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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator and combat Veteran Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced the appointments of 20 Illinois students she nominated to attend a United States Military Service Academy. Each year, Duckworth, along with a nomination committee, selects from hundreds of Illinois high school applicants a group of outstanding students to receive Congressional nominations to attend West Point, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy or the Merchant Marine Academy. “It takes a young person with grit and love of country to succeed at a U.S. Military Service Academy,” Duckworth said. “The rigorous nomination process demands outstanding test scores, a high GPA and a commitment to community service. These impressive future leaders deserve our admiration and respect for making it through this process and receiving these appointments. I’m eager to see them make Illinois proud in the years to come, and I am so proud of their desire to serve our nation.”

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GODFREY - The supernatural, the paranormal, the sensational — the Haunted America Conference had it all this weekend with their 26th annual event at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey. “It’s a chance for people to be, as I like to say, around people who are as weird as they are. We all get to be weird together one weekend a year,” Troy Taylor said. Taylor is the founder of the Haunted America Conference, which he also calls “paranormal summer camp.” This year’s conference sponsored a vendor fair and “paranormal mixer” as well as several ghost tours and presentations, including presentations by Heather Moser about headless ghosts and Amanda R. Woomer about Victorian mourning customs. The full schedule can be found here . Taylor explained that while the conference has traveled throughout the U.S., it usually takes place in the Alton area. This year, the expanding event moved to Lewis and Clark Community College

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced the Attorney General’s office has charged a Wayne County man with alleged possession of child pornography. The case is part of Raoul’s ongoing work, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies and local law enforcement officials throughout Illinois, to apprehend offenders who download and trade child pornography online. Raoul’s office charged Brian J Wallace, 53, of Fairfield, Illinois, in Wayne County Circuit Court with 11 counts of possession of child pornography, Class 2 felonies each punishable by up to seven years in prison. Wallace’s bond was set at $500,000. “Child pornography is a reprehensible crime. Individuals in possession of these horrific images must be held accountable to ensure innocent children are protected from exploitation that can potentially leave life-long emotional scars,” Raoul said. “These charges highlight the vital efforts of my office’s Internet

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O'FALLON - HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital recently welcomed high school students from across southwestern Illinois for its first Healthcare Bootcamp event of the year. The bootcamp for juniors and seniors interested in a career in health care is designed to give students a realistic look into various health care roles while also allowing an opportunity to make connections in the field. “Through these job shadowing opportunities, students are able to understand the roles and responsibilities of a health care career by allowing them a deeper look, which in turn will provide motivation to learn the role of the career, type of education that is required, skills that are performed, and network with our health care professionals,” says Gavin Halpin, community sourcing strategist at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and organizer of the Healthcare Bootcamp. “These students were able to experience hands-on skill sessions, and network with health care professionals from

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ALTON - Deena M. Brown, APRN, a board-certified family nurse practitioner (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners), is now offering women’s health specialty care appointments through OSF Medical Group in Alton. Female patients 14 years-of-age and older seeking access to women’s health specialty care can meet with Ms. Brown on Fridays from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., in the OSF Medical Group office location at 2 St. Anthony's Way, Suite 300 (Alton). Appointments with Deena can be scheduled by calling (618) 462-2226. Brown’s decision to expand her health care practice is centered on the objective to encourage preventive health for women. “There’s definitely a need for better access to women's health specialty care services in the Riverbend region,” says Brown. “I see this as an ideal opportunity to compliment my primary care practice – which I’ll continue to provide to local residents.” Ms. Brown’s women’s health

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DULUTH, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) has announced its Dean's List for Spring Semester 2023. Students on the Dean's List have achieved a grade point average of 3.50 or higher while earning a minimum of 12 letter-graded credits. Edwardsville's Jaycie Hudson, a biology major, has earned the status. Hudson was a senior at the Swenson College of Science and Engineering. The four colleges within UMD are: College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) College of Education and Human Service Professions (CEHSP) Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LSBE) Swenson College of Science and Engineering (SCSE) About UMD One of five campuses that comprise the University of Minnesota System, the University of Minnesota Duluth integrates liberal education, research, creative activity, and public engagement and prepares students to thrive as lifelong learners and globally engaged citizens. With an enrollment of nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students,

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ALTON - Alton Police recently issued an important reminder that with summer here there are many children out playing and on their bikes and motorists need to slow down around the city and be on the lookout. "We all can do our part to make this summer as safe as possible," the Alton Police Department said. "We love seeing all the kids out playing, and we hope they are all the best this summer. In order for this to happen, everyone needs to look out for one another, whether driving, biking, or playing."

