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BELLEVILLE - Caritas Family Solutions has moved up in the rankings of the largest nonprofits in the St. Louis region. The 2022 report shows Caritas’ moved up from the 16th largest on the 2021 list to the 15th largest in 2022. The rankings were published in a St. Louis Business Journal based on the organization's 2022 fiscal year operating budget. The nonprofit has an operating budget of $45 million. Caritas Family Solutions services include foster care, pregnancy care for women experiencing homelessness, adoption, counseling and independent living for adults with disabilities among other service lines. The agency currently serves more than 7,000 people, including 2,300 foster children, throughout the Southern Illinois region. “Right now, one in ten kids in the state of Illinois are being served by Caritas Family Solutions which gives you an indication of the impact we make across the region,” said Caritas Family Solutions CEO Gary Huelsmann. “But foster care

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EDWARDSVILLE - The remarkable contributions of inspiring women who embrace and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion were recognized during Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s ninth annual Phenomenal Celebration held Wednesday, March 22. “What the goal here today is to ensure these women are seen, celebrated, and supported,” said Kevin Leonard, PhD, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences’ during his opening remarks. “It is imperative we recognize these women for the works they have accomplished on campus and in their community, but we also want to ensure they know we as a community support them on their journeys as they continue great works into the future.” “Every woman receiving this recognition today is making a positive impact at this University and in our greater community,” said keynote speaker Candi Johnson, program coordinator for SIUE’s Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Center. “These women

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ALTON - A 48-year-old Alton woman was taken into custody in a theft case on Wednesday morning. Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford reported the following: "At 9:31 a.m. on 03/22/23, the Alton Police Department was contacted regarding a theft from person incident that had just occurred in the 1800 block of E. Broadway, Alton, Illinois. "Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, Brandi Vaughn, 48 years of age, of Alton, had just stolen a woman’s purse from the backseat of the victim’s vehicle. As Vaughn attempted to flee with the purse, she was struck by the victim’s vehicle. "Despite being struck by the vehicle, Vaughn continued to flee on foot. She was subsequently located by officers while hiding in a closet inside an apartment of a nearby apartment complex. She was taken into custody and transported to the Alton Police Department. Vaughn was in possession of the victim’s property at the time of her arrest." Chief Ford continued and said: "Vaughn later

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ALTON - Illinois American Water today provided an update of work to separate the Alton combined sewer system and install new sanitary sewers. Below is information about road closures beginning March 23, 2023: "Sewer work is progressing north up 9th Street in Alton," Illinois American said. "Currently, the work is between Bluff and Augusta Streets. Please continue to utilize State Street, Belle Street, Alby Street, and U.S. 67 for north-south travel thru this area of town. Belle Street at 10th Street will remain open for traffic to access Piasa Street. Sewer installation has started on 9th Street east of U.S. 67 moving toward Alby Street. "Market Street south of 9th Street is planned to be closed in the next week. North-South traffic on Piasa Street (U.S. 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. Illinois American stressed agai

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JERSEYVILLE - Pig on a Wing will be closing its restaurant located at 807 State Highway 16 in Jerseyville on March 31 and shifting focus to its food trucks. Owner Steve Walker said they will be adding a second food truck under a different name and with different food options later this spring. “This winter we decided to start building another food truck, and in April, that’ll be complete and ready to roll out,” Walker said. “That gives us two food trucks to work with and two food trucks that I have to staff, so we decided to put our efforts into the food trucks.” The name of the new food truck is going to be “Rolling Dogs,” and Walker said it will feature a different sandwich selection from the original Pig on a Wing food truck. “The second food truck, it’ll be sandwiches also, but just different from Pig on a Wing,” he said. “So it’ll be different varieties for people to look forward to.” Walker

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JERSEYVILLE/GRAFTON - Pre-Registration/Screening appointments for upcoming Jersey 100 kindergarteners are opening soon on Thursday, April 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at West Elementary School, located at 1000 W. Carpenter St. in Jerseyville. If your child will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2023, and will be attending kindergarten in Jersey Community Unit School District (CUSD) 100, call (618) 498-4322 to schedule a Pre-Registration/Screening appointment. This includes students attending both West Elementary and Grafton Elementary School. The following items are required for kindergarten students: Proof of residency (Electric/water bill, driver’s license, voter registration card, etc.) Child's legal birth certificate Recent physical (physical no older than 1 year prior to the first day of school) Immunization records Eye examination form Dental examination form Parents/guardians are asked to bring at least proof of residency and the child’s

