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EDWARDSVILLE – Two recent Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) graduates Tara Habibi, of Springfield, and Priya Sapra Kullar, of India, have made history as the first to receive a Specialty Certificate in Endodontics from the SIU SDM. The program, introduced in 2020, offers students an advanced educational curriculum and a clinical residency regimen focused on endodontics and is accredited by the Commission of Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association. “By starting the advanced education program for endodontics at the SDM, we now have the ability to manage all complex cases and provide a resource for the surrounding area to manage cases for those who have limited means,” said Marvin Leigh Speer, DDS, director of the endodontics program. “Tara and Priya were exceptional students in their coursework. It has been a true pleasure to work with such outstanding students.” “The SIU SDM feels like home,”

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BELLEVILLE - The Belleville Area Humane Society announced today it has hired an Edwardsville woman as its first-ever veterinarian - Dr. Jennifer Marquardt. For decades, the Edwardsville woman has been an advocate for animal welfare and veterinary. Dr. Marquardt grew up in Edwardsville knowing from a young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian. She achieved her goal when she graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She worked in private practice for 15 years in Chicago and St. Louis before starting her adventures in shelter medicine. Even with a national veterinary shortage trend, Belleville Area Humane Society was able to obtain Dr. Marquardt's services. Having a full-time veterinarian will transform operations at BAHS and they look forward to all that they will accomplish with this outstanding addition to the BAHS team. Executive Director, Kim Vrooman said: “We are over the moon to have the opportunity to serve beside such an outstanding

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EDWARDSVILLE - This is another in a series of articles with photos and descriptions of entries in the Edwardsville Arts Fair at City Park on September 23-25. Today, the work of Collinsville, St. Louis, and Chicago artists are featured. Artist Name: John Locus Location: Collinsville Artist Statement: "Since I don't travel far and wide, I try to capture the beauty in everyday scenes and objects that most people drive by without even noticing. Most of my images have been boiled down to their simplest forms, sometimes only revealing small parts of the objects or scenes." Artist Name: Jennifer Boston Location: Chicago Artist Statement : "I love using natural stones for my jewelry. The stones have spiritual and therapeutic properties and I enjoy helping my customers pick the right stone and the look they want." Artist Name: Lauren Nall Location: St. Louis, MO. Artist Statement: "Sterling silver art jewelry with surface embellishments, folds, and patterns

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ST. LOUIS – Granite City’s Mayor Mike Parkinson, Local Steelworkers 1899 Union President Dan Simmons, and area legislators have not given up on the plight of jobs that maybe be lost at the Granite City Works Plant. An announcement was made Tuesday by the United States Steel Corporation that it had entered a non-binding letter of intent with SunCoke Energy, a raw processing and handling company. Mayor Parkinson said as many as 1,000 jobs could be lost at the Granite City Works Plant if this plan was completed. He pointed out that right now this is a “non-binding letter of intent” to SunCoke. Parkinson said the binding letter is a commitment to talk and not a binding sale or contract. “No deal has been made at this time,” he said. “There is still a lot of fight left in the union, the city, and legislators to keep this business here,” he said. “Senator Duckworth will work to make sure if they leave they don’t leave a rough

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CARROLLTON - The Greene County Health Department staff are working to address community needs through focus and determination. Recently the department has been awarded over $400,000 in grant funds for addressing Greene County community needs assessment results. The Illinois Project Assessment of Needs (IPLAN) in Greene County prioritized access to healthy foods, mental health, substance use prevention, and recreational activities. “It is our goal to cause the effect in improving our community public health by focusing efforts on prevention of disease and disparity,” stated Molly Peters, Public Health Administrator. Peters also states, “Public Health is more than just assuring healthcare access, vaccination rates, and evaluating causes of death or disease. It is working to increase resources to improve high school and higher education graduation rates, assurance of access to daycare for families to thrive, and assisting to improve the community environments such

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for Perdue’s frozen ready-to-eat (RTE) chicken breast tenders “gluten free” that may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically small pieces of clear plastic and blue dye. A recall was not requested because the product is no longer available for purchase. The frozen RTE chicken breast tenders “gluten-free” were produced on July 12, 2022. The following product is subject to the public health alert : 42 oz. plastic bags containing “PERDUE CHICKEN BREAST TENDERS GLUTEN FREE” with a “Best if Used By: 07 12 23” and a lot number of 2193 above the use by date. The products bear establishment number “P-33944” immediately below the “Best if Used By:” date on the back of the plastic bag. These items were shipped to BJ's Wholesale Club retail locations nationwide.

