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EDWARDSVILLE - The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 2022 Bi-State Honor Band Festival will take place April 30-May 1 in Dunham Hall on the Edwardsville campus. The event is one of the most important outreach activities in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music and the most important for the band area. Having been a part of the department for more than 25 years, the festival aims to offer a two-day honor band experience for high school students in the greater St. Louis area. Participating students are drawn from nearly 30 local and regional institutions across Illinois and Missouri. The festival is also an important recruiting and fundraising event for the department. “My favorite part is seeing the students’ growth throughout the event,” said Rubén D. Gómez, director of bands and assistant professor in the Department of Music. “At the beginning of day one, they barely know each other, they are seeing the music fo

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JERSEYVILLE - Today is move-in day for a local sandwich shop; Pig on a Wing is moving from Medford’s Food Mart to the place it first opened at 807 IL-16 in Jerseyville, next to Farm & Home Supply and attached to Hansen Meat Packing. Pig on a Wing Owner Steve Walker said it’s officially time for the business to move back to its “roots,” but he’s been grateful for the name recognition Pig on a Wing has gotten out of being on State Street for five years. “We moved five years ago to get our name out, because we were on the edge of town and not a lot of people knew about us,” Walker said. “But then right here in the middle of town the past five years, everybody knows Pig on a Wing now.” Walker also owns The Pizza Crew restaurant which occupied the IL-16 location while Pig on a Wing was located at Medford’s. However, he said The Pizza Crew’s food isn’t leaving Jerseyville - it’s just joining the Pig o

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EAST ST. LOUIS – The U.S. District Court announced today that Bernard L. Mosley, Jr., 23, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. As part of his sentence, Mosley will serve a two-year term of supervised release following his release from federal prison. On August 4, 2020, the United States Marshals Service located Mosley at a house in East St. Louis and arrested him on an active warrant. At the time of his arrest, Mosley was in possession of a loaded handgun. Federal law prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms or firearm ammunition. A federal grand jury indicted Mosley in October of 2020, and Mosley pled guilty on February 22, 2022. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ali

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EDWARDSVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation announces intermittent lane closures of IL 157 between IL 140 in Hamel and IL 143 near Edwardsville beginning on Monday, May 2, 2022, weather permitting. Two-way traffic will be maintained by the use of flaggers. This project will seal pavement cracks and it should be completed by the end of May 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 Complete Asphalt Services Co. from Pittsfield, 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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GRANITE CITY – Juniors Karen Willaredt and Mara Withers of Granite City High School were selected as Granite City Rotary Club Students of the Month for April. Students were nominated by teachers, and were chosen on the basis of academics, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and civic honors and awards, and organization membership and leadership. Each honoree will receive a framed certificate and a gift card, and will be recognized at a future Granite City Rotary Meeting. KAREN WILLAREDT Three-year member of varsity track and field team ... Member of Varsity Club ... Honor Roll and Secondary Honors .... Peer Tutor ... Volunteer at Apex Physical Therapy and church ... Daughter of Alan and Christa Willaredt. MARA WITHERS Three-sport athlete - soccer, swimming and tennis ... All-Warrior Award and Varsity Award winner ... Honor Roll ... Member of Student Council, and Renaissance Club ... Two-year Living Legacy Scholarship winner ... Volunteer at Paddlers Pool and Wilson

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GRAFTON - The Jersey County Business Association and the City of Grafton will host the 2nd annual Sip, Sample, and Stroll on Saturday, May 21. from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 pm. Participating establishments along Grafton’s Main Street will be serving a sample of signature foods and beverages for your enjoyment. Those participating include: Aeries Resort - Antipasto Skewer and Leonard Kreusch Riesling or Copper Ridge Cabernet Bloody Bucket - Loading Dock Salsa and Bloody Mary Grafton Harbor Arrr Bar - Raspberry Jalapeño Dip and Wine Tasting Flight Grafton Oyster Bar - Jambalaya and Hurricane Grafton Pub - Taco and Baby Margarita Grafton Winery - Charcuterie Skewer and Sparkling Raspberry Wine Hawg Pit - Pulled Chicken Sandwich and Hippy Juice Third Chute Bar and Grill - Pork Fritters and Apple Pie Shot Tickets are $40 per person and must be purchased online prior to the event. Tickets must be purchased by May 20. No tickets will be sold during the

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EDWARDSVILLE - Bank of Hillsboro Edwardsville Branch Manager Lisa Claytor has retired after 10 years with the bank and 40 years within the banking industry. “Throughout the past 10 years with my time at the Edwardsville branch, I have seen so much change and growth within Edwardsville and the banking industry,” Claytor said. “Today, there is a bank on every corner, making it more important than ever to build relationships with your customers. I’ve really enjoyed Bank of Hillsboro’s approach to banking and will miss being a part of their team.” Claytor grew up in Edwardsville and started her first banking job in her hometown. Other opportunities within the banking industry took her to Tennessee and in 2011 she came back to Edwardsville to work at Bank of Hillsboro. Claytor said she is proud of the relationships she has cultivated with her customers and is excited to see how the bank will continue to grow. Claytor said she has seen the way technology

