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MATTOON — First Mid Bank & Trust has launched their ‘Certified Homebuyer Program’ to give borrowers a head start on securing home financing. First Mid lenders can help potential homebuyers complete their purchase and start a new chapter in their lives even sooner. Buying a home is a monumental decision and it can be overwhelming. First Mid is excited to offer this program to simplify the homebuying process. Becoming certified can help by taking care of the financing paperwork up front and letting potential buyers know what they can afford before searching for a home. The program can also identify any unexpected financing issues ahead of time. While many banks offer prequalified programs, the First Mid Certified Homebuyer Program goes a step further. “Many individuals don’t realize there is a difference between prequalified and pre-approved,” says Chad Abernathy, Chief Retail Loan Officer. “Prequalified is when an application is completed and

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EDWARDSVILLE - When conducting surveys, researchers ask respondents for identifiable data such age, race, and sex. This information rarely caters to nonmonosexuals, sometimes out of unconscious preference for gender, or heterosexual and homosexual, binary. This is about to change, thanks to an instrument developed by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Aidan Ferguson, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Social Work. As principal instigator, Ferguson is collaborating with colleagues Jennifer Erwin, PhD and Lane Forsman, PhD, assistant professors in the Department of Social Work. The project, Enhancing Sexual Identity Classification using the Ferguson Sexual Identity Classification Instrument (FSICI): A Proof of Concept Study , will pilot test an instrument that aims to provide a tool which will better capture accurate sexual identity information in research and in other areas where demographic information is obtained. The instrument is named for Ferguson as

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GLEN CARBON - A model train set based on the Village of Glen Carbon was the central attraction at the Metro East Model Railroad Club’s most recent Open House event. Publicity Chairman Bob Gibson said the train set includes models of several historic Glen Carbon buildings along 1,000 feet of track, and is appreciated by visitors of all ages. Gibson said many adults recognize some of the buildings in the miniature depiction of the village, including one visitor who even spotted the house they grew up in. “A lot of the adults will come in and say, ‘Gee, this is really nice,’ and very realistic if you grew up in Glen Carbon, this area. In fact, there’s a building behind me which was the superintendent’s house for the railroad at the time, and one of the visitors came in and said to us, ‘I grew up in that house,’” he said. “We got a lot of that … people who grew up here recognize some of the stuff.” The club’s

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EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal grand jury announced today it returned a 15-count indictment charging a St. Elmo man on several assault and firearms charges after he allegedly opened fire on federal law enforcement agents who attempted to serve an arrest warrant at his residence in Fayette County. Dax Baldrige, 46, is facing seven counts of assault of a federal officer, seven counts of using a firearm in during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. “Fortunately, the law enforcement officers returned home safely to their families after the incident in Fayette County,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Attacks on those who protect us threaten safety in our communities, and violent offenders who recklessly aim and shoot firearms at federal agents conducting official business will be expeditiously charged and held accountable for their thoughtless actions.” “As the U.S. Marshal for the Southern Distric

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ST. LOUIS – EDUrain company and CEO Byron Pierson of Alton is back again this year for the annual Inno Madness competition. Inno Madness is a friendly, bracket-style challenge where readers vote to advance companies based on one question: Who would you invest in? Whether you believe in one mission or product slightly over the other or would prefer to back a more established company versus an early-stage startup, how you answer that question is entirely up to the person voting. Sixty-four local startups are vying for the top prize in Inno Madness this year. "We won round 2 and round 3 Voting is open," Byron Pierson, CEO of EDUrain said. "You can vote once per day. Please vote for EDUrain in round 3 now. "Thank you for the round 2 votes. Let’s bring this home. We need 2,000 votes this round to win! Please share the voting link and invite 1 person to vote as well." Pierson also said: "As a former foster-care youth, to be in this position to support students with issues tha

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TROY - Two-sport athlete Tobey "TJ" Suter has been one to watch early on in this baseball season for the Triad Knights. Through six games and 20 plate appearances, TJ is batting a .421 average. He's got eight hits so far including five doubles. He's also a starting pitcher and has struck out eight batters through two outings and 10 innings pitched. TJ is an Axes Physical Therapy Athlete of the Month for Triad. Last game, a 9-5 win over the Mater Dei Knights, he had three total hits. He hit two doubles good for two RBIs and also had a run. "I was just seeing the ball really well," TJ said after the game Monday afternoon. "All the work I've put in is paying off. I just feel comfortable at the plate." "TJ has been playing like a senior, like a guy that's been around," Triad head coach Jesse Bugger said. "He's relaxed and he's playing the game to win. It's simple for him right now, just go attack and play. He's done a great job for us so far." Bugger mentioned that TJ, being

