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EAST ALTON — When members of the local community lend a helping hand to a neighbor in need during the holiday season, they are bringing hope, joy and inspiration to the community. That is what Community Christmas is all about! United Way’s annual Community Christmas program collects money, necessary household items, and gifts for children through early December for local people in need during the holiday season. It kicked off this month with more than 100 boxes at participating businesses, churches, schools and organizations throughout the Greater Alton area. A list of participating locations hosting a box is available at HelpingPeople.org/CommunityChristmas. “Community Christmas is one of the pillars of our community outreach efforts during the holidays and the support we’ve been able to garner from our local neighbors over the course of the past 15 years has been fantastic,” said Karen Lintz, Director, Illinois Region of United Way of Greater St.

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C HICAGO – In advance of Veterans Day, Attorney General Kwame Raoul is encouraging veterans, service members and their families to participate in a free military rights webinar to learn how to avoid scams directed at veterans and what to do if they have been a victim of a scam. Raoul’s Military and Veterans Rights Bureau will host the free What to Know About Veterans Consumer Scams webinar Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. “This Veterans Day, and every day, my office is dedicated to protecting the benefits our veterans have earned through their selfless service and dedication to this country,” Raoul said. “I encourage current service members, veterans and their families to join this webinar to ensure they have the knowledge to recognize and defend themselves from the bad actors who target them and their benefits.” Raoul said veterans are often victims of other frauds, scams or identity theft. A recent report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) disclosed

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ALTON – OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center continues its focused efforts expanding resources in addressing the mental health and well-being of residents in the Riverbend region. Beginning the week of November 27, OSF Saint Anthony’s Psychological Services department will launch two new education groups within its Connections Adult Group Series. On Tuesday, November 28, from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m., the Women’s Family Violence Group will begin its weekly meeting schedule providing a supportive and safe environment for women who are experiencing verbal or physical abuse from a significant other or family member or are recovering from the trauma of past domestic violence. The Women’s Family Violence Group covers safety planning and resources, family dynamics, and healthy coping skills. Preferred age range for female participants is 18 years old and above. That same week on Thursday, November 30, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., the Anger Management Group will

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JERSEYVILLE - The Marine Corps League Robert Windle Detachment #1031 will again host a Veterans Day ceremony in Jerseyville on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. The ceremony will be held under the big pavilion at the American Legion Post 492. Gregory Breden, associate member of the Marine Corps League, said the parade will line up on West Prairie Street beside Wells-Norris around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. and it will proceed north on State Street. When it gets to Exchange Street, it will turn West. Then, when it arrives at Washington Street, it will turn South until it arrives at West Pearl Street, where the parade route ends. "The ceremony will begin after everyone is settled in place on the Jersey County Courthouse lawn at the Jersey County War Memorial," Breden said. "You may want to bring lawn chairs for the ceremony. In case of bad weather, rain or snow, you never know around here what the weather will be like." The Veterans Day ceremony will begin at noon

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SPRINGFIELD - During his days as an Illinois Statehouse reporter, Taylor Pensoneau covered some of the state’s most sordid political scandals. Now, he is doing the same as a writer of fiction. Pensoneau has just released Corruption Incorporated (Downstate Publications: $18.95), an intricately-written mystery novel with a fast-moving pace and page-turning suspense. The detailed narrative is based on the wildly corrupt political atmosphere in Illinois in the late 1960s. “Almost all the scandals and incidents portrayed in the book did occur in real life,” remarked Pensoneau. “Virtually everything in the book really happened.” Pensoneau, who lives in New Berlin, Ill., was a top political writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1965-78. He was based at the Illinois Statehouse for much of that time with the Post-Dispatch , but also covered some of the seminal moments in national political history, including the Watergate hearings. His prowess as a

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ALTON - The Principia College dance program once again turned heads during their annual Alton Halloween Parade flash mob. Students from across campus have spent weeks practicing the dance so they could perform at the intersection of Piasa and 3rd Street in downtown Alton. It’s a fun tradition, but it’s also a great way for students to connect to the larger Riverbend community, dance professor Erin Lane explained. “Another great flash mob year in the books,” Lane said. “Alton is really special. I’m really happy that Prin Dance can be a part of it as much as we are, and I hope that we can grow and do more.” This year’s flash mob was choreographed by students Hanna Dow and Emily Kraack, who chose a “Wednesday” theme after the popular Netflix show of the same name. “Wednesday” is based on characters from “The Addams Family.” The student dancers dressed in clothes and makeup that resemble Wednesday

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In the wake of the recent Hamas terrorist attack that killed more than 1,300 Israelis, my True Crime Reporter® podcast opened its investigative archive on the Gaza-based group's past fundraising and recruitment in the United States. After my embedded assignment with the U.S. Army during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, investigative producer Todd Bensman and I focused on how terrorists were using the Internet to raise money and recruit followers. Our investigation uncovered a monthly online magazine called Alsunnah that solicited suicide bombers to attack American and coalition troops in Iraq, as well as Israelis. We tracked the origins of the web magazine to an internet hosting company linked to three Palestinian brothers who were later convicted on federal charges of providing material support to the terrorist group Hamas. The Internet company named Synaptix was based in Richardson, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Its management was intertwined with the Holy Land Foundation,

