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URBANA – Spring ephemeral flowers are nature’s gems after winter. These short-lived beauties are wildflowers that grow in woodlands in the early spring before the leaves on deciduous trees are open. They are called spring ephemerals because they have a relatively short blooming time. University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Gemini Bhalsod says these seasonal plants grow, flower, and set seed relatively quickly. “They are usually dormant by mid-summer when the leaves die back again,” Bhalsod says. “In your garden one moment and gone another.” Spring ephemerals complete most of their life cycle in the early spring before the trees and understory shrubs leaf out and take over most of the available light. These plants start growing roots in the fall and winter, to fully emerge above ground in the spring. This time of year is a tough time to be a growing plant – soil temperatures are low, the weather is unpredictable, and there ar

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The night of April 14, 1865, proved fateful for Abraham Lincoln, who was mortally wounded by an assassin’s bullet and died the next day. Lesser known is that everyone in the presidential box at Ford’s Theater that night suffered horrific outcomes. The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, escaped, only to be mortally wounded by a Union soldier twelve days later. Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd, never recovered from that Good Friday evening, struggling with mental instabilities, public scorn, and isolation for the rest of her life. Even more disturbing is the fate of the young couple who were the Lincolns’ guests that night, Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris. They later married – but Henry lost his mental faculties, murdered Clara in 1883, and spent the rest of his life in an asylum. Laurie Verge of Clinton, MD., who has extensively studied the Lincoln assassination in her role as director of the Surratt House Museum where another Booth conspirator is interpreted, believes

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It’s time for Americans to spring clean their health routines. A large-scale study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows inactivity can be worse for you than smoking, diabetes or having heart disease. Matt Janus is an OSF HealthCare exercise physiologist in Pontiac, Illinois. He says making recommended activity a priority can impact a person’s overall wellbeing in a myriad of ways. “The 150 minutes of movement a week that the American Heart Association recommends – that goes leaps and bounds toward reducing things like your risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, pretty much anything and everything,” says Janus. Despite that, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says only 23% of Americans get enough exercise. To help reverse that trend, the American Heart Association has designated April as Move More Month. The month-long awareness campaign is designed to encourage people to take part

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ST. LOUIS – The newly created Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN) will host a kick-off ceremony, tour, and ribbon cutting on Monday, April 11 at 2:30 PM at the JJK Center, 101 Jackie Joyner Kersee Circle, East Saint Louis, Il 62204. The mission of the JJK FAN Center is to provide quality youth and community programs in STEAM+Ag, food production, nutrition, and physical activity in East St. Louis and beyond. The JJK FAN Center is a unique public-private partnership between the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and University of Illinois Extension. The JJK Foundation recently acquired a 12,000 ft² office facility through a generous donation from Landsdowne Up. This facility will be used to house JJK Foundation and JJK Winning in Life staff, the University of Illinois Extension Illinois Nutrition Education Program, and Danforth Center’s

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CARLINVILLE - Students at Blackburn College will be hosting a community car wash on April 30 from 10 am to 12 pm in the Demuzio Campus Center parking lot. The event is being organized by students enrolled in a Leadership Skills Workshop class taught by Dr. Shelly Peffer, professor of Leadership, Law, and Public Service. Students in the class alongside faculty, staff, other students, and community members have volunteered to wash cars. The goal of this event is for students to give back to the community, whether from washing cars or from people donating directly to the overall amount raised through this event. Miriam Wali-Uddin, a junior student in the leadership class coordinating the event, explained, “It is important to our leadership team that we try to strengthen the bond between the community and Blackburn. All of the proceeds from this car wash will go back to the community such as gift baskets for the nurse's station at Carlinville hospital, and more. We are hopeful that

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ST. LOUIS - Summer is only a few months away! As warmer weather rolls in, it may be time to decide to dust off those January resolutions to lose weight, get active, or shape up for the summer months. Figuring out how to start can be a challenge. “Here’s a quick tip,” states St. Louis District Dairy Council registered dietitian Maggie Cimarolli, “start with protein-rich dairy foods.” Why is protein important? Protein is a vital part of a balanced eating plan important for staying strong and healthy. When it comes to fitness, protein is the star of the show, and for good reason. Protein digests slowly, so it promotes a feeling of fullness when part of meals and snacks. Research suggests that a high-protein breakfast can help reduce evening snacking, as the satiety effect may last all day. Luckily, dairy provides a widely accessible source of protein. “Including milk, yogurt, or cheese with every meal may help reduce overall calorie intake by warding

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ALTON - Alton Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Al Womack Jr. and one of its members, Caleb Spells, had a very special moment this past week when Caleb was named Outstanding Youth of the Year and is now a state finalist. Caleb is an 18-year-old senior at Alton High School and maintains a 3.8-grade-point average. Womack said Caleb is “an outstanding young man,” and he exemplifies everything the Alton Boys & Girls Club stands for. “Caleb is a senior at Alton High and has been part of the AHS ROTC Program and a member of our organization for six years,” Womack said. “His mom, La-Cheryl Lewis, has done a great job of raising him. We are blessed to have him be a part of our organization. He is a junior staff member and great with his peers and other young people.” Caleb’s mother has instilled proper values in him and enrolled him in the club, which has paid great dividends for him. “It has been so outstanding to watch him grow, especially

