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ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Communications is excited to announce the implementation of a new, non-emergency call handling system. Citizens who call our non-emergency phone line will be greeted by an intelligent voice assistant (IVA). Nothing will change for 911 callers. Anyone calling 911 in the areas serviced by the St. Louis County Police Department will continue to have their calls answered by a call taker in the Bureau of Communications. This technological advancement has been implemented to improve our services to the community. It allows our department to streamline the facilitation between the caller and the services needed within St. Louis County. The voice assistant learns the caller’s needs and assigns a confidence score as it processes an increasing number of calls. As the repetition increases, so does the confidence score; this determines the voice assistant’s ability to understand what the caller is saying and where the

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JERSEYVILLE - Jersey County Sheriff Nicholas Manns has joined a growing number of local sheriffs who say their departments will not enforce the recently-passed Illinois ban on certain firearms and magazines, also known as HB 5471. Manns recently released a statement outlining his department’s approach to the new law. “As your Sheriff and as a law enforcement officer, I am sworn to protect Jersey County by enforcing the law AND protecting your Constitutional rights,” Manns said in the letter. “Generally, those two obligations are one and the same. Unfortunately, in this instance, they are not." Manns said he believes many provisions of HB 5471 are unconstitutional and likely won’t hold up in the Supreme Court. He sees the current situation as an opportunity to enforce what he believes is right, while not enforcing what he believes is wrong. “When I look at our history, I often wonder how things would be different if past law enforcement officers

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PIASA - Piasa Southwestern High School announced the High/Honor Roll students from 1st semester. HIGH HONOR ROLL Senior Class of 2023 High Honor Roll List for Semester 1 Brandon Adams, Jillian Beilsmith, Hank Bouillon, Madison Bryant, Cassie Christian, Olivia Cody, Daniel Cokel, Rylee Crane, Kennedy Dempsey, Audrey Gordon, Vance Hake, Eathan Hartley, Tyson Kahl, Justin Paul, Ryan Raymond, Gracie Schneider, Gage Smith, Jaron Whipps Junior Class of 2024 High Honor Roll List for Semester 1 Wyatt Akers, Matthew Arendell, Garrett Beuttel, Chiara Biciocchi, Kelsey Bray, Caden Bunting, Carson Burns, Logan Crane, Rocky Darr, Mia Greenwell, Abigail Hellrung, Gavin Humm, Alyssa Kasten, Colin LeMarr, Parker LeMarr, Abigail McDonald, Aubrey Reno, Hope Seniker, Jillian Smith, Alexandra Wigger Sophomore Class of 2025 High Honor Roll List for Semester 1 Ike Austin, Lainie Behrends, Reagan Beilsmith, Ian Brantley, Landon Brueggeman, Makenzie Cottingham, Chelsea Cruse, Gracie

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SPRINGFIELD, MO. - Earning a spot on Drury University's Dean's List is a significant accomplishment. The recognition means a student earned a grade point average of 3.6 or greater (on a 4-point scale) while carrying a full-time course load of 12 or more semester hours at Drury, a top Midwestern university, according to US News & World Report. In the fall semester, the following student(s) made the day school Dean's list: East Alton, IL Hannah Ritter, Metro East Lutheran HS Edwardsville, IL Connor Bain, Triad High School Robyn Herndon, Edwardsville Senior HS Godfrey, IL Wes Laaker, Alton High School Quinten Schulte, Jersey Community High School Wood River, IL Sophia Mora, Roxana Senior High School

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SPRINGFIELD – Two ground-breaking projects underway at Illinois Beach State Park will help protect precious shoreline from erosion caused by Lake Michigan waves and inform future decisions about how to blunt the effects of erosion and climate change, Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Capital Development Board announced today. Illinois Beach State Park in Lake County, home to unique prairie and wetland habitat and a beloved local and regional recreational draw, features the last remaining natural shoreline in the state. However, the shore is constantly battered by Lake Michigan waves, making it a priority for preservation and mitigation efforts. Some parts of the park’s coastline have receded by as much as 100 feet in one year. Aerial photos and maps show how the shoreline, roads and dune ecosystems have been drastically altered; visitors can see evidence of some of the damage in person. “Illinois’ lakefronts