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JERSEYVILLE - Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said Jersey County does not have the legal authority to secede from Illinois and become part of Missouri, as the Jersey County Board had reportedly been considering. In an opinion document dated Oct. 17, 2023, Raoul stated that in his opinion, “non-home-rule counties, such as Jersey County, do not have the authority to secede from the State of Illinois and join another state.” Raoul wrote this opinion in response to an inquiry from State’s Attorney Ben Goetten. According to information Goetten provided Raoul, the Jersey County Board was considering a referendum “moving Illinois-Missouri border to make Jersey County, Illinois a county of Missouri." While the board tabled the item, Goetten made his inquiry in case the issue arose again in the future. While the state constitution does not address the issue of county secession directly, one section outlining the powers of non-home-rule counties and th

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CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced Friday that the State of Illinois has awarded $3.5 million in funding to 19 different applicants across the state to support post-pandemic child and adolescent health. The size of the grants ranges from $92,000 to $200,000. Both a Macoupin County and St. Clair County department and the center received significant awards. The new round of grants follows $9.5 million in grants that were primarily federally funded to 40 organizations around the state announced last week. The Macoupin County Health Department received $200,000 from the grant, the maximum amount awarded. Comprehensive Behavioral Center of St. Clair County, Inc., also received $172,193.26, another large amount. Of the new round of grants, 41% are awarded to behavioral health treatment centers, 21% to schools, 21% to healthcare groups, 11% to local health departments and 5% to colleges. The grants are funded by the state

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EDWARDSVILLE – Metro-East Lutheran High School will host an Open House at its campus on Center Grove Road on Sunday, Nov. 12, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event, which is open to the public, will allow attendees to take a tour of the school’s campus, meet with faculty and administration and find out more about the school’s academic, athletic and extracurricular offerings as well as get answers to questions about tuition, financial assistance and scholarship opportunities. Metro-East Lutheran High School (MELHS) has been providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment for more than 40 years. For more information about Metro-East Lutheran High School, email admissions@melhs.org or go to www.melhs.org .

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ALTON - Marilyn Hope (Waide) Lake, a former Altonian and longtime award-winning author, earned two more awards to add to her impressive portfolio as an author of everything from poetry to nonfiction to children’s stories and more. Lake received two awards at the Missouri Writers Guild (MWG) statewide conference, which was held on Sept. 23, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. Lake was born in Alton and graduated from Alton High School in 1960. A conversation she had with a fellow member of her graduating class inspired one of her award-winning written works. Lake was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Best Poem category for her poem, "The Right Thank You," based on an incident told to her by her Alton High School Class of 1960 classmate Larry Donahue of Godfrey. She also received the Third Place award in the Best Nonfiction Book category for her memoir, “STORIES FROM MY LIFE, 2nd edition,” which was published in 2022 by Storyworth. Lake participated in the MWG’s

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ALTON - The Mothers Unique Grief Support Group will host a dove release in honor of the children they’ve lost. Everyone in the community is invited. The release is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at the Alton Amphitheater. Mary Jason, the group’s facilitator, explained that the release aims to bring exposure to what Mothers Unique does in Alton and how they can help grieving parents. “My group has always reached out to mothers that have lost children by giving them flowers and a condolence letter and whatever they need,” Jones said. “Maybe give us a little bit more exposure and let them know what we’re about. We’ve helped a lot of mothers, but to let them know we are sincere and we are reaching out to help them in whatever way we can.” Jones started the group in 2017. They meet from 4–6 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month at the Alton YWCA, located at 304 E. 3rd Street in Alton. While there are eight dedicated

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ALTON - Alton Amphitheater Commission Chair Dan Herkert said this past season of events at the amphitheater has been a success overall, but he has big plans for next season and hopes to get more sponsors involved as the venue looks to expand its offerings. “Overall, it was a great season,” Herkert said. “The events that we had were all great this year, but you always want to do more, and that just comes down to sponsor dollars, and we’re working our tails off again on that already getting ready for next year.” Herkert said he expects several of the amphitheater’s “Anchor Events” to return this year, including local favorites like the fireworks show on the Mississippi River, Food Truck Festival, Alton Expo, and the Jazz & Wine Festival, though he noted the Jazz & Wine Festival may be on a slightly different weekend due to the leap year. Herkert said he heard several positive reviews of the "I Love the 90’s" show, which featured

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EDWARDSVILLE - For the past five years, Lynette and Craig Watson have been the glue that keeps all the pieces together behind the scenes at Edwardsville High School’s Band Program’s successful Craft Fairs. The 30 th Annual EHS Band Craft Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, November 11 , and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, November 12, at the Edwardsville High School 6161 Center Grove Road, Edwardsville, IL., 62025. Music has always been important to both Craig and Lynette. Both were “band kids” growing up and Lynette is an EHS Marching Tiger alum. As parents, they believed that music was important to their children’s brain development, character, leadership and work ethic as well as providing supportive social experiences. Lynette said she once heard a student ask why all the band kids were “weird”. Lynette had a great response: “They’re not. They’re simply allowed to be who they are by their band friends.”