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JERSEYVILLE – Special interests are lobbying for federal legislation that would put heavier semi-trucks onto local roads in Illinois and across the Country. A new report being delivered to the U.S. Congress shows that more than 72,000 bridges nationwide cannot safely handle the proposed heavier truck weights. Replacing these bridges would cost taxpayers more than $60 billion. Here in Illinois, 1,252 bridges would be put at risk, with a replacement cost of more than $1 billion. Jersey County Engineer Tom Klasner co-authored a new study and is heading to Capitol Hill on March 29 th to tell Congress local taxpayers can’t foot the bill. He is joined by leaders from across the country who don’t want motorists in their towns to be forced to share the roads with bigger trucks. Klasner is past President of the Illinois Association of County Engineers and current representative of Illinois to the National Association of County Engineers. Both groups strongly oppose any

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GRANITE CITY - The Lady Warriors girl's soccer team is off to a great 4-0 start to this season. A big part of those results is the team's three captains, including junior Madison Vasiloff. She's scored six goals through the first four games of the season including a hat trick last Saturday against Althoff Catholic in a 3-1 win and a stellar strike against the Triad Knights in a 4-1 triumph. Madison is a Stillwater Senior Living Athlete of the Month for Granite City. She hit a half-volley Monday night against Triad from about 20 yards out that flew into the upper left corner to put a bow on what was a great all-around performance against the Knights. "I was just hoping it would go in," she said about the captivating goal. These results don't come as a surprise to Vasiloff. “Absolutely not,” she said when asked about being surprised at all. “The girls from the very beginning have been super excited to start the season. We have a big senior class, so everyone’s

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EDWARDSVILLE – The Wheels & Walk Festival is off and running for a second year of bringing area college students and Edwardsville residents together to spend time on the trails, benefit a good cause, and enjoy some food, games and music. The Wheels & Walk Festival is set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 15. The event is being hosted by the Campus to Community Committee, which includes student, faculty and resident representatives of the City, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Lewis and Clark Community College. The festival will kick off with an approximately 2.5-mile hike on a Madison County Transit trail from two locations – SIUE and a new site for 2023, the Edwardsville campus of Lewis and Clark Community College. How participants traverse the trails – walk, bike, skateboard or other means – is up to them. The trail hike will lead to the Ironworks business development, in the 2300 block of Plum Street, where food and games will be available.

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O’FALLON – As part of March’s Caffeine Awareness Month, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and HSHS Medical Group Diabetes and Endocrinology – O’Fallon want to share how the stimulant affects our brain and body. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates 80% of U.S. adults consume caffeine daily. Although it can help with alertness, health experts say overdoing it can cause dangerous side effects including: Increased risk of heart attack Increased blood pressure Insomnia Skin aging and wrinkling Headaches Increased anxiety One known effect of caffeine is the negative stimulation of the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands sit on the kidneys and have a role in releasing hormones when we are confronted with stress. When caffeine is consumed, these glands are stimulated to release adrenaline into the body. This can affect sleep patterns and make us less alert in the morning and throughout the day. “Caffeine is a stimulant that

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ALTON – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today lane restrictions will be encountered beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday, March 28, 2023, in Alton. The right lane will be closed on southbound Illinois 3/111 (Homer Adams Parkway) over Bloomer Avenue in Alton, IDOT explained. "These restrictions are needed to perform emergency bridge deck patching," IDOT said. "All lanes are expected to reopen by 3 p.m. on Friday, March 31, 2023. IDOT District 8 Operations forces will make the needed improvements. Motorists can expect delays and should allow extra time for trips through this area. To avoid the work area, when feasible, use of alternate routes should be considered." IDOT added that drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details

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GODFREY - Several local high schoolers met at the Lewis & Clark Community College River Bend Arena to compete in an annual trebuchet contest last Friday, March 24. Molly Freimuth, a math professor at LC, said the event is a great way for students to show off their engineering skills and also learn about the post-graduation engineering and STEM opportunities in the area. “I absolutely love seeing the students so animated and excited about their competition,” Freimuth said. “It’s really awesome to see the different designs and the models that they tend to go with and which ones seem to be successful, or how the kids adjust if they aren’t successful. “It’s a great opportunity for high school students to get out and see the local area schools and Engineering and STEM focus, whether that’s Missouri S&T , SIUE School of Engineering … it’s also cool for them to see Lewis and Clark, where they could start here with their engineering

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Letter To The Editor: WOOD RIVER - Wood River is at a tipping point. The city has an influx of growth happening, not only in our downtown district but also on the east side of town near 255. New restaurants, shopping and entertainment venues are looking to make Wood River home. It is an exciting time for “Good River.” As a consultant for the city, I have had the opportunity to, “push the good”, or highlight the great things in Wood River. Working with Mayor Stalcup we were able to refresh the website not only making it more user-friendly for residents but also easier for entrepreneurs and developers to learn more about our city. I am incredibly proud of the work that we have done for the City. My campaign is simple - growth, inclusivity and pride in the community. I believe my fresh perspective and ideas can move our city forward. We can continue to grow our economy, bringing new small businesses, in turn bringing young families to town. We can offer programming

