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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.7 percent, while nonfarm payrolls were almost unchanged, down by just -800 in December, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The November monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from +17,500 to +12,100 jobs. The November unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 4.7 percent. The December payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th. In December, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment included: Educational and Health Services (+5,200), Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+3,300), and Government (+1,800). The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll declines included: Professional and Business Services (-3,000), Leisure and Hospitality (-2,500)

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CHICAGO - Governor JB Pritzker issued the following statement on the decision by Effingham County Judge Morrison on the Protect Illinois Communities Act: “This decision is not surprising. Although disappointing, it is the initial result we’ve seen in many cases brought by plaintiffs whose goal is to advance ideology over public safety. We are well aware that this is only the first step in defending this important legislation. I remain confident that the courts will uphold the constitutionality of Illinois’ law, which aligns with the eight other states with similar laws and was written in collaboration with lawmakers, advocates, and legal experts. Illinoisans have a right to feel safe in their front yards, at school, while eating at bars and restaurants or celebrating with their family and friends. The Protect Illinois Communities Act takes weapons of war and mass destruction off the street while allowing law-abiding gun owners to retain their collections. I look

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ALTON - At 4:36 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, the Alton Police Department received a report of gunshots fired in the area of East 20th Street and North Henry Street. Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford said when officers arrived they determined that an occupied vehicle had been struck by gunfire but no injuries occurred. "Investigation revealed that the gunshots had been fired from a vehicle as it drove through the area," the chief said. "A description of that vehicle was obtained and officers located it a short time later. "Officers were able to stop the suspect vehicle and detained the driver/sole occupant. The suspect was taken into custody and brought to the Alton Jail. A firearm was located inside the suspect vehicle." The investigation is ongoing at this time. Chief Ford said the facts of the case will be presented to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office this coming week.

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EDWARDSVILLE – The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville awarded Gary Hicks, PhD, professor in the Department of Mass Communications, with the William and Margaret Going Endowed Professorship Award, the most distinguished faculty award of the College. A member of the LGBTQ+ community with more than 25 years of work experience as a media and communications academic, Hicks’ research has focused on the impact of media on society’s marginalized communities. “My research covers what once were considered taboo topics whose study was clearly not valued by many universities,” explained Hicks. “There are a relatively small number of scholars who do this kind of research. I find one reason for that is the historical lack of embrace by academia.” “While I was working on my doctorate many years ago, I was warned by several of my professors that I might have a hard time even being hired due to prejudice

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CARLINVILLE - The marriages and romances of American Presidents will be the topic of a free program at the Carlinville Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend the one-hour discussion, which will be presented by Tom Emery, a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville. Emery has won fifteen awards from the Illinois State Historical Society in his career. He has been published in over 150 newspapers in his career, and has created thirty-nine book and booklet titles. An experienced speaker and public-address announcer, Emery has lectured on his research across the region, and has been in particular demand in recent years. He is known for his informal presentations, which encourage audience participation. The Presidential Marriages program is one of his most popular discussions, and usually attracts large audiences. The program will offer an entertaining look at the marriages, romances, and love lives of the Presidents. While som

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EDWARDSVILLE - Work on the buildings for Drunken Fish, Kimchi Guys, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and Eskimo Hut Frozen Daiquiris To-Go is making great progress, both Edwardsville Mayor Art Risavy and Economic and Community Development Director James Arnold said Friday. Drunken Fish is a St. Louis-area staple for sushi and Japanese cuisine, and Kimchi Guys offers fast-casual Korean food. Another Kimchi Guys is located in Laclede’s Landing area of St. Louis. Nothing Bundt Cakes are handcrafted in a variety of flavors and sizes and offer a wide selection. Eskimo Hut Frozen Daiquiris To-Go will specialize in its signature frozen daiquiris and margaritas to go among convenience store options. Mayor Risavy said these additions will be “amazing” for Edwardsville to go with the wide assortment of businesses already available. “They will have a huge impact and are just more additions to our great supplement of things we already have,” he said. “These are all

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ALTON - Eddie Sholar Jr., the owner of Fast Eddie’s Bon Air, one of Alton’s landmark businesses, expressed excitement about the new cannabis dispensary to be located at the former Winnelson Plumbing & Pipe Supply building near his establishment. Sholar, the previous owner of the old Winnelson building, said he sold the building at 1400 Broadway to the new owners of the cannabis dispensary. He said he believes the new dispensary will be huge for Broadway and Alton. On Tuesday, Stutz Excavating razed the former Hawks Vending Building. The space that was torn down will become a new joint parking lot for the dispensary and Fast Eddie’s. Sholar said he will be in partnership with the new dispensary “moving forward.” More about that will be released soon, he added. He said he believes this is all in the best interests of Alton’s future. “This will be huge for Alton and its tax revenue,” he said. “I am all about what is best for Alton."

