Riverbender 🕸

JERSEYVILLE - COUNTRY Financial Insurance Agent Nathan Wittman was pleased to support the Jerseyville Fire Department last weekend with a $1,500 donation as part of the company’s “Operation Helping Heroes” program. The funds will be used for additional supplies. “We appreciate our local firemen and thank them for their dedication and commitment to the community,” Wittman said. The “Operation Helping Heroes” program was created in 2015 to support non-profit events and programs that benefit active-duty service members, veterans and their families. Later, the program expanded to include first responders and teachers. COUNTRY Financial, an insurance and financial services company, has donated more than $5 million since 2020 to organizations and programs that support teachers, first responders, active-duty service members and veterans, supporting the company’s vision to “enrich lives in the communities we serve.” COUNTRY

Continue Reading

It's finally farmers market season with many local markets opening up this weekend. You will find a comprehensive list of Farmers Markets and other markets offering fresh produce and much more around the area below. ALTON The Alton Farmers' & Artisans' Market will begin its season this Saturday, May 13 in the parking lot at the corner of Landmarks Boulevard and Henry Street in Downtown Alton. This market will continue every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon through October 21. Night Market will begin its season on Thursday, June 1 inside of Jacoby Arts Center located at 627 E. Broadway Street in Alton, as well as outdoors in the neighboring pocket park. This market will continue every Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. through July 27. Night Market's 2023 band schedule is as follows: June 1 - Spillie Nelson , June 8 - Ahna Schoenhoff, June 15 - The Intrusion, June 22 - Loftys Comet, June 29 - Bring Me The Fires , July 6 - Toxic Johnny, July 13 - HOOKiE, July 20 - Jazz Troubadours,

Continue Reading

ALTON - At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 9, the Alton Police Department was made aware of a head-on traffic crash near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and 10 th Street. Officers and members of the Alton Fire Department arrived on scene and discovered two vehicles that were involved in the crash. Preliminary investigation revealed that a gold 2003 Chevrolet S10 pickup was traveling northbound on MLK when it crossed over the center line and struck a white 2016 Nissan Rogue that was traveling southbound, Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford said. "Both vehicles sustained extensive damage," Chief Ford said. "The driver of the Nissan was transported to a local hospital and later to a St. Louis area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Chevrolet was also transported to a local hospital by Alton Fire Department Ambulance for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the accident remains under investigation at this time."

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt advanced a measure out of the Senate Thursday that would prohibit law enforcement from pulling a vehicle over for objects placed between the driver and their front windshield. “When drivers are pulled over due to something being on their rearview mirror, they are often unfairly targeted by law enforcement,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “It’s long overdue that we eliminate this reason for being pulled over.” Under current law, people cannot drive with any objects placed or suspended between the driver and the front windshield, which obstruct the driver's view. House Bill 2389 would clarify that vehicles cannot be stopped or searched by a law enforcement officer solely on the basis of a violation or suspected violation of this subsection. “This will go a long way in promoting fairness and equity in our state,” said Belt. “It’s vital we provide clarity to both law enforcement and drivers

Continue Reading

MT. VERNON – The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Internal Investigation (DII) continues to investigate an officer involved shooting that occurred on Interstate 64 near Mount Vernon, IL in which an ISP officer was shot. On Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at approximately 3:00 a.m. on Interstate 64 eastbound at mile post 72, an ISP Trooper stopped to assist a stranded motorist on the right shoulder. Upon arrival, the Trooper encountered a 23-year-old male of Albuquerque, NM and a female passenger in the vehicle. A second ISP Officer arrived for routine assistance a short time later. While on scene, an altercation occurred during which gunfire was exchanged between Griffin and a responding officer. A 16-year ISP officer suffered serious, although non-life threatening, injuries after being shot during the altercation and is being treated at a regional hospital. Griffin was pronounced deceased on scene by Jefferson County Coroner’s Office personnel. The other involved