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BETHALTO - Junior Abrianna Garrett has been a constant for the CM Lady Eagles soccer team. The dangerous forward must always be marked, or she is going to make the other team pay. She burst onto the scene her freshman season with a 27-goal, 10-assist campaign. She followed that up the next season by scoring 37 and assisting seven. Her freshman year she teamed up with teammate and close friend Aubree Wallace. Wallace netted 23 goals to go along with Garrett in the 2020-21 season. As many know, Wallace was sidelined the entire following season dealing with an ACL tear during basketball season. That's when Garrett stepped it up the most and scored 37 to help bolster her team's attack. "She does what she does. She's relentless and very direct," CM head coach Eric Zyung said about his goal scorer. "She shares the ball well, but then she has an act for the goal. She just knows how to put the ball in the back of the net. She knows how to finish." As a junior, she's picking up right

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EDWARDSVILLE - The first “Battle of the Badges” blood drive of 2023 is set for Monday, April 10. The Edwardsville Police and Fire Departments have rekindled this friendly competition in an effort to encourage much-needed blood donations. The blood drive will take place from noon to 6 p.m. at the Edwardsville Public Safety Building, 333 S. Main Street. The American Red Cross will operate the event from the second-floor training room. The fire and police departments collaborate on the Battle of the Badges blood drive at least twice a year. While it’s dubbed a “battle” between the departments, Police Chief Mike Fillback said the friendly competition is just a lighthearted way to tackle a serious problem: medical blood shortage. “It’s a good way for people to give back to the community and fill a vital need,” he said. “It’s very much appreciated for people to donate blood.” Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs

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ALTON - Today, Sierra Club Illinois announced a lawsuit against Prairie State Generating Co. (PSGC) for operating the Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC) without a permit. Sierra Club’s lawsuit urges PSGC to cease operations until it obtains a lawful CAAPP (also known as a Title V) permit required by the Clean Air Act. The Prairie State coal plant is one of the dirtiest and deadliest plants in the United States. “No plant is above the law, especially one that is among the most polluting coal plants in the country,” said Christine Nannicelli, Senior Campaign Representative for the Beyond Coal Campaign of Sierra Club Illinois. “PSEC’s owners, like the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) and the Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency (NIMPA), are actively pursuing federal taxpayer subsidies and investors to install carbon capture technology at the plant. Prairie State should instead be focused on complying with basic environmental laws like the Clean

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EDWARDSVILLE - As part of National Agriculture Awareness Month, First Mid Bank & Trust (First Mid) is working to raise awareness about a variety of financial and cropland management services available to farmers. Julie Huelsmann, First Mid Vice President, said as inflation continues to impact the overall lending market, it’s important for farmers to be aware of all current lending options and federal programs that are available to them. Huelsmann said the bank’s Ag Services Department offers a full range of services for farmers, designed to support them whether they are managing, buying, selling, or determining the value of their farm. They also offer a variety of lending options including intermediate loans, operating lines of credit, and ownership loans for farmers. “Our bank has been financing farmers since 1865. We are the second largest ag lenders in Illinois and the 40 th largest in the country,” said Huelsmann. “With both of those facts, we are

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ALTON - St. Mary's Middle School would like to announce their Honor Roll and High Honor Roll students for the 3rd quarter. To view the full lists, please click the link below: St. Mary's Middle School Third Quarter Honor Roll

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WEST ALTON - Maple Island Access Area remains closed to provide a necessarystaging area for Melvin Price Locks and Dam work. The parking lot, shoreline, and access road are all considered active construction zones and are therefore closed to all forms of public access including but not limited to: vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and anglers. With snagging season underway in Missouri, the US Army Corps of Engineers RiversProject Office wants to remind anglers that this closure may continue through the end of snagging season. The public should plan accordingly and contact the Project Office for any updates as the work progresses. For more information please contact the Rivers Project Office at 636-899-2600.

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EDWARDSVILLE - The following students have been named to the Honor Roll at Metro-East Lutheran High School for the third quarter of the 2022-2023 school year. To view the full list please click the link below: MELHS Third Quarter Honor Roll

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SPRINGFIELD - Attorney General Kwame Raoul presented the proposed budget for the Attorney General’s office for next fiscal year to lawmakers today in Springfield. Raoul announced to a legislative committee that his office collected nearly $1.6 billion in revenue on behalf of the state through litigation and collection efforts in 2022. The revenue collected for the state by the Attorney General’s office shows that for every dollar of taxpayer funding the office received in Fiscal Year 2022, it generated $39.52 for the state. “The Attorney General’s office has remained steadfast in our work to protect consumers, support victims of violent crime, apprehend offenders who prey on children online, and enhance public safety throughout Illinois,” Raoul said. “We are able to do this critical work while bringing needed revenue into the state, and I look forward to building upon our efforts to improve the quality of life in every part of Illinois.”

