Riverbender 🕸

ST. LOUIS — To protect the health of those who work and visit Gateway Arch National Park, the park has implemented a mask requirement for employees, visitors, partners, and contractors as of 9:00 a.m. on Monday, June 6, 2022. The mask requirement will remain in effect until the high COVID-19 transmission and positivity rate in St. Louis City and County return to medium or low levels. Face coverings will now be required in all park buildings and facilities, including the Visitors Center, in the trams, and at the top of the Arch. The public can find information about the requirement on the park’s website at www.nps.gov/jeff and where tram reservations are made at www.gatewayarch.com . “The unfortunate reality is that COVID-19 continues to be present in our area,” says Jeremy Sweat, Superintendent, Gateway Arch National Park. “We want to stay open and continue to provide a high-quality experience for our visitors while keeping in mind the health and safety

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JERSEYVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation announces the closures of IL 109 between Lodi Rd and Hagen Rd beginning on Monday, June 13, 2022, weather permitting. This will be a complete closure of the road, therefore, no traffic will be able to get through the closure area. This closure is needed to construct a new box culvert and it should be completed in approximately two weeks. The signed detour for this closure is as follows: Southbound IL 109 NB to W. County Rd in Jerseyville W. County Rd EB to US 67 US 67 SB to Godfrey Rd in Godfrey Godfrey Rd SB to IL 3 NB in Godfrey Northbound IL 109 SB to IL 3 IL 3 SB to Godfrey Rd in Godfrey Godfrey Rd NB to US 67 US 67 NB to Jerseyville W. County Rd WB to IL 109 SB This closure is part of a larger project that will require another complete road closure of IL 109 in the near future. Another press release will be sent out to identify the time and location of the next closure. Drivers are urged to b

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ST. LOUIS - City Museum is celebrating all dads with grilling, craft making and free admission for the most important man in your life with a paid admission on Father's Day, June 19, 2022. Celebrate Father's Day with a cookout and fun with Dad this Father's Day. Enjoy sliding and climbing throughout the building plus hot and ready foods and satisfying drinks at the Patio Grill in the shade of the MonstroCity outdoor play area. The Cabin Inn also will be open with brews and soft drinks. City Museum artists will help kids create Medals of Honor and Father's Day cards on the second floor. For more information and advance tickets, visit www.citymuseum.org . City Museum is located at 750 N 16th St., St. Louis, MO 63103. On social media: @citymuseum. City Museum is open from 10 a.m.until 6 p.m.on Father's Day.

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WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement that it will publish the ethanol blending mandates for 2020, 2021 and 2022 at levels that more closely resemble American consumption levels and help farmers and biofuel producers prepare for the future: “At a time when Big Oil refiners are profiting off the backs of hardworking Americans, I am pleased that the Biden Administration is taking action to diversify fuel options at the pump and get our Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) back on the right track,” said Duckworth. “By making this announcement, Biden’s EPA exemplifies its commitment to help restore integrity, growth and stability to the RFS and the U.S. biofuel sector while ensuring these programs continue to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, drive down gas prices, strengthen our energy security and drive rural economic opportunity in Illinois

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SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $245,000, through the BEACH Act grant program, to Illinois. The grant funding will support the state in developing and implementing a beach monitoring and notification program that will protect the public by monitoring beaches for bacteria, identifying local pollution sources, and reporting these results to EPA. “The Great Lakes boast of family-friendly beaches in Northern Illinois. Today’s announcement affirms that this precious natural resource is well worth protecting,” Durbin said. “As summer begins, EPA’s funding will help ensure that these beaches remain a safe vacation spot for all residents and visitors.” “The Great Lakes are the source of drinking water for tens of millions of Americans, support millions of jobs and bring joy to countless tourists

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WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that Illinois will receive federal support from the American Rescue Plan and the FY22 AmeriCorps State and National Grants Competition. The investment will be distributed to ten Illinois-based organizations to help more than 450 AmeriCorps members serve local communities through youth outreach, public health advocacy, sports mentorship, trauma-informed violence prevention and more. “AmeriCorps national service programs bring together people from all walks of life to address pressing challenges in local communities and strengthen our nation,” Duckworth said. “Just as enlisting in the military to defend our country is ‘American Service,’ so is volunteering to help lift up communities. I will continue to advocate for greater investments in national service opportunities so that every Illinoisan who wants to serve has the opportunity to do so.&rdquo

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led a Congressional delegation to Taiwan and South Korea this week as part of her continuing efforts to help strengthen economic ties between our people, specifically highlighting how Illinois is uniquely positioned for greater investment and increased exports with international partners as a hub of agriculture, manufacturing and technology. Duckworth, a member of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, met with multiple business, government and trade leaders including Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Su Tseng-chang and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu as well as South Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin and Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun. Photos from the visit are available here . “I was pleased to visit Taiwan and South Korea, two partners that are vitally important to Illinois’s economy,

