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EDWARDSVILLE – In an effort to further its philanthropic efforts, The Gori Law firm announced the launch of its new internal giving initiative, Gori Gives. In 2021, the firm donated almost $300,000 to 90 different local community groups and nonprofit organizations. To continue this momentum, the program is designed to encourage staff involvement in community service and hands-on volunteer work for nonprofit organizations, locally, regionally, nationally – and even globally. “Our firm’s philanthropic mission is to empower our employees to invest their time and energy into helping others,” said Sara Salger, managing partner of The Gori Law Firm. “Each of us has certain skills and abilities, and we want those to go toward not only assisting with our legal capabilities, but also making a positive difference in the world.” While the firm participates in various charities and events throughout the year, such as the Edwardsville Route 66 Festival,

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ST. LOUIS - Today, Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) released two updated, data-driven reports offering stakeholders deeper insights into the company's operations including its first environmental justice principles. The reports also discuss sustainable energy investments, energy assistance and economic development initiatives designed to support customers regardless of their background. Ameren's full environmental justice principles can be read here . "We know achieving our sustainability goals goes beyond making progress on environmental issues and involves addressing the needs and expectations of our communities," said Gwen Mizell, Ameren's chief sustainability and diversity officer. "Ameren's numerous efforts to support diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), are crucial facets of a well-rounded sustainability strategy. These reports provide further insight to all our stakeholders, including our millions of customers, to show how we're living our vision, Leading the Way

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ST. LOUIS - The Bailey Foundation (TBF) is announcing its first Take Action Gala, which will take place June 26, 2022, from 6 pm to 10 pm at the Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa in St. Charles, MO. This will be an annual celebration of The Bailey Foundation’s work in the community and a fundraising event to support their initiatives. The nonprofit has enrichment programs where children can pursue their passion in dance, theater, music, and visual arts, in addition to nutrition services, child and family support programs, and community action initiatives. During the gala, a video production will be shown of children from different schools performing what they have learned, providing an example of what The Bailey Foundation offers. Attendees will listen to keynote speakers in the areas of early childhood education, economic development, and mental health awareness, to name a few, and experience an interactive panel discussion. The gala will also host a social hour with refreshments,

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CHICAGO - Intersect Illinois today announced that Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) President, David Boulay, will join its board of directors. Boulay leads the organization dedicated to helping manufacturing enterprises in Illinois to be globally competitive. His appointment to Intersect Illinois’ board will strengthen manufacturing recruitment and expansion throughout the state. “Manufacturing is one of Illinois’ strongest industries and it is important that we showcase our proficiency in the industry as we talk to both domestic and global companies,” said Intersect Illinois CEO Dan Seals. “David Boulay will provide a tremendous asset to Intersect Illinois as we tell the story of Illinois’ supportive manufacturing ecosystem.” “Illinois manufacturing is strong, resilient, and innovative,” said Boulay. “I am excited to be a part of the Intersect Illinois board and help shed light on our state’s robust an

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ST. LOUIS - 2022 FAN EXPO St. Louis (formerly Wizard World), part of North America’s largest pop-culture touring expo, will return to STL this weekend. Thousands of fans will be on hand to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more in its first year under the FAN EXPO name in St. Louis (produced as Wizard World St. Louis, 2013-19). This year it will be held at the America's Center at 701 Convention Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63101. The event will include appearances from many of your favorite tv and movie stars. Some of the current names on the list include: William Shatner (“Star Trek,” “Boston Legal”),Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad),Clerks cast reunion: writer/director Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran, Trevor Fehrman and Jeff Anderson,Carl Weathers (“The Mandalorian,” Rocky), "Smallville"

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement on President Biden’s announcement of seven nominees to the bipartisan U.S. Sentencing Commission: “President Biden’s bipartisan slate of nominees have the experience and expertise needed for the important work of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. I look forward to holding a confirmation hearing for these nominees in the Senate Judiciary Committee in the near future to learn more about their records and approach to federal sentencing.” The U.S. Sentencing Commission is a bipartisan, independent agency within the federal judiciary that was created to establish policies and practices to reduce sentencing disparities and promote transparency and proportionality in criminal sentencing. To accomplish this, the U.S. Sentencing Commission collects and analyzes information on federal sentencing practices to help develop

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ALTON - Emma Barham, a senior at Alton High School, is an Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club Student of the Month. She is the daughter of Brian and Abigail Barham. Throughout high school, Emma has maintained a GPA over 4.0, with a current GPA of 4.398. She maintained this GPA while taking honors classes whenever she could, as well as taking AP classes to prepare herself for college. With her GPA, she has placed in the top 8% of her graduating class, being recognized as a 2022 silver medallion alongside around 50 peers, as well as recognized as an Illinois State Scholar. Her music career has been acknowledged as she was involved in the Tri-M Honor society this school year. She also has been honored as a Proctor and Gamble scholar and a Meridian Scholar through SIUE. The Meridian Scholarship is SIUE’s premier and most competitive academic award. For fall 2022, close to 1,300 applicants were considered and 210 were invited to interview. Meridian Scholars are 20 selected students out of these