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JERSEY - At the Jersey Community High School Musical on Sunday, April 3, 2022, the Ryder family was honored for beginning JCHS Theatre Friends. JCHS Theatre Director Brett Beauchamp coordinated the event. Beauchamp announced they are installing a plaque in the lobby here so that even when Brett and Christine Bair are no longer in these halls to tell these stories, Peggy’s legacy will live on. This was an explanation given about the long-time program: Christine Bear said in 1995, she and Brett Beauchamp found themselves in charge of the choral program and theatre program respectively at JCHS. "We joined a colleague, Mr. Cliff Kaminsky, who had inherited the band program a few years previously," Bear said. "We were all excited about our new work in the fine arts department until we began to recognize some uncomfortable truths confronting all three of us: Mr. Kaminsky had only a few band students, I had only a few vocal students, and Mr. Beauchamp had even fewer theatre students.

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COTTAGE HILLS - Recently, Karen Masiero’s family posed for a five-generation photo. In any day and age, it is unusual that a family is together for five generations. Baby, Madelyn, is the youngest of the cast at 6 months in the photo, and two great grandparents are still alive. “We are very thankful about it and it is very unusual,” Karen said. “We are all very close and I am very proud of my family.” The Guinness Words Records said the record of seven living generations occurred when Augusta Bunge of Medford, Wisconsin, who was 110, lived to see. the birth of her great-great-great-great grandson in January 1989. Five generations alive at one time is definitely a "rare" occurrence, experts say.

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GODFREY - The Godfrey Fire Protection District lost one of their long-time favorite firefighters when the retired assistant chief Edward McBride died recently. Ed was married to his wife, Rebecca, since 1989 and she survives along with his two daughters Chelsie and Beca, and granddaughter, Lorelai. He is also survived by brothers, sisters, and various nieces and nephews. A Celebration Of Life Service is planned from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 10, 2022, at the Wood River Moose. Godfrey Fire Protection District Chief Eric Cranmer said Ed was “one of a kind” as an assistant chief and firefighter. “He was hired in 1995 and I was hired in 1999,” he said. “He never met a stranger. He always had the gift of gab and always had a story. He was a Navy veteran and also very proud of that.” He retired with a medical disability in 2019. “Everybody liked Ed,” Chief Cranmer said. “If he was around a stranger, they weren’t a stranger

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EAST ALTON – Volunteers are needed to help remove bush honeysuckle and autumn olive at the Wadlow Restoration Site in Alton, Illinois, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Thursday, April 14. Free lunch and necessary tools will be provided to volunteers. The volunteer day is being hosted by the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC sm ) in partnership with the Lewis and Clark Community College Restoration Ecology program, the Three Rivers Project of Sierra Club Illinois, and the City of Alton. This project is supported by Trees Forever. Formerly a golf course and now a pedestrian and bicycle trail, the trail's stream banks are currently overrun with bush honeysuckle and autumn olive, both invasive plant species that hinder the growth of native trees and shrubs. “Participants will learn about habitat restoration efforts taking place in the local community,” Director of Environmental Education Sarah Fisher said. Bush honeysuckle impacts many

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SPRINGFIELD - Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White announced today that entry forms are available for the 18th annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award. “We created the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition to promote creative writing and provide an outlet for talented writers,” White said. “Great poems have the ability to enrich and enhance our lives, and I am looking forward to celebrating talented poets with this year’s competition.” The competition is named in honor of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning Illinois Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks, and is co-sponsored by the Illinois Center for the Book and Illinois Poet Laureate Angela Jackson. The competition is open to Illinois residents age 18 and over. Entries must be postmarked by June 30, 2022. Cash prizes will be awarded for first ($500), second ($300) and third place ($100). Winning poems will be submitted for possible publication in the “Ninth

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PEORIA - Chris Manson and his 7-year-old daughter were hanging out at home when images from the war in Ukraine came on the television. Before he could change the channel, Manson was facing tough questions, as he puts it, from a young girl who was trying to understand the suffering she saw. Her words got Manson wondering if there was some way – even a small one – that people in central Illinois could do something to help. Working for one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the state of Illinois, it seemed a natural fit. At first, Manson just thought about sending medical supplies. To make sure they would be needed, he first contacted the Ukrainian consulate. Working in government relations for Peoria-based OSF HealthCare, Manson knew how to navigate the system to get the best answer. They enthusiastically accepted any offer of help and provided a list of the most critically-needed supplies, ones that were also easy to ship overseas. As he started t