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CHICAGO - A life-changing amount of cash is up for grabs for Illinois Lottery players this weekend. The Mega Millions jackpot for tonight’s drawing has soared to a sweltering $1.35 billion, and the Powerball jackpot is now worth an estimated $404 million for Saturday night’s drawing - a combined top prize pool of over $1.75 billion. If a player wins Friday night’s massive grand prize, it would be the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot in U.S. history. Just six months ago, a $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot was won with a single ticket purchased at the Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, Illinois. This was the fifth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history and the largest prize ever won in Illinois. With over 7,000 Illinois Lottery retailers across the State, lottery players can conveniently pick up a ticket at their local store - or they can log in to the Illinois Lottery website or app and purchase a ticket online. Mega Millions is played every Tuesday and

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FREEBURG - Freeburg Police discovered its first homicide since the 1970s when authorities found the body of 55-year-old Linda Waller during a wellness check in the Deerfield Creek Mobile Home Court on Wednesday night. The Belleville Police Department contacted the Freeburg Police that there might be a crime victim in that area. Officers then pulled over a vehicle registered to Waller and a driver was taken into custody. Authorities say that man is the lone person of interest in the case. At 7:02 p.m. on January 11, 2023, Belleville Police officers on patrol saw a silver Ford F-150 truck traveling north on Centreville Avenue. Officers continued to observe the vehicle and observed the driver make an improper turn from West Washington onto South 2nd Street. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle at First and West Main Street, police said. "Officers identified the driver and observed the vehicle he was driving did not belong to him," Belleville Police said. "Officers

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WARREN COUNTY, MO. - The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis today announced charges for Mike A. Clardy, 63, in the 2004 homicide of Alton woman Deanna D. Howland in St. Louis County. The press conference for the announcement was held in Warren County Administration Building in Warrenton, MO. The Major Case Squad today said the case originated when the victim's torso was discovered in Warren County, MO., on June 28, 2004. Deanna D. Howland was identified as the victim in the case in 2016. She had four children at the time and resided in Alton. As a result of additional investigation efforts, Mike A. Clardy was identified in late 2022 as a person of interest. On January 10, 2023, the Major Case Squad investigators interviewed Clardy and the case was presented to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and the following charges were: Count I: Murder 2nd Degree - Class A Felony Count II: Abandonment Of A Corpse, Class D Felony The Major Case Squad officials said "the extensive

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(This is a joint statement by Madison County Sheriff Jeff Connor and State's Attorney Thomas Haine about the passage of HB 5471 into law on Wednesday). Dear Citizens, "Like many of you, we are very concerned by the passage of HB 5471, which bans certain commonly-used firearms and firearm components in the State of Illinois. Overnight, thousands of otherwise legal gun owners fear their Second Amendment rights are in jeopardy. "We feel the duty to clarify for our citizens the policy their Madison County law enforcement leaders will adopt with regard to this new situation. As with any statute passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, it is presumed constitutional. But we are acutely aware that this statute touches on fundamental constitutional issues and is in obvious tension with recent and binding Supreme Court precedent on the Second Amendment. Among other things, it bans many of the most popular firearms in America, firearms that are currently in common use for lawful

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GODFREY - Challenge your survival skills at The Nature Institute (TNI). Bring a group of friends to learn winter survival skills and complete tasks to test your knowledge. Individuals, partners and/or groups are welcome to learn, explore, and put to test their ability to survive the cold at “Family Discovery Day: Winter Survival Challenge” on Saturday, January 21 at 10 a.m. This event is for those that enjoy exploring the woodlands and learning with their family. There will be several activity stations for your family to learn how to build a shelter, start a fire, and learn basic animal tracking skills. This event is $7 per person for non-members and $5 per person for TNI members. Survival skills are always a useful bag of knowledge to pull from when being outdoors becomes less than ideal. Family Discovery Day will teach adults and children how to safely build a fire and put it out, how to build a shelter that will keep you warm and dry, and how to track animals. This event