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EDWARDSVILLE - Kloi Karban had an excellent senior season for the Edwardsville High girls volleyball team and on Wednesday, she signed a letter of intent to play for McKendree University in Lebanon in a recent ceremony. Karban was a major contributor to the Tigers' run to fourth place in the IHSA Class 4A state tournament in 2021, with 122 kills, 39 blocks, 39 assists and 37 digs during the season, It's that kind of work ethic and passion for the game that helped her choose the Bearcats for the 2022-23 season. Karban is an iCAN Clinic Female Athlete of the Month for the Tigers. "Hopefully, my passion for volleyball and my enthusiasm, on the court and off the court," Karban said during an interview that followed the ceremony. "That is what I'm excited about bringing to that team, both indoor and outdoor." Karban will also play beach volleyball for the Bearcats, helping to launch the program and hoping to get it off to a great start. "This is their first year of having it there," Karban

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ALTON - Anna Kane of Alton High School is one of the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club Students Of the Month. She and Emma Barham of Alton High School were honored as Students of the Month for April at a regular meeting of the Rotary Club at Gentelin’s Restaurant. Anna is currently a senior at Alton High School and soon to be a freshman at the University of Missouri, Columbia. She is the daughter of Bob and Elaine Kane. Anna is working hard to achieve her academic goal of Platinum Alpha at graduation with a current GPA of 4.53. She is consistently named on the High Honor Roll, and her academic awards include National Honor Society, the Silver Medallion Award, and Academic All-Conference. In addition, she earned her Redbird Varsity letter as a freshman and played tennis all four years, finishing her tennis career as the proud recipient of the Robert Logan Memorial Scholarship. Anna served as one of two Senior Captains on the tennis team and was named the Student-Athlete of the Month for

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GODFREY - Godfrey Public Safety Administrator Chris Sichra advised motorists today to pre-plan for a temporary detour next week starting at 6 a.m. on Monday, May 16, 2022, on Wenzel Road. "Godfrey Public Works will be closing Wenzel Road to 'thru traffic' at Roach Road and at Seiler Road beginning Monday morning, 5/16/22 which will remain closed for approximately two weeks," Sichra said. "Local residents on Wenzel will still have access to their homes. The repair project will be focused on replacing a drainage culvert that runs under Wenzel Road near the Fosterburg Water Tank." Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick said the end result of this work will be a nice improvement in that area and will help with drainage. "We didn't want to do it until the county was done with the Seiler Road project," he said. Richard Beran has been the village engineer on the project and Jim Lewis and his public works staff will also execute the installation of the drainage culverts. Sichra said that local firs

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ALTON - The Flock Food Truck Park at the corner of Ridge Street and Landmarks in Alton makes its debut at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 12. The Flock Food Truck Park owner and staff made final preparations for the opening on Wednesday. Laura Windisch, one of the owners, with her husband, Matt, said she couldn't be more excited than she is to open the doors on Thursday. "We will have a cocktail bar and have food trucks periodically, and we will have a schedule we will post for customers," she said. "We are really excited. There have been a lot of hands in this." Alton Works has also been a major player in bringing the food truck park to reality, Laura said. This week's schedule begins from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m Thursday with Homestyle Grill as a food truck provider. From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Pig on a Wing, T&S Smokehouse, Taqueria Los Reyes, and Homestyle Grill will be at the park. The Flock Bar will open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday. Flock's new signature house-crafted cocktails,

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BELLEVILLE – The Father McGivney Catholic High School girls soccer team finished a good regular season to their standards going 12-7-1. They began postseason play Wednesday night (May 11) against the Roxana Shells. The Griffins were victorious 5-2. Scoring two goals on the night, both from a couple of delightful direct freekicks, was freshman defender Devin Ellis. Ellis is a Byron, Carlson, Petri and Kalp LLC Female Athlete of the Month for the Griffins. It was her first high school post-season game, but she said she wasn’t nervous. “I just wanted to come in strong so we could advance,” Ellis said. “We beat them twice before and I knew they were going to come out strong, so I just had to prepare and be ready.” She was ready alright. She scored the first goal of the game in the 17 th minute. She stepped up to the freekick from about 20 yards out and curled it in off her right foot off the post and in. But more was yet to come. She scored the fina

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GODFREY – Bickle Electric Contracting Co., Inc. has been chosen as the May 2022 RiverBend Growth Association Small Business of the Month award recipient. Located in Edwardsville at 4795 Section Line Road, the family-owned electrical contracting firm is owned by Rob and Erin Bickle. Open since 2012, it has been operating for the past 10 years, providing both commercial and residential services. Rob Bickle is a licensed, IBEW journeyman wireman. He has been working as an electrician for close to 30 years. His wife, Erin, is known to many as the director of Refuge, a Wood River-based non-profit serving children and families throughout Madison County. Residential services range from installing entire electrical systems to running power to a homeowner’s new pool, hot tub, or workshop. They also provide electrical service upgrades, and the installation of smoke detectors, outlets including GFCIs, ceiling fans, home generators, and still more. Commercial services include the

