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ST. LOUIS - The Confluence Festival returns in 2023 with 14-time Grammy-nominated Dierks Bentley as the headliner. The veteran artist, with more than 18 chart-topping singles and countless award nominations, will be joining local, regional, and national acts at the music which will be held June 2-4. The performance will be Dierks’ only St. Louis stop on his upcoming Gravel and Gold tour. The thousands of fans projected to attend the festival will be entertained at every turn throughout the event weekend. Dierks will provide the entertainment on Sunday, June 4. Ticket buyers will receive access to the Dierks Bentley performance, in addition to access to the other music stages throughout WWT Raceway. Included with the ticket is access to a variety of food and beverage vendors, interactive entertainment displays, a STEM education showcase, display cars, interviews with area sports legends, and a seat for the Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter NASCAR Cup Series event.

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CARLINVILLE - Blackburn College Department of Music & Theatre will present its annual studio recital on Sunday, March 19, at 2:00 pm in Bothwell Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public. This event will feature students participating in Blackburn’s Music program and will feature a number of solo vocal and piano performances. The Blackburn Music program is designed to prepare students with a mastery of vocal and piano performance skills while providing in-depth entrepreneurial knowledge needed to launch professional careers in music. Enhanced by state-of-the-art performance facilities, the current faculty, and the college’s unique student-led work program, it is an individualized educational environment not found in any other school. Dr. Joseph Welch, Professor of Music and Choir Director, encourages Blackburn students and the public to attend to recognize the students and the diligence they have shown all year. For more information about the recital, please

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SPRINGFIELD — Today Governor JB Pritzker visited Streamwood High School in Elgin to highlight a new teacher pipeline initiative aimed at addressing chronic shortages in the state’s most understaffed districts. The proposed Teacher Pipeline Grant Program will direct $70 million per year over the next three years to the 170 school districts with the greatest need to fill teaching positions. “When it comes to our kids, we can always do more. And when that comes to our schools, that means not just more funding, but more resources — and most crucially, more educators,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “All across the nation, school districts are fighting the impact of teacher shortages — as education professionals struggle to weigh their passion for their classrooms with their own mental, financial, and personal wellbeing. So as part of my education investment plan, I’m proposing an additional $70 million annually specifically targeted at addressing

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GODFREY - The Nature Institute’s (TNI) hiking trails, located at 2213 South Levis Lane in Godfrey, Ill, may be closed until April 1, but staff members of Illinois’ largest privately owned nature preserve are inviting the public out for some new opportunities as well as old favorites. A new weekly hike, “Spring Wildflower Hike” led by outreach director Ramona Pollard, allows visitors to explore the preserve and identify the spring ephemeral wildflowers as they arrive this spring. The first scheduled hike will occur on March 21 at 9 a.m. These hikes will continue each Tuesday morning until May 2 giving opportunity to see these short-lived flowers while they are here. The second installment of Family Discovery Day: Right on Target will return on Saturday, March 18 at 10 a.m. This program is designed for families with children 8 years of age and older. Adults and children attending the program will learn how to shoot a bow and arrow safely and will have some time

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HIGHLAND – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that resurfacing of U.S. 40, from Illinois 4 to the Illinois 143/U.S. 40 intersection, will require intermittent daytime lane restrictions beginning, weather permitting, Monday, March 6. Two-way traffic will be maintained by flaggers. The project is anticipated to be completed in late August. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction 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 @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Kim Bosco has made a significant contribution to the development of the R.P. Lumber Center and its various programs. The R.P. Lumber Center Operations Manager Kim Bosco was recently recognized with a highly regarded City of Edwardsville Employee Excellence Award for February at a recent City Council meeting. Bosco was saluted by Mayor Art Risavy at the Edwardsville City Council meeting for her "positive and friendly attitude and strong work ethic. "She was nominated by her supervisor, Phil Zamora, who sees her terrific contributions every day," Mayor Risavy said. "We appreciate our city employees and the big and small ways they make Edwardsville a great place to live." R.P. Lumber Center Superintendent Zamora said Bosco has done a "tremendous job" in her position and he is thankful every day for her work with the location that opened in June 2022. If you know of an Edwardsville city employee who deserves an excellence award, you can nominate that person here:

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The next time someone suggests listening to your favorite song will do your body good, Abraham Kocheril, MD , says it’s not a bad idea to take their advice. Dr. Kocheril, director of cardiac electrophysiology at OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute in Urbana, Illinois, has studied how heart rate variability aligns with and benefits from certain musical numbers. Heart rate variability, as the name suggests, describes how your heart beats vary over 24 hours. Sometimes slower, for example when you sleep. Sometimes faster, for instance when you walk or run. “Even though we say the average heart rate is 72 beats per minute, it generally doesn’t stay there. It’s bouncing up and down. And that’s normal,” Dr. Kocheril says. People will experience different heart rate variability based on their age and health. But in general, Dr. Kocheril says more variability is good. No variability – in other words, the same beats per minute consistently

