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SPRINGFIELD – Area unemployment figures continued to show a low mark for the month of February 2022 compared to February 2021. Jersey County had the lowest unemployment rate in the region in February at 4.0 percent compared to 5.6 percent last year at this time. Madison County recorded a 4.1 percent mark compared to 5.8 percent a year ago; Macoupin County was 4.3 percent compared to 5.8 in February 2021; Greene County was at 4.5 percent compared to 5.9 percent in 2021; and Calhoun was 4.7 percent compared to 5.8 percent a year ago. Edwardsville was down to a remarkable 2.7 percent unemployment rate for February 2022, compared to 4.2 percent a year ago. Alton dropped to 5.1 percent from 8.2 percent in February 2021. Granite City was at 4.2 percent from 7.2 percent a year ago; and O'Fallon recorded a 4.2 percent unemployment mark compared to 5.5 percent in 2021. The unemployment rate decreased over-the-year in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas in February for the eleventh

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GRANITE CITY - Cedarhurst of Granite City hosted a presentation by the Illinois Attorney General's Office on Thursday, March 31, about the most prominent senior scams and how to avoid them. The presentation was well attended. Marsha Griffin of the Attorney General's Office, Cedarhurst representatives, residents, and families were in attendance. Beth Dittman and Lauren Smith from Royal Banks in Granite City assisted in the presentation. The Illinois Attorney General's Office said financial scams often go unreported or can be difficult to prosecute, so they’re considered a “low-risk” crime. However, they are devastating to many older adults and can leave them in a very vulnerable position with little time to recoup their losses. "The Attorney General protects the rights and safety of Illinois’ older residents who often are targeted by scam artists and abusers. The office can assist with special needs of all the residents, including those related to consumer

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ALTON - The Crisis Food Center and Midwest Members Credit Union (MMCU) are partnering to give away free hams and side items for Easter. Hams and side items will be given out from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, at Crisis Food Center, 21 East 6th Street in Alton. “Together, we are able to purchase a lot of hams for families in need this Easter," Derrick Richardson, a CFC Board member, and former MMCU board member. Richardson is also an Alton Fire Department Battalion Chief. "The two organizations went 50/50 on the hams, and in addition, Crisis Food Center is donating the side items to go along with the hams," Richardson said. "Teaming up together makes a good partnership. This is the third time CFC and MMCU have teamed up for this giveaway. "We believe that feeding of our community is important and want to make sure that families in our community are able to celebrate Easter with a nice Easter meal. We want to give back in a way that would definitely impact the families in

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville High School Winter Color Guard Team is having its most successful season ever. The Winter Color Guard Varsity Team earned Silver in the Scholastic A Independent World-Class with their program “Tears of Gold.” The Junior Varsity Team, performing their program, “A Night at the Circus” , placed third place at the 2022 MCCGA Championships – Scholastic AA competition this past weekend. Both teams dedicated their performances to the memory of previous team member Mackenzie Allen, age 18 of Edwardsville, who died suddenly on January 6, 2022. “I’m so proud of our team”, said Ms. Leah Cummins, Director of EHS’ Color Guard Team. “I have been directing this team for six years, and they’ve grown so much. Mr. Ryan Lipscomb, EHS Director of Bands, added that because of the skills and difficulty of their program, the Junior Varsity team changed their ranking and is now competing in a more competitive

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ALTON - Jacoby Arts Center presents a Celestial Moon Soundbath + Tarot card pull on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.jacobyartscenter.org/tickets or at the door. Children ages 8-12 are free with an adult. "Each one of us has looked up to the night sky and caught a stunning display of the moon + stars and we stop for a moment as we witness the beauty and grandness and magnitude of it all realizing we are a part of something WAY bigger," says Lisa Grezlak, Creator SVOUND™ "The moon plays such a beautiful part for us humans here on earth, and it has since the beginning of life on this planet. With its precise rhythm and cycles, it's always 'on time' and always showing up for us. However, it is always shifting. "And just like the moon, we are always shifting too. Using the moon cycle is a great way that can help us gauge things in our lives as change constantly swirls around us. "Each month, we offer the Celestial Moon + Tarot Soundbath as the

