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EDWARDSVILLE - On Saturday, April 1, 2023, Mathis, Marifian & Richter, Ltd., (MM&R) shareholder Deanna L. Litzenburg, spoke at the Illinois State Bar Association Allerton Conference 2023 held in Champaign, Illinois at the I-Hotel & Conference Center. This year’s conference, presented by the ISBA Civil Practice and Procedure Section Council, was titled “Technology and the Courts: Transforming the Delivery of Justice” and explored hot topic issues impacting the civil practice and procedure area. The Allerton Conference is an invitation-only event sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association Mutual Insurance Company. This year, Mathis, Marifian & Richter, Ltd., (MM&R) also served as a sponsor for the conference. While attendees receive CLE credit, the Civil Practice & Procedure Section Council has always thought of the conference as a “think tank” of sorts where new ideas are examined and debated. Attendees and speakers included law professors, practitioners,

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EDWARDSVILLE – State Senator Erica Harriss (56 th -Glen Carbon) is announcing a new district office location in downtown Edwardsville, closing the former office in Maryville immediately. “Since taking office, my team and I have always had an open mind about what a new office location would look like for the district,” said Senator Harriss. “After months of looking, we have found an easily accessible location that gives us a clear presence in the area we serve and it’s ADA accessible which is incredibly important to the constituents we serve.” Senator Harriss says the new office located at 120 North Main Street, Suite 1B, Edwardsville, will serve as a space to provide constituent services to residents throughout the district which includes both Madison and St. Clair counties. “We will spend part of the week moving but should have the new location up and running by Thursday,” said Senator Harriss. “We have already met so many grea

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EDWARDSVILLE — The State’s Attorneys of 32 counties have joined Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas A. Haine in a brief he filed with the Illinois Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the state’s ban on certain types of weapons. The Amici Curiae brief, also known as a “friend of the court” brief, asks the Supreme Court to strike down the state’s so-called Assault Weapons Ban. The legislature passed the ban in January during a lame-duck session, and Gov. JB Pritzker signed it into law. Haine is the lead attorney for the Amici Curiae brief. The other State’s Attorneys joining him in the brief represent the following counties: Brown, Calhoun, Carroll, Clark, Clinton, Edwards, Effingham, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Macon, Marion, Mercer, Monroe, Ogle, Perry, Pulaski, Randolph, Schuyler, Union, Vermilion, Warren, Washington, Wayne and White. In its conclusion, Haine’s

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EDWARDSVILLE - The second annual One Day, One SIUE event is returning to the SIUE campus on April 20, 2023 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., while the 24-hour Day of Giving runs the entire day. Senior Director of Annual Giving Julie Babington said last year’s event saw more than 500 participants and over $668,000 raised, and their fundraising goal for this year is $1 million. “We were pleasantly surprised how it all turned out, we had more than 500 participants that came out to SIUE on our Quad, and it was a fun night,” Babington said. “We were hoping to get some community members and we definitely had that represented, we had a ton of our student body, faculty and staff, and then we were pleasantly surprised to see even baby strollers and pets.” This year, starting at 6:30 p.m. in the SIUE Stratton Quadrangle (also known as “The Quad”), food and live music will be available featuring the band Vote For Pedro. The event will also feature opportunities

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ALTON - Alton VFW Post 1308 and Cottage Hills VFW Post 7678 both have a special place in their hearts for other veterans, and Chad Sibley has organized a collection for the veterans in Rolling Fork, Miss., with the VFW in Alton, Cottage Hills, and District 12. "We are currently collecting donations for veterans of Rolling Fork, Miss., who have been recently affected by a severe tornado," Sibley said. "We are going to take the donations down there April 14-16," he said. Tornado winds reached a maximum of 170 mph, an EF4 on March 24 in Rolling Hills, Miss. The tornado ripped across 170 miles on a path of destruction. The deadline for Rolling Hills, Miss., donations is Thursday, April 13, 2023. The donations can be taken to the VFW Post 1308 in Alton and the Cottage Hills VFW. Sibley said he will travel to the National Guard Armory in Rolling Fork with the donations. Sibley said they will also spend a day or two there helping cleanup or handing whatever items they can to those who nee

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BETHALTO – Area Flight Instructors Don Hill and John Harding invite those interested in flying to the PIASA FLYERS Aero Club meeting at the St. Louis Regional Airport at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Airport Managers Building just south of the tower. The meetings run from 6 to 8 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at the St. Louis Regional Airport Managers Building just south of the tower. "Come one, come all," Hill said. "This coming Wednesday evening, April 12, will go down in history as the official forming of the PIASA FLYERS with the Aero Club’s election of officers. "The PIASA FLYERS name was voted in by a majority of the incoming members at their last meeting March 9, and was so named after the legendary flying dragon of the local area Piasa Hills. Now, the PIASA FLYERS look forward to making their own legend on into the future." Hill said more than 40 attendees were at the March 9 meeting and about half were pilots without airplanes who were looking for

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GODFREY - The Freer family is preparing for its annual Christmas In July Sloppy Joes event set for 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. on July 21 at Freer Auto Body in Godfrey and is seeking prizes, organizer Margaret Freer said today. Proceeds from the event each year benefit the Community Christmas campaign in the Alton area. Margaret said her granddaughters - Taylor and Lily - are looking for raffle prizes. "Any house, condo, or timeshare would be great that could be used as a raffle prize," she said. "It is always a mutually agreed date. "A tax letter will be given as it is a non-profit and tax deductible." Margaret said please call 618-466-6151 if you would be willing to help with this great event. Last year's event was a huge success and a total of $56,000 was raised. Margaret and her granddaughters co-founded this significant charitable event. All proceeds raised benefit Community Christmas and provide a huge boost each year to the campaign.

