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SPRINGFIELD – Total nonfarm jobs increased in thirteen metropolitan areas and decreased in one for the year ending February 2023, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (DES). Over-the-year, the unemployment rate decreased in seven areas, increased in five areas and was unchanged in two. “Today’s data is further indication that job growth continues to trend in the right direction with expansion throughout every corner of the state across sectors,” said Deputy Governor Andy Manar. “Job expansion creates new and growing career opportunities for jobseekers and the demand for employers to invest in and retain the talented and diverse Illinois labor force.” The metro areas which had the largest over-the-year percentage increases in total nonfarm jobs were the Bloomington MSA (+4.8%, +4,500), the Peoria MSA (3.9%, +6,400), and the Champaign-Urbana MSA (+3.4%, +4,000).

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EAST ST. LOUIS – In a U.S. District courtroom Wednesday, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts against a St. Louis man accused of several attempted sex crimes against a minor. Members of the jury found Vallie Francis Zeller, 46, guilty of Attempted Enticement of a Minor, Travel with Intent to Engage in Sexual Conduct with a Minor and Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor after evidence presented at trial showed he was conversing online with an alleged 15-year-old girl with the intention of having sex with the minor. “The defendant deliberately tried to exploit a minor for sexual activity and chose to drive across state lines to engage in criminal sex acts, and I’m grateful the jury convicted him on all counts,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “The FBI works diligently to protect minors from online predators, and I appreciate their collaboration with our office to put this offender behind bars.” “The FBI’s investigation revealed

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ST. LOUIS – The National Weather Service in St. Louis is issuing a strong warning for the region for severe weather and it has been expanded further south across a large portion of the area. The area is under a TORCON level of 7, which is a Tornado Conditions Index by The Weather Channel. A 7 would be a 70 percent chance of tornado activity within 50 miles of any location in an indicated area. TORCON stands for Tornado Condition Index. On a scale of 0 to 10, a specific region is given a number, with higher numbers indicating a higher risk of a tornado within 50 miles of the given location. The TORCON levels were created by retired meteorologist Dr. Greg Forbes. It has been a long period of time since the area has had that predicted level. During the Edwardsville Amazon Warehouse tornado, the region was only under an enhanced risk. The Edwardsville Tornado was an EF-3. These storms could come very fast at a projected 60-70 mph winds and residents will only have a few minutes t

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas A. Haine announced Wednesday that a jury has convicted an Alton man of three counts of attempted murder in connection with the shootings of three people, including a woman whose leg was nearly severed. Following a week-long trial, a jury found 36-year-old Steven Foster guilty of three counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm. The jury also found that prosecutors proved Foster personally discharged a firearm during the offenses, meaning he qualifies for an enhanced sentence. Foster will be sentenced later and, with the sentence enhancement, faces a minimum 93-year prison term. “Thankfully, no lives were lost as a result of this shooting,” Haine said. “Still, we are glad the jury has convicted this repeat criminal. He now faces a very lengthy term of incarceration, and will no longer pose a threat to our

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ALTON – The Irish Day Celebration and Kentucky Derby Day Celebration are all days that draw large crowds to Alton and other area business establishments. The St. Pat’s Celebrations and other significant times of the year around Alton are always captivating and the 2023 edition was certainly the same. Included are selections of the best photos submitted from those big days in Alton and again a St. Pat's video. Three of the most Irish businesses of the group – Johnson’s Corner, Mac’s, and Morrison’s – once again had a lot to celebrate. Several other establishments throughout the area also had big celebrations, including the VFW Post 1308, which had a Poppy Dance for a fundraiser. VFW officials said that evening was dynamite and they will likely make it an annual tradition rather than standing on the street corners seeking donations for poppy sales. The three Irish establishments agree that St. Pat’s is one of the biggest days of the year.

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas A. Haine announced Wednesday that a judge has approved his office’s petition to have a Madison man declared sexually dangerous and committed to the Illinois Department of Corrections. Following a bench trial, Associate Judge Neil Schroeder on Monday granted the Sexually Dangerous Person Act petition filed by the State’s Attorney’s Office against 58-year-old David F. Brown. The judge found that Brown has a mental illness, has demonstrated a propensity toward offenses of sexual assault, and there is a substantial probability he will commit sex offenses in the future if not confined. The verdict means Brown will be a ward of the Director of the Illinois Department of Corrections and will be held indefinitely in a special unit inside a state prison. At the trial, two psychologists who evaluated Brown testified that he fits the definition of a Sexually Dangerous Person. Haine commended the work of Assistant

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ALTON - The City of Alton has announced it is changing its domain in 2023 from cityofaltonil.com and altonpolice.com to cityofaltonil.gov . Here are a few fundamental reasons why: This change will increase the security and searchability of our online presence. The first set of standards for domains, developed in the 1980s, originally designated .com for commercial purposes and .gov for government. To maintain domain integrity, eligibility is limited to qualified government organizations and programs. Having a managed domain name such as .gov assures users that they are accessing an official U.S. government site. Riverbender designed, maintains, and hosts the City of Alton webpage. The old domain name will continue to work for a period of time. “There are several reasons why the switch from .com to .gov is necessary," Director of Information Technology Jarvis T. Swope said. "The biggest reason is that .gov is controlled by federal government domains that are more secure

