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ALTON - Alton Middle School went into a temporary lock-down mode today after Alton Police investigated a report of shots fired in the Rock Springs and Salu area, Alton Chief Jarrett Ford said. Chief Ford said the report came to the police earlier today. He said as a precautionary measure, they contacted Alton Middle School officials and they decided to do a temporary lock-down. "We saw no indication of shots being fired and we canvassed the entire area and also kept a close watch on it the entire afternoon," he said. "At no time did we see that students or staff at the middle school were in danger. A lockdown was just done as a precaution for those at Alton Middle School. We contacted the school and told them everything was clear, so the lockdown stopped." Chief Ford said once the lockdown ended, the students were dismissed on their normal schedules.

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ALTON - The demolition of the building that once housed the old Duncan Foundry and then Lenhardt Tool and Die businesses at 501 Piasa Street in Alton by SLT Demolition in St. Louis is showing progress each day. Much has been accomplished this week with demolition from the roof to the floor of parts of the old building. Duncan Foundry opened in Alton in 1884, historian Don Huber said. Beams and metal have been coming down each day. Bulldozers have been very active this week and metal is being actively recycled from the tear-down. Duncan Foundry became Lenhardt Tool and Die in 1983. Jack Lenhardt was the owner of the business at that time. Mac Lenhardt, the owner of Mac’s in Downtown Alton, worked at Lenhardt Tool and Die for many years from 1983 to 2003. His father owned the tool and die business until 2018 when he closed it. Mac also started Mac’s in downtown Alton on Dec. 16, 1983, and he continues to work a second job today in a Granite City machine shop. Mac said

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JERSEYVILLE - Early voting in Jersey County begins in less than a week on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, for the consolidated election on April 4. While Jersey County Clerk Pam Warford said she expects voter turnout to be more of a gradual buildup this election, there are a few contested races in Jerseyville that should draw some attention, including the race for Mayor. “Normally, consolidated elections are not high-turnout elections, so I don’t anticipate this to be nearly as big as your typical general election - and particularly with early voting this early on, I don’t anticipate a rush to the doors,” Warford said. “But as it gets closer to election time, I’m sure it will pick up and hopefully we’ll have a decent turnout. “The City of Jerseyville has a few contested races for their commissioners and Mayor which are drawing some attention, so I’ll be curious to see how that affects our turnout,” she added. “Jersey Community

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CARLINVILLE - Macoupin County is gearing up for early voting to start on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 - but without many contested races, Macoupin County Clerk Pete Duncan said he expects a fairly light early voter turnout. “There’s not a ton of races with a lot of competition in the county, so if we get a couple hundred early voters, that would probably be a pretty good turnout,” Duncan said. “It’ll probably be a pretty light election for us.” Several candidates have filed to run as school board members, alderpeople, trustees, and more across several cities and villages in Macoupin County. The full list of current candidates is available on macoupinvotes.gov . Early voting in Macoupin County will be available at the County Clerk’s Office on the first floor of the Macoupin County Courthouse, located at 201 E. Main St. in Carlinville. Early voting hours will be Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Duncan added that on Saturday,

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ALTON - Ernest Griffin, a former employee of Duncan Foundry in Alton, just happened to be in the Downtown Alton area Thursday and spent some time with riverbender.com reflecting on his experience there in the mold area. Duncan Foundry was started in 1884 in Alton. Duncan Foundry was always innovative and able to stay ahead of the curve on technology in the beginning. In the 1950s, the company became a leader in the production of ductile iron castings and this line helped keep the company competitive. Duncan Foundry was a big part of the Alton community and played a significant impact on the world of manufacturing. James H. Duncan and the company donated generously to local charities and civic organizations and promoted the arts. Much of the Duncan art legacy lives on at the Alton Museum of History & Art, which houses the collection. Sam Duncan was the last president of the company before it was sold to the Lenhardt family. Ernest and Don Huber, the former Alton Township

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Rotary Club has chosen to honor Edwardsville High School student Montrez West with the Student of the Month Award for the month of February. Montrez West was nominated by Edwardsville High School weightlifting instructor and football coach, Matt Martin. Montrez is the son of Kevin and Latonya West. Montrez plays basketball and baseball at EHS. Respectfully, he was a member of the 2022 State Championship with the Edwardsville High School varsity baseball team. After high school, Montrez plans to further pursue a career in baseball in college while pursuing a degree in sports management. In his free time, Montrez often plays the drums at his local church, hangs out with his friends and family, and plays video games. The Edwardsville Rotary Club recognizes a student each month September through April. Each May, Edwardsville High School staff chooses one of the monthly winners to receive the $1,500 Edwardsville EHS Rotary Scholarship. The awards have been