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MADISON COUNTY - Although significant enhancements are being made to the 138 miles of scenic Madison County Transit (MCT) Trails this year, progress will create temporary closures. Visitors should prepare to take alternate routes to avoid closures as work on the MCT Schoolhouse Trail and MCT Nature Trail will close segments between now and the end of the year. The projects will temporarily reduce access to several loops, a beloved feature of the MCT Trails. MCT Schoolhouse Trail Tunnel Work on the highly anticipated MCT Schoolhouse Trail tunnel under IL-157 in Collinsville has officially begun. The crossing on IL-157 near Horseshoe Lake Road requires trail users to cross multiple lanes of traffic, forcing bicyclists and pedestrians to stop and wait for a safe time to cross the state highway. Currently, the MCT Schoolhouse Trail is closed from Keebler Road to an area just east of the Metro East Parks and Recreation District (MEPRD) office, however construction crews may be present

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ALTON/ST. LOUIS - Jonathan Wickenhauser and Kevin Sullivan with the Veteran Golfers Association appeared on a recent episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to discuss the VGA’s upcoming golf tournaments, the therapeutic effect of golfing for veterans, and more. “The Veterans Golf Association is a golf tour set up for veterans, active duty service members, and their families. It’s a spot for all of us to basically be with people who have gone through the same stuff we’ve gone through, and it gives us a chance to experience the same camaraderie and the brother-and-sisterhood that we had in the military,” Sullivan said. “We care for each other, we travel to different tournaments together. “Overall, it is still competitive, but we do have a lot of fun and we make sure that we pick up our fellow brothers and sisters too. So it’s a great way to kind of experience that camaraderie, but also a little bit of therapy through the game

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EDWARDSVILLE — Metro East Humane Society is pleased to have received a Rachael Ray Save Them All grant from Best Friends Animal Society for its Madison County Animal Care & Control & MEHS Unicorn Foster Program to help save the lives of more adoptable pets living in Madison County. “This grant allows us to include the Madison County Animal Care & Control & MEHS Unicorn Foster Program in our work finding more homes for the pets in our care,” said Anne Schmidt, Director of Metro East Humane Society. “Our goal will be to adopt out 62 dogs pulled from our local animal control to loving families. We appreciate the support of Best Friends Animal Society in making this program possible.” Metro East Humane Society is an active partner in Best Friends Network which offers help and support to shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations working to save lives in their communities. “When you choose to adopt your next

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GODFREY - Lewis and Clark Community College Athletics is postponing Thursday's Trailblazers Trivia Night until the fall. The trivia night was scheduled for Thursday, March 23, in the Common on the Godfrey campus, as a fundraiser for The Trailblazers. The event was supposed to have eight rounds, 10 questions per round.

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SHILOH - In an unusual case, at 9:58 p.m. on Sunday, February 9, 2023, Shiloh Police were dispatched to the 2400 block of Parkland Boulevard in reference to a report of eavesdropping. Upon arrival, Shiloh Officers met with the victim who found a recording device in her residence that had been placed there without her knowledge. Shiloh Police said the individual responsible for placing the device in the residence was an acquaintance known to the victim. "All conversations on the device had been recorded without her consent. Shiloh Officers took the device, and the case was submitted to the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office for review," the Shiloh Police Department said. "On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, St. Clair County State’s Attorney Elizabeth Nester issued a four-count warrant #23CF0049901, #23CF0049902, #23CF004903, and #23CF004904 for Eavesdropping, all Class 4 Felonies, each charging Shawn Joseph Hagan, 51, of the 300 block of Warrensburg Drive in Belleville,

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HARDIN - An Elsberry, Mo., man was arrested after a traffic stop at 4:52 p.m. on March 18, 2023, near the intersection of Park Sreet and Barry Street in Hardin. Subsequent to a Calhoun County Sheriff's Office investigation, a passenger, James A. Jackson, age 43, of Elsberry, Missouri was arrested for the following offenses: Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Missouri Department of Corrections Parole Warrant Jackson was arrested without incident and lodged in the Greene County Jail. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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