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $6,020,767 in federal funding awarded to Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport in Springfield from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the airport’s reconstruction of taxiway lighting and runway updates. “Today’s funding is a significant federal investment in the service and safety of those who fly in and out of Springfield’s airport, which is a critical element of Illinois economy,” said Durbin. “Senator Duckworth and I will continue working to ensure our state’s regional airports have the federal resources needed to succeed.” “Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport is an important economic engine for our state and Sangamon County, and making sure it has federal support to improve its infrastructure is critical,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to join Senator Durbin in announcing this infusion o

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CHICAGO — Governor Pritzker announced today that after decades of extensive sexual assault forensic backlogs, the number of pending sexual assault forensic assignments older than 180 days has reached zero. This is down from a backlog of 1,815 sexual assault forensic assignments that were pending longer than 180 days in March of 2019. Illinois State Police (ISP) utilized a variety of strategies to reduce turnaround time, including ramping up the use of forensic technologies and robotics, and hiring additional forensic scientists who work collaboratively instead of analyzing data independently. The benefits of these initiatives, along with other improvements, are continuing to unfold. “Under my predecessor, there was a massive backlog of DNA from sexual assault cases waiting to be processed, letting criminals off the hook and failing survivors,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “When I came into office, my administration made it our mission to support survivors in

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Photos may be purchased for personal use at: https://www.randymanning.com/Miles-Davis-Jazz-Fest-Alton ALTON – The 17 th Annual Miles Davis Jazz Festival honored the legend who always called Alton his home and awarded scholarships to three area youth Saturday night at the Post Commons, 300 Alby Street in Alton. Abe Lee Barham was the chairman of the event and Alderwoman Rosie Brown was the Mistress of the Ceremony. “Miles Davis always remembered Alton as his home,” Barham said. “We are also glad to be able to present the educational scholarships for youth to help us endure with the kids. I was also excited about the Hall of Famer here in The Lady J. Huston Show by Joyce Huston and The Black and White Band with saxophonists Kelvin Evans and Kenneth Black. Huston said Miles Davis inspired her to play and she was so thankful for Barham for the invitation to play. She said she has a new CD coming out on July 22. Barham said the Miles Davis group is always

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EDWARDSVILLE - Multiple fire departments were called to an intense blaze on Fourth and Bryant in Edwardsville around 5 p.m. on Sunday. Smoke billowed in the sky for a long distance away from the fire. Multiple departments joined Edwardsville to battle the fire, from Glen Carbon, Collinsville, Maryville, Troy, Bethalto, and possibly more. The fire destroyed the garage and much of the home and a nearby residence also had siding damage but was saved by the fast fire department response. All those in both the home involved and the next-door home were safe and able to get out of the residences with some assistance. More to come.

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PAWNEE - On Jun 3, 2022, in continued celebration of the Illinois State Police (ISP) 100th Anniversary, the ISP Division of Academy and Training (DAT) hosted a driving and vehicle knowledge training, Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) competition on May 31, 2022, at the ISP Pawnee Training Facility EVOC Track. Participants were tested in various areas of emergency vehicle operations competency. Each ISP Division (Division of Academy and Training, Division of Criminal Investigation, Division of Forensic Services, Division of Internal Investigation, Division of Justice Services, Office of the Director) provided one participant for the training competition, with the exception of the Division of Patrol, which provided one participant from each ISP district. ISP DAT Colonel Marcus Gipson, Deputy Director offers his hearty congratulations to the Statewide Patrol Support Command, Division of Patrol Trooper Kenneth Patterson #6083 who completed the course with the lowest overal

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COLLINSVILLE - A 34-year-old Edwardsville female died in an accident on westbound Collinsville Road just west of Arlington Avenue in St. Clair County at 11:38 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2022. The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by the Illinois State Police WHAT: Two-Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash WHERE: Collinsville Road, west of Arlington Avenue, St. Clair County VEHICLES: Unit 1 – 2002 green Cools ATV Unit 2 – 2004 red Dodge Ram DRIVERS: Unit 1 – Brian K. Smith, a 42-year-old-male from Collinsville, IL Unit 2 – Daniel E. McNatt, a 59-year-old-male from Caseyville, IL PASSENGER: Unit 1 – 34-year-old-female from Edwardsville, IL – Deceased PRELIMINARY: Preliminary investigative details indicate the following occurred: Unit 1 and Unit 2 were traveling westbound on Collinsville Road just west of Arlington Avenue. Unit 1 was towing black disabled moped without working taillights. Unit 1 passenger was