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LIVINGSTON - The Livingston Summer Fest is returning for its third year on Saturday, July 1, 2023 at Veterans Memorial Park in Livingston. Featuring live music, vendors, and some new additions for this year, the event is set to be a full day of fun from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hannah McClellan, co-founder of the event, said Summer Fest is very family friendly with several activities that are either free or very affordable. “It’s a nice community event, it’s very family-friendly,” McClellan said. “The goal from the beginning has been to ensure that it is family-friendly and very affordable. It is free to attend, and most of the activities are free as well.” Brand-new this year is a Magic Show starting at noon which will be free to attend, McClellan said. There will also be bounce houses for kids to play in for free, and a free live musical performance by Lefty Daytona from 5 to 8 p.m. The Livingston/Williamson Fire Department will be grilling u

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WOOD RIVER - Multiple people were injured in a serious traffic crash at the intersection of Illinois Route 143 and Route 3 in Wood River late Saturday night. Two were airlifted to St. Louis hospitals after the accident. Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells said Routes 3 and 143 in Wood River were closed for multiple hours. He also added the Illinois State Police reconstruction unit was also called to investigate with Wood River Police. Police continue to investigate the crash. Wells said the accident occurred just before midnight and that law enforcement worked the scene until 5 a.m. on Sunday. The chief added that more about the crash will be released on Monday. One of the drivers was attempting to make a left turn into Wood River when they were hit, the chief said. "Three of those injured were in one vehicle," Wells said.

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ALTON - A movement to form a new state separating the rest of Illinois from Chicago and Cook County, known as the “New Illinois” movement, is preparing talks with state legislators later this summer as they work toward achieving their goal, according to organization chair G.H. Merrit. Merrit discussed the movement’s roots and its overall purpose on an episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com . “Our movement is about following the process provided in the U.S. Constitution to pursue the formation of a new state separate from the State of Illinois,” Merrit said. She clarified that they’re not trying to remove Chicago from the state - rather, they aim to remove the rest of Illinois and form it into a new state, New Illinois. Merrit said the organization started about five years ago after she briefly considered moving out of the state, but ultimately decided to stay to take care of her parents while trying to fix the problems she saw with

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TROY – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that intermittent daytime lane closures will take place on both directions of Interstate 55 from the Interstate 270 overpass to the Macoupin County line, weather permitting, beginning Monday, June 26, through Friday, June 30. Work will be suspended between 6-9 a.m. on the southbound/westbound lanes and 3-6 p.m. on the northbound/eastbound lanes. These lane closures are necessary for evaluation of the pavement. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict 8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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ALTON - Angela Gray was surprised when her daughter, Amoriah, started asking questions about the differences between her and her white friends. But the result of these conversations has been the greatest surprise of all. A few years later, Amoriah is helping other kids learn to love themselves. “Amoriah’s Magic Afro Puffs,” a picture book by Amoriah Gray, is a favorite for parents and kids alike. Angela and Amoriah have plans to get the book on shelves across the U.S. “When I was 6 years old, I asked my mommy why I didn’t have straight hair like my friends,” Amoriah explained. Angela was devastated. “It was a total shock. My husband and I were just, like, stunned,” Angela said. “So we sat her down, we explained how beautiful her hair is, being natural hair, and we ordered a lot of books on Amazon. And we just kept talking to her and stressing to her how beautiful her hair is.” Not long after that first conversation

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JERSEYVILLE - McCarry’s Dairyland, an ice cream shop and Jerseyville staple which has been owned by the McCarry family for over four decades, announced Friday they will be reopening next week under new ownership. McCarry's announced on their Facebook page that they will still be open during their regular hours this weekend, but will be closed on Monday and Tuesday of next week before reopening on Wednesday under new ownership. “This was a difficult decision for our family to make but we feel it is the right time following the passing of our dad,” they announced. “We want to give a huge, heartfelt thank you to all of the community.” Gregory “Sammy” McCarry, who co-founded McCarry’s Dairyland 43 years ago, retired in 2014 before his passing in December of 2022. “This town has been so supportive of our business since day one and it was our dad's dream. We cannot thank you all enough. It is bittersweet to be leaving the

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EAST ALTON - Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn has reported the identity of the victim of a fatal truck explosion that occurred Thursday afternoon at the Olin/Winchester facility in East Alton as Oscar "Zeke" Bettorf, 60, of Bunker Hill. "The deceased family has been notified," Coroner Nonn said. "Mr. Bettorf tragically lost his life following a job site-related accident. He was the driver of a semi-truck with a trailer loaded with shotgun shell primers that exploded while being transported inside the Olin property. "Madison County Coroner’s Investigator Kyle Burgess responded to the scene at the request of the East Alton Police Department. He pronounced the death at 5:34 p.m. Thursday. The cause of the explosion remains under joint investigation by Olin Security, East Alton Police, Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigations, Secretary of State Police Bomb Squad, State Fire Marshall’s Office, and the ATF." An autopsy was performed and preliminary results indicate

