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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - On January 24, 2023, the St. Louis County Police Department’s Burglary Unit in joint operation with St. Louis Metropolitan Police detectives and City of Normandy detectives conducted an investigation of a string of business burglaries that occurred on December 6, 2022, where a stolen white Hyundai Sonata from Calverton Park was used in conjunction with these burglaries. The detectives arrested two male juveniles (both 16 years of age) from the 4100 block of N. Newstead Avenue where detectives recovered five firearms to include a Glock handgun (pictured) that was stolen from Denny Dennis Sporting Goods on September 16, 2022. The two juveniles were charged with Burglary and Stealing from the following locations and held at Family Court: All incidents occurred on 12/6/2022 7498 Delmar Boulevard - Shell Gas Station 8835 Natural Bridge - Shell Gas Station 11208 West Florissant - Neat Restaurant and Bar 3675 Dunn Road - Conoco gas station

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BETHALTO - Mark Cassidy, a Bethalto resident and U.S. Navy veteran with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is in need of assistance from a caretaker as his disease progresses. His current Medical Assistant, Amy King, is seeking applicants to help her assist Cassidy with day-to-day functions. Cassidy said veterans are twice as likely to get ALS, regardless of their branch or position. “About 5,000 people a year are diagnosed with ALS in the United States, and for some reason, veterans are twice as likely to get ALS as non-veterans,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what branch of the service they were in, whether or not they saw combat duty, had a desk job … it doesn’t matter, veterans are twice as likely. “ The Association , after finding out this oddity about us being twice as likely to get it, they made the determination that there must be some connection between our service and ALS.” During his time in the Navy, Cassidy

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PIASA - MaCaylin Day is a strong athlete in multiple sports for the Southwestern High School Piasa Birds. For the 2022-2023 girls' basketball season, Day is the Southwestern leading scorer. She also is a standout in girls' soccer, an outside hitter in volleyball, and will be counted on heavily in the spring by the Piasa Birds. MaCaylin's goal is to play college soccer. Southwestern had a strong girls' soccer team last season. MaCaylin is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for the Piasa Birds. MaCaylin has even spent some time in cross-country in her Southwestern career. The Piasa Birds’ athlete said one of the key things she has learned from sports participation is that "if you want something, you have to work for it." Southwestern head girls basketball coach Darren Mosley said MaCaylin always “plays hard.” “She is not only our leading scorer, but she always has the assignment of guarding the other team’s best

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MSCHA HOCKEY EDWARDSVILLE 5, ST. DOMINIC CATHOLIC 0: Andrew Mohesky scored twice to lead Edwardsville to a 5-0 win over St. Dominic Catholic of O'Fallon, Mo. in a Mid-States Club Hockey Association game played Tuesday night at RP Lumber Center. Mohesky's first goal came at 6:06 of the first period, assisted by Carter Crow and Connor Morrison, with Luke Thomlinson scoring at 55 seconds of the second period, from Konnor Goclan and Fred Bramstedt to put the Tigers up 2-0. Mohesky got his second goal from Joe Viox at 6:24 of the second to make it 3-0, and a goal at 14:59 from David Hensley, assisted by Thomlinson and Goclan, to give Edwardsville a 4-0 lead. The final goal was scored by Bramstedt, unassisted, at 9:17 to make the final 5-0 score. Edwardsville outshot the Crusaders 53-10, with Kai Vetter getting the shutout win. The Tigers are now 5-10-4, while St. Dominic goes to 8-7-4. MSCHA HOCKEY In a Mid-State Club Hockey Association game played Saturday night at th

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced Wednesday that an Alton man has been convicted of attempted first-degree murder for a shooting that injured a woman and her daughter at the East Alton ice rink. Berton L. Newton, 31, received a sentence of 35 years in prison. “This crime happened in an area that is otherwise safe, and we intend to keep it safe," Haine said. "I commend our prosecutors who secured the conviction and sentence, the East Alton police and others who conducted a very thorough and swift investigation, and the victims and witnesses for their courage.” Assistant State’s Attorney Morgan Hudson, in outlining the evidence to the judge, said police responded to the East Alton ice rink on Jan. 22, 2022, for a report of shots fired. Two women were struck by a bullet but survived. The women – a mother and daughter – told police they were approached on the parking lot by a man who asked for a light for a cigarette.

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CARLINVILLE - The Blackburn College Department of Music & Theatre continues its Guest Artist Series on February 6 - 10, 2023, featuring Los Angeles-based professional singer, actor, and teacher Meridith Pyle. The week-long residency at Blackburn will include educational opportunities open to the public and conclude with a free community concert. Known for her “vocal chameleon” versatility and strong musicianship, Pyle is a full-time singer, voice teacher, and on-camera actress. During her Blackburn residency, Pyle will lead a Masterclass on Tuesday, February 7, and a presentation of “Don’t Sing It If You Don’t Mean It” on Thursday, February 9, both at 4:30 p.m. The week-long residency concludes with a free community concert Friday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. The classes and performances will be held in Bothwell Auditorium and are open to the public. She also will have open rehearsals throughout the week, preparing for her concert and allowing students

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) today voted to establish a Federal Aviation Administration task force to improve the pilot alert system for flight safety hazards. The Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system experienced an outage earlier this month that led to the cancelation of more than 1,300 flights and the delay of nearly 10,000 more. “The recent ground stop demonstrates how critical it is that the FAA makes immediate improvements to the NOTAM system,” said Bost. “Pilots and passengers alike should never have to worry about whether the system meant to keep them safe will fail them midflight. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I am working to ensure that the FAA is held accountable and that such a colossal failure never happens again.”

