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ST. LOUIS - April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month and Urology of St. Louis (USL), the largest private urologic practice in St. Louis and the Metro East, is raising awareness about the importance of early detection. “It is very important for men to go to a primary care provider or urologist if anything feels abnormal,” said Gregory Auffenberg, MD. “This cancer occurs in an area that is sensitive, and it can often cause anxiety for some patients. Do not be afraid to talk to your doctor if you have any concerns.” Dr. Auffenberg said testicular cancer can affect people at any age, but it is most often found in men ages 15 to 40 years old. This type of cancer occurs when healthy cells in the testicle become altered. Some symptoms include a lump or enlargement in either testicle, feeling of heaviness in the scrotum, dull ache in the abdomen or groin, sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum, and pain or discomfort in a testicle or the scrotum. Dr. Auffenberg

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SPRINGFIELD - The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) received a donation of 1,000 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms from Vision 20/20 for the “Be Alarmed!” Smoke Alarm Program. Vision 20/20 partners with organizations and experts to drive Community Risk Reduction across all levels of the fire and emergency services. They help to identify gaps, evaluate and apply data-driven strategies and resources, and provide guidance in implementing adaptive measures to reduce fire and other risks. In 2021, 2,945 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms were installed in Illinois homes. The program reached 2,268 (1,027 high-risk) Illinois residents educating them on smoke alarm maintenance, home fire safety, and home fire escape plans as well as protected by new smoke alarms. Of those homes visited, 80% of pre-existing smoke alarms in homes that received new 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms from our program had non-functional o

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SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois House of Representatives adjourned shortly after 6:00 am on Saturday, April 9 following the passage of a state budget and a temporary tax relief package scheduled to take effect July 1. According to State Representative Amy Elik, “There were several good bills approved this session year. However, I’m disappointed the legislature adjourned ahead of the May 31st deadline without a solution to get tough on crime, zero anti-corruption reforms considered, and no solution to pay off $1.8 billion in debt accumulated during the pandemic despite a federal bailout.” On a positive note, the legislature did approve legislation sponsored by Rep. Elik to support the safety of transportation for foster children, allow family and friends to visit their loved ones in nursing homes, alleviate the teacher shortage in our state, and renew scholarships for low-income students. State Budget The General Assembly approved (HB 900) a 46.5 billion dollar state

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BELLEVILLE - Holland Construction Services is working on an expansion project at Eckert’s in Belleville, which will expand the popular outdoor entertainment venue by nearly 10,000 square feet. The project will include a new Cider Shed Tasting Room and Pavilion, as well as a Cider Donut & Custard Shop. The expansion broke ground in February and is expected to be complete by Memorial Day weekend. “This is an interesting renovation because Eckert’s is an 8 th generation business. This is where the company began so we’re learning a lot of history while working on this project,” said Holland Project Executive Ryan Savage. “We’ve enjoyed being part of Eckert’s growth.” The addition will be located between the Country Store and Country Restaurant and include the 3,500 square-foot Cider Shed Tasting Room and Pavilion, bar, and an indoor dining room. An additional 5,500 square-foot pavilion with outdoor dining will connect to the Cider

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ALTON - The Three Rivers Project of Sierra Club Illinois and Living Lands & Waters are calling for volunteers to support a river clean-up in celebration of Earth Day! This year, communities across the world are coming together to celebrate Earth Day by working to preserve and protect our health, communities, and livelihoods. Preserving and protecting the Mississippi River through river clean-ups is critical to Illinois’ collective efforts to ensure that our health and communities thrive. The Earth Day river clean-up will be held on Wednesday, April 27 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Learn more and register for the river clean-up at bit.ly/clean-up22 . The Mississippi River flows over 2,000 miles from its headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, and items that we use every day can make their way to our river, thus negatively impacting the environment. In celebration of Earth Day, the Three Rivers Project and Living Lands & Waters are hosting a river clean-up as part of their ongoin

