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SPRINGFIELD – To recruit more volunteer firefighters, a measure sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) that would provide an income tax credit for volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel passed the Senate Revenue Committee Wednesday. “After hearing from local fire departments, it is clear we need to find a way to get more people to sign up to join our volunteer fire departments,” Belt said. “It is my hope that providing a tax credit for volunteers who serve at least nine months will encourage more long-term volunteers.” Senate Bill 3027 would provide a $500 income tax credit for volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel who are a member or work for a fire department or fire protection district for at least nine months and do not receive more than $10,000 for their volunteer services during the taxable year. Current law does not provide a tax credit. Other states that offer a similar credit include New York, Iowa and Maryland. The

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EDWARDSVILLE - In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing charge to effectively service students, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has focused on student coaching to meet changing and growing needs. SIUE coaches shared their expertise as well as gained insights during the national “The Connecting Conference,” held virtually from Wednesday-Thursday, Feb. 2-3. Attending the conference were Makesha Harris Lee, EdD, director of CORE TEAM; Joseph Southerland, director of Student Services; Kelly Atkins, assistant director of Student Success; and Stephanie Simpson, assistant director of Online Student Services. “We were delighted to give our presentation, ‘From Implementation to Practice: Perspectives on Academic Coaching,’” said Atkins. “We introduced our student success coaches, and their mission, outreach, strategies and projects.” “The idea of the conference was to find new and effective ideas for supporting students

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SPRINGFIELD – A historical marker will be erected later this year on the grounds of the Old State Capitol to commemorate Barack Obama’s momentous 2007 and 2008 presidential campaign announcements from the building’s lawn. The Old State Capitol Foundation and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced the plan today, the 15th anniversary of Obama’s Feb. 10, 2007, announcement in Springfield that he would seek the presidency. He went on to make history as the first African American elected president of the United States and the fourth Illinoisan elected to the office. “From his official presidential announcement to his service in the Statehouse, President Obama’s legacy of leadership began with his service to the people of Illinois,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This marker of Obama’s historic announcement at the Old State Capitol will ensure his story will forever be a part of Illinois’ history. And alongside the

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It was called the slap heard around the world and I am sure if you were to stop and listen, you can still hear that sound echoing and reverberating from every corner of the earth. It probably went into orbit circling the galaxies. This inspirational sound that I speak of came from the unforgettable moment in the Oscar-winning 1967 drama, In the Heat of the Night , when a righteous bigot slaps Sidney Poitier’s character, Detective Tibbs, in the greenhouse, and Poitier, without missing a beat, slaps the man right back. It was a pivotal scene as well as a pivotal moment in time. It was called the slap heard around the world and if it weren’t for Poitier, audiences would have heard nothing at all. The script called for the white bigot to slap Tibbs without retaliation, a response that did not sit well for him. He told producers to change it or find a new actor. They changed it and a cinematic cultural milestone occurred. Poitier made it clear he would not appear weak or less

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Scott and Paula Steiner from Bethalto Date Met/Started Dating: January 1, 1990 Briefly Describe First Date: We met thru her brother and started dating around Christmas of 1990. Date Married: May 30, 1992 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: We love to watch series on Netflix. We also have a side hustle called Killer Kups & Twisted Tumblers. We enjoy working together, for the most part, LoL. We LOVE spending time with our 2 grandchildren, Myra and Kaizen. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Happy Wife, Happy Life!

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Do paper piles line your countertops? Does the need to find a form send you into a panic? Are you constantly losing papers that you put in a ‘safe place’ where you are sure to find them, only to lose them? If so, you’re not alone. Papers are the bane of my existence. Nothing screams to me, “I may need this one day”, more than paper. And, because of that, I accumulate piles for that elusive day. I know I’m not alone. Papers are a problem for a lot of people, professional organizers included. At least this one. Yes, I have a strategy for my incoming papers, and a place to file them, but I am still inclined to hold onto too many. I know it, acknowledge it, and claim it. I also know better. But letting them go can be difficult. I’ve gotten much better. It’s easier for me to get rid of papers now, but it has taken me a while to get to this point. If I’m not diligent, I can amass a stack of “I might need that” papers

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police Department Crimes Against Persons detectives are currently investigating a homicide in the 7200 block of Norstead Walk in the Central County Precinct which resulted in the death of an adult male. At 1:45 a.m. on February 10, 2022, St. Louis County Police officers from the Central County Precinct responded to a call for service for a shooting in the 7200 block of Norstead Walk. Responding officers located an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased on the scene. The investigation is very active at this time. Additional information will be disseminated as it becomes available. Please contact the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210 to speak to investigators if you have any information regarding the incident. To remain anonymous or potentially receive a reward, please contact CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477) if you have any information regarding the incident.

