Riverbender 🕸

CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 22 states, urged the Biden administration to scrap dangerous federal rules that allow employers to interfere in the reproductive health decisions of their employees. The rules, put in place under the prior administration, took away contraceptive coverage from women who should have been entitled to complete coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). They added broad, unreasonable exemptions that allowed nearly all types of employers to deny birth control coverage to their employees based on religious or moral objections. In a comment letter addressed to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su, Raoul and the coalition applaud the Biden administration’s proposal to restore access to cost-free contraceptive coverage by rescinding the moral exemption and creating alternate means to cover contraceptive services for

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EAST ST. LOUIS – State Senator Christopher Belt joined the Illinois Department of Transportation in announcing funds from the Illinois Competitive Freight Program that will improve the movement of freight throughout the state, while creating jobs and economic opportunity and enhancing safety and local quality of life. “Continued investment in roads and railways are crucial to ensure freight is moving swiftly and efficiently throughout the state,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “Projects like this will not only improve the flow of freight, but will also create jobs and boost economic growth in the region.” Every year, 1.6 billion tons valued at $2.5 trillion of freight flows in and out of the state, making Illinois one of the top three states for freight activity. Nearly $200 million in funds among 22 projects that are high traffic areas for freight mobility were announced last week – including two in the Metro East. A rail project at the Terminal Railroad

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ALTON - At 1:45 p.m. on April 5, 2023, a Madison County Sheriff's deputy was at a residence in the 3200 block of College Avenue, Alton, to serve legal documents. While the deputy was standing on the front porch of the residence, a person inside opened the front door to speak to the deputy. When the door was open, two dogs exited the residence in an aggressive manner. Madison County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Marcos Pulido said the person in the residence quickly told the deputy that the dogs were not friendly. "The deputy then retreated, backing away from the porch," he said. "Both dogs continued to aggressively approach and chase the deputy. The deputy continued running away, across the front yard of this residence. The dogs continued chasing the deputy onto the property of the Alton Fire Department. "At that point, one of the dogs stopped chasing the deputy, while the other continued to aggressively chase the deputy. The deputy then discharged one round from his duty weapon hitting

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ST. LOUIS - The Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas is hosting the 2023 Walk for Wishes presented by Centene & Spectrum in St. Louis. This year's walk is at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 8, 2023, at Forest Park, Upper Muny Parking Lot, Macklind Dr. St. Louis, MO., 63110. Organizers said this community walk is a fundraising event that shines a light on the nonprofit and how they provide life-changing wishes to children battling critical illnesses. A wish has the power to transform lives, bring communities together, and create life-changing moments. It is estimated that each year nearly 600 children qualify for a wish from Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas. All proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas and their efforts to grant wishes to children with critical illnesses. Many wish children to go on to live healthy lives and reflect on their wish as a turning point in their recovery. This year, Make-AWish Missouri & Kansas is celebrating its 40th anniversary and four decades of granting more than

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O’FALLON — HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital’s Wound Care Center has been named a recipient of the Center of Distinction award by Healogics ® , the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care services. This is the third consecutive year that the center has achieved this recognition. The Wound Care Center achieved outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months, including a patient satisfaction rate higher than 92%. There were 532 centers eligible for the Center of Distinction award and 305 achieved the honor. Other Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) hospitals receiving this same honor include HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. “We couldn’t be prouder of our Wound Care Center team for once again achieving this national distinction,” shared St. Elizabeth’s Hospital President and CEO Chris Klay. “The compassionate, high-quality care that

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CARROLLTON - Greene County voters have officially elected several candidates as alderpeople, school board members, and more in the April 2023 Consolidated Election. Greene County voters elected three candidates to serve as members of the Regional Board of School Trustees for Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, and Macoupin counties - one for a six-year term, one for a four-year term, and one for a two-year term. Sandra R. Moore was elected to serve for the six-year term on the Regional Board of School Trustees. Moore won 57.93% of the vote against Mark Prose, who received 42.07% of the vote. Michael Painter was elected to serve for the four-year term on the Regional Board of School Trustees, winning 64.72% of the vote compared to Jack N. Stork’s 35.28% of the vote. Jeff Clanton was elected to serve for the two-year term and won 47.37% of the vote, defeating Terry Strauch and John Henry, who won 29.11% and 23.52% of the vote respectively. Peggy J. Clough won the race for Carrollton’s

