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OTTOWA - For the past two years, people have found a number of ways to cope with the stress that comes with living through a pandemic, and that includes alcohol use. A recent online survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Alkermes, Inc., discovered that 17 % of respondents over the age of 21 revealed drinking patterns that met the criteria for heavy drinking, which was defined as having two heavy drinking days in one week at least twice in the previous 30 days. In another poll conducted by Ria Health, an online alcohol addiction treatment program, found that drinking among women – especially younger women – has drastically increased during the pandemic due to a variety of reasons including isolation, work-related stress and parenting. Loni Nolte is a behavioral health provider for OSF HealthCare. She says these problems are common among some of the clients she works with on a regular basis. “More often than not a woman gets very quiet when she’s

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and Springfield Ald. Shawn Gregory will present a series of free “Walk, Hike and Bike History” activities during Black History Month. “Walk, Hike and Bike History” experiences empower participants to connect with must-see museums, landmarks and monuments in the capital city. “The IDNR is pleased to offer this opportunity for people to get outdoors this February and learn more about Black history and achievements in Springfield,” said Colleen Callahan, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. “These unique tours will help us remember the past and strengthen our understanding of the present.” All tours are free. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made through the IDNR website at historicspringfield.dnr.illinois.gov. Call 217-524-3971 to request additional days and times. “As we learn more about the history before our eyes in our ow

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HARDIN/MT. VERNON - Growers from across the region will gather for the 2022 Southwestern Illinois Commercial Tree Fruit School on Tuesday, February 8 in Hardin and the 2022 Southern Illinois Fruit and Vegetable School on Wednesday, February 9 in Mt. Vernon. These programs, sponsored by University of Illinois Extension, will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Hardin and the Double Tree Conference Center in Mt. Vernon, respectively. Registration starts at 7:45 a.m. and the program runs 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. Elizabeth Wahle, U of I Extension horticulture educator, says that the programs include presenters from University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, University of Missouri and Purdue University, and from the tree fruit, small fruit, strawberry and vegetable grower support industry. Topics at the February 8, Hardin School, will include Peach Insect and Disease Management, Mineral Nutrition of Peach Trees, Managing Strategies for Mineral Nutrition of Apples,

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ALTON - Join the Hayner Library this winter for their Adult Winter Reading Program. From February 1 to February 28, 2022, Hayner Library invites patrons age eighteen and older to join in the winter reading fun—and a chance to win a grand prize gift basket designed to help you beat the winter chill. Registration and participation are easy. Simply visit the Downtown Library or Hayner Library at Alton Square Mall and fill out a short registration form. For each book, e-book, or audiobook you read, you get a chance to enter a drawing for the grand prize. The more you read, the more chances you have to win. A winner will be drawn at each location. As an added bonus, each week during the program, they will highlight a different library service, program, or collection in the form of a scavenger hunt “Word of the Week” poster hidden in the library. Visit the library weekly, find the hidden poster, and write down the Word of the Week to earn an additional chance to win the

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ALTON - About one out of every three people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime. Fortunately, the shingles vaccine is a safe and effective way to prevent an outbreak. If you’ve had a shingles attack, then you know how painful it can be. However, a shingles attack can have more consequences than just a painful, blistering rash. One of the main complications that can result from a shingles outbreak is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). “PHN causes continuous, chronic pain that lasts even after the skin sores have healed,” said Jason Scheid, director of ambulatory pharmacy for OSF HealthCare. “It is long-term nerve pain after the rash resolves and can be severe enough to impact your daily life.” Shingles and PHN can be debilitating. Prevention is your best approach. “The older you are when you get shingles, the greater the risk for PHN,” Jason said. “If the rash presents on your face, there is also a risk of impacting

