Riverbender 🕸

HARDIN - Calhoun County Sheriff William Heffington has issued comments in regard to HB5471, which was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday. Sheriff Heffington echoed what several others in area law enforcement have said in regard to the passage and signature of Pritzker banning assault weapons in Illinois. "As your Sheriff, I wanted to give the citizens of Calhoun County an update on the recent passage of HB 5471, also known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act. As your duly elected Sheriff, my job and my office are sworn, in fact, to protect the citizens of Calhoun County. This is a job and responsibility that I take with the utmost seriousness. "Part of my duties that I accepted upon being sworn into office was to protect the rights provided to all of us, in the Constitution. One of those enumerated rights is the right of the people to keep and bear arms provided under the 2nd Amendment. "The right to keep and bear arms for defense of life, liberty and property is regarded

Continue Reading

JERSEYVILLE - Jersey Community Unit School District 100 released the honor roll and high honor roll for students from 8th-12th grade. Below is the full list of names. Lists are alphabetized by last name. HONOR ROLL 8TH GRADE BEEMER, CHLOE I. BOGLE, EMMA E. BOWLES, JACOB S. BRUNAUGH, ADEN M. CAMPBELL, ADDISON P. DALEY, BREONAH K. DEWITT, RYLIE N. DONG, BRIAN ENTRIKIN, EMMALYNN F. FORRESTER, KAELYN M. FRITZ, MORGAN L. FROST, MASON G. GIBERSON, RYKER J. GILL, HAILEE J. GREEN, ANNALEE N. HART, KEEGAN W. JUDKINS, LILIAN C. LAIRD, ALAINA L. LAKIN, JOSIE R. LEBLANC, ELLA G. LECLAIRE, AUBREE-PAIGE LITTLE, TARYN R. LUTHER, THOMAS W. MANN, LEVI A. MARTIN, ALEX B. MCCOY, JAYLYNN R. MCDUFFIE, MYLES R. MILLER, AMELIA M. NEVLIN, CARSON R. RAWE, MYRA J. RICHARDSON, LANEY ROBINSON, KATHERINE E. ROTH, DYLAN A. SCHUSTER, SAWYER E. SHAW, KAYLEE G. SHORT, BRODY J. SIMPSON, SCOUT E. SOFFRAY,

Continue Reading

CHICAGO – Due in large part to increased enforcement efforts and technology, the Illinois State Police (ISP) is reporting the total number of Chicago area expressway shootings dropped 47% in 2022 compared to 2021. The number of non-fatal injury expressway shootings in the Chicago area was cut in half and the number of expressway homicides decreased by 88% compared to last year. “Protecting all Illinoisans, in our schools, in public spaces, and on our expressways, is the most important thing we can do,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “The scourge of gun violence requires aggressive and intentional action. By taking steps to expand the usage of expressway cameras and hiring additional state police troopers, we’re making sure law enforcement agencies have the resources necessary to effectively respond to criminal activity on our roads.” “After an unprecedented number of expressway shootings in the Chicago area in 2021, the Illinois State Police

Continue Reading

WOOD RIVER — You may already know that smoking is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer in the United States. But do you know what’s No. 2? Radon — a naturally occurring, invisible, radioactive gas. Madison County Health Department would like the public to know January is National Radon Action Month and is emphasizing the importance of getting your home tested. “Madison County Health Department is offering radon test kits for $10 (cash or check) each for residents, while supplies last, to check the radon level in their home,” Public Health Administrator Doug King said. Radon gas forms naturally in the ground. Most radon mixes harmlessly with outdoor air that we all breathe in low levels every day. Radon from underground seeps into a home through cracks and gaps in the foundation and becomes trapped inside. Over time, breathing indoor air with high radon levels can damage the lungs and lead to cancer. “In the United States, about 21,000 lung cancer

Continue Reading

EAST ALTON - Lucky Jacks, a brand new "one-stop-shop" according to the owner Gary Patel, will open this Saturday, Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. Lucky Jacks will be a laundry mat that includes multiple brand-new gaming machines as well as a convenience/liquor store. It will be located at 100 Kingshighway in East Alton and will be open daily. On weekdays it will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. On Fridays 9:30 a.m. to midnight, on Saturdays 10 a.m. to midnight, and on Sundays noon to 11 p.m.

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE – Candace N. Hall, EdD, assistant professor of educational leadership at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, has won a prestigious Award of Recognition from the IndieFEST Film Awards. The award was given to Hall, film executive producer, and Cami Thomas, film director and CEO of My Friends and I (MFAI), for the documentary short “clusterluck”. “To have this documentary recognized with this award feels amazing,” said Hall. “I set out to create something that felt good for me, to document the moment, and to show the possibility of community. I had not anticipated how far this project would reach.” The documentary is a digital visualization of Hall’s research on Black faculty experiences in academe, featuring Black faculty in SIUE's Department of Educational Leadership in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Program, and encourages higher education leaders to reimagine recruitment and hiring practice