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE – Metro-East Lutheran High School’s scholar bowl team defeated teams from high schools across Southern Illinois to win the championship of a televised game show tournament produced by PBS. MELHS won the 2023 Scholastic Hi-Q tournament in a match the team played in the fall but which was only recently released by PBS station WSIU Television. MELHS defeated Calloway County High School by a score of 655 to 455 to win the tournament. Calloway was the previous Hi-Q champion, having won the tournament in 2022. Thirty-two teams from high schools across southern Illinois competed in Scholastic Hi-Q, an academics-based game show that has been produced by WSIU Television in Carbondale since 1985. All the episodes of this year’s tournament are available for viewing on the PBS website ( https://www.pbs.org/show/scholastic-hi-q/ ). “Winning Scholastic Hi-Q in only our second year competing in it was a great way to start the season for us and really set the

Continue Reading

O’FALLON – HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This national distinction celebrates St. Elizabeth’s Hospital’s achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. The new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of the pandemic. "Our commitment to patient safety is a top priority,” said Dr. Dennis Szurkus Jr., chief medical officer at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. “Our safety grade achievements are a testament to the high-level of quality care provided to our patients and the dedication of our care teams to ongoing safety improvement processes. I am so proud of our colleagues and medical staff for their outstanding performance.” The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization,

Continue Reading

More than 9 million children faced hunger in 2021. That’s 1 in 8 kids at risk for hunger” (Child hunger, n.d.). Throughout development, kids who miss meals are consistently more likely to repeat a grade in elementary school, experience developmental impairments with language and motor skills, and have more social and behavioral problems (Child hunger, n.d.) Children spend most of their waking time at school. Thus, the eating behaviors of children are largely dependent on the quality and availability of food at schools, in addition to the scheduling of meal times. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program(SBP) are federally-funded programs meant to address malnourished children in the United States. While seemingly sufficient to meet the needs of our nation’s children, these programs are failing to address many key issues that may prevent the appropriate and intended distribution of free and reduced meals. These key issues include negative

Continue Reading

GRANITE CITY - Juniors Abigail Brinker and Evan McKechan of Granite City High School were selected as Granite City Rotary Club Students of the Month for May. Students were nominated by teachers, and were chosen on the basis of academics, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and civic honors and awards, and organization membership and leadership. Each honoree will receive a framed certificate and a gift card, and will be recognized at the Granite City Rotary Club Meeting on May 16, 2023. ABIGAIL BRINKER Three-year member of girls golf team ... Two-time Most Improved Golfer ... All-Warrior Award ... Three-year Honor Roll and Secondary Honors ... Member of Varsity Club ... St. Elizabeth Church Picnic Volunteer ... Daughter of Carolyn Ryterski. EVAN MCKECHAN Member of Hobby and Science Club ... Son of Mark McKechan. For more information about Granite City School District #9, visit www.gcsd9.net .

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker has proclaimed May as Motorcycle Awareness Month in Illinois, joining the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and motorcycle safety advocates to remind all users of the road to “Start Seeing Motorcycles.” “Thousands of riders enjoy Illinois by motorcycle. During the coming months, it’s important to share the road, slow down and be aware of your surroundings,” said Steve Travia, IDOT’s Director of Highways and Chief Engineer. “By working together and following some simple rules, we can save lives.” The Start Seeing Motorcycles campaign coincides with the arrival of warmer weather and more motorcyclists on the roads. With thousands of deaths each year, motorcyclists are significantly overrepresented in traffic crashes and fatalities. Although motorcycles represent 3% of total vehicle registrations in Illinois, according to preliminary data, they accounted for more than 11%