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JERSEY COUNTY - A local woman last seen around the area of Little Piasa Road in Dow has been reported missing by her sister, Angie Vincent-Bollinger. Kaila, Angie's sister, has not been seen in five days. Kaila is described as about 5-foot to 5-foot-2 inches tall and 90 to 100 pounds with long hair, brown roots, blonde ends, and wavy when not styled. She also has several tattoos. She has false teeth her sister said, and she was not sure whether or not she was wearing them. "It is not like her to go this long without reaching out to someone," her sister said. "She also has an ileostomy, in which she wears colostomy bags." "If anyone sees her, please contact me and the Jersey County Sheriff's Office," Angie said. "The Jersey County Sheriff's Office are the ones handling the missing person case." The Jersey County Sheriff's Office phone number is 618-498-6881.

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GLEN CARBON - The new Chick-fil-A in Orchard Town Center in Glen Carbon will open within 45-60 days, Village of Glen Carbon Bob Marcus said this week. Marcus explained that having a Chick-fil-A in the community is something that has long been sought around the Glen Carbon and Edwardsville areas. "It will be a huge addition to the Village Of Glen Carbon," Marcus said. "We are excited to have Chick-fil-A in Glen Carbon. We welcome them with open arms." Chick-fil-A has a long history and originated when Truett Cathy about 70 years ago. Today several second and third-generation Cathy family members have carried on that tradition. Dan T. Cathy is the chairman of the board of Chick-fil-A. The core values for Chick-fil-A are "We are better together." "This means when we combine our unique backgrounds and experiences with a culture of belonging, we can strengthen the quality of care we deliver," the company said. For breakfast, the chicken biscuits are very popular, along with the egg

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EDWARDSVILLE – Two Metro-East Lutheran High School students have earned All-State honors from the Illinois Music Education Association. Erin VanMiddendorp, a senior at MELHS, has been selected for the All-State Orchestra, and Kate Mueller, a freshman, has been selected for the All-State Band. The musicians will travel to Peoria, Ill., to participate in the Illinois Music Education Conference from Jan. 25 to Jan. 28. The conference will conclude with performances by the All-State Band and Orchestra on Saturday, Jan. 28. To be selected for All-State, students had to submit audition videos to the ILMEA, which were then judged by a panel of professional musicians. The highest-scoring musicians from across the state were then named All-State Musicians for 2022-2023. “This is a great program because the top players and singers in the state get to have the experience of playing and singing with other students at their level,” said Karen Shimkus, music teacher at MELHS.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville announced the Fall 2022 Dean's List for the first semester. The full list of students can be found at this link: SIUE Fall 2022 Dean's List .

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CARROLLTON - Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen said in a letter to Greene County residents that his department will not enforce the newly-passed Illinois law banning certain firearms and magazines, also known as HB 5471. “I, among many others, believe that HB 5471 is in clear violation of the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” McMillen said in the letter. “Therefore, as the custodian of the jail and as your chief law enforcement official of Greene County, neither myself, my deputies, nor my office will be conducting or participating in any investigations or arrests, or assisting any outside agency or agencies in any investigations or arrests, concerning lawful gun owners failing to register their weapons with the State; or any other of the unconstitutional provisions contained in HB 5471. “Furthermore, the Greene County Jail will not house any law-abiding individuals that have been arrested solely with non-compliance of the regulations found in HB