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Letter To The Editor: In my most recent letter to the editor, I wrote that the city plans to build a $10,000 flood wall along Broadway. I omitted three zeros. The projected cost of the wall and rebuilding of Chessen Street is $10 million, not $10 thousand. While 10 million dollars is a lot of money, is it enough to build a wall that will protect downtown Alton? I heard a rumor that the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates it would cost $50 million to build an effective flood wall. I could be wrong here, too. To clarify any misunderstandings and help the City Council make informed decisions when they vote on the flood wall design in the next few months, perhaps the Alton Riverfront Commission will invite the Army Corps and other river experts to its next meeting. Libby Reuter, Alton

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JERSEYVILLE - Two Missouri individuals have been arrested in Jersey County over the past week, according to recent court filings from the Jersey County Circuit Clerk’s Office. One was arrested on a weapon charge while the other was arrested on a meth possession charge. Penny Lou Dyer, 57, of Spanish Lake, Mo., was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. According to court documents, Dyer was in possession of “a black 800 type direct-current ultrahigh voltage taser.” She was also charged for driving with no valid registration, and both charges were issued on April 2. Dyer was charged with a Super Class 3 felony for the weapon possession charge. Her bail was set at $25,000. Her arraignment hearing has been set for May 15, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. and more information and updates on this case can be found here . Shayne L. Mundy, 51, of Montgomery, Mo., was charged on April 4 with unlawful possession of methamphetamine. He was charged with a Class

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ALTON - Alton Little Theater is launching summer acting classes for youthful performers, with a dozen 90-minute classes from June 20th through the end of July (with an open, no-charge showcase on Monday, July 31st for family members). Classes from 1 to 4:00 p.m. will be held at the ALT Showplace under the direction of Artistic Director, Kevin Frakes and Executive Director Lee Cox. Up to 30 students will be accepted for the first-ever real-theater-immersion classes offered for students ages 8-17. ALT's goal is to begin building a broader base of youth involvement in the coming three years since plans are afoot to produce the full version of FROZEN, a revised Disney tribute, and so many more shows that may require casting opportunities for under 18 (even though ALT tries very hard not to compete with concurrent school Theater programs). Application forms and more information can be obtained by calling Lee Cox at 618-462-3205. This is a nominal cost for the classes, but NO ONE ever

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ALTON - Back in the day, cats getting stuck in trees and fire departments coming to the rescue used to be commonplace. There is a new technology twist to this story that doesn’t involve cats, and this time it’s the local responders who need assistance. Earlier this month, the Alton Police Department tactical drone got stuck up in a tree. “The Alton Police Department called me first out of all the other tree services… they called early and we hurried to their rescue,” said Aaron Hodge, owner of Riverbend Tree Service. Riverbend Tree Service provided this rescue as a complimentary service to the city and giving back to the community. In a letter from Alton Chief of Police Jarrett Ford, Jarrett wrote “Your service went above and beyond to retrieve the drone. We appreciate you and your community partnership”. Hodge believes that the Alton Police Department called Riverbend Tree because of his longstanding contract in managing the trees throughout

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WOOD RIVER - Midwest Members Credit Union is proud to sponsor the “Eagles of the Month” program at Civic Memorial High School. Senior students are selected each month by members of the Civic Memorial faculty to represent each department. All students are awarded a certificate and a Subway gift card. Two Seniors (1 female student and 1 male student) that were selected each month will have the opportunity to compete for a $500.00 “Eagles of the Year” scholarship each at the end of the school year. 2023 March’s Eagles of the Month winners Math - Gabrielle Davis Fine Arts - Sydney Law Social Studies - Colton Rawlings PE/Health - Rynn Cline Choir - Elliana Fiorino Band - Haley Greeling Science - Madalynn McKey English - Ashton Johnsey C.T.E. - Adalaide Liljedahl Teacher of the Month winner English Language Arts - Caroline Schneider Congratulations to all the Civic Memorial “Eagles of the Month”

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EDWARDSVILLE - During a time when higher education is experiencing a national shortage of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters serving the d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has met the challenge of serving the hard-of-hearing community by building comprehensive d/Deaf services. “I’m pleased to announce our first team of staff American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters – Amy Miller and Taylor Bodenbach,” said Dominic Dorsey II, director of Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support (ACCESS). “According to a report entitled Undergraduate Enrollment of Deaf Students in the United States, 1.3% of all enrolled college students are deaf, and research from the National Deaf Center (NDC) on Postsecondary Outcomes shows that roughly 5% of deaf or hard-of-hearing adults under 65 were enrolled in higher education, equaling more than 190,000 people.” “The NDC has also been keeping track o