Continue Reading

HSHS - As we celebrate nurses across the country for National Nurses Week (May 6-12), I am deeply appreciative of our nursing colleagues who provide exceptional care to those served by Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) 15 hospitals throughout Illinois and Wisconsin. One week hardly seems like enough time to thank them for their extraordinary accomplishments, especially as the last couple years have brought so many challenges in healthcare. I am so proud of how our nursing colleagues have demonstrated their resiliency, commitment and passion for their profession. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), National Nurses Week was permanently designated May 6-12 in 1993, so this is the 30 th anniversary of National Nurses Week. While celebrations and accolades are shared during this week annually, we know that the work of nurses is a vital contribution to the health of our communities, day in and day out. Our nurses continue to elevate quality and develop clinical

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - Metro East Humane Society (MEHS) is participating in the 10 th annual Give STL Day on May 10, 2023, with a fundraising goal of $3,000 to continue its mission to improve animal welfare in the St. Louis Metro East region. Give STL Day, powered by the St. Louis Community Foundation, is a 24-hour online fundraising event designed to ignite the spirit of giving to nonprofit organizations throughout the St. Louis region. Since its inception in 2014, Give STL Day has raised over $26.2 million for more than 1,000 regional nonprofits. "There's something about this specific day dedicated to giving back in the STL area that really goes to show year after year just how invested in our community residents of the Metro East and beyond are,” said Mady O’Reilly, Development Manager of Metro East Humane Society. “We're lucky to have one incredible support system and excited to harness the power of community together again for Give STL Day 2023 for the sake of saving

Continue Reading

O’FALLON – HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital is honoring all their colleagues with a weeklong “We Are HSHS” Week which combines the celebrations of National Nurses Week (May 6-12) and National Hospital Week (May 7-13). As a unified organization, HSHS is combining this week to celebrate collaboration and provide St. Elizabeth’s Hospital administration an opportunity to thank and recognize all those who serve patients and their families each day with respect, care, competence and joy. St. Elizabeth’s Hospital is comprised of doctors, nurses, security, health techs, therapists, food services colleagues, environmental services colleagues, administration, spiritual care and much more. HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital President and CEO Chris Klay shared, “I am extremely proud of our team of colleagues who provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients and area communities. We Are HSHS Week celebrates how the collaborative efforts of

Continue Reading

One in 1,000 Americans are affected by secondary lymphedema. It’s a chronic disease when there’s an increased collection of lymphatic fluid in the body that causes swelling. Those with cancer are known to develop lymphedema, which can lead to skin and tissue changes, according to the National Institutes of Health. Sometimes those with lymphedema can inherit the disease, known as primary lymphedema, which is much rarer. You can be born with lymphedema, develop it during puberty, or later. There’s no cure for lymphedema. It’s a disease, and one like diabetes that you have to manage through treatment. Treva Haney, a supervisor in Rehabilitation Services at OSF HealthCare, says her team works through different treatment plans with patients to meet their specific needs. “Usually the plan of attack for treating lymphedema is complete congestive therapy,” Treva says. “This involves compression bandaging and a special, lymphatic massage.”

Continue Reading

GODFREY - The Annual Village of Godfrey Parks and Recreation Department has a series of captivating events throughout the spring, summer, and fall for children and families and this past week. The Big Truck Day event had what Park and Recreation Director Chris Logan called "a lot of participation." "I think it went very well," Logan said. "It was a great day and there were a lot of good groups who also participated. It was a beautiful day and a great event. I think everyone had a great time." Those in attendance had an abundance of trucks, buses, and even a helicopter to view at Big Truck Day. Some even participated in face painting, another hit. "There was a little bit of everything," Logan said. "I think every kid I saw there found something they really liked. We were also thankful that Survival Flight Emergency Transport Services was kind enough to come over. Godfrey tries to reach children and families and it was really nice to see people enjoy their work on this day. We were

Continue Reading

ALTON - Myles Paniagua has made quite a name for himself in athletics at Marquette Catholic High School. He is a tremendous two-sport athlete, spending time between baseball and soccer. Myles Paniagua has played a vital role for the Explorers when he’s been available. Paniagua missed some time during this baseball season due to an ankle injury that caused him to miss a few weeks. Some of his statistics jump off the page, he’s one of two Marquette baseball players to have an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) over 1.000, a number only the best pure hitters obtain. Wearing Explorer blue. Paniagua led the line for Explorer soccer in his time on the pitch at Gordon Moore Park, his more than impressive 35 goals for the Explorers led the team and then some this past boys' soccer season. Five of those 35 were game-winning goals, and he added ten assists just for fun. “He’s just a smooth player,” said Marquette baseball head coach Tim Fahnestock.