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EDWARDSVILLE - The former Annie’s Frozen Custard location at 245 S. Buchanan St. in Edwardsville will be the site of a new Carrollton Bank drive-thru later this year. Carrollton Bank Regional President Bill Barlow said the new location will have three drive-thru lanes, two for drive-thru banking service and one for an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). This location will be drive-thru-only with no walk-in service. “Some local real estate investors … knew we were wanting a drive-up facility, and there was no way to do one at our current location there, so we preferably wanted something nearby,” Barlow said. “They secured the site and approached us to see if that was an acceptable site for us, and we really liked it because it’s in the same block as our main bank there at Park Street. “It’s a lighted intersection with a stoplight and it’s highly visible, so we thought it was a great location.” Demolition of the former

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EDWARDSVILLE – Metro-East Lutheran High School has received a $30,000 grant to support its growing robotics program. The funds were awarded by an Oregon-based foundation that supports Christian educational opportunities and will allow MELHS to continue to grow its STEM programming. The robotics team plans to use the grant money to purchase equipment such as updated computers and engineering lab stations, a new 3D printer, robot parts and other supplies. They also plan to update the school’s robotics classroom with new furniture, including desks, chairs and storage units. This is just the second year the MELHS robotics team has been competing as part of the Southern Illinois division for the FIRST Tech Challenge. Last year the team won two rookie awards, including highest-scoring rookie. “We started our rookie year with nothing,” said Dan Staake, one of the team’s coaches. “I told the students last year that all the other teams started the year wit

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SHILOH - The Shiloh Police Department announced aggravated battery to a child charges against a Shiloh man on Thursday. St. Clair County Assistant State’s Attorney Judy Dalan issued a four-count warrant for Aggravated Battery to a Child, a Class X Felony, for aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 Felony, for aggravated battery to a child with bodily harm, a Class 3 Felony, and for domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor, each charging Jason R. Homrig, 42, of the 400 block of Downing Court in Shiloh with the above crimes. The warrants were reviewed by St. Clair County Judge Jeffrey Watson who set Homrig’s bond at $150,000.00 with 10% applying. Homrig is currently in custody at the St. Clair C A report on the case by Shiloh Police read as follows: "At 3:11 p.m. on Monday, December 12, 2022, the Shiloh Police Department took a report for injuries to a child that previously occurred at a residence in the 400 block of Downing Court in Shiloh. The child had been taken

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WATERLOO - The jackpot for the Waterloo Queen of Hearts drawing has reached $1,397,265 the highest amount the drawing has ever reached since it began in 2017. 20% of the funds raised will benefit the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School in Waterloo . The most recent drawing was held Tuesday, Jan. 17 at Outsider pub in Waterloo, when Card #9, the Four of Diamonds, was pulled. Drawings will take place each Tuesday night at 7 p.m. until somebody pulls the jackpot-winning card, the Queen of Hearts. Fifteen cards in total remain and the drawing is expected to reach its $2 million limit in the next week or two. Once the limit is reached, ticket sales will stop, according to the event’s official Facebook page . “When this happens, we will draw until a winner is found,” they wrote in a post . “You won’t want to miss it!” Smaller winnings are also paid out to those who pull certain card suits, including $1,000 for Jokers and $500

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ST. LOUIS - The critical incident briefing for the officer-involved shooting below which occurred on December 7, 2022, in the City of Maryland Heights can be found at https://youtu.be/37RW6rrsHlk . St. Louis County Public Information Officer Adrian Washington said the critical incident briefing is intended to show information about the officer-involved shooting. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. As part of St. Louis County Police's transparency policy, the video is released to show the incident, evidence and St. Louis County Police's response to the situation, Washington said. "Because the investigation is ongoing the information is to show what we know up to this point," Officer Washington said. The deceased in the incident has been identified as Mark Davenport, 48 years of age, of the 400 block of Lanning Lane in Rolla, Missouri 65401. The incident occurred at 4:19 p.m. on December 7, 2022. Detectives from the City of Maryland Heights Police Department were searching

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EDWARDSVILLE – Two Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students, Tyler Evans and Chase Horton, have received the National Health Information Scholarship from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Foundation. Evans and Horton are two of 15 students in the country to receive the scholarship. Evans and Horton are pursuing a master’s in healthcare informatics at SIUE. The pair will each receive a $7,000 scholarship from the nonprofit organization recognizing their excellence and promising future contribution in the field of health information. “I was overjoyed by the news that I received the scholarship,” said Evans, a Chicago native. “The scholarship will impact my academic career at SIUE by giving me the opportunity to focus on classes with less financial burden on my shoulders.” “I plan to use my informatics degree to become an electronic health record (EHR) trainer, developer and analyst,” added Horton,