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EDWARDSVILLE - Play It Again Sports, a new and used sporting goods store, officially opened to the public in Edwardsville with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 29. Owner Dan Brynildsen said that “it’s been a long road to get here,” but he’s excited to bring a store like this to the community. Play It Again Sports has been buying quality used sporting goods from the public for the past six weeks, and they’re now ready to open and start selling those goods - and more - to the community. “We buy and sell quality used and new sporting goods,” Brynildsen said. “A lot of sporting goods out there have a lot of life left in them. We specialize in bringing those things in and marketing them to be able to sell them to the next person who can continue to get life out of them at a great value. “On top of that, we carry the new products as well, so we are a full-blown sporting goods store … if we don’t have it, I can order

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HARDIN - The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office apprehended two suspects in a large narcotics bust after an attempted traffic stop at 12:51 a.m. on March 28, 2023. Calhoun Sheriff's Deputy Nic McCall with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office tried to conduct a traffic stop on Illinois Route 100 near Poor Farm Hollow in Hardin on that date. The vehicle failed to pull over and continued northbound on Illinois Route 100. Deputy McCall and Sergeant Zach Hardin continued to follow the vehicle north through Calhoun County in an attempt to get the vehicle to stop. The vehicle continued to travel northbound, turning onto Route 96 and heading in the direction of Pike County, Illinois. Deputies from the Pike County Sheriff’s Department responded to the county line in an attempt to intercept the vehicle. The vehicle again failed to stop and continued to flee north into Pike County. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Pike County Sheriff’s Department continued to follow

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ALTON - Southbound traffic on Belle Street will no longer be able to access 10th Street, to then access US 67, starting on 4/5/2023. Sewer work is progressing north on Belle Street toward 10th Street and will close this intersection. Please continue to utilize State Street, Alby Street, and US 67 for north-south travel thru this area of town. Sewer work is progressing north up 9th Street, currently near Augusta Street. Sewer installation has been completed on 9th Street east of US 67 moving toward Alby Street, with water main installation still needing to be completed. North-South traffic on Piasa Street (US 67) will not be impacted. Pavement restoration work is starting on Belle Street near the intersection of 9th Street. Please avoid these areas if possible until pavement restoration work is completed. Below is an up-to-date map of the consisting road closures.

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CHARLESTON, Ill. - More than 95% of union members surveyed at tonight’s well-attended membership meeting endorsed the option to declare a strike on April 6. The union – EIU University Professionals of Illinois (EIU UPI, IFT Local 4100) – is standing firm in its efforts to strengthen EIU by calling for an investment in students. The decision to strike comes after an eight-hour bargaining session yesterday, where EIU administration walked away from the bargaining table after offering an effective pay cut for all members of the union. Compensation and workload are the remaining issues on the table. EIU UPI President Jennifer Stringfellow took this difficult decision to the union. “After our members saw the administration walk away from the table, we knew we had no choice but to move forward with a strike. We are still very far apart on key financial issues, including wage adjustment to catch up on lost wages and adjusting minimum salary so that no faculty teaching

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GODFREY - The Nature Institute (TNI), located at 2213 South Levis Lane in Godfrey, Illinois, will be showing movies outdoors on the front lawn of the Talahi Lodge, once a month, starting April 27. The movies will be presented free of charge, with donations accepted. Each film will be shown around the quarter moon during the month, so donations are encouraged in the form of quarters ($.25), but all donations of any denomination will be accepted. Attendees will need to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets. Snacks and drinks will not be provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own. No alcohol is permitted. Join us on the following dates to watch these Classic Films: - April 27 at 8:00 pm - My Man Godfrey (1936) - May 11 at 8:30 pm - ‘Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) - June 8 at 8:30 pm - The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) - July 25 at 8:30 pm - A Bug’s Life (1998) (Sponsored by Hayner Public Library) - August 24 at 8:00 pm - One Eyed Jacks (1961) - September

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ALTON - Riverbend region residents are invited to join the OSF Lymphedema Therapy team for a free educational session about Lymphedema and meet other people with Lymphedema. The next Lymphedema education meeting will be held: Thursday, April 6, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center Rehabilitation Service 228 Alton Square Mall, Alton, IL (Enter the Rehab office from the upper Mall parking lot, facing Alby Street, under the"OSF HEALTHCARE" sign.) Interested individuals should direct questions or requests for additional information to OSF Saint Anthony’s Rehabilitation Services at (618) 463-5171.