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ST. LOUIS - Get ready to get your Q on! The 15th Annual QFest St. Louis — presented by Cinema St. Louis (CSL) — will take place from April 29-May 5 at the Galleria 6 Cinemas, with a selection of programs also available online. The online programs can be streamed at any time during the festival’s dates. The St. Louis-based LGBTQ film festival, QFest will present an eclectic array of 35 films from 13 countries (20 shorts, nine narrative features, and six documentary features). The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of LGBTQ people and to celebrate queer culture. The fest is especially pleased to host the St. Louis premiere of “The Depths,” a rarely seen 2001 work by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, and a reprise from SLIFF of Sebastian Meiser’s prison drama

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SPRINGFIELD - It’s no secret that Illinois is plagued with corruption and today’s status hearing in federal court for indicted former House Speaker Mike Madigan is a fresh reminder of the fact. That’s why State Representative Amy Elik (R-Fosterburg) filed legislation to suspend a lawmaker’s pension if they are convicted or charged with corruption by federal investigators. According to State Rep. Amy Elik, “Under current law, Madigan will collect a taxpayer-paid pension until a guilty verdict is reached. This means Madigan could go on to collect his elected official pension for several years before it’s taken away. Corrupt lawmakers should not receive a taxpayer-funded pension if they defrauded the taxpayers while serving themselves in state government. Suspending pension payments while awaiting the resolution of a case will send a strong message to corrupt politicians that if you break the law, the consequences will be costly.” Since 2019,

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ALTON - Catholic Charities will be hosting its annual fundraiser Help On the Move on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Bluff City Grill, 424 E. Broadway, Alton. The evening will include a cocktail hour, dinner, music by Glendale Riders, a $10,000 raffle, and activities. Dinner tickets are $50 each. Raffle tickets are $25 or buy 2 and get 1 free. All tickets are available on our website cc.dio.org or by calling 1.618.462.0634. The event will include the presentation of the Father Jack Quilligan Award to Al Womack, Jr., Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Alton. He has been involved with the club for more than 24 years. “Al epitomizes what this award is all about,” said Steven Roach, Executive Director of Catholic Charities in the Springfield Diocese. “His dedication to the youth of this community is unmatched. He is a hero in real-time.” The Mary Alyce Beardslee Award also will be presented

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Madison County Historical Society (MCHS) has added a gallery to the Archival Library so selected items from the Museum Collections can be available for public viewing while renovations continue at the Weir House. The first set of exhibits include: Spirit of Sport: Winter Edition, featuring vintage sleds and skates, local photographs, and a history of winter sports. The Measure of a Man, a retrospective on the life of Robert Wadlow, including a growth chart and photographs from his life History is a Window to the Past, a changing screen featuring approximately 60 views of Madison County from the 19th century to the Mississippi River Festiva Madison County’s First Farmers, the story of Native Americans farmer and the foods they cultivated The Two Treaties of Edwardsville, 1818 and 1819s. Hours for the new exhibit are Wed-Fri, 9-4 and Sunday 1-4. The Madison County Archival Library is located at 801 N. Main Street in Edwardsville. There is no charge for

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ALTON - Illinois American Water’s work to separate the Alton combined sewer system and install new sanitary sewers continues. Below is information about this week’s road closures –April 4, 2022 Piasa Valley Area: Alby is closed from 12th Street south to 10th Street. 8th Street is closed between Easton and George Streets. All streets highlighted yellow are closed to thru traffic, with surface restoration starting very soon as weather permits. 10th Street between Alby and Easton Street is two-way traffic only temporarily. East of Easton Street is still only one-way traffic in a westward direction. Turner Tract Area: Danforth Street pavement restoration will be starting soon. The alley south of McKinley east of Lincoln is back open to traffic, with pavement restoration beginning soon. Douglas Street, between State and Lincoln Streets is open, with pavement restoration being completed this week, weather permitting. Please drive carefully. The alley between McPherson