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - St. Louis County Police Crimes Against Persons detectives are investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred near the intersection of McLaran Avenue and Main Street in the City of Jennings. On Friday, March3, 2023 at approximately 10:38 p.m., St. Louis Metropolitan Police SWAT officers attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle driving erratically near the area of Rosalie and North Kingshighway in the City of St. Louis. The driver fled at a high rate of speed and a pursuit began. The pursuit ended at approximately 10:47 p.m. in the City of Jennings near the intersection of McLaran Avenue and Main Street when the suspect's car became inoperable. The suspect fled from the vehicle armed with a firearm and flourished it at an officer. The officer fired his department-issued firearm striking the suspect at least one time. The suspect was taken into custody and treated at an area hospital where he remains in critical condition. No officers were injured

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EDWARDSVILLE – The intersection of North Kansas Street and Douglas Avenue will be closed beginning Monday, March 6, for water main and storm sewer construction. The closure is expected to remain in place for several days. The work is part of the $1.91 million water main replacement project for North Kansas and East High streets that began in February. That project will replace a century-old 4-inch cast iron water main with an 8-inch main. It also will include resurfacing of East High Street and North Kansas Street between East Union Street and Hillsboro Avenue. To bypass the closure, drivers in the area should use alternate routes, including North Buchanan Street and East Dunn Street. The City contractor is in contact with Edwardsville School District 7 officials to help keep parents informed and minimize disruptions around Columbus School as the project proceeds. The North Kansas-East High water main installation project is expected to take two months to complete. Road resurfacing

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JERSEYVILLE - The Jersey County Against Drugs Coalition (JCADC) and Jersey Community Hospital (JCH) are teaming up for the return of their Community Resource Fair, a free public event that will feature a variety of vendors with drug addiction prevention, recovery, treatment, and support resources - and also the chance for attendees to win Apple AirPods and other great prizes. The Community Resource Fair will be held on Thursday, March 9 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Susnig Center, located at 401 Mound St. in Jerseyville. Lauren Savoie with JCH appeared on a recent episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com and said there are currently about 15 vendors and counting signed up for the event with a range of services and information. “There’s going to be some counseling agencies, there are some churches, some other mental health agencies - we’re also going to have a booth there for our Medication Assisted Treatment Clinic to talk about treatment, there’s going

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In mid-February, actor Bruce Willis’ family announced his aphasia diagnosis has progressed into frontotemporal dementia (FTD). FTD affects between 50,000-60,000 Americans. Most patients are between 45-65 years old, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. The disease is progressive, meaning symptoms get worse over time. Dr. Deepak Nair, a neurologist with OSF HealthCare Illinois Neurological Institute, says while someone might not die as a result of FTD, it can lead to other health problems that do cause death. He calls the brain and nervous system the “master control” over every other organ system. "It's sort of like what happened in the COVID era. People are talking about 'are the people dying from COVID or with COVID?' Same problem. When people die of dementia, there are a lot of other things that can lead to their death. But the processes of dementia, over time, will start to affect other organ systems. In that sense, any of the known dementias will

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EDWARDSVILLE – The 21st biennial United States Championship Cheese Contest, a technical competition for cheese, butter, and yogurt makers, was held in Green Bay, Wisconsin last week. A team of technical judges from across the country met for three days to evaluate the best U.S. cheeses from dozens of manufacturers on a variety of technical merits, including flavor, body, texture, salt, color, finish, and packaging. After all the votes were counted, Prairie Farms received eight top cheese awards and swept the cottage cheese category. “Starting the year with multiple awards from this prestigious contest affirms the commitment of our dairy farmers and cheesemakers to work together to produce the very best cheese. The contest judges recognized their hard work, and I couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments,” said Matt McClelland, CEO/EVP of Prairie Farms. “As a farmer-owned cooperative, we have complete control of the farm-to-table cycle. The awards

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EDWARDSVILLE - A crown jewel of the new R.P. Lumber Center in Edwardsville is the skating program. The program started when the rink opened in June 2022 and participation has skyrocketed because of talented and devoted staff and exceptional leadership. Phil Zamora, superintendent of the R.P. Lumber Center, said the skating program already has 174 enrolled. The R.P. Lumber Center is located at 6289 Tiger Drive, Edwardsville, 62025. Zamora credited the soaring participation to his leader Kelsey Beard and the excellent staff. Some of the staff members continue to also compete as skaters. The training methods and sessions are working for the students. Zamora said he loves seeing the skaters start at the grassroots level and make their way into skating competitions. “Who knows where some of these skaters will go from here,” Zamora said. “It is amazing to see their development. I feel we are off to a very good start here with our program.” Zamora said it is