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SPRINGFIELD —Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director John J. Kim today announced a $27,023,485 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to fund the replacement of existing diesel school buses with new all-electric school buses located and operated in any of the three priority areas outlined in the Beneficiary Mitigation Plan (BMP). Illinois EPA will also fund a portion of new electric charging equipment if charging infrastructure is needed. This opportunity continues the Pritzker Administration’s commitment to focus Illinois’ remaining Volkswagen (VW) Settlement funding on electric transportation and infrastructure. “Here in Illinois, we are leading the clean energy revolution—and this latest $27 million in funding for electric school buses will help us achieve our goal of 100% clean energy by 2050,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This isn’t just a win for our environment—it's a win for our state’s children

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 18 attorneys general, took action today in support of a West Virginia student challenging a state law banning transgender female students from participating on sports teams consistent with their general identity. The student was prohibited from joining her school’s girls’ cross country and track teams and filed a lawsuit against the board of education. In an amicus brief filed in B.P.J. v. West Virginia Board of Education, Raoul and the coalition argue that the law violates the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as it denies transgender students access to the same athletic opportunities that other students enjoy. “Transgender students should be afforded the same extra-curricular opportunities available to every student,” Raoul said. “I will continue to stand with my colleagues against discriminatory policies and in full support of the rights of transgender

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WASHINGTON D.C. - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of both the U.S. Senate’s Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, today issued the following statement in reaction to Finland formally joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance: “With Finland officially joining NATO today, our alliance is now stronger and more capable than it has ever been—which is especially important as Vladimir Putin continues to wage his unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. I was proud to help pass the Senate resolution to approve Finland’s accession into NATO last year, and now I’m even prouder to officially welcome Finland as the 31 st member of our alliance. This addition brings even stronger military defenses and diplomatic capabilities against Russia and other emerging threats and sends a clear, resounding message that the free world remains united in support of Ukraine. Moving forward,

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CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is reminding taxpayers that the upcoming deadline for filing 2022 state individual income tax returns is Tuesday, April 18, 2023. "We encourage those taxpayers who have not yet filed to do so soon and file electronically with direct deposit to ensure the most efficient processing and issuance of any refunds," said IDOR Director David Harris. "Taxpayers may file electronic returns for free by using our recently enhanced online account management program MyTax Illinois and electronic filing is also available through third party software or with most tax preparers.” MyTax Illinois has been improved this year to make filing easier than ever. The system now includes a simple question and answer format, along with tax information prepopulated from previous returns. Taxpayers can also file their individual income tax returns using MyTax Illinois with or without an account and receive immediate confirmation once their returns hav

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GRANITE CITY - Meet Kyla Gerhardt, a senior at Granite City High School and a finalist in the 13 th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition. Gerhardt will perform Saturday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/pYRsZZuwax4

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ALTON – The Alton School Board race was one of the closer contests in the Tuesday Madison County election. Alfred (Al) J. Womack, Jr., led the field with 1,502 votes. Christina M. Milien, received 1,863 votes and was unopposed for a two-year term. The top three finishers who won four-year terms were Womack, Jr., followed by David P. Lauschke, with 1,391 votes, and Vivian L. Monckton, who had 1,230 votes. Beverly Velloff had 1,124 votes, David M. Fritz recorded 1,097 votes, and Jarvis Swope had 494 votes in the contest. Al Womack Jr., also executive director of the Alton Boys & Girls Club was a new face in the school board race. He said: “I am excited about the opportunity and I am looking forward to serving our district. I am very humbled and almost speechless at the support I received from the community. It really encourages me with the work to be done for the kids. I am up for the challenge.” Lauschke said he was most appreciative of residents having the confidence

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WOOD RIVER – William “Bill” Dettmers led all Wood River City Council candidates in Tuesday night’s election with 681 votes. David Ayres was also elected in the two selections with 678 votes. Kristen Burns had 503 votes, Sonya Hageman had 386 votes and Davis M. Landry had 110 votes. Dettmers and Ayres both said they knocked on nearly every door in Wood River campaigning for themselves. Dettmers said he was even out Tuesday morning and knocked on a door of a lady who was disabled and she didn't have a way to the polls. He assisted the lady with a ride to get to her polling place. “I worked very hard," Dettmers said. "I went through town twice knocking on doors. I really can’t tell you how much I appreciate the support I had. I am going to be very cautious about decisions while on the council. I have said this, but I believe the new rec center is going to put the city in a very serious fiscal situation, so I will be bringing that up at the council.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Voters overwhelmingly passed an Edwardsville School District bond issue proposal 4,511-2,461 in Tuesday's election. Edwardsville District 7 Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton said the $100 million zero-tax-rate change bond referendum on the April 4, 2023, ballot, is aimed at improving school safety and the infrastructure of District 7 buildings. A 50 percent majority was required for the measure to pass. The bond issue will fund projects at every school in Edwardsville School District District 7. “I am appreciative of the District 7 community for getting out to vote and I am very proud to be in a community that has strong pride in its schools," Dr. Shelton said. "Improving our school buildings now will benefit many future generations of students and homeowners while helping to protect the financial future of our district.” The referendum approved by voters in April, District #7 will do the following: Install double-entry doors for improved safety and

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