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GLEN CARBON - The Father McGivney girl’s basketball team are having themselves a season to remember. One of the players that have a lot to look back on is junior forward Alexis Bond. In the emphatic 60-28 win over the East Alton-Wood River Oilers Wednesday night, Bond scored seven and pulled down three rebounds. Alexis is the Byron, Carlson, Petri and Kalp Female Athlete Of Month for Father McGivney Catholic High School. She did not particularly play a lot of minutes, but when she was in, she made it count on Wednesday night at McGivney against East Alton-Wood River. When asked about her performance, Bond was very humble and gave most of the credit to her teammates for finding her while she was open and having her back. While Bond is only a junior, it was still important to cheer on her friends on Senior Night. “It meant a lot because I’ve known them for three years of my life, and I’m really sad to see them go, but also really happy to see how much they’ve

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CHICAGO – With statewide COVID-19 hospitalization rates declining faster than any other point in the pandemic, Illinois is on track to lift the statewide indoor mask requirement on Monday, February 28, 2022. Mask requirements will continue where federally mandated, such as on public transit and in high-risk settings including healthcare facilities and congregate care. Masking requirements will also continue to apply in all daycare settings. The state intends to continue masking requirements in P-12 schools subject to pending litigation which impacts a number of schools. As the CDC reaffirmed just today, masks remain a critical tool to keep schools safe and open. The state reaches this point with more than 21.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered to Illinois residents. Per the CDC , Illinois continues to lead the Midwest in people who have received at least one shot, with 75.7% of people having received their first dose. Illinois also has the most fully vaccinated

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BETHALTO - The Bethalto Secretary of State facility location has announced it now requires appointments for driver services. The Bethalto Secretary of State location joins other locations throughout the state that already have this in place for driver-related services. The Bethalto facility is located at 20 Terminal Drive, Suite 103, East Alton, IL. "This facility provides driver services by appointment only," the Bethalto Secretary of State Office stated on its website. "Seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and expectant mothers are welcome as walk-ins but are encouraged to make an appointment. Customers who need assistance in scheduling an appointment may call (844) 817-4649." The Bethalto location says to schedule an appointment, click below: Schedule an appointment at this or another facility that has available appointments.

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WOOD RIVER - ReClaim Inc. is a local, family-owned, and operated junk removal company that has a great motto - to provide honest, affordable, and hassle-free service every time. “We’ll haul anything from single items, garage or attic clutter, construction and yard debris, hoarding clean-ups, you name it, we likely haul it,” said the owners of ReClaim Inc. David and Sherri Henson opened ReClaim’s doors in 2020 after recognizing the need for all-inclusive junk removal services. “After losing family members who lived in North Carolina, we experienced the daunting task of organizing affairs, cleaning out properties, ordering dumpsters to discard items, and figuring out where to donate others – all while grieving. We realized the need for all-inclusive, compassionate property cleanouts to lift that burden off the families who were already going through enough.” Adrianna Lock and Abram Henson are the sibling duo that runs the day-to-day operations.

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ALTON - A judge Wednesday sentenced sexual predator Keith L. Hare, 52, to 60 years in prison after a prosecutor argued Hare’s bad conduct began years ago and progressed to Nov. 16, 2019, when he contacted an Alton woman via the Internet and set up a “threesome.” Assistant State’s Attorney Jake Harlow argued that a tape of the victim shortly after the crimes shows the damage Hare, a former police officer, had done. “You can clearly see she was shell-shocked. How can we expect a 6-year-old girl to recover after being sexually assaulted two times,” Harlow said in a sentencing hearing. “When she testified, she clearly remained traumatized. We can only hope and pray the trauma will make her resilient,” the prosecutor added. Harlow noted that Hare used his position as an East St. Louis police officer to get access to victims. He was charged in 2017 in St. Clair County, with felony predatory sexual assault of a child but was allowed to plead

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(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker is ending one of his COVID-19 mask mandates and modifying another. “The intention is to lift the mask mandate in indoor locations by Feb. 28," Pritzker revealed at an unrelated news conference Wednesday morning in Champaign. "Of course, we still have the sensitive locations of K-12 schools, where we have lots of people who are joined together in smaller spaces, thousands of people interacting in one location at a time. And so that’s something that will come weeks hence." Pritzker is expected to expand on his modified mask mandate during a news conference in Chicago Wednesday afternoon. House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, criticized the governor’s go-it-alone dictates that supermajority Democrats have left untouched. He said he has not been briefed by the governor on the plan. “This is the typical approach of the governor over the past two years,” Durkin said during an unrelated news conferenc

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WOOD RIVER - Wood River-Hartford Elementary School District 15 released a statement Tuesday afternoon that a search is underway to find an alternative location for students who were housed at the Lewis and Clark campus following a fire that affected both Lewis and Clark Elementary and Lewis and Clark Junior High School. Fortunately, the fire occurred during a snow day, preventing any injuries or fatalities. However, the buildings currently cannot be occupied by students. The district said in a statement that the closure could last anywhere from six to eight weeks to the remainder of the year. As the district undergoes the process of finding new locations for the students displaced by the fire, they urge parents to stay tuned to their Facebook page and district website for updates. “In the next few days, you will be receiving critical information from your child's school that will provide details on where students will be placed. Please check our Facebook