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EDWARDSVILLE - Beth K. Flowers, Shareholder and Vice President of Mathis, Marifian & Richter, Ltd., was appointed to the board of directors for Hospice of Southern Illinois, effective January 1, 2023. Hospice of Southern Illinois is a not-for-profit, community-based hospice that offers Southern Illinois and St. Louis Metro-East communities a range of services for people of all ages at the end of life. The organization’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their loved ones touched by a terminal illness. Beth focuses her practice in estate planning, real estate law and business law. Beth practices principally in the areas of death and disability planning (wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and estate and gift taxes) probate administration, real estate matters and business entity formation. To learn more about Hospice of Southern Illinois, visit: https://hospice.org/ .

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ST. LOUIS - Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has signed BB44 to place a measure on the April 4, 2023 municipal general election ballot to create a citizen-driven commission to review and recommend amendments to the St. Louis City Charter. The measure, if approved by voters, will empower St. Louis City residents to suggest updates to the city charter, which was enacted in 1914. Any change to the charter requires approval by St. Louis voters. “St. Louis’ City Charter was adopted more than a century ago when people communicated by telegraph and traveled by steamboat,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “This gives St. Louisans the opportunity to have a voice and vote in modernizing city government for the 21st century.” “Giving St. Louis the opportunity for a City-led, public-engaged, and regular Charter Commission to review our city's governing document helps our city move forward together,”said bill sponsor Ald. Annie Rice (8). “There could be smal

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WOOD RIVER - East Alton-Wood River junior Emmie Hall has been a cheerleader since she was six years old. Over the years, she said she has loved the role in cheering on the Oilers in different sports. Hall also said that cheerleading has taught her about "dedication, working hard, and never giving up when the stakes get difficult." Alison Beachum is the East Alton-Wood River cheer coach. Emmie is a Midwest Members Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for the Oilers. One of Emmie's side hobbies is "raising chickens," she said. Emmie plans on going to college at Paul Mitchell School and focusing on a hair and makeup career. She said she was very proud of her success in her math classes at East Alton-Wood River.

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BETHALTO - Not many basketball players can say they are averaging a double-double, but for seven-foot senior Sam Buckley, that has become the norm. Not a lot of players can say they've scored 1,000 points during their high school career, but Buckley can check that box off the list now too. He joined the '1,000 point club' back on Jan. 14 on the road in the Litchfield Tournament against Ramsey in a 52-37 win for the Eagles. Sam scored 18 points in that game bringing him to the impressive milestone. He pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds in that game as well. Breaking it down by year Sam scored 108 points his freshman year, 154 points as a sophomore, and 440 points as a junior. So far in his senior season, he's scored 375 points through 23 games bringing his current scoring total to 1,077 points. He's averaging 16.3 points per game right now as well as 10.3 rebounds. Sam scored a career-high 30 points in a 73-53 loss against Gibault back on Jan. 7. He became just the 14th player

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EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Sarah Conoyer, PhD, NCSP, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, along with three former psychology students, have been featured on the front page of the most recent edition of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Communiqué . The School of Education, Health and Human Behavior (SEHHB) alumni Julann Scheibal, Katelyn Houba and Mikayla Duncan-Ebner were Conoyer’s assistants through the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) program, leading to the creation and future publication of the featured article. “The article discusses how school psychologists and trainees are engaging in social media, the ethical issues concerning social media use and how school psychology supervisors and trainers can support professional growth through the ethical use of social media,” Conoyer explained. “One of the key features of the article is that we provide

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - On Tuesday, December 6, 2022, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office issued charges on suspect Sylvester Hill, 28 years of age, of the 5400 block of Plover Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri 63120, for Murder First Degree, Assault First Degree, and two counts of Armed Criminal Action. Hill was arrested in Houston, Texas, on January 24, 2023. A booking photo of Hill is not available at this time. Davis is being held without bond. The deceased has been positively identified as Myron Davis, 25 years of age, of the 4600 block of Alaska Avenue in St. Louis, MO 63111. The probable cause statement reads: On April 16, 2022, police responded to the scene of a shooting at or near the 6300 block of Lillian Avenue in St. Louis County. Two shooting victims were located in a vehicle at that location. Victim Myron Davis was in the driver's seat of that vehicle, had been shot in the head and was pronounced dead on the scene. Victim #2 was in the passenger area of th

