, it is clear that this board is well pleased with our President and Chancellors and the leadership they are providing. President Dan Mahony and Chancellor Austin Lane, whose performance evaluations were up for review, and Chancellor James Minor, still early in his tenure, have tremendously impacted their campuses and this university system. They have the full support of the board. The board made a great hire in March 2020 when Dan Mahony became SIU’s ninth president, and that was confirmed early during the pandemic as we shut down our campuses and sent our students into online learning

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EAST ST. LOUIS – The U.S. District Court in East St. Louis announced on Thursday that a Florida woman was arraigned on an indictment in federal court on Wednesday charging her for allegedly scamming her grandmother living in Cahokia Heights out of more than $300,000. Tanya M. Aboseada, 38, of Pompano Beach, Florida, is charged with 12 counts of wire fraud. “Financial crimes against the elderly for personal gain are intolerable, and offenders will be brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz said, “The FBI remains committed to protecting the elderly in our communities from financial fraud and holding accountable those who exploit them.” The indictment alleges Aboseada convinced her grandmother to wire money into her bank account under false pretenses on at least 12 occasions between November 2021 and August 2022. Aboseada lied about needing money in order to transfer a truck

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Sweltering summer heat is here, and people are soaking up the sun. While some vitamin D from sun rays is good in moderation, experts warn that if you overdo it, you’re at risk for melanoma , a less common skin cancer but one that accounts for most deaths. To emphasize how important it is to be aware of skin cancer, look no further than two recent cases, one from Hollywood and one at OSF HealthCare. Khloe Kardashian recently went into more detail about her brush with melanoma. And Kristi Fetter of Granite City, Illinois, is a survivor of four types of cancer, including a melanoma diagnosis in 2018, and she regularly attends a cancer support group at OSF HealthCare in nearby Alton, Illinois . “I went to my doctor, and she noticed a little black dot on my chest. And she thought it was cancer, and it was,” Fetter says. “They cut it out, and it’s a pretty long scar,” Fetter adds as she gestures to the inches-long mark by her neck. “So wear

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ALTON - Alton attorney Shane Schmidt of Simmons Hanly Conroy has been named to the Advisory Council of a new research project from the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism . The initiative will assess the prevalence and impact of bullying in the legal profession and recommend best practices for preventing it. It is believed to be one of the first wide-scale research projects conducted in the U.S. on this topic.

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Hannah N. Polinske, a 2018 Edwardsville High School graduate, recently completed her first year of law school at Northern Illinois University and was on the Dean’s List. Hannah received a B.A. In Criminal Justice and Psychology from Drury University, Springfield, MO.

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EDWARDSVILLE - The SCTE (Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers) is an international organization that is split up into 68 chapters. The four technicians did an outstanding job representing Madison Communications and the SCTE Gateway Chapter competing against 10 other teams consisting of technicians from Mediacom, Casscom, and Comcast. Madison Communications took home 3rd place overall along with Madison technician, Tanner Pieri taking home 3rd place in MTDR and ORDR, Erick Goode taking home 2nd place in MTDR, and Greg Crabill taking home 1st place in both OTDR and MTDR along with 2nd place overall and in Fiber Splicing. MTDR is short for Metallic Time Domain Reflectometer that is used for finding faults in metallic cables such as twisted pair copper and coax. OTDR is short for Optical Time Domain Reflectometer that is used for finding faults in fiber cables. Out of the 21 potential medals to be awarded at the contest, the Madison technicians took home 7 of them. They also

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INTERLOCHEN, Mich. — Camden Schroeder, 16, of Jerseyville, will attend Interlochen Arts Academy, the world’s premier fine arts boarding high school, for the 2023-24 school year. Schroeder, the son of Shawn and Danielle Schroeder, will study Musical Theatre at Interlochen. Schroeder’s theatre credits include Arsenic And Old Lace (Officer O’Hara), You Can’t Take It With You (Mr. De Pinna), The Plot, Like Gravy Thickens (Tony Blackwell), Bye, Bye, Birdie (Randolph McAfee), The Addams Family (Lucas Beineke), You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (Snoopy) all at Jersey Community High School, and Newsies (Darcy) at The Muni Opera of Springfield, IL. In addition, he has attended several classes and workshops at the St. Louis Muny. As a sophomore, during the 22-23 school year, Camden was selected as a Bass for the Illinois Music Educator Association’s All-State Chorus. Artistic students from around the world convene at Interlochen to expand their capacity

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JERSEYVILLE - The Oddfellows Hall in Jerseyville was abuzz on this bright Saturday. The Grand Encampment, (A division of The Grand Lodge of Illinois (Oddfellows)) was “in the house”. It was reminiscent of the days of old. The lodge hall was filled with members of the order and future members of the order. Nearly 50 people enjoyed fellowship and lunch, hailing from all areas of the state. A new encampment was instituted for the Quincy area and there was a total of 13 initiates in this advanced degree. In other news, a member was celebrated for his many years in the service of others. He is the embodiment of the tenets of Oddfellowship. Allen Jones recently received his 75-year pin. Having been a member of Brighton Lodge #366 of The IOOF, he not only knows the history of the order in Illinois, he is the history. Talking with him about things past and things future is an adventure. Mr. Steve Pigg, Grand Master of the jurisdiction of Illinois was able to make it t

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EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that lane closures in both directions of Interstate 55/64 between the Poplar Street Bridge and the I-64 exit will start, weather permitting, at 9 a.m., Monday, July 31. The closures are necessary for road surveying. To complete the work, intermittent shoulder and single lane closures in both directions of I-55/64 will take place daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The closures are expected to last for two weeks. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. To avoid the work area, when feasible, use of alternate routes should be considered. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict 8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler

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BETHALTO – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that resurfacing of Illinois 255 between Illinois 143 and Seminary Road in Madison County will require lane closures beginning, weather permitting, Wednesday, July 26. One lane will remain open in each direction at all times. Motorists could experience delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. This work is expected to be completed by the end of November. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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ALTON - The Alton High School Class of 1958 is holding its 65th reunion from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1, at the Loading Dock in Grafton. Bill Hoagland, one of the coordinators, said there will not be any fees this time around and that Ben Allen, an AHS 1958 class member, is hosting the event at the Loading Dock. “It will be an informal dress,” Hoagland said. “We are trying to notify as many as we can.” Hoagland said any other class that wants to attend can also do so. “People can order off the menu or have drinks there,” he said. To register, contact Trudi Allen at tba@gtec.com or Hoagland at billhoagland70@yahoo.com .

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KANSAS CITY - Rockhurst University has announced the dean's list for the spring 2023 semester. This honor recognizes students who have achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above. The following area students earned a place on the list: HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME Edwardsville, IL Josh Kleinheider Granite City, IL Analiese Wilmsmeyer Olivia Wilmsmeyer

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