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ST. LOUIS – The Metro East and St. Louis areas are preparing for the possibility of severe storms in the afternoon and evening hours on Friday. The National Weather Service in St. Louis has said that severe thunderstorms are likely across parts of the area on Friday and currently the best time for severe storms is the afternoon and evening hours mainly between 2-9 p.m. “All hazards will be possible, including tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail,” the NWS said. “There is high confidence that the area will see at least scattered severe thunderstorms.” The NWS said a strong low-pressure system before a cold front moves on Friday afternoon and evening. The NWS said after the severe EF-3 tornado that occurred at the Amazon Warehouse in Edwardsville with 150 mph winds in December 2021 that killed six workers, the area always needs to be prepared when high wind and storm conditions are predicted. Many of the victims were delivery drivers, who pulled

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ROXANA - Head coach for the Shell's baseball team Jerry Wheaton will tell you that his team is young and somewhat inexperienced at the varsity level. Wheaton's varsity team has four seniors and a junior, the rest underclassmen. One of those seniors, Kaden Bloemker, has been giving it his all through this young season, but not seeing the results. Wednesday afternoon he broke out of a slump in a big way. Roxana beat the Jersey Panthers by a score of 7-6 after a walk-off single from Bloemker in the bottom of the seventh. “(Bloemker)’s a senior, he’s 0-15 coming into that plate appearance but he’s only had one strikeout," coach Wheaton said. "Which means he’s been putting the ball in play, but just running into some bad luck. He needed that. We needed that,” Wheaton added. For his contribution in Wednesday's game, Kaden is a Midwest Members Credit Union Athlete of the Month for Roxana. He earned the game's lineup card when all was said and done

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ALTON - Kindergarten Enrollment is gearing up for Alton School District later this spring from April 17-20. Families and students will be able to enroll, meet the teachers, tour their school, get a photo taken with Redbird, and go on a bus ride from Illinois Central. Rene Hart, director of curriculum, said she looks forward to meeting the students and parents every year at the event, which is “always well-attended.” “We’re just really, really excited to welcome this new class and looking forward to some really great events at the school. It’s always a well-attended event and it’s just nice to meet the incoming families and the kiddos,” Hart said. This event is for all incoming kindergarteners, including students currently enrolled in Early Childhood and Head Start. Hart said students will take a Pre-K assessment while parents complete the enrollment process, and both can participate in other activities at the event. “That way, familie

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CARLINVILLE - The Blackburn College Choir will present its final performance of the season, a spring choir concert, on Sunday, April 16, at 2:00 pm in Bothwell Auditorium. The April 16 concert is free and open to the public. The concert will serve as a preview before the choir travels to New York City for the opportunity to sing at Carnegie Hall - a dream for many vocalists. The Spring Concert will feature selections from Robert Ray's Gospel Mass and several additional songs with a New York theme, which they will perform at the world-famous venue with the New England Symphonic Ensemble under the direction of Maria Ellis at the end of June. “I'm very excited to go to New York,” said Andy Morris, a senior Music major from West Frankfort, IL. “I've grown so much since entering the Blackburn music program and I'm glad I've gotten such a wonderful opportunity." The unforgettable education and performance experience will feature students that are a part of the College’s

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GRANITE CITY - Granite City High School senior twins Adrian and Lillian Bloomquist celebrated their 18 th birthday by signing with Evangel Women’s Soccer on Wednesday at GCHS. For their accomplishment, Adrian and Lillian are Stillwater Senior Living Athletes of the Month for Granite City. Evangel University is a private Christian university in Springfield, Mo. The Bloomquist twins and the Warriors' soccer team are off to a 4-0 start this season, a team that is senior-heavy. They are two of 11 total seniors on the team that is expecting big things. The Bloomquist twins both play key roles on this season's team. Lillian already has an assist this year while Adrian awaits to get on the scoresheet. At Evangel, they will be reunited with former teammate Anna Krueger, a 2021 GCHS graduate.