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today questioned David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Program; Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, Chief Executive Officer at Mercy Corps; and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs hearing on global food security and the COVID-19 response. Durbin began his questioning asking about nutrition in extreme places of famine. “In areas of famine, I’ve seen the use of food supplements, Plumpy’nut, and also rehydration therapies. When you talk about food aid agencies, does it include these things?” asked Durbin. Beasley confirmed the use of these supplements are utilized, which has shown a substantial improvement in added nutrition. The UN warns that without immediate humanitarian assistance, over 43 million people in 38 countries

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SPRINGFIELD, IL. - Many former school bus drivers may soon be able to get back to work safely transporting students to school, thanks to legislation passed byState Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) and Steve McClure (R-Springfield). House Bill 4230, filed by Davidsmeyer in the House and sponsored by McClure in the Senate, would help bus drivers who have lost their driver’s license solely due to prior unpaid child support. “This new law will help schools find qualified bus drivers at a time when schools are struggling to find them,” said Senator McClure. “It doesn’t make sense to punish schools for the prior debts of their employees. Especially since this would only apply to drivers who have worked out their child support payments. The legislation will help schools find safe bus drivers, and help those drivers pay their bills.” “This bill is just one step in the right direction to ensure that people who lose their licenses fo

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EAST ALTON — More than 140 women and men came together on Thursday evening to celebrate United Way’s Southwest Illinois Division’s sixth annual Power of the Purse, raising $16,058 to help local people. Since its inception in 2015, the Power of the Purse has raised over $100,000 to support 162 local health and human service agencies serving the St. Louis region. Held at the Lewis and Clark Community College – N.O. Nelson Campus, this year’s Power of the Purse included both silent and live auctions featuring handbags, scarves, jewelry, and accessories. “We were thrilled to once again bring the community together and host the Power of the Purse after having to postpone it the past two years,” said Maura Wuellner, director of United Way of Greater St. Louis – Southwest Illinois Division. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who participated, purchased a ticket or item, to our sponsors and our volunteer planning committee for their

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ST. LOUIS - The National Museum of Transportation is forming a Young Professionals Board (YoPRO) for those 25-45 years of age. The NMOT Young Professionals Board is an enthusiastic and talented group of diverse young professionals who share a passion for preserving history for the next generations. The purpose of the group is to bring these community leaders together to raise the visibility of the Museum, attract a diverse audience, and assist with fundraising and promotional activities that ensure the continued success of The National Museum of Transportation. Every member of The National Museum of Transportation Young Professionals Board is committed to: Serving as an enthusiastic advocate for the Museum, networking on behalf of the organization, and committing to the mission and goal of the organization, Attending social meetings of the YoPRO Board at least once per quarter, Contributing expertise to the group ensuring the organization's success, Assisting with fundraising

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor yesterday about the future of Roe v. Wade following the leak of a draft majority opinion on the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. “It appears that in a matter of weeks, we may soon live in a country where women have fewer Constitutional rights than their parents or grandparents,” Durbin said. “In one bold move, the ultra-conservative activist majority on the Supreme Court appears poised to erase the Constitutional right to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term.” While Durbin went on to say the leak was an “unprecedented breach of the Court’s confidential deliberations” which may harm public trust in the Court, he said he wonders why Senate Republicans have focused on the draft rather than the implications of the leaked opinion. “Sadly, many Republicans are desperately trying to deflect from this

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EDWARDSVILLE – The Glen-Ed Food Pantry is eager to invite the community to support their inaugural Appetizer Hop fundraising event this Saturday, May 14, 2022, from 1 PM to 4 PM, with a special happy hour hosted by the event sponsor, 1818 Chophouse, from 4 PM to 5 PM. This unique fundraising opportunity is like nothing the area has hosted before and is located partly in one of the community's hottest new areas, Trace on the Parkway. Top Sponsor, Blue Violet, is the latest restaurant to open its doors in Trace on the Parkway. Doc’s Smokehouse and Goshen Coffee, also located in Trace on the Parkway, will be participating. Across Route 157 at University Pointe II, other restaurants participating in the Appetizer Hop include Wang Gang, Chappy's, Seoiu Sushi, and Bella Milano. Each participating restaurant will have an appetizer/drink special exclusively for ticketed participants. Funds from this event will aid the nonprofit's mission to work with the community to provide food

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) School of Business recently announced the winners of the 12th annual TheOther40 business competition. Eight students developed business plans and pitched their ideas to compete for $10,000 in prize money. Adam Morris, a senior in the School of Engineering, won the $5,000 first-place prize for Power Frisbees, a first-of-its-kind automatic frisbee launcher intended for ultimate frisbee practice. “The winning pitch from Power Frisbees combined an innovative idea with true market potential,” School of Business Dean Tim Schoenecker said. “We expect the prize money will help that team move its prototype closer to market. I’ll be excited to see where Power Frisbees goes in the future.” Brayton Larson and Benjamin Kaschke won the $3,000 second-place prize for Future3D, a company that plans to offer an affordable desktop 3D printer filament extruder - a device that processes plastic pellets

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