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EAST ALTON - St. Louis Regional Airport Authority in East Alton, Illinois, is currently auctioning off a 1973 Cessna 150L aircraft, which is unregistered and unairworthy. This auction is open to the public at municibid.com and ends on Friday, April 15th. Illinois residents are able to bid in this government auction online, 24/7, on Municibid. This auction will help an Illinoian get a fantastic deal on the aircraft they always wanted! The St. Louis Regional Airport Authority is also auctioning off a Lycoming R-680-17 Radial Aircraft Engine (nine-cylinder, 225 HP). This auction is also open to the public at municibid.com and ends on Friday, April 15th. Why are these auctions important? All of the proceeds from these auctions is going right back into improving East Alton’s local community. 100% of the proceeds from these auctions go back to East Alton. These funds can be used for road maintenance, setting up local events for residents, community programs, public safety initiatives,

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EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville i s hosting its first One Day, One SIUE 24-hour day of giving on Thursday, April 21. This event will bring together the entire SIUE community–students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners–to raise money for worthwhile causes across the University. The day will culminate with an evening celebration on the SIUE Stratton Quad as the campus lights up red at sunset. “As we chart our path forward, I invite you to participate in our first One Day, One SIUE 24-hour day of giving,” said Chancellor James T. Minor. “Your generous support in reaching our goal of $350,000 will help SIUE boldly advance in our mission to provide access, opportunity, and educational experiences for all individuals who seek something greater.” Beginning at midnight on Thursday, April 21, and continuing all day, the community is encouraged to make a gift at siueday.com . Contributions will support student scholarships,

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ALTON - Laura Laura Bastin (center) of Speech Therapy is Alton Memorial Hospital’s April Employee of the Month. Laura received the award on April 8 from Sue Walker (left), manager of the AMH Human Motion Institute; and Dave Braasch, AMH President. The nomination for Laura says: “She always goes above and beyond for her patients. Laura is also a great resource from a PT perspective. I have asked her multiple times to speak to patients that I was evaluating for PT who expressed concerns with speech or swallowing-related issues. "She always has a smile on her face and has an infectious laugh, making everyone smile around her. Even when she is extremely busy, she keeps a positive attitude and ensures that her patients receive the best treatments. It is an honor to work alongside Laura.”

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County homeowners can apply for up to $30,000 in assistance through the Illinois Homeowners Assistance Fund (ILHAF) starting Monday. “The state received federal funding to assist homeowners who are delinquent in paying their mortgage or about ready to lose their home due to the pandemic,” Madison County Community Development Chief Deputy Program Administrator Chris Otto said. Otto said the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) announced a $309 million fund that is available to help homeowners pay past due mortgage payments, property taxes, property insurance, and delinquent homeowner and/or condominium association fees. ILAF is targeting homeowners who have experienced financial hardships caused during COVID-19. Applicants must also currently own and occupy their home in Illinois as their primary residence, be at least 30 days late on their mortgage or other homeowner expenses, and have a household income at or below 150 percent of th

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GODFREY – With a three-day celebration for their grand opening and a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the RiverBend Growth Association, Reiniger Jewelers has officially arrived in the Riverbend. It is now open in the former Maneke Jewelers location in Alton at 1633 Washington Avenue. There were about 25 people on hand to join in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Alton Mayor David Goins and RBGA Member Engagement Director Stefanie Withers. The grand opening included refreshments, gifts for those who stopped in during its three-day celebration, a drawing for six different prizes, and the store’s grand prize of a $1,500 shopping spree. Owner and third-generation independent jeweler Paul Reiniger bought the Alton business from Charlie Maneke at the end of December 2021, just weeks after opening a third location in Effingham in November. “Paul knew Charlie was retiring in Alton, and he called him to see if he could buy any equipment for his new Effingham location

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EDWARDSVILLE — Watershed Nature Center announced the lineup for their Earth Day celebration event to take place on Saturday, April 23rd, 2022. Festivities begin at 8 a.m. with the BJC HealthCare Run Wild! 5k & Fun Run followed by the Native Plant Sale and Pollinator Discovery Day activities at 10 a.m. The last day to register and receive an event t-shirt is Saturday, April 9th. However, registration will remain open until April 23rd. Participants can pick up their registration packets from 7:30- 8:30 a.m. on the morning of the event. The BJC HealthCare Run Wild! 5k & Fun Run consists of three separate opportunities: a 5k through the Watershed and Madison County Transit trails, a virtual 5k, and a 1-mile fun run. The price of registration varies among the Run Wild! opportunities and includes several products and services provided by local businesses on the day of the event and cash or certificate prizes for the winners. “We are thrilled to be Edwardsville's home

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Anderson Hospital Foundation recently welcomed three new members to its Board of Directors: Jason Geminn, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Chief Financial Officer Joseph Newman, Newman Carriers, Inc., President Nancy LeVault, Anderson Auxiliary, President Jason Geminn is an SIUE alumnus and joined Prairie Farms in 2010. In 2015 he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer where he now oversees the company’s Finance, Risk Management, and IT functions. Geminn has served on various Company boards and also previously served on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Accounting Advisory Board. Joe Newman is a lifelong resident of Edwardsville. His transport company, Newman Carriers, Inc., has 2 main terminals in Fairmont City, IL and Kankakee, IL, operating in 48 states, Canada and Mexico. He currently serves on several other boards including the executive board of the Illinois Trucking Association and Busey Bank Advisory Board. Nancy LeVault is the

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