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EAST ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Rachelle Crowe announced on Friday that a federal jury returned a guilty verdict for an East St. Louis man accused of distributing ounce quantities of meth in St. Clair County. Aaron Wallace, 42, was charged with one count of meth distribution in November 2021. “DEA works aggressively to remove meth dealers from southern Illinois,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Thanks to their diligent efforts, we’re working to eradicate drug trafficking from our communities.” According to court documents and evidence presented during trial, Drug Enforcement Administration agents opened an investigation into Wallace in September 2020, after learning he was dealing large quantities of crystal meth in St. Clair County. During DEA’s investigation, a confidential source purchased four ounces of crystal meth from Wallace in East St. Louis. Wallace’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2024, at the U.S. District Courthouse

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ALTON – The BJC Outpatient Center at Godfrey opened its doors Nov. 1, providing accessible, high-quality health care for patients of all ages. The 14,000-square-foot facility, at 5213 Godfrey Road, offers primary and convenient care services, with plans to expand in the future to provide an array of outpatient services. "We are excited to offer this space to the families of Godfrey," said Dr. Daniel Berg, a BJC Medical Group family medicine provider at the new location. "We look forward to continuing to provide patients extraordinary care in a convenient manner and growing BJC's relationship with the community." Highly trained and experienced full-time primary care providers Daniel Berg, MD ; Mindy Faraone, FNP; and Donna Koenig, FNP , are ready to address health care needs and take new patient appointments. BJC Convenient Care at Godfrey has been open in the same building since late September, from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily to take walk-in patients with various minor illnesses

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ALTON - After 45 years, New Frontiers Home Furnishings is as busy as ever and getting a new look. The store, located at 101 W. 3rd Street in Alton, sells a variety of home and garden furniture and accessories. Tony Fillop has been with New Frontiers since it opened and has spent the last several weeks painting the exterior, while inside, saleswoman Cathie Doria is helping customers find the furniture they love at discounted prices. “We just came back from market, so we’re just trying to clean out. Everything’s on sale. Storewide, everything — accessories, lamps, pictures, furniture — is on sale,” Doria said, adding with a laugh, “And we’re not going out of business. We’re not closing, it’s just trying to turn over the merchandise.” The most popular items in the Riverbend region are solid wood pieces made in America. When going to market, the New Frontiers staff walks through bedroom, kitchen and living room sets,

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ALTON - Last week, Alton Amphitheater Commissioner Michelle Brooks resigned after serving over 10 years on the Alton Amphitheater Commission, as Chair Dan Herkert recently announced on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com . Herkert said Brooks was among the first “original” members ever appointed to the commission, and said she and her contributions will be sorely missed. “We’re all sad to lose her, it’s a huge loss to us on the commission. It’s a huge loss to the city,” Herkert said. “All the work that she’s put in … just from my perspective as the Chair, she’s been my right hand in taking care of things for me, so it’s going to be a big loss, and whoever ends up in that spot’s going to have big shoes to fill.” Herkert added: “Don’t think I won’t be trying to talk her into coming down and volunteering for a few events in the future.” Brook’s spot as commissioner

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EAST ALTON - East Alton Mayor Darren Carlton said the demolition of the Old Citizens Savings Bank is going according to plan and that the tear-down and site removal will continue into next week. Carlton reported that most of the old building is down, but some of the first floor has walls that are still standing that will be brought to the ground. “They will start hauling it off next week,” he said. Ultimately, the mayor said having the old building down would be better for that corner area. “We don’t have a developer for the area yet, but we hope to attract someone shortly,” he said. The mayor said the city didn’t have a choice about avoiding demolition of the structure because of the amount needed to restore it. The inside of the Old Citizens Savings and Loan was in terrible shape, the mayor said. Anyone interested in the site location for development can contact the mayor at (618) 259-7714.

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GLEN CARBON - Father McGivney Catholic junior runner Liam Boeving returned strong at the end of the season for the Griffins in the postseason. He was 10th in the Gateway Boys Cross Country Meet with a time of 17:34.3 at Father McGivney Catholic on Oct. 10, 2023. He also was 18th in the Trenton-Wesclin Class 1A Regional at Trenton on Oct. 21, 2023, with a time of 17:37.8 for three miles. Boeving said he was pleased to come back by the end of the season from an injury and do so well in the regional event. The McGivney junior is a Byron, Carlson, Petri and Kalb Male Athlete of the Month for the Griffins. He had a broad smile on his face after the Gateway Conference finish at McGivney and was very pleased at how he shined late in the season. “I hope to keep improving,” he said about his future in running. "I felt I was closer to where I should be at the end of the season.” Boeving said he loves running and the great cross country team and head coach Jim Helton at Fathe

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