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EDWARDSVILLE — Officials and community leaders in Madison County kicked off Child Abuse Prevention Month on Friday at the Madison County Administration Building. Pink and blue cutouts of children line the lobby of the administration building, each one symbolizing a child interviewed by Child Advocacy Center during the past year over allegations of abuse. Also on display are T-shirts from the Oasis Women’s Center Clothesline Project that abused children paint and decorate. Madison County Chief Circuit Judge William Mudge who emceed the event said since the establishment of the CAC 20 years ago, forensic interviewers conducted thousands of interviews on children. “I would encourage any of you to visit CAC’s website to see all the things they do, the people they collaborate with and what they’ve done to help children,” Mudge said. “They’ve become one of the leading centers in the state.” He said in his my mind the CAC exemplifies

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The victim in the fatal motor vehicle accident in the 9000 block of Lucas and Hunt in the City of Jennings has been identified as Joseph Johnson, 26 years of age, of the 2000 block of Retford Drive in Florissant, Missouri 63033. The St. Louis County Police Department Crimes Against Persons Detectives are currently investigating the fatal accident. On April 1, 2022, at approximately 11:04 PM, St. Louis County Police Officers from the City of Jennings Precinct responded to a call for service for a motor vehicle crash in the area of Lucas and Hunt Road and Hord Avenue. Upon arrival, responding officers observed two motor vehicles involved in the crash. Preliminary investigation has revealed a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer, operated by Driver 1, was eastbound on Lucas and Hunt Road when it crossed into oncoming traffic, striking a 2008 BMW X3 operated by Driver #2, which was traveling westbound. The Mitsubishi Lancer was occupied by the driver and one occupant. Driver #1

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Letter To The Editor: So Senator Duckworth wants to go after oil price "gougers". I personally think the biggest "gouger" is the State of Illinois! Illinois just doubled the state's excise tax 2 1/2 years ago, and indexed it to inflation! Hello, we all know what inflation is doing now. And you watch, when the inflation rate drops back down I'll bet that excise tax stays high. It will only go up, not back down. And then, what about the especially cruel gouging tax on the backs of Illinoisians? That's the 6.25% sales tax Illinois also exploits from its citizens creating a price distortion that gets even higher, the higher the price! We need some transparency in gasoline prices; let the gas stations post the pre-tax price per gallon so everyone can know how much they are being "gouged" with taxes! Or, the question should be: Why do gas stations price gas with all taxes included? Mike McCune

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COLLINSVILLE – St. John’s Community Care is happy to announce the addition of Music Therapy to their Adult Day Program therapies. Music Therapy has had a long history of benefiting those with Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders. People with dementia demonstrate strong recognition of familiar music. “We are delighted to be able to offer this valuable therapy option at both of our centers in Collinsville and Edwardsville. Music therapy is an optimistic and innovative approach to aiding people with memory loss. Programs like this are a vision for how we can change the way we think and care for people with memory loss,” said Nancy Berry, Executive Director for St. John’s Community Care. Music provides stimulation and cues that can aid in memory retention and recall. Studies show that daily exposure to familiar music can alter functional brain connectivity and improve cognitive responses, attention, and focus. St. John’s music therapist

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STAUNTON - Four generations of the Mayfield family have shaped Max B. Mullins and Mayfield’s into a Staunton institution. Mayfield’s is not only a family-owned business, the Mayfield name is synonymous with hard work and customer service. Ask anyone in the community and they will tell you that each Mayfield employee, many of them family members, is completely invested in the satisfaction of their customers. Expanding yearly, the business now offers a complete line of landscaping essentials, including beautiful fountains and yard ornaments. They also sell a large line of unique gifts. BUSINESS HISTORY 1960: Paul and Maybelle Mayfield, and their eight children, move from Granite City, IL?to Staunton, opening Mayfield’s Produce at 120 S. Hibbard. The business became a favorite of locals and residents from surrounding communities. 1987: The family decides to expand, adding a garden center. The sons opened Mayfield Bros. Produce, Inc., specializing in fresh fruits and

