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GODFREY – For the first time since its inception, Lewis and Clark Community College’s Paralegal program now offers a second eight-week option for those entering the program, which allows students to earn full credit for a course in half the time, starting at a semester’s mid-point. Even though the Spring 2023 semester is half over, students can still enroll in the Paralegal program and receive full credit for classes by the end of the semester. The demand for paralegals in the St. Louis area is higher than the number of qualified applicants. The second eight-week option will allow students to complete the program faster. “Area law firms are frequently reaching out to me as they try to find candidates to interview,” Program Coordinator Becky Gockel said. “I often partner with local law firms to develop effective recruiting and hiring strategies, depending on the firm’s needs for paralegal staffing.” To meet the demand, all L&C Paralega

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WOOD RIVER - The City of Wood River has witnessed a lot of moving dirt for development in recent months. One of the most recent examples is a project for a new Midwest Petroleum gas/convenience store on Illinois 143, just outside the I-255 entrance and exit into Wood River. A new overhead photo tour by 618 Drone Service highlights work on the project this week. The gasoline storage tanks at the previous gas station have been removed, and now work is moving at a fast pace in clearing the land. Schnucks owns the property where the old gas station used to be, once a Shop 'n Save location, but Wood River Mayor Tom Stalcup said they did not want to sell the property at this point. The land is near the Roxana property line, so part of the new location will be in Wood River and the other part will be in Roxana. Mayor Stalcup said there have been meetings to figure out the sales tax division and that Wood River has a good, cooperative relationship with Roxana city officials. He said both look

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - Missing juvenile, Cloe Schmidt has been located and is safe, St. Louis County Police said Friday afternoon. Schmidt was last seen in the 3100 block of Brunswick Drive in Florissant, MO., in St. Louis County on Monday, March 6.

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ALTON - The Alton YWCA Get Out the Vote Initiative extends an invitation to the Alton School District community of voters to attend its School Board Candidates’ forum at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in the YWCA Gym, 304 E. Third St., Alton, IL. There are six school board candidates running for three 4 year term seats on the Board of Education in the upcoming April 4 election. The six candidates include David M. Fritz, David P. Lauschke, Vivian L. Monckton, Jarvis Swope, Beverly Velloff, and Alfred (Al) J. Womack Jr. In addition, Christina M. Milien is running unopposed for a two-year term and is unopposed. The event will start with a short period of introduction by each candidate, followed by a question and answer session using prepared questions. If time permits, questions from the audience will be allowed. The forum is open to all District 11 voters and is free of charge. All interested community members are encouraged to attend. YWCA encourages community

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ROXANA - Freshman Daisy Daugherty, a Roxana offensive standout in basketball and also a top volleyball player for the Shells, is a Midwest Members Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month. Daisy was one of the Shells’ leading scorers all season and is an outstanding free-throw shooter with a 74-percent success rate. Roxana Coach Brian Diskin said Daisy is an excellent ball defender and is often assigned to the opponent’s point guard. “Daisy is a good student of the game and very coachable coming in as a freshman last year,” the coach added. “She is foregoing a spring sport to concentrate more on basketball, where she will play for MidPro South this spring and summer.” The coach explained that Daisy has targeted a goal to achieve 1,000 points for her high school career and wants to play college basketball after she graduates from Roxana High.

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Dr. Sarah Whelan, medical director for OSF Hospice and Outpatient Palliative Care in Rockford, today provided some keen insight into hospice care. Former President Jimmy Carter made news recently when it was announced that he was going to receive hospice care at home for the remainder of his life, instead of receiving any additional medical intervention. The oldest-living former U.S. president has dealt with several health issues in recent years. By opting for hospice care, the goal now is to make Mr. Carter as comfortable as possible with the time he has left. “Hospice care is specialized medical care in those later stages of life," says Dr. Whelan said. "When you are thought to have a prognosis of six months or less, and it's where the focus of your medical care shifts from disease curing or possibly life-prolonging treatments to comfort-based treatment or quality of life treatment, getting you to enjoy those last days you have at home, doing the things that you enjoy doing.”

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ALTON/GLEN CARBON - Glen Carbon Heritage Museum Coordinator Samantha Doolin appeared on a recent episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to preview her presentation of the Goshen Settlement before presenting it on March 9 at the Glen Carbon Centennial Library. The presentation took a historic look at “Glen Carbon before Glen Carbon” and explained why so many things in and around the village carry the Goshen name. “There were people here as early as 1799,” Doolin said. “There had already been people here - obviously the Native Americans were all through this area and the American Bottom, and St. Clair County before it was founded as St. Clair County had settlers as early as 1699. “There was a gentleman named David Badgley who came from , which is in , and he was a Baptist reverend and he did not really agree with the French lifestyle, so he went further north than the French settlement and saw all this untouched wilderness and deemed