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Letter To The Editor: Questions are swirling in Wood River about candidates for City Council. Most residents know me and my position. I have been a vocal opponent to the Rec Center. In my opinion, the Rec Center will hinder economic development, lower property values, increase taxes and fees, hurt our schools, cause families to live elsewhere, thus hurting our growth and prosperity. According to a recent report by the Park and Rec Director, the city it is now classified as an “Economically Depressed Community”. Some took this information as a good sign, because the city now qualifies for additional state grant consideration. To me, this is terrible news and an embarrassment. Each and every voter should be appalled that the current and prior City Councils have allowed this community to deteriorate to this state. There is no excuse for this mismanagement. Unfortunately, voters should not be surprised that Wood River is now in this classification. The current council has

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BETHALTO - 1 st MidAmerica Credit Union was recently recognized with the first place Dora Maxwell Award for social responsibility, first place for the Desjardins Award for adult financial literacy, and a second place Louise Herring Award for internal programs that benefit members. All the honors were presented by the Illinois Credit Union League at the 1st MidAmerica Credit Union board meeting. The credit union received first place for the Desjardins Award. This award recognizes leadership in the credit union industry that provides financial literacy for all ages. 1 st MidAmerica was recognized for the First Time Home Buyers Webinar series. Feedback from member surveys was used to develop content for these webinars and provided valuable information to consumers ready to buy their first home. “I believe that education is the key to success. An educated borrower is better informed with a clearer understanding of their housing needs and household budget. At 1 st MidAmerica

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PIASA - Southwestern Middle School announced its PBIS Students of the Month for January. From left to right front row: Allyson Martin, McKayla Fisher, Molly Childress, and Reese Rimbey. Back row: Gabe Poole, Travis Copeland, Ian Gwillim, and Addy Walden. They were nominated according to the word of the month. Considerate. Also, for being Respectful, Responsible and Safe. They all received a Dairy Queen lunch of their choice.

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ST. CLAIR COUNTY - The Illinois State Police is investigating a fatal single-vehicle vs. pedestrian traffic crash on Collinsville Road at Yale Avenue in St. Clair County at 6:08 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police Troop 8: The vehicle driven was a 2019 black GMC truck. PEDESTRIAN: Unit 1 – 65-year-old male from St. Louis, MO. - Deceased, pending next of kin notification DRIVER: Unit 2 – 50-year-old Steven Hodge from Collinsville. PRELIMINARY REPORT: The preliminary investigation indicates the following: Unit 1 was attempting to cross Collinsville Road at Yale Avenue. Unit 2 was traveling east on Collinsville Road at Yale Avenue, in the left lane. Unit 1 failed to yield to traffic and ran onto Collinsville Road. The driver of Unit 2 struck Unit 1 in the roadway. The pedestrian was pronounced deceased on scene by the St. Clair County Coroner. The driver of Unit 2 reported no injuries

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O'FALLON, Ill. - March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital wants people to understand how important it is to not delay preventive screenings which could detect colon cancer in its earliest stages. Providers at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Radiation Oncology Center will hold a Colorectal Cancer Awareness drive-through event to give away free at-home colon cancer test kits. The event will be Saturday, March 18 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Cancer Care Center of O’Fallon, located at 321 Regency Park, O’Fallon. The InSure ONE at-home screening test includes full instructions for an easy, water-based sampling for specimen collection. Patients MUST return the sample to the Cancer Care Center of O’Fallon between March 20 – 24 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. St. Elizabeth’s laboratory will analyze, and results will be reviewed by a physician, then provided to each participant and their primary care provider. The kits ar

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years and is a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) led more than a dozen of their Senate colleagues today in reintroducing bipartisan legislation to support active duty military families experiencing food insecurity and prevent hunger in these families. Duckworth’s Military Family Nutrition Access Act would address this critical issue by excluding Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)—a subset of military compensation intended to cover the costs of off-base housing—from income calculations used to determine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility. This would ensure SNAP mirrors other federal assistance programs that already exclude BAH to determine eligibility, such as Head Start, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.“Far too many of

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SPRINGFIELD - Governor JB Pritzker launched the ‘Smart Start’ statewide tour, visiting locations across the state to announce historic investments in early childhood education. Joined by local and community leaders, the Governor kicked off the tour with three stops at schools and early childhood centers in Springfield, East St. Louis, and Mount Vernon to highlight his administration’s plan to transform the state’s system of early childhood education and care. Beginning with a $250 million investment this year, Smart Start Illinois is a multi-year plan to provide every child with access to preschool, increase funding to childcare providers to raise wages and quality, invest in new and expanded early childhood facilities, and reach more vulnerable families with early support. “Access to quality childcare and early childhood education yields better results for children and parents alike,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “It gives us the best