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GRANITE CITY – Maryville 1-2 Education Center Principal Mark Lull announced Wednesday that 174 students completed the Individual Reading Plan (IRP) 100 book reader program for the 2021-22 school year. All students will receive a medal for their accomplishment. The following Maryville 1st and 2nd graders read 100 books for the 2021-22 school year: Mrs. Blomme (9) Zayn Barton Rellic Boss Chayce Brookfield Jordan King Dinari Lewis Adalynn Kleier-Jones Christian Lopez Jose Montes Harper Worley Ms. Cox (21) Jeremy Barnett Anabella Briagas Cruz Bridgeman Nova Canterberry Daxton Derousse Ava Dodds Lucas Fisher Henry Hockaday Savanna Hull Richard Manion Ayden Mikuleza Annaleigh Parker Parth Patel Sofia Roman Cameron Stearns Katelynn Taylor Joshua Tichko Ryan Walk Imogen Warren Bentlee Wiesehan Samantha Yarbrough Ms. Meador (9) Zachary Cox Kenzie Craine Mila Hawthorne Lillian Kingsbury Karsynn Munro Jurnei Niemeyer Alexa Samano

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URBANA – Avian flu cases are on the rise in the Midwest. From canceled poultry shows to advising homeowners to remove bird feeders, Illinois is urging those who come into contact with birds to take steps to prevent the disease from spreading. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is a contagious virus that spreads among wild geese, ducks, and other waterbirds species, as well as some raptors, including bald eagles. Wild birds, which may show no symptoms even if infected, can carry the disease to new areas as they migrate north and transmit it to domestic poultry, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service . Avian flu is an extremely infectious respiratory disease that affects all domestic poultry, including laying hens, broilers, and turkeys, as well as waterfowl and game birds. It can spread quickly within flocks causing severe disease and death. In the last outbreak of avian influenza, more than 200 commercial flocks and

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BELLEVILLE - – Illinois American Water is encouraging customers to participate in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this coming Saturday, April 30, 2022. Customers are encouraged to drop off unwanted medications at approved collection sites so they can be incinerated. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends having unwanted medications incinerated. Flushing medications down the toilet and throwing them in the trash are discouraged. The event is Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Participating Illinois Take Back Day collection sites can be located here. Take Back Day events help keep medications from getting into the wrong hands and provide an opportunity for medication to be disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way. Proper disposal also helps prevent medications from being flushed down the toilet or poured down a drain. Rachel Bretz, director of water quality and environmental compliance for Illinois

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SPRINGFIELD – Continuing efforts to recruit new teachers and diversify the profession, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a series of bills into law to address the nationwide teacher shortage. The bills will simplify the licensing process for educators, lower licensing fees, and create more opportunities for prospective educators. These initiatives build on Gov. Pritzker’s record of addressing the burden of the state’s current teacher shortage, which includes raising the minimum wage for teachers to $40,000 per year, increasing funding for the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship program by 120%, a $200 million investment in early childhood education workforce development programs and increasing funding for teacher preparation programs. The teacher workforce has grown year-over-year since the state’s Evidence-Based Funding model was enacted in 2018. Since then, Illinois has added more than 5,000 teachers to the profession. Additionally, average teacher salaries have

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COLLINSVILLE– The Cahokia Mounds Museum Society will host its annual Indian Market Days from April 29 through May 1 at Gateway Center in Collinsville. The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site currently is closed for construction, but the Museum Society, which supports the site’s activities, is hosting the annual Indian vendor fair at Gateway Center, 1 Gateway Drive, just 10 minutes from the site. More than 30 vendors from various tribal affiliations will have items of jewelry, sculpture, paintings, pottery, and more for sale. Visitors also can purchase Cahokia Mounds' items at a Cahokia Mounds Gift Shop table. This free event supports Cahokia Mounds and complies with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Gateway Center is easily accessible from the interstates and has ample parking.

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RIVERBEND REGION - The RiverBend Growth Association’s Young Adults Committee presents the Young Adults Committee Scholarship Raffle. With eight chances to win this is a great opportunity to help support our youth in the Riverbend area. Purchase your tickets today for your chance to win one of over $2,000 worth of prizes! The Young Adults Committee (YAC) consists of four representatives from the RiverBend Growth Association’s member schools and mentors from the RiverBend Growth Association’s membership. The high school representatives are two juniors and two seniors from Alton High School, Civic Memorial High School, East Alton – Wood River High School, Marquette Catholic High School, and Roxana High School. This year’s students are Kennedy Bickmore, Audrey Bosse, Addison Denton, Allie Lively, Kamren Mason-El, Allie Schrumpf, Thomas Strohmeier, Reaghan Williams, Isabel Baldwin, Anbrielle Blake, Joe Brangenberg, Serenity Eldridge, Olivia Goodman, Ava Meneses,