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EDWARDSVILLE — After a week of trial, Madison County prosecutors were victorious Thursday evening when a jury found a 33-year-old man guilty of first-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting outside a tire shop, according to Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine. The jury found Fred W. Williams Jr. of East St. Louis guilty of murder in the June 2021 shooting death of Delas M. Carter, 30, of Alorton. The shooting happened outside a Granite City tire shop where Carter was employed. “This was a chilling and brazen crime that shocked our community,” Haine said. “We are glad that our prosecutors were able to secure a conviction here so this violent criminal will remain safely behind bars. We also hope is that this conviction is a step in the healing process for the family members of Mr. Carter, who were present in court throughout the trial, and who we continue to hold in our prayers during this difficult time.” Evidence showed that Williams

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EAST ST. LOUIS - Carmillya Butler has established a GoFundMe to assist with her mother - Patrenia Butler-Turner's final expenses, including her burial. Petrenia's body was found in Pontoon Beach 10 years after she was reported missing. Patrenia's body was discovered in December 2022 when authorities had a tip of skeletal remains in a wooded area off Illinois Route 111 in Pontoon Beach. The remains were confirmed to be those of Butler-Turner. A suspect - Roger D. Sutton has been charged with murder in Butler-Turner's case. "It has been horrible waiting and not knowing what happened to her," she said. "I cannot describe the pain I am feeling knowing she was taken from me. Any help covering her final expenses would be greatly appreciated."

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EDWARDSVILLE – Metro-East Lutheran High School’s scholar bowl team went undefeated in the regional tournament on Monday to become the regional Class 1A champions. The team, which had a bye in the first round of the tournament, defeated Dupo High School in the second round to move on to the championship match. MELHS defeated Father McGivney Catholic High School with a score of 680-110 to win the regional championship. MELHS will now move on to sectionals, which will be held on Saturday at Father McGivney. This is the latest in a string of victories for MELHS. Over the weekend, the team won the Class 1A State Championship at the Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl in Bloomington, Ill., and on Feb. 25, MELHS placed second among small schools in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) state tournament and placed seventh among all schools statewide. “My team has worked incredibly hard for months to achieve these big end-of-season wins,” said Shanna Covarrubias,

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This is part one of a two-part story on reading food labels. Visit the OSF Newsroom later this month to read part two on reading nutrition facts. Carly Zimmer admits it’s tough. You walk down the grocery store aisle looking for healthy food. Bright colors and buzzwords like “organic” and “gluten free” catch your eye. The people who market food are good at what they do, after all. But Zimmer, a registered dietitian-nutritionist at OSF HealthCare, says when you master reading food labels, finding your desired morsels gets easier each shopping trip. “Label reading can be very tedious when you first start, especially when it goes along with a new diagnosis,” Zimmer says. “But once you get in a rhythm and know what foods are suitable for your diet, it does get easier. It becomes habit.” Front of the package Zimmer outlines some of the common words and phrases used to market food: Natural: Zimmer says the United States

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SPRINGFIELD - The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) reminds Illinoisans to test, inspect, and replace broken or expired smoke/CO alarms in their homes with new 10-year sealed battery alarms as they change the clocks this weekend. Also, if you still have functional alarms with removable batteries, now is good time to change those batteries. An Illinois law that took effect on January 1, 2023, now requires ten-year sealed smoke alarms be installed in all homes built before 1988 or that do not have hardwired smoke detectors. “Synthetic materials used in modern home construction causes homes to burn faster and hotter while producing toxic fumes limiting escape times to 3 minutes or less. This makes it vital for residents to ensure they have working smoke alarms in their homes while maintaining a fire escape plan that takes everyone’s needs into account and practice that plan,” said Illinois State Fire Marshal James A. Rivera. The time change serves a

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O'FALLON, Ill. - The National Sleep Foundation, which launched Sleep Awareness Week in 1998, says 45% of Americans report poor or insufficient sleep negatively affects their daily lives. Sleep Awareness Week, March 12-18, highlights the importance of good sleep. With everyone moving their clocks ahead one hour on Sunday, March 12, with the start of Daylight Saving Time, sleep schedules may be affected. “Sleep is one of the pillars of a healthy lifestyle, along with a balanced diet and regular exercise,” said Lia Turpin, a registered polysomnographic technologist at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center. “ Sleep is when the brain and body disconnect from the senses, no longer allowing us to process information from the outside. In turn, sleep allows us to review activities and experiences from the day, which strengthens memory; gives our organs time to rest; allows our immune system to scan for infections and fight illnesses; and allows

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CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) announced today a $605,000 fine for Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, for violating the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act (NATA). Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, paid the fine and agreed to take corrective action based on the exam findings. The Department will conduct follow up exams to ensure the company remains in compliance. The Market Conduct Exam Final Report can be found here . “We are committed to ensuring that Illinois consumers have access to care and receive equitable service from the health insurance companies collecting their monthly premiums,” said IDOI Director Dana Popish Severinghaus. “The law requires health insurance companies to have a provider network that meets proper time and distance standards for consumers to receive care, as well as up-to-date, accurate