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HARDIN - Jonathan E. Meyers, 35, of Hardin entered a guilty plea on charges of theft, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, and attempted possession of explosive or incendiary device on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, in Calhoun County Court. The court says these charges stemmed from three separate incidents which occurred in Hardin in Calhoun County between June and July of 2022. The first incident was a report of theft and criminal damage on June 10, 2022, at one of our local businesses. Myers posted bond on this offense and was released from jail. The second incident was a traffic stop on July 9, 2020, which resulted in an arrest for unlawful possession of methamphetamine. The final incident was a court-authorized search warrant, executed on July 10, 2022, at Myers' residence, which resulted in the discovery of more illegal narcotics and improvised explosive devices in various stages of completion. This incident also resulted in an arrest for unlawful possession of methamphetamine

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SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after President Joe Biden announced his Administration’s plan to eliminate $10,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year and to extend the student loan payment freeze until December 31: “Tens of millions of Americans are plagued by student loan debt in pursuit of a quality education. Today’s announcement by President Biden is a crucial step to enable low- and middle-income borrowers—especially communities of color—to eliminate their debt so they can buy a home, start a business, save for emergencies, and fully participate in our economy. President Biden and Congressional Democrats are delivering on our promises and focused on lifting up working families and the economy.” Today’s announcement also allocates up to $20,000 of debt cancellation for Pell Grant recipients. On average, Illinois students

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EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State Police (ISP) conducted a firearms enforcement blitz with details in all 102 counties across the state from June 16 through July 31, 2022. The enforcement details are designed to ensure those who have had their firearm rights revoked are in compliance with the Firearms Owners Identification Card (FOID) Act . “ISP is continuously and aggressively looking for ways to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of those posing a significant threat to themselves or others,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Through these enforcement details, we are strengthening our impact in reducing gun violence and protecting our communities.” During the enforcement blitz, ISP completed 201 details statewide consisting of 1,742 compliance checks. As a result of these efforts, 1,027 individuals were placed into compliance by surrendering their FOID Cards, transferring all firearms out of their possession, and completing a Firearm Disposition

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WOOD RIVER - When motorists drive on Illinois 143 to Wood River or out of the city, they automatically observe the busy East End Retention Project. Workers have been out there for the entire summer grading and installing pipes. The project is adjacent to the Kia dealership. The goal of the project is to create a way to drain excess water from the 15 acres of land, so it can be developed. Wood River Mayor Tom Stalcup said there has already been interest in the land from area developers, so the project has aroused attention. Stalcup said the good news is the irrigation project will hopefully be done within the month, depending on the weather. Mayor Stalcup said he is very excited to get the East End Retention Project completed to begin development. He said the area has great business potential for the City of Wood River. "It will take out the long-time flooding of that area, so we can do some development," he said. "We had a business developer in last week to look at the area,

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WOOD RIVER - Werts Welding & Tank Service, Inc., marks its 65th year in business this year. The company headquarters are located in Wood River. Werts Welding & Tank Service, Inc., is the leading supplier of tank trailer parts and equipment, trailers, and straight trucks, and has two fully accredited "R" stamp shops. Werts Welding & Tank Service, Inc. was founded in 1957 in Wood River, by Robert and Verna Werts. They were joined in 1977 by their son, Dwight Werts, who is now the company’s President/CEO. In the years past, the Werts family found it necessary to expand, to better serve their customers, so in 1991 they opened a branch in San Antonio, Texas. Seeing a need for further expansion, in December of 1997, they opened new branches in Birmingham, Ala., Atlanta, Ga., and Tampa, Fla. In 2003, they opened their sixth branch, this one in Des Moines, Iowa, then in December 2011, a seventh branch addition, this one in Billings, Montana. In February 2013, Werts expanded again by openin

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ALTON - This Saturday, August 27th, join author Troy Taylor for the official release of the new, updated, and revised version of his classic book 'HAUNTED ALTON.' The original book came out on December 1st, 1999. Mineral Springs Haunted Tours located at 301 E Broadway, Alton, IL 62002 will host Taylor's book release and signing from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. According to his bio found on Audible, he is a supernatural historian, murder buff, and the author of almost 90 books on ghosts, hauntings, history, crime, and the unexplained in America. Troy is also the founder of the American Hauntings Ghost Tour Company. Some of those tours are located in Chicago, Springfield, and right here in Alton. To find out more information or to book a tour visit the website here . You can also check out his Facebook page with more than 30,000 followers here . Troy describes Alton as “such a great town.” “Alton is a fun place to go back and dig up stories that people have never hear

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EAST ALTON – Illinois RiverWatch staff are looking for volunteers to help monitor local streams throughout the Metro East region at three events this September. “The events taking place this fall will serve three purposes,” Hannah Griffis, RiverWatch technician, and volunteer coordinator said. “New volunteers will be introduced to the program, current volunteers will become more comfortable with monitoring, and RiverWatch staff will be able to collect more data in the Metro East area.” The dates and locations include: September 17: Centennial Park, Swansea IL September 22: Piasa Creek, Godfrey IL September 24: The Nature Institute, Godfrey IL More details will be provided to volunteers who register. Each event will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers will be getting in the streams and participating in all of the monitoring steps. It is best to wear rain boots or other closed-toed shoes that can get wet. To register visit https://conta.cc/3c2HXZe

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Township’s 8 th Annual Touch-A-Truck event is a month on Saturday, September 24 th at Edwardsville Township Community Park, 6368 Center Grove Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Planning around 25vehicles will be on site for children to explore throughout the day. The free, family-oriented event, which has happened every year since 2014 (except in 2020 due to the pandemic), is open to the public. Each year, Touch-A-Truck brings thousands of people to the Park throughout the day. Families and kids are encouraged to check out many vehicles they see every day and others that are not often accessible. Emergency vehicles, farm equipment, antique tractors, boom trucks, line trucks, and more are open to young explorers all day. Local companies will be handing out free merchandise to attendees while supplies last. During the event, children are able to explore a wide range of their favorite vehicles. Previous years have included vehicles like, the SSM Health Cardinal

