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ALTON - Rob Lenhardt and Mac’s Downtown are busy this weekend. Mac’s had a visit from KSHE’s Party Bus at 5 a.m. on Friday to kick the weekend off. Lenhardt said he tried out some ideas for serving breakfast with the early morning customers. Those in attendance were greeted with some tasty bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and American fries. Lenhardt said the breakfast items seemed to be a hit, and he believes in about a month they will start serving breakfast in the 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. range on Fridays and Saturdays, then possibly expand. Right now, Mac’s has brunch on Sundays. Rob pointed out that breakfast is not common in the immediate Downtown Alton area, and he would like to offer it to the public. “I have been thinking about it for about it for six months,” he said. “It went well today. We could have nine or 10 really good breakfast ideas on a small menu, nothing crazy. We could do it on a trial on Fridays and Saturdays, and

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GODFREY - There has been considerable excitement in the air about the new splash pad and pickleball courts at the Village of Godfrey Glazebrook Park, and on Saturday, Godfrey will host a soft opening for Labor Day weekend. The splash pad will be operating between 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Moving forward, it will be open on weekends, weather permitting. The pickleball courts will be available on a first-come, first-served basis with a 1½-hour time limit if others are waiting. “We encourage all players and visitors to be courteous and considerate,” Village of Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick said. He also added that he was very pleased the courts would be open on Saturday for Labor Day weekend. Village of Godfrey Park and Recreation Director Chris Logan said the village has worked very hard on the project. He commended the efforts of Village Engineer Rich Beran who had a big influence on the final product. “The Splash Pad has been

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GRANITE CITY - Granite City Community Unit School District No. 9 is partnering with Chestnut Health Systems to host a Back to School Physical Clinic on Thursday, September 8 from 4-7 p.m. in the Granite City High School Parking lot. Students from preschool all the way through 12th grade are eligible. Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome. To schedule an appointment contact Jen Evans at 618-512-1863. Patients will need proof of health insurance and no out-of-pocket fees will be charged for those who are eligible. If you do not have insurance or have questions about vaccines please call 618-512-1863. No vaccinations will be given, just back to school and sports physicals. This event will be held to help protect students and others by meeting school and sports physical requirements. All incoming kindergarteners, 6th graders, and high school freshmen are required to have a school physical and updated shot records. For more information about Granite City School

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ALTON - Alton city staff had a team-building exercise that involved the cleanup of Rock Spring Park Drive on Friday morning. Alton Mayor David Goins led the cleanup. The mayor's goal was to make the walkway area cleaner for Alton Middle School students and other residents who use the area. The mayor said eventually, that area will be redone, he said, but it is in the second half of a project for the park that includes new guardrails and sidewalks there between College and Brown. "We wanted to make sure this was in good shape primarily for the students who go back and forth to Alton Middle School on the walkway," he said. "We will clean up the debris on the sidewalk area and cut the weeds back." The goal is in the end to have new sidewalks that will really add a lot to that area, Mayor Goins said. "We had department heads, Public Works, and our PAC Cleanup group out there this morning," he said.

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GLEN CARBON - The Glen Carbon Police now has a St. Louis suspect charged in a highly difficult armed robbery case. The charges come after an extensive investigation by Detective Ross Tyler and several other law enforcement officers. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois has charged Jaylin E. Lewis, a 20-year-old male, of the 1600 block of Rudelle Drive in St. Louis, MO., with three counts of actual or attempted robbery with the use of a firearm under the Hobbs Act (18 U.S.C., 1951). Glen Carbon Police recalled the incident that started the case as follows: "At about 6:53 a.m. on Friday, September 3, 2021, Glen Carbon Police responded to an armed robbery reported by 911 phone call and activated panic alarm at the Glen Mart BP Gas Station, # 4 The Game Drive. Arriving on the scene within minutes, Glen Carbon police officers and detectives found the lone armed robber had successfully fled the scene toward Highway 270 in a black Chevrolet passenger car. "During the ensuin

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EDWARDSVILLE - With the November 8 General Election approaching and early voting just a month away, Madison County Clerk’s Office says it has been inundated with FOIA requests for voting records. Madison County Clerk, Debbie Ming-Mendoza, is issuing this statement to the public with information regarding access to voting records. Mendoza stated: “It is my utmost responsibility as the Chief Election Officer of Madison County to maintain the highest integrity of voting records. All election results are available to the general public on the County Clerk’s website following the canvass of the ballots cast. Results from primary elections do show how primary voters tend to vote by party identification.” The voting system Madison County uses is an optical scan system. It has proven to be very accurate in counting the proper number of votes for individual candidates, as well as, referendum ballot questions. The system does not track who votes for who or what issue.