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URBANA – Personal wellness is more than just diet and exercise. Wellness is multi-dimensional, encompassing eight dimensions: physical, financial, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental, vocational, and intellectual. "These eight dimensions work in harmony to help you achieve optimal health and wellbeing." says Jenna Smith, Illinois Extension nutrition and wellness educator. Explore each dimension and develop personal wellness strategies during a free, self-guided University of Illinois Extension interactive program. Dimensions of Wellness begins Feb. 7 and spans eight weeks. Participants will receive information by email each Monday. "We are striving for personal harmony that feels authentic to you," Smith says. "Armed with a new awareness of wellness, you will be able to build your own wellness plan so that you can be the best version of you in 2022." Register before Feb. 6 at go.illinois.edu/8wellness . Participants will receive a self-assessment as part of the program.

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EDWARDSVILLE - Although Edwardsville senior forward Shaun Pacatte didn't score in the Tigers' 51-36 loss to O'Fallon on Jan. 28 in a Southwestern Conference boys basketball game at Lucco-Jackson Gym, he provided help on the boards and with his ballhandling. Pacatte did feel the Tigers kept playing hard and had a good comeback against the athletic and talented Panthers. Edwardsville showed a lot of moxie and fight in the game, diving after loose balls and sticking with their plan during the game, but in the end, O'Fallon was able to take advantage of mistakes to pull away for the win. And the team got a big spark from their bench, mounting a fourth-quarter comeback that made things interesting. "I think the guys off the bench did really well," Pacatte said during a postgame interview, "forced a lot of turnovers, brought a lot of energy we didn't have at the time. We had a good start to the game, second quarter, a little rough stretch. It seemed like every turnover we had was just an

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JERSEYVILLE - Jersey Community High School Principal Cory Breden has announced that 23 students from the JCHS graduating class of 2022 have been designated as Illinois State Scholars. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), the state’s college access and financial aid agency, presents this important recognition of academic achievement to exceptional Illinois high school students annually. This year, more than 17,340 honorees join the other outstanding students who have been honored since the designation was first introduced in 1958. The following students from Jersey Community High School were named Illinois State Scholars: Mackenzie Bell Connor Berry Belle Blackorby Hope Brandt Mallory Clevenger Cody Croxford Madeline Darr Vivian Gray Austin Hayes Morgan Johnson Charles Kraushaar Josie LaPlant Cole Martinez Liam McGuire Irene Mossman Tyler Noble Sara Poletti Edward Roberts Kaleb Setzer Annie Walker Zachary Wargo Owen Weber Leann Woodring

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GRANITE CITY – Granite City Community Unit School District #9 is adjusting its spectator policy for athletic events held at Granite City High School and Coolidge Junior High. Effective on Monday, Jan. 31, GCHS and Coolidge have increased their capacity to 40 percent. GCHS will allow 700 spectators per event at Memorial Gymnasium, while Coolidge Main Gymnasium will have a capacity of 200. GCSD9 SPECTATOR GUIDELINES MASKS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES Failure to wear a mask will result in removal from the facility Social distancing is recommended GCSD9 will continue to monitor the information surrounding COVID-19 cases in Madison County and our region on a continual basis. Live Streaming (Home games) will be available on the Granite City Warriors Athletics Facebook page or the NFHS Network . For more information about Granite City School District #9, visit www.gcsd9.net .

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(The Center Square) – A law Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted to create judicial subcircuits in parts of Illinois has been temporarily blocked as some say the partisan measure was rushed through to the detriment of voters. During their one day in session so far this year, Democrats earlier this month went at it alone, passing new judicial subcircuits. Without fanfare, Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted the maps on Jan. 7. State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, reacted to a Sangamon County judge this week temporarily blocking those new judicial districts from going into effect in Madison County. “It wasn’t just the packing of the courts , it wasn’t trying to set the courts up, it also took away the vote from the vast majority of the people of Madison County to be able to vote for their local judicial elections this cycle,” Plummer told The Center Square. Some of the new districts were to take effect for the 2022 election cycle while others in other parts of the