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ALTON - Back in the early 1990s, a commercial was broadcast by Gatorade called “Be Like Mike” starring now considered the greatest basketball player of all-time Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. The commercial was a massive success and helped to further portray Jordan as a likable superstar and endeared children who wished to emulate his play. Because of Jordan and others of his era and beyond, possession of a basketball has become much sought after by most children. When kids have that ball placed in their hands, most start their dreams of one day being like Michael Jordan and all the other great players on the hardwoods. The MustacheMarch4PD program originated in 2017 and it has raised thousands of dollars to provide items from needed protective equipment for law enforcement to today's basketballs for police departments to distribute to children in the community. A group that included the Police Chief Marcos Pulido, MustacheMarch4PD officials, and others gathered

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ROXANA - It has been more than two years since Roxana Junior High has had a full-blown drama production because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, but this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the drama department unveils "The Addams Family Young@Part." The production is a shorter musical for elementary, middle schools, and youth theatres. Members of the cast are Emma Martin, Troy Rahn, Talan Blumenstock, Savion Hall, Ari Walker, Sadie Jackson, Laney Meadows, Landon Smith, Gianna Visser, and Evan Bazell. Director Brittany Sasser said she is so excited to finally have a full-blown Jr. High musical back on the stage at Roxana Jr. High School. Performance dates are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $4 for students and $7 for adults. Debbie Bunt Bacus, the assistant director, said it has been a challenge because many of the students have not participated in theatre or viewed it because of the pandemic, but it has been very rewarding to watch them grow. "We are really

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ALTON - Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido released information about a stolen vehicle and a quick arrest on Wednesday. This was Pulido's report: "At 1:09 p.m. on April 27, 2022, the Alton Police Department was notified that a Ford Excursion pulling a silver trailer was just stolen from the back of a business, located in the 300 block of Homer Adams Parkway. As officers began responding and began to investigate, a motorist reported the driver of a Ford Excursion that was pulling a silver trailer was driving recklessly southbound on Martin Luther King Drive. "Additional officers began responding to the location of the reckless driver. The driver and sole occupant of the Ford Excursion that was pulling the silver trailer was located, stopped, and detained without further incident on Liberty Street at Union Street. The Ford Excursion and the silver trailer were then officially identified as the vehicle stolen during the incident in the 300 block of Homer Adams Parkway." Chief Pulido said

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EAST ALTON - Beauty by Brandy is a new beauty salon that will hold its soft opening on May 2 at 20 Terminal Dr. Suite #106 in East Alton. Owner and operator Brandy Sparrowks said the store is a long-time dream of hers come true as she offers an ever-expanding array of beauty services to the area. “Beauty by Brandy is my very first salon that I have ever owned,” Sparrowks said. “I’ve done hair for 24 years, and then I recently trained in brow permanent makeup and I’m training in lip at the moment, and then eventually it’s going to be eyeliner.” Sparrowks said permanent makeup is commonly used as a solution for those who draw on their eyebrows but don’t want to do so every day and usually last 3-5 years. She said she also offers more temporary brow solutions, such as henna brows which last 6-8 weeks depending on your skincare regimen. Tooth gems and botox are among several other services on the way in the near future, Sparrowks said.

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BETHALTO - Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas Haine’s Office has charged a Clark, MO., man - Jay L. Hager - with a felony count of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine. There is also an ongoing stolen vehicle investigation and Bethalto Police Chief Mike Dixon said he is a person of interest in that case. Bethalto Police Chief Mike Dixon provided this information about the arrest: "At 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 24, 2022, a Bethalto Police Officer located a stolen vehicle parked at 100 Wesley Drive, Lot 12, East Alton. While conducting the investigation officers located a second stolen vehicle parked at the residence. East Alton, Wood River, and an Alton Officer responded and assisted in the efforts to contact the occupants of the residence. "Hager attempted to flee the trailer through the ground skirting but was stopped by officers. He was found to be in possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine and was taken into custody. "Hager is being held at the

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GRAFTON - The City of Grafton announced that it will host a Vaccine Clinic from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, sponsored by the Jersey County Health Department. The clinic will be held at the Grafton City Hall, 118 E. Main Street, Grafton. Vaccines available include COVID 19 (1st, 2nd, and Boosters; Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson), Shingles, TDAP, FLU, Hep A and Hep B. Free TDAP is available for those uninsured. The following insurances are accepted: Aetna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, Coventry, Health Alliance, Healthlink, Humana, Medicaid, Medicare (under certain guidelines) and United Health Care.

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BRIGHTON – The Piasa Southwestern High School baseball team picked up a bounce-back win over the Pana Panthers Monday afternoon by a score of 13-3. It comes after dropping both games of a double-header against New Berlin last Saturday by scores of 12-7 and 28-16. The Piasa Birds’ record remains a positive one though at 12-9 now on the season. Marcus Payne started on the mound for Piasa, and he was able to throw the entire six-inning game. Along the way, he picked up nine strikeouts while only walking one batter. He also recorded a hit and two RBI’s on the day. He found himself in a little trouble in the first inning. The Panthers were able to score a couple of runs early to take off to a 2-0 lead. The Piasa Birds battled back though. Hank Bouillon’s flyout scored a run to cut the lead in half. Payne hit a sac fly in the second inning to tie the game at 2-2. They found themselves trailing again though after Pana scored another run in the third. Southwestern

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