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – After months of negotiations and hours of conversations in working groups, State Senator Christopher Belt supported two measures that would protect Illinois communities and ensure everyone has access to reproductive health care. Belt favored House Bill 5471, which would ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and rapid-fire devices. “We can’t sit back and hope mass shootings will stop,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “I would not have supported other proposals that take away rights from law abiding gun owners. We have worked for months to find the best solution and that’s why I supported this measure. This legislation is a middle ground that retains access for law enforcement to continue protecting our neighborhoods and gets weapons of war off our streets and out of the hands of bad actors.” The measure accelerates implementation of background checks for person-to-person sales and extends the duration of the Firearm Restraining

Continue Reading

ALTON -The Alton Memorial Hospital White Cross Auxiliary presents "The Best of Eastern Canada" in a vacation tour planned for Sept. 8-16, 2023. The trip, open to the general public, includes 11 meals and will feature Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Quebec City, and Montreal. There will be a meeting, also open to the public, in AMH Cafe Meeting Rooms A/B (behind the café seating area on the ground floor of the hospital’s Beeby Wing) at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, to hear all about the trip and to ask any questions, or GO HERE for more information. If you book your spot by March 1, you will save $50 per person. Please contact Mary Norman at 618-433-6684 or mary.norman@bjc.org with any questions or to RSVP for the Jan. 19 presentation.

Continue Reading

WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, issued the following statement after today’s FAA system outage that canceled and delayed thousands of flights: “I'm troubled by the situation, and while I appreciate that the FAA worked quickly to try to minimize the disruption to commercial air travel and get planes back in the air, we need to understand what happened today so we can prevent it from ever happening again. The flying public deserves better.”

Continue Reading

ALTON - The AMH White Cross Auxiliary is continuing in its mission to replace all of the hospital's old wheelchairs with newer Staxi wheelchairs in its “Wheels of Love” campaign. The Auxiliary has added four new chairs recently in addition to the 10 that were purchased early last fall. The new chairs were sponsored by or in honor of three former employees and a White Cross Auxiliary member/hospital volunteer. Art and Jo Greenwood purchased two chairs. Jo is a retired chaplain of Alton Memorial and worked at AMH for 13 years. One of the chairs was purchased in honor of their daughter, Holly Rain, who worked more than 20 years at AMH as a nurse in OB and has also volunteered. A third chair was purchased by Ken and Tina Aldridge. Tina formerly worked in Human Resources and served 19 years at AMH. Fred and Rose Lammers purchased the fourth chair, Rose is a volunteer at the information desk, in the gift shop, and is also a member of the White Cross Auxiliary. Sixteen

Continue Reading

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today filed an amicus brief supporting the federal government in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the Biden administration’s targeted cancelation of student loan debt to address the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, Raoul joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in arguing that the debt relief program is lawful and appropriate. Last year, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced plans to grant $10,000 in debt relief for borrowers under certain income thresholds, and $20,000 in debt relief to borrowers who met those income thresholds and also received a Pell Grant in college. This debt relief seeks to ensure that borrowers affected by the pandemic do not face catastrophic defaults at the conclusion of a nearly three-year pause in loan repayment obligations. “Higher education should be within reach for all Illinoisans without the fear that they will be saddled with lifelong

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - Sophomore guard Zay Hoover is emerging as a key component to the girls' basketball team at Edwardsville High, and played a key role in the Tigers' 39-25 win over Belleville West on Jan. 10, scoring 12 points in the win that took Edwardsville to 8-9 on the season. Hoover is currently averaging 4.6 points and 1.6 rebounds-per-game, going along with nine assists, seven steals and three blocked shots, also helping to play good defense in the win over the Maroons. In a postgame interview that followed the win over West, Hoover was very happy to get the victory. "I'm glad we were able to pull out the win," she said. The Tigers didn't enjoy a very good shooting night, missing several shots, but the defense helped gain the win, which was very satisfying indeed. "I was really proud of myself," Hoover said, "because usually, I'm not very aggressive on defense. So today, my goal was to attack the offensive players so I could get some steals and contribute to my team defensively."

Continue Reading

MARYLAND HEIGHTS - DNA breakthroughs are solving many cold cases throughout the nation in this day and age. On Wednesday, a DNA discovery led to charges of a then Maryland Heights man - Mike A. Clardy - with the 2004 cold case murder of an Alton woman, Deanna Denise Howland. Clardy, 63, faces second-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse charges in the case, which started in June 2004. On Tuesday, Clardy admitted to the murder at his 2004 residence in St. Ann, Mo. The deceased Howland’s identity was not known for many years. Howland, then of Alton, was 35 years old at the time of death and was a mother with four children. Howland’s body was attacked in a gruesome fashion and her dismembered remains were discovered two days after her death at an Interstate 70 rest stop. Investigators linked Clardy as a suspect by a match of DNA fragments left on Howland and a knife that was discovered at the scene. The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis was an investigator in this