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EAST ALTON - The son of the woman who was shot in the leg on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in the shooting at the East Alton Ice Rink parking lot, has encountered what he describes as “almost a miraculous” turn. “I visited mom today and to my surprise, they discharged her while I was there,” he said. “I drove her home and she’s doing wonderful! They say her fitness level for a 60-plus-year-old woman was a contributing factor in her survival. She is mad she has to miss her 5K this weekend because she paid for it!” Speaking on behalf of his family, he said he wanted to thank law enforcement and the prosecutors in the Riverbend area for such a strong collaborative effort to get a dangerous person off the streets. He said: “It was tremendous work! I also want people to know that we will be right back at the ice arena playing hockey tonight and we aren’t afraid. This was an entirely random event committed by a lost person. Our family witnesse

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EAST ALTON - An Edwardsville mother of a young hockey player was inside the East Alton Ice Arena at the time of the shooting in the outside parking lot on Saturday, January 22, 2022. Her perspective shows the emotion children and parents felt after the tragic ordeal outside. "There are no words to describe last weekend's events," the woman said. " My son, had a hockey game at 6:45 Saturday night. It was a great match-up. We were ahead by one until the last 2 minutes when the other team scored two goals and won." The hockey game was over at 7:45 p.m. "The kids got changed in the locker rooms and joined the parents in the lobby to head home for the night," she said. "Usually, we would head out fairly quickly, but thankfully one of the dads was chatting with us about something funny my son said in the locker room. The next thing I know a family from the other team came running inside in complete shock and could hardly talk but spit out 'shooting.' You can't imagine the panic

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ST. LOUIS – Some are calling the present-day recovery of 27-year-old Bryan Glebavicius nothing short of a "miracle." Glebavicius, of Maryville, IL., spent a record-breaking 78 days on ECMO, at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The ECMO machine is similar to the heart-lung by-pass machine used in open-heart surgery. It pumps and oxygenates a patient's blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. What started as a bad cough in October 2021 turned into life-threatening complications from COVID for Glebavicius, and led to a nearly three-month stay at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. Bryan was transferred to Barnes-Jewish Hospital for a potential lung transplant on January 24, 2021. Just a few days after being admitted to SLU Hospital, Bryan was put on ECMO. “Exceptional care delivery, persistence, and mission-driven advocacy all came together to save this patient's life,”

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PONTIAC - January is National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society, about 14-thousand women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and more than 42-hundred will lose their lives to the disease this year. Unlike many cancers, however, we know what causes nearly 99% of all cervical cancer cases: the human papillomavirus, or HPV. HPV is a common virus that will infect most sexually active people at some point in their lives – about four out of five people. An estimated 80-million Americans are currently infected with 14-million new infections diagnosed each year. However, this trend can be slowed, or even stopped in future generations, with a vaccine. Dr. James Mikeworth, an OSF HealthCare pediatrician in Pontiac, Illinois, recommends the vaccine for both girls and boys. “Right now the HPV vaccine has shown a very good immunity and longevity for that immunity through your 20s and 30s. So we know that it works and we know i

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EDWARDSVILLE - Minas Espresso Inc. owner Bruno Nobre has been a client of the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville?and Director Jo Ann Di Maggio May since November 2017. Born and raised on a coffee farm in Brazil, Nobre learned everything from his father and grandfather. He decided to start Minas Espresso Inc. so he could share his Brazilian coffee beans with the United States. Now, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) rates Minas Espresso among the top 5% best coffees in the U.S. “We should appreciate a cup of coffee from the farm to the table,” Nobre said. Disappointed in knowing that the value of a good cup of coffee in the market was losing importance, Nobre was determined to raise awareness and get at least every American to try his coffee just once. He knew that having tried it, they would be sold. The SBDC has assisted Nobre with banking recommendations, administrative assistance, potential