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ALTON - After going to public school all her life, senior Payton Patterson didn't know what to expect coming into Marquette Catholic High School. "I came into Marquette going to a public school and I didn't know anybody coming into a private school," she said. "It didn't take me long to have friends, and when I came in here I met some of my best friends." It helped that she decided to go out for three sports during her freshman year. That's a sure way to make some new friends. She went out for volleyball which she played her freshman and sophomore years, basketball which is what she'll continue to play at Lewis and Clark Community College, and soccer which she has played all three years up to this point. Basketball being her preferred sport, she always knew she wanted to try and continue playing it. "I wanted to play basketball in college for so long. I finally worked toward a scholarship and got one," she said. Patterson is a Tucker's Automotive Repair & Tire Female Athlete of

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GREENVILLE - The following students were placed on the Dean's List at Greenville University for the Fall 2022 semester. Alton, IL Moriah Summers, senior Elizabeth Sutton, senior Bethalto, IL Megan Belangee, junior Janie Edel, junior Mariah Harned, senior Allison Woolbright, sophomore Brighton, IL Brady Salzman, junior Carrollton, IL Hannah Stringer, junior East Alton, IL Bryan Copeland, junior Stephanie Kamp, junior Edwardsville, IL Madelyn Stephen, senior Glen Carbon, IL Hannah Beck, senior Godfrey, IL Brian Brey, senior Hope Wind, senior Granite City, IL Grace Phillips, senior Thomas Westbrook, freshman Jerseyville, IL Molly Heitzig, senior Wood River, IL Braeden Wells, junior To qualify for the GU Dean's List, a student must successfully complete a minimum of 12 hours for the semester. Freshmen (0-29.5 credits) must have a semester GPA of 3.5 or above. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors must have a semester

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MILLSTADT, IL. - State Representative Kevin Schmidt (R-Millstadt) has sent a letter to Governor Pritzker asking him to keep his word about the grant funds he promised to send to Cahokia Heights to address the community’s water and sewer issues. During the recent gubernatorial campaign, Gov. JB Pritzker promised at a stop in Cahokia Heights in August that grant funds would be “delivered today” to Cahokia Heights to address water and sewer issues. It is now January of 2023, and the Governor has yet to deliver on the election year promise. “The situation in Cahokia Heights is getting worse every day. Whenever it rains, the community has to deal with sewer smell and possible water contamination,” Schmidt said. “Addressing these issues cannot wait. The Governor promised to send the money right away, but the funds still have not been released. The people of Cahokia Heights thought they were well on their way to getting the help they needed. Was this ye

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 15 attorneys general supporting New York’s concealed carry regulations by asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to reverse a lower court decision that preliminarily enjoined certain aspects of New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA). In an amicus brief , Raoul and the coalition argue that the lower court’s decision was wrong because the enjoined provisions of the CCIA are consistent with Supreme Court precedent and with a long tradition of states enacting similar regulations to meet their responsibility to protect residents from the harmful effects of gun violence. “The lower court’s decision suspending commonsense measures within New York law to protect the safety of its residents from the devastating effects of gun violence must be reversed,” Raoul said. “I am honored to continue the work with my fellow attorneys general to ensure states like New York can

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - In December of 2022, the St. Louis County Police Department Crime Laboratory became the 75th organization in the U.S., and the 101st in the world, to use STRmixTM forensic software in its scientific testing of crime scene evidence. STRmixTM is an advanced DNA interpretation software capable of resolving mixed DNA profiles previously regarded as too complex or low quantity to interpret manually. The software will considerably increase the number of DNA profiles that can be utilized to aid criminal investigations. In 2018, the department was awarded competitive grant funding to purchase STRmixTM through the 2017 Forensic DNA Laboratory Efficiency Improvement and Capacity Enhancement Program Grant. Validation began in early 2019 and was completed in 2021. Implementation and analyst training was completed in December of 2022. The STRmixTM software represents a remarkable advancement in the field of forensic DNA analysis and will dramatically increase the number

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ALTON - Expanding sports tourism in southwest Illinois is a priority in 2023 for the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau. That’s why it has hired Huddle Up Group, an Arizona-based organization which specializes in sports tourism strategic plans. “Every year we see the economic impact of sports tourism on our region and know we can do better,” said Cory Jobe, President and CEO of the tourism bureau. “Growing sports events in our region will bring in more overnight stays, increase local tax revenues and we anticipate businesses will see an increase in sales. It’s a win-win for everyone.” Huddle Up will help identify, grow, develop and service the region’s sports tourism efforts to ensure a positive economic impact. That work would ultimately lead to the development of a long-range strategic plan for the growth of sports in Madison County. Huddle Up will conduct a market needs assessment on sports participation trends; do a regional facility

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ALTON - Marquette Catholic High School announced its fall semester Honor Roll. To view the full lists click the links below. High Honor Roll Honor Roll

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