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HARDIN - Calhoun County Sheriff William Heffington has issued comments in regard to HB5471, which was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday. Sheriff Heffington echoed what several others in area law enforcement have said in regard to the passage and signature of Pritzker banning assault weapons in Illinois. "As your Sheriff, I wanted to give the citizens of Calhoun County an update on the recent passage of HB 5471, also known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act. As your duly elected Sheriff, my job and my office are sworn, in fact, to protect the citizens of Calhoun County. This is a job and responsibility that I take with the utmost seriousness. "Part of my duties that I accepted upon being sworn into office was to protect the rights provided to all of us, in the Constitution. One of those enumerated rights is the right of the people to keep and bear arms provided under the 2nd Amendment. "The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded

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JERSEYVILLE - Jersey Community Unit School District 100 released the honor roll and high honor roll for students from 8th-12th grade. Below is the full list of names. Lists are alphabetized by last name. HONOR ROLL 8TH GRADE BEEMER, CHLOE I. BOGLE, EMMA E. BOWLES, JACOB S. BRUNAUGH, ADEN M. CAMPBELL, ADDISON P. DALEY, BREONAH K. DEWITT, RYLIE N. DONG, BRIAN ENTRIKIN, EMMALYNN F. FORRESTER, KAELYN M. FRITZ, MORGAN L. FROST, MASON G. GIBERSON, RYKER J. GILL, HAILEE J. GREEN, ANNALEE N. HART, KEEGAN W. JUDKINS, LILIAN C. LAIRD, ALAINA L. LAKIN, JOSIE R. LEBLANC, ELLA G. LECLAIRE, AUBREE-PAIGE LITTLE, TARYN R. LUTHER, THOMAS W. MANN, LEVI A. MARTIN, ALEX B. MCCOY, JAYLYNN R. MCDUFFIE, MYLES R. MILLER, AMELIA M. NEVLIN, CARSON R. RAWE, MYRA J. RICHARDSON, LANEY ROBINSON, KATHERINE E. ROTH, DYLAN A. SCHUSTER, SAWYER E. SHAW, KAYLEE G. SHORT, BRODY J. SIMPSON, SCOUT E. SOFFRAY,

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CHICAGO – Due in large part to increased enforcement efforts and technology, the Illinois State Police (ISP) is reporting the total number of Chicago area expressway shootings dropped 47% in 2022 compared to 2021. The number of non-fatal injury expressway shootings in the Chicago area was cut in half and the number of expressway homicides decreased by 88% compared to last year. “Protecting all Illinoisans, in our schools, in public spaces, and on our expressways, is the most important thing we can do,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The scourge of gun violence requires aggressive and intentional action. By taking steps to expand the usage of expressway cameras and hiring additional state police troopers, we’re making sure law enforcement agencies have the resources necessary to effectively respond to criminal activity on our roads.” “After an unprecedented number of expressway shootings in the Chicago area in 2021, the Illinois State Police

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WOOD RIVER — You may already know that smoking is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer in the United States. But do you know what’s No. 2? Radon — a naturally occurring, invisible, radioactive gas. Madison County Health Department would like the public to know January is National Radon Action Month and is emphasizing the importance of getting your home tested. “Madison County Health Department is offering radon test kits for $10 (cash or check) each for residents, while supplies last, to check the radon level in their home,” Public Health Administrator Doug King said. Radon gas forms naturally in the ground. Most radon mixes harmlessly with outdoor air that we all breathe in low levels every day. Radon from underground seeps into a home through cracks and gaps in the foundation and becomes trapped inside. Over time, breathing indoor air with high radon levels can damage the lungs and lead to cancer. “In the United States, about 21,000 lung cancer

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EAST ALTON - Lucky Jacks, a brand new "one-stop-shop" according to the owner Gary Patel, will open this Saturday, Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. Lucky Jacks will be a laundry mat that includes multiple brand-new gaming machines as well as a convenience/liquor store. It will be located at 100 Kingshighway in East Alton and will be open daily. On weekdays it will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. On Fridays 9:30 a.m. to midnight, on Saturdays 10 a.m. to midnight, and on Sundays noon to 11 p.m.

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