Continue Reading

MACOUPIN COUNTY - Shawn Kahl, the Macoupin County Sheriff, has reacted to the recent passage of HB 5471, also known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act. Kahl said today the following: "As your elected sheriff my job and my office are sworn, in fact to protect the citizens of Macoupin County. This is a job and responsibility I take with the utmost seriousness. Part of my duties that I accepted upon being sworn into office was to protect the rights provided to all of us, in the Constitution. "One of those enumerated rights is the right of the people to keep and bear arms provided under the Second Amendment. The right to keep and bear arms for the defense of life, liberty and property is regarded as an inalienable right by the people. I, among many others, believe that HB 5471 is in clear violation of the Second Amendment to the Constitution." Kahl continued and said: "Therefore, as the custodian of the jail and chief law enforcement officer for Macoupin County, neither myself nor

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - The City of Edwardsville and the Illinois Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced a driver alert that there are two one-block road closures in or near downtown Edwardsville. "The Illinois Department of Transportation closed a block of East Vandalia Street (between Kansas Street and Main Street) Wednesday morning for sewer repairs," Cathy A. Hensley, a public relations spokesperson for the city said. "Our understanding is that the closure should last through the end of the week. The second closure is on North Buchanan Street between East Vandalia Street and Hillsboro Avenue. (That's one we announced earlier this week, and is part of the North Buchanan water main replacement project)." Hensley has included a map at the bottom highlighting the affected areas. "Detour signs are posted, but Kansas, South Buchanan, Hillsboro, Schwarz, and other surrounding streets can be used to navigate around the closures. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate you

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt was sworn into office Wednesday for another term in the Illinois Senate. “With the start of the 103 rd General Assembly, I will continue fighting for the residents of the 57 th District,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “I will continue to address the challenges facing the people of the Metro East to better their daily lives and I am proud to be their voice in Springfield for another term.” Belt has represented the 57 th District since 2019. The district includes parts of St. Clair and Madison Counties and includes communities such as East St. Louis, Belleville, and Scott Air Force Base. Belt has championed a number of legislative solutions, such as expanding the organ donor registry, banning the burning of toxic chemicals, providing feminine hygiene products at homeless shelters, and ensuring students are fed at school. As a former school board member and chair of the Senate Education Committee, Belt remains a strong

Continue Reading

SPRINGFIELD – Women Employed, which has been creating fundamental, systemic change for working women for nearly 50 years, today applauded the passage of SB208, the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, which provides up to 40 hours, or five days, of paid time off for all Illinois workers for any reason, including for an employee’s illness, to care for a sick family member, or for medical appointments. Women Employed led a broad-based coalition of advocates fighting for a statewide law providing paid time off for all workers. Until now, about 1.5 million workers in Illinois did not have access to a single paid sick day. The new law, sponsored by Rep. Gordon-Booth and Sen. Lightford and championed by workers’ rights advocates and labor leaders, makes Illinois the 17 th state to secure paid sick time for its workers. “No one should fear losing income or their job because they or their loved ones are sick,” Women Employed’s Associate Director of Polic

Continue Reading

GRANITE CITY - Auditions for Granite City-based Alfresco Productions’ “9 to 5: The Musical” are being held on Thursday, Jan. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Auditions will take place at the Alfresco Performing Arts Center, located at 2041 Delmar Avenue in Granite City. “9 to 5: The Musical” is based on the movie from 1980 and features music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. Visit this link to see which audition slots are still available and sign up for an audition. Alfresco Productions requests those auditioning to “prepare 32 measures of a song of your choosing in the style of the character you are auditioning for.” More information to help prepare, including Audition Materials and Character Breakdowns, are available on the Alfresco Productions website . Callbacks will be held on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. if needed, and the cast will be announced that evening. It’s important to note that not

Continue Reading

EAST ST. LOUIS – After the Illinois legislature approved and Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill outlawing assault-style weapons, they are officially banned Wednesday morning in Illinois. Governor Pritzker signed the bill Tuesday night in Springfield after the Illinois House passed it earlier in the day 68 to 41. The bill initially cleared the House last week, but then the house had to pass it again after the senate approved the legislation with some changes. The ban took effect immediately. It is now illegal to sell assault weapons in Illinois. Illinois now is the ninth state in the U.S. to pass an assault weapons ban. The legislation caps the purchase of ammunition magazines at 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for handguns. The legislation says rapid-fire devices, known as “switches,” are also banned because they turn firearms into fully automatic weapons. Pending assault rifle sales are supposedly still being processed, but only if the required background

Continue Reading

EDWARDSVILLE - A Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville client and local entrepreneur, with a passion for serving her community and helping others, has been featured as the cover photo in the St. Louis Small Business Monthly (SBM) newsletter for the December 2022 edition. The SBM features a website and monthly print and digital newsletter that provides local businesses around the St. Louis Metro area with resources and advice to help them succeed. Ericka Logan, co-founder of Logan & Logan Management & Accounting Services, is photographed on the cover with the tagline that reads, “Southwest Illinois People to Know.” “The Logan’s have worked hard to grow their business and provide high quality service to their clients,” said Jo Ann Di Maggio May, Illinois SBDC for the Metro East director. “They invest a great deal of time into their Belleville community, and I couldn’t

Continue Reading