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GRANITE CITY - Stephanie M. Cann, Ed.S., Superintendent of Granite City Schools, and Major Nick Novacich, Assistant Chief, Granite City Police Department made a statement after a series of online threats concerning Granite City High School and upcoming charges. "Granite City Community Unit School District #9 was made aware last evening of a series of online threats concerning Granite City High School," they said. "We immediately involved the Granite City Police Department and worked collaboratively with our administration and the Department throughout the day to eliminate any potential threats to student and staff safety. "Due to the nature of the threat, multiple officers were on high school premises. The individual responsible for the threat was located by the GCPD, taken into custody by officers, and will be charged accordingly by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office. The identity of the individual cannot be revealed due to their age. GCSD9 truly appreciates th

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville's Fire Department and other neighboring agencies spend an enormous amount of time training and preparing for the worst possible fire and smoke situations. Fast response, training, and proper equipment saved the McDonald's and Circle K businesses during a serious fire Thursday night, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said Friday morning. Whiteford said the crews did respond quickly to the 8:15 p.m. call to his department and by 9:25 p.m., the fire was out. When crews arrived, thankfully workers and customers had left the building and no one was hurt. However, the visibility was about one foot ahead inside the structures because of the heavy smoke initially he said. "We had to use thermal imaging equipment to be able to see through the smoke," he said. "It enabled us to figure out where the fire was coming from and extinguish it. "Our technology and training with it really paid off. I am always so proud of all our firefighters and those who assist us

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BETHALTO - The Bethalto Chamber of Commerce is hosting a free, public forum to allow Bethalto residents to get to know the candidates running for seats on the Bethalto Board of Trustees. The forum will be held on Tuesday, March 14 at the Bethalto Senior Citizens Center, located at 100 E. Central St. in Bethalto. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., as there will be opportunities to speak with the candidates both before the forum starts at 7 p.m. and after the forum ends. There are a total of seven candidates running for three trustee seats; those candidates are Brian Frier, Jeff Mull, Maria Perkhiser, Rachel Sontag, Ed Slayden, Tim Vogel, and Chrissy Wiley. Perkhiser is an incumbent trustee seeking re-election. Mull was appointed to the vacant trustee seat left by Bethalto Mayor Gary Bost when he became mayor, and Mull is also seeking re-election. Bethalto Chamber of Commerce Board Member Jane Ahasay said the event aims to inform voters and keep residents involved with their local government

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GRANITE CITY - Granite City Community Unit School District #9 Superintendent Stephanie Cann announced today that it has become aware of a threatening post that has been shared on a social media platform. "We are closely monitoring the situation, and we have taken steps to ensure the safety of our students and staff and safety always remains our number one priority," she said. "GCSD9 encourages all parents and guardians to speak with their children regarding the appropriate use of social media," she added. "If your child becomes aware of any potential threat on social media or anywhere else, please notify a GCSD9 staff member or law enforcement. Please refer to our GCSD9 Handbooks for updated policies and procedures. GCSD9 will not tolerate any threats or behavior of this kind." She closed with the following: "Thank you for your cooperation as we continue to provide a safe and secure learning environment for our students."

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GLEN CARBON – State Senator Erica Harriss (56 th -Glen Carbon) is pleased to announce a free eNewsletter service through her office as a way for constitutions to stay up to date with what’s happening in Springfield and throughout the 56 th District. “I am excited to announce our first newsletter has been sent out to email inboxes across the 56 th District,” said Senator Harriss. “This is a great way for residents across the Metro-East to stay informed about what is happening in Springfield and free legislative events around the district.” To sign up for Senator Harriss’ email newsletters, go to https://senatorericaharriss.com/e-news-2/ . “Constituents oftentimes want to know how they can get involved in the legislative process, or the status of important legislation that impacts them. By signing up for my newsletter, you will get all the latest information straight to your inbox without you having to seek it out yourself.”

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BENTON – In a U.S. District courtroom on Wednesday, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict after a three-day trial for an O’Fallon man charged with enticing a minor. Eric Richardson, 40, was convicted of using his cellphone to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity. “We have a civic duty to protect children from sexual predators, and I’m reassured by the jury’s decision to convict the defendant of trying to persuade a minor into sexual acts with him,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “I appreciate the involved officers with the O’Fallon Police Department for their efforts to apprehend this offender.” According to evidence presented at trial, Richardson used his cellphone to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity upon his return from a trip to Florida in October 2019. The term of imprisonment is a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life. Richardson’s sentencing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on June 15

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced Friday that an Mt. Olive man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in connection with a fatal beating. Blake K. Streeb, 30, will be required to serve 100 percent of the sentence. Streeb attacked Michael Reay, 25, of Granite City, inside a home in the 2200 block of Miracle Avenue in Granite City on Aug. 7, 2022. Reay suffered head injuries and died days later at a St. Louis hospital. Streeb told investigators he was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time, but recalled becoming angry after suspecting that Reay, who used a wheelchair, was pretending to need his wheelchair. “This was a ruthless, unprovoked attack that was fueled by drugs and inflicted upon a victim who was nearly incapable of defending himself,” Haine said. “This conviction and sentence ensure that the public will be safe from this perpetrator’s violence. The

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