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SEE VIDEO: ALTON - Stutz Excavating was busy Wednesday in the demolition of the old artist Art Towata Studio/Warehouse Building at Sixth and Piasa Street near Downtown Alton. The building once housed much of Towata's works of art from both ceramics and paintings. It had deteriorated over time. Towata, a famed Alton artist, began using the space in the late 1970s. Towata died in 2019. He was a Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville graduate. Towata obtained his bachelor of arts and master’s in fine arts from Southern Illinois-University-Edwardsville, his bachelor's degree in 1962 and master’s in 1971. Towata lived in Alton for over 65 years. Towata was 8 years old when he was confined for three years with his mother and 2-year-old brother in the Manzanar camp in the U.S. Towata was a U.S. Air Force veteran stationed at Scott Air Force Base. He also was an artist and teacher and he related his experiences and inspired many students. Towata's impact on the

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In an interview recorded following the February 7 th Wood River City Council Meeting, Councilmember Sonya Hagaman disputed that the rec center would cost $12,000,000. She did not state what the estimated cost of the building would be, because she does not know how much it will cost. On January 18 th , she, Leroy Duncan and Scott Tweedy voted to put the rec center out for bid before the architectural plans or estimates of cost were available to the council. This was done with the intent to stifle public discussion or allow changes to the building design. I made a FOIA request in an effort to learn more about what was to be included in the rec center, but was denied on the grounds that it would violate the confidentiality of the bidding process. Second, she disagreed with a comment made during the meeting that in 1980 the voters of Wood River didn’t want the Aquatic Center built. Her statement is patently false. In 1980, the residents of Wood River voted down a bond referendum

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SPRINGFIELD - Gov. J.B. Pritzker made the expected announcement Wednesday that he plans to have the indoor mask mandate removed by Feb. 28. He did say that it will not apply to "sensitive locations of K-12 schools. Illinois is one of only nine states that had still required masks inside public places. "My intention is as we've seen these numbers peak at about 7,400 hospitalizations, and heading downward significantly - we're now I think under 2,500 hospitalizations, so that's almost a third of where we were at the peak and heading even further downward - to lift the mask mandate in the indoor locations by Feb. 28," the governor said. "And that... of course, we still have the sensitive locations of K-12 schools, where we have lots of people who are, you know, joined together in smaller spaces, thousands of people interacting in one location at a time. And so that's something that will come weeks hence. But very importantly, things are getting better across the state of Illinois." Pritzker'

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CARLINVILLE - Blackburn College has received a $500,000 gift to create the Sonja Faust Hudren Endowed Professorship in Education. Hudren’s brother, Blackburn Trustee Jim Faust, his wife Helen, and their children Kristen, Erika, and Stephen established the Professorship to honor her incredible passion for teaching and to preserve her legacy at Blackburn. Originally from Chicago, both siblings attended and graduated from Blackburn - Faust in 1964 and Hudren in 1966. “I wanted to go away for college and discovered in a brochure that you could get to Blackburn by train,” Faust said. “The College was a very friendly place and, when my sister came down to visit me, she enjoyed the campus as much as I did.” After earning her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, Hudren spent nearly 25 years in the classroom for the Dundee Community School District where she was well-liked by students and widely respected by her colleagues. Hudren cared deeply about

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ALTON — United Way 2-1-1 is partnering with local tax coalitions to provide free tax preparation services to St. Louis-area families with a household income of $57,000 or less in 2021. Local residents can dial 2-1-1 or visit 211helps.org to find their nearest tax preparation site, learn how to make an appointment, or get more information. The program will continue to operate flexibly to meet COVID-19 guidelines and keep volunteers and participants safe. While a limited number of sites offer walk-ins, most require advance appointments. “We are grateful to continue offering free income tax preparation services in light of the financial challenges the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created for families in the St. Louis region,” said Debbie Irwin, community economic development director, United Way of Greater St. Louis. “By offering free tax preparation services, families save money on costly tax preparation fees. Trained volunteers also work to make sure families

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SPRINGFIELD – In honor of Black History Month, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today kicked off a virtual campaign to highlight and celebrate the achievements of African Americans in Illinois. This year’s national theme is Black Health and Wellness. “Each year, it is important that we pause to honor the great contributions of people in Illinois doing impactful work in their communities,” Frerichs said. “These leaders are creating jobs, making a positive difference in the lives of our youth, and breaking down barriers to lead to a more equitable Illinois. We are thankful for their dedication and will continue to support those working hard to make things better for all.” Frerichs will honor the following recipients for their outstanding commitment to their Illinois communities: Outstanding Achievement in Arts and Humanities Roger J. Carter , Artist, Chicago Outstanding Service in Business Trez V. Pugh III , Founde

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