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BETHALTO - A Bethalto man was charged today in Madison County Circuit Court with three counts of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm and one count of Aggravated Battery With a Firearm. The man is Thomas A. Bowers, 67, of the 700 block of South Moreland in the Kickapoo Village Trailer Park in Bethalto. Bethalto Police Chief Mike Dixon said charges stem from the police response and investigation into two separate 911 calls received at 12 p.m. on August 31, 2022, reporting a man shooting a gun inside Kickapoo Village Trailer Park, 750 South Moreland Road, Bethalto. "The first caller reported her neighbor had just shot a gun into her home, which was also occupied by her 10-old-daughter and fiancé," the chief said. "The second 911 caller was a family member of the manager of Kickapoo Village who reported the manager had been shot while mowing grass in the park. "Officers from the Bethalto Police Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the East Alton, Woo

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ALTON - Monica and Mike Schwegel were both “excited” after they learned of Alton City Council approval for video gaming in their store. The Conservatory in Alton was also given the council approval to establish video gaming in its business. Monica said their store has had some business slow down with the road/sewer work in the area. She added that some media attention resulted in positive results for a period, but it has somewhat slowed down. The Schwegel's co-owner hopes the new video gaming will draw in more customers. She also encouraged customers not to forget them because overall the year has not been one of their best from a financial standpoint. Shown are a few photos of the work underway at Schwegel’s to establish video gaming. The next step will be to get state approval. She said once the work for the new area is finished, the state approval should come. “We don’t know how long the whole process will take, but we hope to have it running by th

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HARDIN - The Calhoun Sheriff's Office announced that on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, Jason W. Harkey, age 48, of Kampsville, pled guilty to charges of DUI - Drugs, Obstructing Justice/ Attempting to Destroy Evidence, and Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine. These charges stemmed from a traffic stop, initiated by Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office deputies. This traffic stop took place on Illinois Route 100, just north of the Joe Page Bridge in Hardin, Calhoun County, on September 17, 2021. The Calhoun Sheriff's Office said while conducting their investigation, deputies located and seized methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Harkey attempted to destroy evidence at the scene, and deputies had additional probable cause to believe Harkey was Driving Under the Influence of Drugs. Furthermore, subsequent to his arrest, Harkey also brought contraband into the jail at the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. The initial traffic stop and subsequent investigation and arrest resulted

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ALTON - Two cars collided on Sixth and Piasa in Alton around 10 a.m. Thursday and a nearby power pole and lines were damaged. Alton Fire Department Battalion Chief Tom House said there were no injuries in this accident and that no one was taken to the hospital from the scene. Ameren Illinois was called to the scene broke off at ground one pushed into the pole and confirmed the pole was broken off. Thankfully, there was no power loss in that area. Ameren will likely be working on the pole and wires repair throughout Thursday afternoon and motorists are recommended to avoid the area.

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ST. LOUIS, MO. - Holland Construction Services recently broke ground on a $6 million expansion and renovation project at Dorris Intermediate School in Collinsville, Illinois. Construction work on the existing school, which was built in 1962 and has a current enrollment of roughly 1,000 students, is set to begin the first week of September and has a completion date in the fall of 2023. “This expansion will give our students the additional space they need to learn and grow in the classroom along with additional space for some of our students with higher needs,” said Collinsville Community Unit School District 10 Superintendent Dr. Brad Skertich. “The district felt Holland would be the best fit for this project because of their previous work and reputation. We have been incredibly impressed with their open communication, keeping us aware of every step in the process and we’re very excited to get started.” The 14,000 square foot expansion consists of a two-story

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ALTON - Karen Baker-Brncic, Fran Purdy, and their crew of Parrot Pointe Marine Inc., were celebrated Saturday night for their work at Alton Marina at the annual anniversary party. They were surrounded by the love of family, friends, and residents. She will remain in the GM spot until April 2023. This was Karen's last official Alton Marina party to host. Baker-Brncic loves throwing parties and she is hoping the final Alton Marina Anniversary Party is one people won’t forget. She said probably 1,500 people attended the event. Almost everyone who had ever been in her life was at the party. “Every year, we have this as our anniversary party and I decided to make it a big last event,” Baker-Brncic said. "The No. 1 thing I have heard over the past 48 hours was how people kept seeing old friends they hadn’t seen in a long time. "I saw one girl I hadn’t seen in 40 years - Dorita Tuetken. Some of my flight attendant roommates were there and a great crowd from

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ALTON - The Lucy Haskell Playhouse will remember Sept. 11 by doing a community project for "Patriot Day." This will also be the second annual "Lucy Lends A Hand" event. From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 10, the playhouse will host an open house. "This will be our final open house," Margaret Hopkins of the Lucy Haskell Playhouse, said. "We will be collecting personal care items that will be donated and distributed by St. Mary's Charitable Outreach. We will be accepting any personal care items: toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products, soap, wipes, etc." Hopkins said playhouse operators look forward to receiving donations. "We also want to share the history of the playhouse with some light refreshments," she added. "Last year this event was successful and we look forward to the continued generosity of the Riverbend area. See you on Saturday, September 10."