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EDWARDSVILLE - A new LGBTQ-friendly bar is celebrating its grand opening in Edwardsville this weekend. REINE, described by owner John Deppen as “a bar with a light tapas menu,” will host a drag show at 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, to commemorate their opening and Pride weekend. “We’re more pushing on the environment, the cocktails, kind of a meet-and-greet kind of thing. It’s just a slower venue,” Deppen said of the bar. “Everyone wants to have a good time.” REINE opened in May, but this weekend will mark the launch of their finalized menu and Pride weekend. Many Pride celebrations will take place across the region this weekend because it’s the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots that are widely regarded as the beginning of LGBTQ+ Pride. Deppen said he wouldn’t categorize REINE as a “gay bar,” but the clientele tends to be divided equally between LGBTQ+ community members and non-members during

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce to discuss local priorities, including economic development, transportation improvements through the Springfield Rail Improvements Project, and education initiatives at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and Lincoln Land Community College. “The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and its members are an important backbone of our economy in Southern Illinois. During today’s meeting, I offered my support for the Chamber as they continue to prioritize economic development and infrastructure improvements for the area,” said Durbin. “In Congress, I will continue to advocate for the issues most important to our Illinois Chambers to ensure our communities thrive.” Durbin helped secure more than $90 million in federal funding for the overall Springfield Rail Improvements Project since it began back in 2014, including two recent

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MAKANDA – The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Special Investigations Unit (SIU) continues to combat public corruption with the latest case involving charges against a former township official. ISP worked with the Jackson County State’s Attorney to bring charges against 70-year-old Danny D. “DD” Williams of Makanda, Illinois. On April 21, 2022, Jackson County State’s Attorney Joseph Cervantez requested an ISP investigation into alleged inappropriate actions by Williams, the former Makanda Township Road Commissioner. After a thorough investigation, ISP identified several instances where Williams used his official position to steer contracts toward a contractor who would pay him in return. On May 4, 2023, the Jackson County Grand Jury returned a true bill to indict Williams on the two counts of Pecuniary Interest in Contract and Williams appeared in court on June 14, 2023. No further information is available

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CARROLLTON - A wide range of charges including criminal sexual abuse of a child, battery, burglary, and more have been filed by the Greene County Sheriff’s Department over the past two weeks. Jason A. Chaudoin, 53, of Greenfield, was charged with predatory criminal sexual abuse of a child and criminal sexual abuse. He also had an arrest warrant out of Greene County. Chaudoin was arrested by the Greene County Sheriff’s Department on June 15 and has since been released on bond. Casey A. Brown, 42, of Winchester, was arrested on two counts of burglary and two counts of theft between $300 and $10,000. He was arrested June 13 by the Scott County Sheriff's Department and remains in custody. Jacob A. Schofield, 35, of White Hall, was charged with one count of battery and one count of disorderly conduct. He was arrested by the White Hall Police Department on June 16 and has since been released on bond. Gary A. Morgan, 42, of Kane, was also charged with one count of battery,

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GLEN CARBON - Father McGivney standout student-athlete Lilly Gilbertson recently completed an outstanding sophomore season for the Griffins' girls track and field team. Lilly is a Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb Father McGivney Catholic Female Athlete of the Month. Gilbertson placed fourth in the IHSA Class 1A 400 meters at state with a time of 58.61 and also was a member of the Griffins' 4 x 400-meter relay team that was third with a time of 4:02.53. She was joined on the 4 x 400 relay by Kaitlyn Hatley, Jane Cummins, and Elena Rybak. Hatley, Cummins, Gilbertson, and Rybak were second in the 4 x 800 relay with a time of 9:35.35. Gilbertson was ranked throughout the year in the top 5 in Illinois in 1A in the 200, 400, 4x400, & 4x800. She’s set new indoor & outdoor school records in all of those events this year and typically places first in those events at every meet the Father McGivney girls entered. She was also a conference champion, another of her strong accomplishments this

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ALTON - Foreigner might like it “Cold as Ice,” but the Marquette Catholic High School (MCHS) Choir is on a winning streak as hot as the sun. The choir will be opening for the band Foreigner when they take the stage at the Hollywood Casino on July 19. “What I’m thankful for with the school is that they get it,” Brett Klaus, MCHS music and theater director, said of the high school. “A lot of these small schools, we’ve been so athletically driven for almost 100 years. They are now seeing what happens when you invest in a music or arts program, which is opportunities they would have never thought possible.” For decades, Marquette’s choir program was just a student club. Choir became a class not long after Klaus joined the staff, which meant he had almost a full hour every day to work with his students. He says their talent has grown “exponentially.” Klaus enjoys exploring different styles of music with the singers.

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