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The Conversation - Even as the COVID-19 pandemic persists, there’s hope that life will return to some level of normalcy in 2022. This includes more opportunities to meet new people and build friendships, a process that’s critical for mental and physical well-being . This does not, however, mean that everyone will take advantage of these new chances to connect. Even before fears of a virus compelled most people to stay physically distant, our research suggests that people were already keeping too much social distance from one another. In particular, our forthcoming behavioral science research suggests that people tend to be overly pessimistic about how conversations with new acquaintances will play out. Across a dozen experiments , participants consistently underestimated how much they would enjoy talking with strangers. This was especially true when we asked them to have the kinds of substantive conversations that actually foster friendships. Because of these mistaken

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ALTON - When you or someone in your family is injured or are feeling ill with symptoms of COVID-19 or other illnesses, deciding what type of medical care to seek is a decision you want to make quickly. But going straight to the emergency room may not be the best option. Urgent care clinic options , such as OSF PromptCare and OSF OnCall Urgent Care , which has walk-in clinics and virtual visits, may be a better choice for care. These care options are most appropriate if you’re experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and require testing. OSF also offers immediate connections through Clare, our digital assistant that can be found at osfhealthcare.org . Clare can assist in directing you to the proper level of care you need. “If you believe you have a life-threatening injury or illness, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room,” said Brandi Clark, vice president of On Demand Services at OSF HealthCare. “If you do not believe your concern is life threatening,

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EDWARDSVILLE – Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli is pleased to welcome veteran attorney Robert Bruegge to the firm. Bruegge will serve as of counsel for the firm, with his practice focusing primarily on business transactions, real estate, bankruptcy, estate planning and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to attending law school, Bruegge studied accounting at the University of Illinois in Champaign, IL. He then passed his CPA exam and became a Certified Public Accountant while attending the University of Houston Bates College of Law in Houston, Texas. Bruegge has practiced law for over 40 years. “Bob’s experience and knowledge of accounting has served him well throughout the years, and we are honored to have him join our debtor/creditor team with Joel Kunin, Sandy Tatoian and Steve Wallace,” said Mark Goldenberg, founder and managing partner of the firm. Bruegge served as Chapter 7 Trustee for the Southern District of Illinois for 16 years. In addition, he also

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ST. LOUIS - Five pet care startups from across the U.S. have been selected as the 2022 winners of the sixth annual Pet Care Innovation Prize powered by Purina. From a company giving dog breath a lasting mint aroma to a tool that helps pets communicate better with humans, the 2022 class of Pet Care Innovation Prize winners represents some of the latest and greatest products and service startups in the estimated $109 billion* pet care industry. The 2022 Pet Care Innovation Prize Winners are: Bright Planet Pet ( brightplanetpet.com ) Bloomington, Minnesota-based Bright Planet Pet makes 100% plant-based dog treats that taste and smell like real meat. Made from sustainable and all-natural ingredients, Bright Planet treats create up to 90% less carbon emissions and use 68% less water than comparable meat-based treats. For every bag sold, Bright Planet makes a donation to plant one tree. FluentPet ( https://fluent.pet/ ) San Diego, California-based FluentPet, Inc is the company

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URBANA – Whether you have a multi-row backyard vegetable plot or a patio with room for a few containers, now is the time to start planning for a successful gardening season. Over the past several years, there has been a surge of gardeners taking up the trowel for the first time to try their hand at growing fresh produce at home. Dig in with confidence this spring with Growing Great Vegetables, a five-week webinar series starting February 15 that will cover how to grow a vegetable garden from seed to harvest. Participants will check in during a weekly workshop covering a new topic, engage with University of Illinois Extension horticulture experts, and receive emails with even more research-based tips and factsheets. Growing Great Vegetables will be 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays from Feb. 15 to March 15. Sign up by Feb. 9 at go.illinois.edu/GrowingGreatVegetables . The cost to participate is $10. Sessions will be recorded and made available to registered participants if they cannot atten

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