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ALTON - 'Our Daily Show!' is Riverbender.com's newest daily morning news talk show, and began last Monday, August 15th. It's hosted, produced, and edited by AHS graduate CJ Nasello and has already had multiple guests appear on the show. Tuesday morning's first guest was none other than Dallas Martz, general manager for the Alton River Dragons. The two talked about everything from the postseason to the origin of their mascot, signing players at a concession stand, and more. To watch the entire Martz interview click on the video found above. The first question Nasello asked was about the Boyz II Men concert on Sunday, August 21. Martz walked out on stage to get the crowd hyped up at the Alton Amphitheater. "It was exciting, it was a lot of fun," Martz said. The two also talked about the River Dragons' four all-stars including league MVP Eddie King Jr. out of Louisville University. "When you have the MVP on your team, obviously that's pretty special." "He's an incredible person,"

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ST. LOUIS - People everywhere are feeling the impacts of climate change with more frequent and intense weather events threatening our communities. September is National Preparedness Month and the American Red Cross of Central and Northern Missouri urges everyone to get ready for these emergencies now. Just last year, more than 40% of Americans — some 130 million people — were living in a county struck by a climate-related disaster, according to an analysis from the Washington Post. Disasters can happen anywhere, anytime. You can be ready by visiting redcross.org/prepare . “More powerful climate-driven occurrences are happening across the U.S. than ever before,” said Beth Elders, executive director, Red Cross of Greater St. Louis. “In fact, there have been more climate-related disasters in the nation over the past two decades than in any other country. It’s vital that everyone take steps to be prepared.” THREE EASY STEP S Three simple

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LITCHFIELD - A new lakeside living community with 41 custom homesites spread over 70 acres has opened on the shores of Lake Lou Yaeger, located one hour north of St. Louis in Litchfield, Illinois. Eagle Ridge offers potential residents a variety of waterfront and wooded homesites to design and build their own new custom homes for weekend or year-round living using their own architect and builder. Residents of Eagle Ridge can enjoy an active lifestyle available at popular Lake Lou Yaeger, including boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing, beach activities, picnicking, and playgrounds, as well as hiking, biking, birdwatching, and relaxing at the 266-acre Shoal Creek Nature Conservation Area located on the lake. Several golf courses and wineries are located nearby, and all the retail and hospitality conveniences of Litchfield (pop. 7,000) are just four miles away. Eagle Ridge is being developed by the City of Litchfield, which also owns the 1,400-acre Lake Lou Yaeger and leases all

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ALTON - Alton Band and Orchestra Builders – ABOB is pleased to announce that the 33 rd Annual Olde Alton Arts and Craft Fair will be held during the weekend of December 3 & 4, 2022 at Alton High School. The Fair will be open on Saturday, December 3 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Sunday, December 4 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Breakfast and Lunch will be available. Currently, we have Crafters from not just Illinois and Missouri, but also from as far away as Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas! Crafters must offer products that are at least 51% handmade and include a wide variety of items, many of which are Christmas-themed. ABOB is still taking applications for crafters for the Fair. Crafters can find the application/contract at www.abob.net , under the Craft and Vendor Fair drop-down tab. ABOB, originally organized in 1948, has supported the instrumental music program of the Alton Community Unit School District for 74 years, providing music, equipment, and instruments for our elementary,

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SPRINGFIELD – An older person who resides in a rural area of Jackson County recently tested positive for Heartland Virus, the third reported case in Illinois since 2018, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced today. The first two Heartland virus cases in Illinois were reported in 2018 in Kankakee County and Williamson County. Likely spread by the Lone Star tick, more than 50 cases of Heartland virus disease have been reported in the Midwest and southern United States since 2009. “As people continue to enjoy summer activities like hiking and camping, it is important to take precautions against ticks,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “Remember to wear insect repellent when in tick habitats and check for ticks immediately afterwards.” Heartland virus was first identified in 2009 when two Missouri farmers who had been bitten by ticks were admitted to a hospital. Almost all individuals with Heartland virus have been hospitalized. Although

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EDWARDSVILLE – Consistency, determination and striving to achieve are some of the attributes that make one a serial winner. Such is the story of Cristian Rodrigo Tolava Torrico, a second-year graduate student in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering (SOE) Department of Civil Engineering. Tolava has been awarded the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Foundation Scholarship’s W. Gene Corley Memorial Scholarship. Named after a recognized industry leader, the scholarship is awarded to graduate students with an interest in forensic engineering and the behavior and design of concrete structures. “This recognition became an extraordinary component of my life and keeps me moving forward,” said Torrico. “I certainly have more to accomplish and more to learn.” For someone whose long-term aspiration is to set up a structural consulting company and tutor rising engineers, Tolava believes the scholarship, with other internship and

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