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ALTON - The Smoke'n Aces Poker League was created a few years ago to bring people together to do something they love to do. It started small but quickly grew. They are now playing poker in 89 different bars and restaurants throughout Illinois with a few in Wisconsin as well. Ted Cook, a district director came on to Riverbender.com's new podcast Our Daily Show to talk about the league with host CJ Nasello. To find out more about Our Daily Show or to listen to past shows click here . Cook explained how playing works and talked about how players can earn real cash prizes every month. "You play for points. It's all free. At the end of the month, the top three players who have earned the most points will earn a spot in the main event to actually win real money." First place for those main events will pay out $1,500 every month to the top player. Smoke'n Aces has given out over $400,000 in prize money since it's been up and running. Last year was a "huge success" according to Cook.

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ALTON - Sierra Club Illinois’ Three Rivers Project, Alton Main Street, and the Army Corps of Engineers are calling for volunteers to support the 16th annual Mississippi Earthtones Festival Great Mississippi River Clean-up. The river clean-up will be held on September 24 in conjunction with the Mississippi Earthtones Festival, which celebrates our river through art, music, and conservation. During the clean-up, which takes place the weekend after the festival, volunteers will work together to remove trash and debris from the beautiful Mississippi River and its shorelines. Interested community members can register to volunteer at the clean-up via bit.ly/MEFriver22 . “To date, the Mississippi Earthtones Festival Great River Clean-up has netted over 45 tons of trash and has recycled 10 tons of materials,” said Christine Favilla, Co-Coordinator of the Three Rivers Project of Sierra Club Illinois. “The river clean-up is hosted in honor of National Public Lands Day

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MADISON - The Illinois Department of Transportation announces intermittent lane closures of IL 4 at the IL 143 intersection Tuesday, September 6, 2022, weather permitting. Two-way traffic will be maintained by the use of flaggers. This work is needed to perform pavement patching and it should be completed by the end of September 2022. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. The contractor on this project is Kilian Corporation of Mascoutah, Illinois. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a group of 20 attorneys general, today filed a brief supporting the federal government’s efforts to regulate “ghost guns,” which are weapons without serial numbers that are untraceable, often made at home and purchased without background checks. The new federal rule to regulate ghost guns – issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) – will require that buyers pass background checks before purchasing weapons parts kits, and that law enforcement officers can trace self-made guns that are later used in a crime. “Weapons kits allow individuals who should not legally possess firearms to construct their own gun, and those homemade ghost guns are then untraceable when used to commit a violent crime. The ATF’s new rule is a significant step in helping law enforcement keep ghost guns out of the hands of criminals,” Raoul said. “In Illinois, we have taken

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ALTON - Eyes widen around the room as realization dawns on the crowd...there’s been a murder. Do you know who dun it? Was it the baker with the rolling pin? Was it the ex-fiance with cyanide or was it ...you? Every year, this burning question is raised at hundreds of laughter-filled Jest Murder Mystery Company shows. Thanks to a lot of creativity and hard work, this local success story is now considered the funniest murder mystery company in the country. This is not a typical murder mystery dinner theater company. It’s not about true crime. It’s not about being the detective. It’s about building comradery, uniting people in a shared, very funny experience. Over the years, Jest Murder Mystery Company has discovered that there is no greater pairing than laughter and food when it comes to bringing groups together. When the show begins, the room will be filled with many groups and individuals who may have little more in common than proximity. But by the end

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GLEN CARBON – The second home game of his senior year didn’t go as hoped for the captain of the boys' soccer team Owen Terrell. The Griffins lost 6-0 to a very good Triad team, but Terrell knows his team gave it everything they had. “We tried our best and sometimes our best isn’t enough,” he said after the game. He’s the team’s leading goal scorer with three on the season. He had some chances against the Knights but couldn’t convert. He’s just happy to still be captaining his team, win or lose. He had a really great answer when asked what being a captain means to him. “It’s a pretty big responsibility. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to have since my freshman year looking up to my upperclassman. Now that I have it, I know I have some big shoes to fill and it’s just really important that I keep my head, lift my teammates up, and make sure we still have a positive energy on the field.”

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GLEN CARBON – Junior Sami Oller can’t decide which sports season she likes better. In the fall she’s an outside hitter for Father McGivney Catholic High School’s volleyball team and in the winter months, she plays guard in basketball. Right now though, she’s just getting the volleyball season started and is ready for more. “Super excited. We love having the whole school come out and support us,” she said after the team’s home opener in which they won two sets to none against Mulberry Grove. “It feels great when everyone is here and is being loud.” With the win, the team moves back to a positive record of 5-4. Oller is a Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb Female Athlete of the Month for Father McGivney Catholic. It was only their second non-tournament match of the season. After going 3-4 in the Roxana Tournament, the Griffins finished in eighth place out of 16 schools. Not exactly what Sami was hoping for. “I feel like we

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