Continue Reading

JERSEYVILLE - Tri-County Rural Transit and the Veterans Assistance Commission of Jersey County are teaming up for a pilot program to help transport Jersey County veterans to the St. Louis VA Medical Center at John Cochran. Starting Wednesday, May 10, transportation for veterans will be available one day per week on Wednesdays and leave from the Susnig Center, located at 405 Mound St. in Jerseyville. Departures will be at 8 a.m. for an approximate 9:30 a.m. arrival and curbside drop-off at John Cochran. The vehicle will return to John Cochran to pick veterans back up and promptly leave at 2 p.m. Veterans Assistance Commission Superintendent Gregory Breden thanked Tri-County Rural Transit for providing their vehicles and drivers, as he said a program like this is “needed badly” for local veterans. He added that this will all be done at no cost to veterans. “We’re going to cover their cost of going on the trip for veterans,” Breden said, adding the

Continue Reading

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The deceased in a recent St. Louis County homicide has been identified as Dominic Meriwether, Jr., 23 years of age, of the 8800 block of Shannon Fox Circle in St. Louis, Missouri 63136. St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives are investigating a homicide that occurred in the 7000 block of West Florissant Avenue which resulted in the death of an adult male. On May 5, 2023, at 11:52 AM, police officers from the City of Country Club Hills responded to a call for service for a shooting in the 7000 block of West Florissant Avenue. Arriving officers observed an adult male in a parking lot suffering from apparent gunshot injuries. The male was transported to an area hospital for treatment but later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. Preliminary investigation has led investigators to believe the shooting occurred on the parking lot of the business. The City of Country Club Hills Police Department requested St. Louis County Police Department’

Continue Reading

ALTON/GRAFTON - A man from Alton was charged with six counts, including one felony charge, relating to a high-speed motorcycle chase that occurred last Wednesday, May 3 in Grafton. He was charged with attempting to elude a police officer, driving over 100 miles per hour in a 50-mile-per-hour zone, and more, according to recent court filings. Ryan M. Lavite, 21, of Alton, was charged with the following in total: Count 1: Aggravated Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Peace Officer (Class 4 felony) Count 2: Speeding 35+ mph Over Limit Count 3: Violation Of License Class 1st & 2nd Div. Count 4: No Valid Registration Count 5: Operating An Uninsured Motor Vehicle, Count 6: Motorcycle Glasses/Goggle/Shield Violation According to court documents, Lavite drove “a white Kawasaki motorcycle with no valid registration southbound on Main Street at Mulberry, Grafton, Jersey County, Illinois, and after having been given a visual or audible signal by a peace officer, failed to

Continue Reading

ALTON - Rev. George Humbert Jr. left a lasting legacy in this area for his work in the ministry and as a community citizen. George died at age 75 years old on May 4, 2023. Ethan Humbert, George's son, had an incredible relationship with his father. He described his dad as "an amazing man and my hero." "My dad was my best friend," Ethan said. "He touched so many people's hearts and anyone that he ever had the pleasure of meeting. He would make anyone who met him feel better in just a few minutes with his positive attitude. "I am really struggling to lose him, but I have to stay strong for my mom and kiddos. Knowing he was always proud of me is helping me to get through this hard time." George was a Ball State University graduate and also served with the Peace Corps in Malawi, Africa, and attended Louisville Presbyterian Seminary in Kentucky. He was the pastor of College Avenue Presbyterian Church in Alton for 31 years. He married the love of his life Lynna Miller and she survives.

Continue Reading