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ALTON - A change in ownership is on the horizon for a Riverbend media company. Sheila and Nick Darr of Godfrey have entered into an agreement to become the new owners of Big Z Media, purchasing the controlling interest from current owner Sam Stemm of Alton. The parties to the agreement have filed a Transfer of Control application with the Federal Communications Commission and once approval is given, likely within 90 days, the deal will be finalized. What started as AM radio station WOKZ 75 years ago has grown and morphed into Big Z Media, which operates news/talk radio station WBGZ (1570 AM 107.1 FM) and oldies station MyMix 94.3 (94.3 FM and 92.3 HD3). In addition, it publishes the Advantage newspaper as well as a local news and information website AdvantageNews.com, which also serves as the streaming platform for both radio stations. Nick Darr began his radio career at WBGZ in 2001 as a part-time news reporter. He ascended through the ranks and excelled as an advertising account

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Letter To The Editor: Illinois's minimum wage rose rapidly in the last few years and is still on the rise. My opinion sheds light on the negative effects which a high minimum wage can have. It is based on the principles of economics and was written in consultation with my professor Dr. Cocks from the Principia College Economics department. I am a Business Administration and Economics double major attending Principia College in Elsah Illinois. Thank you very much, Leander. Leander Linsler

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Letter To The Editor: There have been several incidents in the past few years that have made the American people question whether the right to bear arms should exist or not even though it’s a constitutional right. The argument is usually from an ethical standpoint however, and not an economic one. What would the effect of banning guns have on the American economy? There are many stores all over the country that either sell guns as well as other products, or only specifically sell guns. If firearms are banned, what effect would this have on those stores? Not to mention gun ranges, that cater to people who own guns. If guns were to be banned, then gun manufacturers would suffer, the distributors would go bankrupt and the services such as gun ranges would no longer exist. The main focus of this research was to determine the effect that a ban of all firearms would have, not including specific bans of attachments or ammunition or specific types of firearms. Between July of 2019

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EDWARDSVILLE – Timothy Banowetz, 31, who was convicted after a guilty plea in the murder of prominent attorney Randy Gori, is asking Judge Kyle Napp to withdraw his guilty plea. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for April 13. Banowetz entered a guilty plea to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery in October 2021, just before he was set to go to trial. He has been serving a 70-year sentence in the murder case. Timothy Banowetz pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery in October 2021 just before he was set to go to trial. He was a former St. Louis college student. Banowetz claims in his hand-printed request that the guilty plea was not made voluntarily and was made because of coercion and inadequate representation. Banowetz was charged in January 2020 with first-degree murder for entering Gori’s Edwardsville home, binding the victim and his two children, then killing Gori. Police were called to the scen

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ALTON - North Elementary’s Light the Night campaign (formerly known as Pennies for Patients) was very successful once again. The campaign was held for three weeks in March (from March 7-24) and is coordinated by Kimberlie Scheurer, a second-grade teacher at North Elementary. All proceeds are given to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – STL chapter. "Every classroom teacher was provided with a classroom link for online donations," Scheurer said. "Many families shared this link with family and friends." Students are able to participate in activities each week in support of the campaign. This was the process over the three weeks of the fundraiser: Week 1 – Dress up days with online donations only. “Put a Cap on Cancer” – wear hats. “Band Together Against Cancer” – wear your favorite band/musical group t-shirt. “Dreamin’ for the Cure” – pajama day. Week 2 – “Smencil” Sale (smelly

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EDWARDSVILLE – The Edwardsville Police Department has issued a strong warning to motorists about texting and driving in honor of Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The Edwardsville Police Department is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police, and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies to step up enforcement efforts across the state. Motorists can expect to see increased patrols and traffic safety enforcement zones throughout April. “Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of motor vehicle crashes on our roads today,” said Lt. Brandn Whittaker. “During Distracted Driving Awareness Month, law enforcement will boost enforcement efforts, stopping anyone who is texting and driving. Remember, if you have a phone in one hand, you can expect a ticket in the other.” In Illinois, using your phone in anything other than hands-free mode is not only dangerous, it’s illegal. Drop it and drive. The Illinois

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JERSEYVILLE - Two individuals were charged with meth-related offenses in Jersey County over the past week, according to recent court filings from the Jersey County Circuit Clerk’s Office. Michael C. Ault, 38, of East Alton, was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, as well as driving on a suspended license. He “knowingly possessed with the intent to deliver more than 15 grams, but not more than 100 grams, of methamphetamine” on March 22, 2023. Ault was charged with a Class X felony for the meth offense and his bail was set at $50,000. His preliminary hearing is set for March 29 at 1 p.m. More information and updates on this case are available here . Nicholas J. Shewmake, 29, of Wood River, was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. On March 19, 2023, he was found in possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine and a glass pipe. Shewmake was charge

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