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GRANITE CITY - Juniors Nicholas Branding and Breonna Brown of Granite City High School were selected as Granite City Rotary Club Students of the Month for February. Students were nominated by teachers, and were chosen on the basis of academics, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and civic honors and awards, and organization membership and leadership. Each honoree will receive a framed certificate and a gift card, and will be recognized at the 29th Annual Mayors' Prayer Breakfast on March 14, 2023. NICHOLAS BRANDING Member of Marching Band, Ensemble Band and Jazz Band ... Drum major for Marching Warriors ... Member of GCHS Bass Fishing Team and Boy Scouts ... Volunteer candlelighter and multimedia tech at church ... Volunteer at TWIGS, Mitchell Fire Department and Special Olympics ... Eagle Scout ... Illinois Principals Award ... Member of National Junior Honor Society, Secondary Honor Society and Saturday Scholars ... Son of Nathan and Susan Branding. BREONNA BROWN

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today released the following statement after President Joe Biden unveiled an outline of his Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget proposal: “With this budget, President Biden has laid out bold priorities that invest in America’s future. By protecting and strengthening the bedrock promise of Medicare and Social Security, the President understands how crucial these programs are for the security and safety of millions of Americans. The budget also lays out opportunities to grow our economy from the bottom up and middle out, cut the deficit by ensuring the wealthiest Americans and corporations pay their fair share, create good paying jobs, lower costs for families, continue to upgrade our infrastructure, and much more. I’ll work with my colleagues to see the President’s vision across the finish line to deliver for American families and communities.”

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Legalization of cannabis has led to increased use by the general population, in addition to a rise in use by pregnant women. Cannabis is the most used drug during pregnancy in the United States and yet many doctors don’t talk about it with their patients who are pregnant or thinking about conceiving. One study found about 20% of pregnant women age 24 and under screened positive for cannabis. Dispensaries that sell the drug for recreational, and in some cases medicinal use, promote various strains for mood enhancement, sleep issues, loss of appetite, and in some cases, relief of morning sickness. “One study using hidden shoppers found that cannabis dispensaries were actually giving advice to pregnant women to use cannabis for their nausea and pregnancy. So that type of advice is very much concerning to us.” William Bond, MD, is a physician in the emergency department at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center and director of simulation research at Jump

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EDWARDSVILLE - SIUE Credit Union staff and board of directors made a $500 donation to the Glen-Ed Pantry. SIUE Credit Union President/CEO, Matthew Parrott, states, “We take pride in supporting our local non-profit organizations within the communities that we serve. Being a not-for-profit institution ourselves we share the same values of people helping people and improving the lives our of members through financial stability just like Glen-Ed Pantry’s value of bringing better health to our community.” Glen-Ed Pantry is a local non-profit organization that serves residents of the Edwardsville School District #7, which includes the communities of Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Hamel, Worden, Midway, Moro, Dorsey, and Prairietown. The Glen-Ed Pantry was established in 1980 and is staffed by more than 500 volunteers from our communities and serves around 200 families each month. SIUE Credit Union was founded in 1959 on the campus of SIUE University to serve the faculty and

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ALTON - Riverbend Head Start & Family Services is proud to announce that all of our Head Start centers have received the Gold Circle of Quality designation from ExceleRate Illinois, the State’s Quality Recognition and Improvement system for early childhood education and care programs. The centers are based in the following communities: Alton, Bethalto, Collinsville, Edwardsville, Granite City North and Granite City South. “Riverbend Head Start and Family Services always strives to provide the highest quality for children, families and staff,” said Veneta Wadlow, Center Operations Coordinator. “Just knowing that all six of our locations consistently are awarded the Gold Circle rating through ExceleRate demonstrates the commitment of staff, and I feel honored to work for a program that supports high standards of service.” ExceleRate Illinois uses a consistent set of standards organized into four domains: teaching and learning, family and community

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JERSEY - The Jersey Community High School (JCHS) Theatre Department is putting the finishing touches on their upcoming spring musical, "You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown." The classic musical, based on the popular Charles M. Schultz comic strip, Peanuts, was written by American composer Clark Gesner in 1967. The musical centers around a day in the life of Charlie Brown and features all of the beloved characters from the cartoon. According to JCHS Theatre Director Brett Beauchamp, the production boasts great music and humor that will bring back memories of the Peanuts for those who grew up with them. "The music is incredibly charming, and the dialogue is very funny," Beauchamp said. "For those who grew up with the Peanuts, this will be a nostalgic night of theatre." He added that the show is suitable for all ages and described it as a "light" production. "It’s just enjoyable," he said. "You don’t really have to think a whole lot." The musical also provides a unique

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