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April is the month when independent bookstores nationwide celebrate Independent Bookstore Day. This year it is Saturday, April 30. Among the stores celebrating this day are Afterwords in Edwardsville and The Sly Fox in Virden. So, this month is a good one to celebrate some of our local authors. Belleville native Taylor Pensoneau (now living in New Berlin) is best known to many for Brothers Notorious , The Sheltons , Southern Illinois’ Legendary Gangsters , published in 2002, and Dapper & Deadly , The True Story of Black Charlie Harris , published in 2010. But, shortly after Brothers Notorious , Pensoneau wrote his first fictional novel, The Summer of ’50 , featuring Jake Brosky, a crack investigative reporter for a St. Louis newspaper. For many years Pensoneau himself was the statehouse reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A second Jack Brosky novel, Falling Star , followed in 2019. A year later came the third Jake Brosky crime novel, Devil on the Prairie

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EAST ALTON — Steve Thompson, regional president of Carrollton Bank in Alton, has been named the 2022 auxiliary board chair for the Southwest Illinois Division of United Way of Greater St. Louis. He succeeds Gireesh Gupchup, director for university-community initiatives and professor of pharmacy at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), who has held the chair position since 2020. “United Way has been a cornerstone in the community for a century and they play a critical role in keeping our community strong so our neighbors can succeed and thrive,” said Thompson. “It is an honor to serve as board chair for the Southwest Illinois Division. I am excited to join other volunteers, staff, and fellow board members in working to help people across our community live their best possible lives.” Thompson has over 35 years of banking and financial experience. He began his career at KPMG Peat Marwick and went on to operate his own business as a consultant

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ST. LOUIS — Join the National Park Service in celebrating America’s national parks during National Park Week, April 16-24, 2022! At Gateway Arch National Park, guests are encouraged to explore more than 200 years of history in the Museum at the Gateway Arch, take the Tram Ride to the Top and watch the documentary movie “Monument to the Dream” chronicling the construction of the Arch, as well as many other events and activities that connect visitors to St. Louis’ urban national park. “National Park Week is a time to share the many ways we can connect with, enjoy and experience our national parks,” says Pam Sanfilippo, Program Manager, Museum Services & Interpretation, Gateway Arch National Park. “We encourage you to earn your Junior Ranger badge, explore our 91-acre park grounds and take in all there is to do and see at Gateway Arch National Park!” Each day of National Park Week, “sPark” a connection with the park

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MADISON — World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, will present its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Weekend on June 3-5. The track, located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis, will offer its fans a unique and exciting option. Fans at the track may listen to the familiar, finely-tuned Motor Racing Network (MRN) broadcasts of the Enjoy Illinois 300 and Toyota 200 on their headsets. The new fan option is to listen to an all-star short track and television announcing team calling both races live from the announcers’ booth at the speedway. Tony Bokhoven has been announcing and broadcasting for 30 years. Tony is most notably known as the voice of Knoxville Raceway – the Sprint Car capital of the world – for 26 seasons. His resume covers every professional motorsports genre, including MRN (select Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series events), CBS Sports Network (covering the World of Outlaws Sprint Car and Late model DIRTcar Series), NBC Sports Network

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GODFREY – The Woodlands Golf Club has been chosen as the April 2022 RiverBend Growth Association Small Business of the Month award recipient. Located at 2839 Harris Lane in Alton, the golf club is owned by Brian Curry. It has been in operation for 26 years, opening in 1994. The Woodlands features an 18-hole golf course, pro shop, and bar with lessons available and league opportunities. With 25 employees, The Woodlands is now under new management with a re-energized focus on satisfaction. “We couldn’t be more excited to make positive changes at the course,” noted Dan Morelli, director of operations. “We are engrained in the local community and look forward to improving the Metro-East experience. We invite everyone out to see the changes we have made.” Morelli said these changes became possible because of the senior management’s willingness to listen. Management has also made satisfaction a top priority throughout all operations. This includes