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PIASA - Senior Hank Bouillon, a two-sport athlete at Southwestern High School, plays basketball and baseball. His coaches have nothing but good things to say about him. “That’s what he’s all about. He’s a hometown kid. He’s Southwestern through and through. He’s a true Piasa Bird,” head basketball coach Jason Darr said of Hank. Coach Darr said this after his team won the 104th Annual Macoupin County Tournament last Friday. With 0.8 seconds on the clock and the game tied at 36, all Hank had to do was make one to pretty much secure the win. He made both and his team went on to win the championship game in back-to-back seasons. After his clutch performance, Hank is an Altonized Community Federal Credit Union Athlete of the Month for Southwestern. "I knew I just had to get one to fall. I wanted the first one to go down and that happened. I knew the team trusted me, we worked hard all week. It was a fun time and I'm just glad I could sink those

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SPRINGFIELD — Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the state has officially repaid the remaining $1.36 billion unemployment insurance (UI) Trust Fund debt. The payment was made possible after a historic agreement was reached between the state, and representatives from business, labor, and bipartisan members of the General Assembly. It was then signed into law by the Governor. “I’m proud to announce that today, we officially paid off our state’s UI Trust Fund debt—further fueling Illinois’ strong economic trajectory,” said Governor Pritzker. “This achievement will save Illinois businesses hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade, and will save taxpayers $20 million in interest costs that would otherwise have been due next September.” “IDES is proud of the hard work and dedication it took members of the agreed bill process to achieve repayment of the

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MADISON COUNTY – The Salvation Army has exceeded its red kettle campaign goal of $217,000 by raising more than $364,000 to help people in Madison County. Reflected in the total are donations made through mail appeals, corporate gifts, unsolicited gifts, Schnuck’s Round-Up at the Register, and donations made at red kettles throughout the area. “Once again, the generous people of Alton and Godfrey and all of Madison County have shown how caring they are toward those in need,” said campaign co-chair Dr. John Hoelscher. “Even during this tough economy, the spirit of giving remained strong. This allows the Salvation Army to continue its good works for another year, providing food, clothing, shelter and guidance to our neighbors who need help.” “We want to thank everyone who gave so generously - those who signed up to ring bells in the cold and the many local businesses who set out red kettles in their shops and allowed ringers to stand outside thei

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EDWARDSVILLE - Liberty Middle School had something to celebrate this week after defeating Lincoln Middle in the annual District 7 Math Counts competition. Liberty Middle School recognized the following individuals with a special salute: Ameila Zhang, Annica Miller, Daniel Wang, and Alan Chen for being the first-place team. Daniel Wang won first place in the individual and Countdown rounds. Alan Chen won second place individual and Countdown round. Liberty officials said luck to all members participating in the Regional Completion on Saturday, February 4.

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WATERLOO - The jackpot for the Waterloo Queen of Hearts drawing continues to grow - Tuesday night’s jackpot total was $1,574218, a substantial increase from last week’s jackpot of $1,397,265. Event organizers expect the final jackpot to reach the $2 million limit. Card #12 was revealed to be the Five of Spades. Since the Queen of Hearts card was not found, the final drawing of this round will be held next Tuesday, Jan. 31. 20% of the funds raised will benefit Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School in Waterloo . Music and Band Teacher Chad Minier said next week’s jackpot may meet - or exceed - its $2 million limit. “We at SPPCS are making an estimated judgement that the prize will reach - or just exceed - the $2 million mark,” Minier said at the most recent drawing. “Please know that ticket sales will not get cut off before Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. “What that means: we’re pulling until we find that Queen. It could happen th

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EAST ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis man was sentenced to 235 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons after admitting to his involvement in a methamphetamine operation in southern Illinois. Terrence Thompson, 35, pled guilty to one count of Attempt and Conspiracy and one count of Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments. Following his prison sentence, Thompson will have five years of supervised release. He was fined $750 and $200 in special assessments. In addition, the federal indictment lists seven other defendants for their alleged involvement. “Methamphetamine and other illegal narcotics are poisoning our families and communities, and individuals responsible for its distribution will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Southern Illinois is a transportation hub with major interstate highway systems, and law enforcement play a key role in detecting and disrupting the flow of methamphetamine across the country.

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EDWARDSVILLE - With extensive experience in the banking industry, Kent Weber has joined Busey Bank as Vice President - Treasury Management Executive. In his role, he works closely with commercial business owners to ensure their needs are met through Busey’s expansive suite of Treasury Management products and solutions, including ACH Services, Positive Pay, Remote Deposit Capture, Lockbox Services, and Integrated Payables. With a banking career spanning over 40 years, Weber has a prolific understanding of bank management, operations, treasury management, retail banking, marketing, and consumer and commercial lending. He started his 25-year career with TheBANK of Edwardsville—now Busey Bank—in 1980 before establishing TheEDGEBANK in Edwardsville, IL, in 2005. Ten years later, TheEDGEBANK was acquired by Town and Country Bank, where Weber was Executive Vice President and Community President until 2017. He went on to serve as Senior Vice President of Operations at the

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