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EDWARDSVILLE – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor, James T. Minor, PhD, joined East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III during the annual State of the City Address held Thursday, May 26 at the SIUE East St. Louis Center. “I have had the great pleasure of spending time in East St. Louis even before my March arrival to listen and learn about the history and just how resilient this community is and has been,” Minor shared in his opening remarks. Minor went on to reflect on and highlight a couple of celebrations, which marked significant points along the educational continuum. In May, he shared in the milestone achievement of young, local scholars as they graduated from the SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start program’s end of the year celebration. That same day, he spoke at the SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS) commencement ceremony. CHS valedictorian Evan Bonner will attend SIUE in fall 2022, a remarkable demonstration of the successful

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EDWARDSVILLE – On Friday, May 27, the Illinois Industrial Biotechnology Partnership Act was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker and establishes the Industrial Biotechnology Public-Private Partnership as a State-sponsored board consisting of specified members to promote and market Illinois as a destination for research, development and commercialization for industrial biotechnology. The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center (NCERC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been a leading institution for research in industrial biotechnology in Illinois and the United States since its doors opened in 2003. Today, it celebrates the signing of this historic legislation. The bill was passed unanimously by both the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate with bipartisan support. The Partnership will consist of 12 members, including the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Department of

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NORMAL - In Illinois as elsewhere, Civil War troops came from a wide variety of occupations. In one regiment, many men were future teachers. The 33rd Illinois Infantry, which originated at Illinois State University in Normal, was famously known as the “Teacher’s Regiment” since a high number of the men were students. The nickname was a nod to the original purpose of Illinois State, which was teacher training. A number of men from the Riverbend area were in the 33rd, which holds a special place in the history of both the university and the state. The outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861 riveted the university, which had been founded only four years before as the state’s first public institution of higher learning. Many students remembered that the war was foremost on everyone’s minds, and students could barely concentrate on their studies. President Lincoln’s first call for troops was for a ninety-day enlistment, but it soon became apparent

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EDWARDSVILLE - Lincoln Middle School math teacher Faith Jordan has her dream job, is living in a community she loves and will soon have a new home that she can call her own. The path to get there, however, has been far from easy. In 2018, Jordan's life fell apart. She had moved to Colorado with her then husband and three daughters but ended up getting divorced, which left with her little money and bad credit. “We were transient for a couple years. We stayed with a family for a few months until we could make it back to my parents in St. Louis and then stayed with another family.” All while that was happening, Jordan finished her degree at UMSL to teach middle school math. She did her student teaching at Ferguson Middle School but had gotten her provisional license so she could get paid while teaching. Her goal during this time was to return to the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area and to work for District #7. “We were living in Ferguson when everything

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ALTON - Eddie Sholar Jr., owner of Fast Eddie’s in Alton, has always been a strong supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of Alton, and once again he has come through for the club with a submission of $10,000 to sponsor the “Eddie Sholar Youth Game Room.” Al Womack Jr., the long-time club's executive director, made the announcement on Friday. The sponsorship for this particular game room was $6,000 and the additional $4,000 will be used for improvements and amenities, Womack Jr. said. Sholar is always an active donor in the community, but he is not one to seek publicity or accolades for his community actions; he gives like his father, Eddie, Sr., with humility. “Eddie has been with us since we first opened here with sponsorship,” Womack said. “We are very thankful now and always for his constant support of the club. He made a commitment for a three-year sponsorship.” Womack stressed that now the club can make improvements to the Eddie Sholar Game

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EAST ALTON - A recent book signing event for Amoriah Gray, the 7-year-old author of “Amoriah’s Magic Afro Puffs,” was widely successful as teachers, administrators, friends, and classmates gathered on the last day of school at Eastwood Elementary School in East Alton to have their books signed by Amoriah. The event was held last Tuesday, May 31, and lasted from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., during which time Amoriah was greeted by several of her former teachers and current classmates, Amoriah’s mother Angela Gray said. “It went great,” Angela said of the book signing event. “A lot of former teachers, the superintendent and the new, incoming superintended attended, the principal … several classmates attended and even students she didn’t know attended - and parents.” Some arrived with a copy of Amoriah’s book in hand, ready for her signature - others purchased the book there at the book signing event. Angela

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ST. LOUIS - ACE Hardware of Bethalto has been a long-time supporter of causes in the area for both St. Louis Children’s Hospital, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, and member hospitals of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of Greater St. Louis. All told, ACE Hardware generated more than $45,588 from the Bethalto store in 2021 Throughout the year, Ace Hardware of Bethalto participated in Ace Bucket Day, yearlong round-up, item of the month promotions, World Famous Chocolate candy sales, BBQs, etc. With their customers, vendors, and other community support, ACE Hardware of Bethalto raised over $35,588. The total raised by ACE Hardware of Bethalto made it one of the top ten fundraising stores for ACE nationwide. Duracell Battery awarded Gary Johnson (Owner of ACE Hardware of Bethalto) an additional $10,000 for being a top-ten single-store retailer. One hundred percent of funds remained local, benefitting CMN-STL member hospitals, St. Louis Children’s

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