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LERNA – Visitors are invited to celebrate a presidential tradition – the Easter egg roll – at the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site in Lerna Saturday afternoon. Although President Rutherford Hayes hosted the first official White House Easter egg roll in 1878, children had been rolling their colored eggs in races since just after the end of the Civil War. The first reported egg roll was during the term of President Andrew Johnson, and by the 1870s it was a popular spring tradition for the children of the U.S. capital city. The Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site will again host the traditional egg roll, along with period games, craft activities and an egg hunt with designated times for different age groups for children 10 and under between 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday. New this year is an activity for children ages 11 to 18 and an Easter bonnet parade for adults. The egg hunt will begin at 1:15 p.m., the Easter bonnet parade at 1:45 p.m. and the egg roll at 2 p.m. Childre

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WEST ALTON – The US Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project Office announces the gate to the area will now be closed at all times beginning this Saturday, April 16 th, 2022, and will remain closed to vehicle traffic until further notice. Foot traffic is still welcome. The public is encouraged to report any observed or suspected illegal activity to the St. Charles County Police Department at 636-949-3000 or call 911. Lincoln Shields Recreation Area, part of the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, is located along the Mississippi River in West Alton, Missouri just west of the Clark Bridge. The area holds a Civil War memorial to the Confederate prisoners who contracted small pox and were then quarantined in a hospital on what became known as "Small Pox Island." Those soldiers then died and were buried on the island. Because of the shifting of the river channel and the flooding of the Mississippi River, Small Pox Island is now submerged. For more information please contact the

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) and other members of Congress are urging the Department of Interior (DOI) to facilitate the return of Honor Flight Hub trips to war memorials and monuments in Washington, DC, by bringing back police escorts for those trips. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) greets an Illinois veteran in June of 2019 during a Land of Lincoln Honor Flight to Washington, DC “Our veterans are our heroes. Their sacrifice for our country allows us to enjoy the Freedoms we have today as Americans. The least we can do for our veterans is allow them to visit the war memorials that were built to honor their service,” said Rep. Rodney Davis. “Honor Flight is an incredible organization that serves our veterans and helps them experience inspiring and humbling monuments along the National Mall in-person. The Biden Administration and Department of Interior should do anything they can to help them

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ALTON - Alton High School Jazz Band, SIUE Concert Jazz Band, Faith Fellowship Church, and Missouri-Illinois Music and Arts Consortium (MIMAC) present an evening of Jazz at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, at Faith Fellowship Church at 4719 Seminary Road in Alton. Alton High School Jazz Band director Chris Jarden and SIUE Concert Jazz Band director Garrett Schmidt had been planning a joint concert and approached Faith Fellowship Music Team Leader Thomas Pullen. Pullen, an alum of both the Alton Music Program and SIUE Jazz Program, so it was a natural fit. Faith Fellowship has an auditorium that rivals the best performance venues in the Riverbend Area. The concert gives high school jazz students see what the next steps might look like if they continue to pursue music in college. The performance is free of charge but donations can be made to benefit MIMAC, a newly-formed 501c3 Non-Profit whose mission is dedicated to providing a platform for emerging and established musicians, hosting education

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ALTON - The Third Annual Easter Ham Giveaway in Alton was once again a blessing to many in the area in need. Hams and side items were distributed on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at Crisis Food Center, 21 East 6 th Street in Alton. Crisis Food Center (CFC) again partnered with Midwest Members Credit Union (MMCU) to give away free Hams and side items for Easter. 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. This is the third time CFC and MMCU have teamed up for this giveaway. Derrick Richardson, CFC board member and former MMCU board member, said the Easter Ham Giveaway was "a great success." "We gave out all the hams in less than an hour," he said. "MMCU and CFC renewed their commitment to continue to do this annually. We had a fun day. The employees who participated were fantastic in the way they helped set up and engaged with the community. It wouldn't have been a success without them. Easter i