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CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) today announced that $127.9 million has been awarded through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) to expand travel options and enhance quality of life in communities throughout the state. This year’s program is the largest ever due to Gov. Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois and dedicates resources to communities that exhibit the greatest need. “The Illinois’ Transportation Enhancement Program is an important part of Rebuild Illinois designed to support alternate modes of transportation, to preserve visual and cultural resources, and improve quality of life,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “And today, I’m announcing the largest ever round of funding for ITEP – over $125 million to build better and safer bike routes, walking paths, trails, and other local travel options.We’re reversing a legacy of disinvestment tha

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MASCOUTAH, Ill. - Phase Three of the $34 million project underway to expand the terminal at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport is heading into the home stretch, with the expected completion on target for summer of 2023. This phase of the project is expanding the existing 53,500-square-foot terminal by an additional 41,000-plus square feet to accommodate continuing passenger growth and provide a host of new amenities that will enhance the experience for those traveling through MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. The project is creating a new, standard TSA screening area and adding two additional boarding bridges which were recently installed, as well as a service animal relief area, new family restrooms, a nursing room, expanded departure lounge with added room for concessions and other renovations to accommodate people with disabilities. “We are excited to be nearing completion of the critical infrastructure and safety improvement projects that will enhance overall operations at the airport,

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ALTON - Centerstone, a national leader in behavioral healthcare, will host its second annual Reclaiming Lives Breakfast on Thursday, May 25 from 7:30 TO 9 a.m. at Post Commons, 300 Alby Street, Alton, IL. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at centerstone.org/reclaiming-lives-breakfast. Tickets are $40 each and the deadline to purchase tickets is May 5. The focus of the event's presentations will be Elevating the Voices of Children and Youth. We invite you to join Centerstone for a meaningful conversation that will help you understand childhood trauma and its impact on a child's emotional, developmental, and overall health and well-being, said Erin Camfield, Centerstone Director of Advancement. The featured speaker will be Dr. Anne Scheer, a children's sociologist at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's Department of Population Science and Policy in Springfield, IL. Her presentation will be the room where it happens: community trauma, racial disparities,

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ALTON - Riverbend region residents can be healthier by getting their steps in with the OSF Mall Walker Program. Join in with OSF Physical Therapy to walk each month at 8:00 am at the upper level of the Alton Square Mall on the following dates: April 11 May 9 June 14 Those who join in can earn rewards for their participation. Registration forms and walking logs are available at the OSF Rehabilitation Services office at the Alton Square Mall. If any potential participants attend as part of starting a new exercise program, he/she should obtain clearance from his/her healthcare provider. Interested individuals should direct questions or requests for additional information to OSF Saint Anthony’s Rehabilitation Services via email at frances.a.young@osfhealthcare.org or calling (618) 463-5346. About OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center A 49-bed Rural Health designated acute care hospital in Alton, Illinois, OSF Saint Anthony’s serves the residents

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ALTON - Alton Little Theater is ending the 89th Season at the Showplace with an exclamation of comedy. The Theater group has waited six years to produce the French Farce, DING DONG aka "My Just Desserts" and now the show will be presented in all its glamour & calamity for eight performances from May 5th through the 14th -- and yes, there will be special tributes to "moms" on the Final Sunday Matinee on May 14th! The play was translated for American stages by Marc Camoletti and Tudor Gates and premiered at the Community Theater in Naples, Florida where it was held for over three months in 2017. The production values, costs, and change of publishing houses during 2020-21, prevented ALT from going forward with production -- until now! ALT's Executive Director, Lee Cox will direct the production which features two other Season Directors, two regional, very-popular actors, and two brand new talents who had "acting at ALT" on their bucket list! Kevin Frakes, Gail Drillinger, Josh Sarver

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ST. LOUIS - The following students have been named to the dean's list for the fall 2022 semester at Washington University in St. Louis. Edwardsville, IL Dev Mathur Dhruv Mathur Both are enrolled in the university's McKelvey School of Engineering. To qualify for the Dean's List in the McKelvey School of Engineering, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.6 or above and be enrolled in at least 12 graded units.

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ST. CLAIR COUNTY – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) were joined Thursday, April 6, by local officials and community leaders to celebrate a $5.4 million investment in several airfield improvements at the St. Louis Downtown Airport that improve safety, reliability, and efficiency while boosting airport business and global competitiveness. The improvements are made possible by the Governor’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program that’s fueling record levels of investment in the state’s airports and projects throughout the Metro East. “I’m proud to announce that construction is well underway on a brand-new engine run-up ramp equipped with taxiway access, including a noise mitigation barrier and compass calibration pad,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These facilities will not only improve cost effectiveness, but they will also enhance St. Louis Downtown Airport’s capacity to serve

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