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ST. LOUIS – World Wide Technology Raceway will host the annual Mother Road Rendezvous nostalgia event on May 6-7. Nostalgia drag racing will take place on Friday, May 6. On Saturday, the nostalgia drags will be joined by the traditional pre-’70 car show, rockabilly DJs, pin-up girl contest, vintage campers and midway vendors. Nostalgia drag racing classes include Great Lakes Nostalgia Funny Cars, Nostalgia Drag Racing League (NDRL), Gasser Madness classes, Hot Rod Eliminator class and Victory Nostalgia Super Stocks. On the midway, the traditional ’60-and-older car show will award the iconic WWTR MRR pinstriped electric guitar to the Best in Show winner. The pin-up girl contest will award cash prizes. Rockabilly DJs will entertain throughout the event. The Great Lakes Nostalgia Funny Car Circuit will send four cars to WWTR, including John Troxel’s “Brutus” Mustang, Chuck Horvath’s “Mopar Missile” Challenger and Dale Kleinhoffer’s

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GODFREY - For current information regarding Lewis and Clark Community College’s operations during the pandemic, please visit lc.edu/coronavirus. Recurring event: Alton Area Tax Project: 5-7 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m.-noon, Saturdays, Templin Nursing Building, NU201, Lewis and Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Rd., Godfrey. Appointments are required. Visit https://AltonAreaTaxProject.com/appointment or call (314) 292-9597. 4/2 – Trailblazers Baseball vs. Lincoln Land: 1 and 3 p.m., Godfrey Ballpark, 1401B Stamper Ln., Godfrey. (618) 468-5253. 4/3 – Illinois RiverWatch Training Workshop: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Olin Science Building, Room 520, Lewis and Clark Community College, 5800 Godfrey Rd., Godfrey. (618) 468-4784. 4/8 – Trailblazers Baseball vs. John Wood: 1 and 3 p.m., Godfrey Ballpark, 1401B Stamper Ln., Godfrey. (618) 468-5253. 4/8 – 17 th Annual Student Art Exhibit Opening Reception: 4-6 p.m., Gallery, Hatheway Cultural

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ALTON - Alton Area Community Businesses and Leaders are hosting a Community Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, April 17, 2022, from 2 pm to 6 pm at Gordon Moore Park. This event is open to the public. Free food, games for all ages, free haircuts, prizes, and giveaways. Transportation to the event will be provided at the following locations starting at 1:00 pm: Today’s Beauty Supply, Alton Acres Center, Oakwood Center, Alton Pointe, and James H. Killion Park. If you would like to become a sponsor or volunteer, please contact Leon Smallwood-Bey at 618-216-0941 or Rosie Brown at 618-580-2394

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SOUTH ROXANA - At 12:30 a.m. on April 4, South Roxana attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a suspected impaired driver which resulted in a vehicle pursuit and ended in a traffic crash in East Alton. The suspect vehicle fled from the accident with heavy vehicle damage. The driver of the other car was taken to a local hospital and treated for injuries sustained in the crash. The police officer contacted Police Chief Bob Coles to inform him about the accident. Chief Coles responded to the scene to check on the condition of the driver and his officer. Due to the extent of the damage, Chief Coles believed the driver could not have made it too far from the accident. Chief Coles had South Roxana Officer Bryce Dell ride with him to canvass the area to look for the fleeing vehicle. Chief Coles found the vehicle and driver located parked behind a closed business on Fosterburg Road in Alton. When the officers attempted to take the subject into custody, the subject fled from the officers and

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EDWARDSVILLE - The victims in the Saturday morning homicide in the 1000 block of McDonough Lake Road in rural Collinsville have been identified as Jamie L. Joiner, 30, and her sister, Jessica, 34, from California. The alleged shooter Adam Cobb, 32, of the rural Collinsville residence, died at 4:40 a.m. Sunday from injuries suffered after a traffic stop near Pana, IL. Jamie L. Joiner lived at the residence but was in the process of leaving Adam. Major Jeff Connor, the Chief Deputy of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, conducted a press conference Sunday to distribute more information about the homicides and the alleged shooter. Police located Cobb’s vehicle around 1 p.m. Saturday moving north on Route 127 near Hillsboro. Officers attempted to pull Cobb over but he darted away, causing a police pursuit. Illinois State Police entered in the chase, which crossed Route 16 and then onto Route 51. Cobb’s damaged vehicle stopped around 1:50 p.m. on Route 51 north of Pana.

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