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ST. LOUIS - The area is bracing for the possibility of severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes on Wednesday after a report this afternoon from the National Weather Service in St. Louis. “We have high confidence a significant severe weather event will occur on Wednesday with widespread severe thunderstorms expected,” NWS said on Tuesday. “The greatest threat and most intense severe weather will occur from around midday through the afternoon. There is a high probability of tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail.” The prediction is that the prime time in the St. Louis region will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, so there will be a concern with school dismissals on the day. The NWS said that widespread wind damage could be a concern over Southern Illinois. The good news is the storms will be gone by Wednesday evening and sunny and cooler weather is predicted for Thursday with a high of 64 degrees. Friday and Saturday highs are predicted at 66 and 61 degrees respectively.

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Many households experience stress and anxiety about their personal finances. These intense feelings of uneasiness and discontent can lead to misinformation and negative money behaviors. The University of Illinois Extension is providing a series of six free online workshops to help families learn strategies for talking about money and important financial issues. The workshops are held each Thursday evening beginning May 5. The virtual one-hour sessions start at 6:30 p.m. Registration is required at go.illinois.edu/TalkMoney . If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate, contact Camaya Wallace Bechard, Extension consumer economics educator, cawb17@illinois.edu , or call 309-663-8270. "Ignite conversations about money and motivate your family to take action," says Wallace Bechard. The individual sessions include: Who Are You with Money on May 5: The first step to taking control of your money is matching your values and goals to your financial decision-making. In this

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JERSEY - Jersey County Sheriff Mike Ringhausen and Safety Pup made a recent appearance at a Jersey Community Hospital Health Fair and as always, were popular with those in attendance. Also present were Rep. Avery Bourne and shown here with Rita Robertson, JCUSD 100 SUPS Coordinator and State Rep. Avery Bourne, and Republican candidate for Illinois Governor Richard Irvin. Safety Pup goes to many events for the Jersey Sheriff's Office and helps educate children on a variety of things from safety practices to the potential hazards of drug abuse, and the pup also does programs for the elderly. "Safety Pup is a great tool and the kids respond well to the pup in costume," Sheriff Ringhausen said. Citizens had a variety of tests available for people in attendance from blood pressure, blood sugar, COVID-19 Tests, ABI Arterial, Liquid Panel/Cholesterol, Prostate Cancer, Thyroid, and A1C tests were done. There was strong attendance during the health fair, so it was a win-win situation for

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the grand opening of the Skin Care Center of Southern Illinois' newest location at 4575 Benes Street in Glen Carbon. The new Glen Carbon business offers medical and cosmetic dermatology services and most surgery in their state-of-the-art clinic. The Skin Care Center management said patient-focused care helps them stand out in the industry. Skin Care Center describes itself as highly qualified and that they devote their skills and energy to providing many effective medical and surgical treatments for problems of the skin, hair, nails such as skin cancer psoriasis, rashes, warts, acne, nail problems, and more. The business plans to have office hours five days a week by June 2022. "We strive to educate patients on preventing future skin conditions by teaching proper skin-care techniques and protection from the sun to avoid future skin cancer and skin damage," the practice said in a message about the business.

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BUNKER HILL - First Congregational Church of Bunker Hill welcomes you to join them in their upcoming Sermon Series beginning Sunday, April 24th. This series will last through the summer. Worship services are Sundays at 8 am and 10 am. "The book of Revelation is the last book in the Bible. It has some of the most vivid descriptions of Christ's triumph and evil's destruction in all of scripture. Does the book of Revelation matter for believers in Southern Illinois today? What does Revelation have to say about eternity, the end of times, and God's messiah? Was this book supposed to be as mysterious and confusing as so many see it today?" In addition to preaching through Revelation during Sunday morning worship, they will have several discussions. These discussions will be throughout the summer on the first Sunday night of each month (May 1st, June 5th, July 3rd, August 7th, September 4th) at 6:00 PM at the church. First Congregational Church of Bunker Hill is located at 105 N Franklin

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