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DECATUR — Governor JB Pritzker joined state and local leaders along with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) today to announce a nearly $200 million investment in 22 projects that will improve the movement of freight throughout the state, creating jobs and economic opportunity while enhancing safety and local quality of life. Administered by IDOT using federal funds, the Illinois Competitive Freight Program is designed to implement the goals of the Illinois State Freight Plan . Successful proposals were ranked based on the plan’s goals: increasing safety, improving reliability, and boosting intermodal connections and commerce at the local level. “For the last four years, we’ve invested billions of dollars in communities across Illinois to restore and renew all modes of transportation throughout our state: roads, bridges, airports, and transit, as well as pedestrian and bike routes. And today, I’m proud to announce yet another leap forward

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ST. LOUIS - Today, rock n roll legends KISS announced the addition of four new dates on their final tour, THE END OF THE ROAD TOUR. Produced by Live Nation, these final runs of shows will kick off this October and now include stops in Detroit, Nashville, St. Louis and Ft. Worth before wrapping up with a massive show in the city where it all began for KISS. New York City has been a part of the band’s ethos and storyline for more than four decades, so they felt it fitting to culminate an iconic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-worthy career on stage at New York’s famed MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. Tickets will be available starting Monday, April 3, with a KISS Army presale at 10 a.m. local time. Additional presales will be available throughout the week before the general on-sale starting on Friday, April 7 at 10 a.m. local time at livenation.com . 2023 NORTH AMERICA TOUR ITINERARY ** go to KISSOnline.com to see the full tour itinerary of shows Date City Venue October 20

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with leaders from Ameren Corporation, a utility company that services more than two million customers in Illinois. During their meeting, Durbin heard about Ameren’s plans to build out clean energy infrastructure, including a $10.2 million community solar project and learning center in East St. Louis, Illinois. “Illinoisans rely on Ameren’s services to keep the lights on,” said Durbin. “It’s heartening to hear of new, innovative ways that Ameren is seeking to provide service to Illinoisans while turning toward sources of renewable energy like solar projects to ensure that our local grid systems are reliable.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) reintroduced legislation today that would provide U.S. Department of Transportation funding on a competitive basis for the construction of new parking spaces for large commercial trucks. Bost was joined in introducing the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Action by U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) and U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY). “I grew up in a family trucking business,” said Bost. “I understand how difficult, and oftentimes dangerous, it can be when America’s truckers are forced to push that extra mile in search of a safe place to park. By expanding access to parking options for truckers, we are making our roads safer for all commuters and ensuring that goods and supplies are shipped to market in the most efficient way possible. This is a matter of public safety; and I’m committed to do all I can to drive this legislation over the finish line.” "The lack of safe an

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CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - The Staenberg Group , a full-spectrum real estate and development firm, is announcing The Hub , a state-of-the-art event space, will open in early summer 2023. The Hub will become the heartbeat of The District , a dynamic entertainment district located in Chesterfield at 17057 North Outer 40 Road. This park-like outdoor space will include a large LED screen, cutting-edge sound system, and a stage for performances that measures 70 ft across and 21 ft deep. The viewing area with a capacity for 400 people and the elevated stage will exist alongside local sit-down restaurants with patios and a brewery, social hall, beer garden, and pavilion. 4 Hands Brewing Company, with its partner Hi-Pointe, is one of these restaurants. “The Hub is going to be the heartbeat of The District and where the experience begins,” says The Staenberg Group President Michael Staenberg. “It will be the place to be for everyone in the St. Louis community to feel welcome

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GRANITE CITY - Juniors Luke Stepanek and Hailee Wyatt of Granite City High School were selected as Granite City Rotary Club Students of the Month for March. 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 the Granite City Rotary Club Meeting on May 16, 2023. LUKE STEPANEK Three-year varsity Warrior Hockey Club member ... Two-year varsity boys golf and boys volleyball letterwinner ... Three-year Honor Roll and Secondary Honors ... Member of Saturday Scholars and Student Council ... Volunteer for Student Council Thanksgiving and Christmas Basket delivery and Freshman Orientation ... Warrior Hockey Club Sportsmanship Award ... Warrior Hockey Club Alternate Captain ... Son of Paul and Sarah Stepanek. HAILEE WYATT Three-year member of girls basketball

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WOOD RIVER - The ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) workshop was hosted by LivingWorks in collaboration with Compass Health, Missouri Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Osage County Anti-Drug Community Action Team. The two-day workshop featured lectures, audiovisuals, discussions, and simulations. The workshop had the objective to provide individuals with skills on how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, providing a skilled intervention, and developing a safety plan to keep someone safe. Three staff from Riverbend Family Ministries' (RFM) SOAR program were in attendance - Program Coordinators, Nathaniel Carlson and Marissa Green, and Program Director, Kenlea Herndon. The SOAR program staff work directly with at-risk adolescence in a group setting discussing sensitive topics around mental health. Staff were sent to this workshop with the intent for them to become more equip to have conversations regarding suicide and to respond appropriately

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent letters to publishers of several of the most popular online games—that have reported extremist content issues—requesting information regarding their actions to identify and remove content that broadcasts or promotes terrorism, violent extremism, or hate crimes, as well as any efforts they have made to address the use of their platforms by those who perpetrate such acts or who seek to recruit or radicalize like-minded individuals. Last May, after a gunman killed ten and injured three at a Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo, New York, Durbin sent letters to the two social media platforms, Twitch and Discord, that the gunman used to plan and then livestream his premediated attack. Through that work and subsequent reports issued by social media watchdogs, it has become clear that extremists and other malicious actors are using features of online video games, and no

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