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GODFREY – In today’s knowledge economy, education providers must be nimble, innovative and ever-changing to meet the needs of 21 st century learners and employers. Lewis and Clark Community College is striving to meet its constituents where they are – and taking a hard look at its offerings, modes of delivery, and potential access barriers in order to do just that. On Tuesday, Feb. 7, the college welcomed guest speaker and distinguished scholar of higher education Arthur Levine, co-author of “The Great Upheaval,” for a series of discussions with campus and community constituents about the future of higher education, and the future of Lewis and Clark. “Team members, faculty, students and even community guests were engaged and inspired by Levine’s keen insights,” said L&C President Ken Trzaska, who learned of and met Levine previously through a new presidents’ program he attended at Harvard while president at Seward County Community

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CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) today reminded senior citizens about the availability of the Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program which allows qualified seniors to defer all or part of their property taxes and special assessment payments on their principal residences. Seniors needing assistance paying their property taxes have until March 1, 2023 to apply for the program. The program, which works like a loan, allows qualified seniors to defer a maximum of $7,500 per tax year (including both first and second installment payments), increased from $5,000 last year. Deferred amounts are borrowed from the state, who pays the tax bill to the County Collector’s Office. The program was also expanded this year to increase the household income threshold qualification from $55,000 to $65,000. Interest on the amount paid by the state accumulates and a lien is placed on the property for all deferred tax payments and interest, payable upon death of the homeowner,

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SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is alerting customers that all offices and facilities will be closed in observance of Presidents’ Day. • Offices and Driver Services facilities operating on a Tuesday through Saturday schedule will be closed on Saturday, February 18. • Offices and Driver Services facilities operating on a Monday through Friday schedule will be closed Monday, February 20. All offices and facilities will be open for business on Tuesday, February 21. Individuals can visit the Secretary of State’s website at ilsos.gov for online services including checking eligibility to renew their driver’s license online, applying for a duplicate driver’s license, or renewing license plate stickers.

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Couples names: Charlie & Beth Morton City: East Alton Date met or started dating: August 8, 2008 Date married: October 31, 2008 What makes your relationship special? We are best friends. Both been through major health issues brain surgery for him GBS' for her. Share a memory you have made together: She used to go to the ballpark with me while I was umpiring.

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JERSEYVILLE - Family and many friends this week are remembering Shawn Patrick "Sully" Sullivan for his many positive contributions to Jerseyville and Jersey County. Shawn died at age 48 on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023 . Shawn was a Jersey Community High School graduate and married to his wife, Brandi, for nearly 25 years. The couple also has two children - Ian and Elli. Shawn and Brandi owned and operated Sully's Package Liquor in Jerseyville where they have numerous customers who stop by each week. Shawn also owned and operated Sully's Distributing prior to his time with the liquor store through 7-Up and Dr. Pepper. Jenna Taylor, the owner of Imo's at 1600 South State Street in Jerseyville, is very close to the family and has organized a fundraiser at her business. On Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, she will donate 10 percent of the profits that day to the Sullivan family to assist with their loss. Also, she has a donation collection jar in her business. Jenna said at the end of the day, she wil

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BENTON – A U.S. District Court judge sentenced a Freeburg woman to 15 months in prison after she admitted to committing bank fraud while employed by St. Teresa and St. Luke Catholic parishes in Belleville. Michelle N. Miller, 45, pled guilty to one count of falsely obtaining money owned by a financial institution. In addition to her prison sentence, she will receive two years of supervised release and is ordered to pay $153,940.38 in restitution. “The defendant selfishly chose to put herself and her greed over the needs of the students, parishioners and the religious community at St. Teresa and St. Luke,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “She decided to embezzle more than $150,000 from her employer, friends, and neighbors. It’s shameful, and I’m relieved she was brought to justice.” “The U.S. Secret Service and our law enforcement partners remain committed to identifying, investigating, and pursuing those who attempt to enrich themselve

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EDWARDSVILLE – Metro-East Lutheran High School’s robotics team is moving on to the FIRST Tech Challenge Illinois state championship after putting in a winning performance at the recent regional qualifying competition. Twenty-two teams from central and Southern Illinois competed in the First Tech league qualifying tournament last weekend at Maryville Christian School. The MELHS team was one of five teams from the two regions that qualified to move on to the state competition, which will be held on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 in Elgin, Ill. In First Tech, students design, build, and program robots to compete head-to-head against other teams. The state championship showcases the best robots from the FTC Qualifying Events held all around Illinois. This is just the second year the MELHS robotics team has been competing in the FIRST Tech Challenge. Last year the team won two rookie awards, including the highest-scoring rookie. “We’re still a very young team and we’re

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