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(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker is ending one of his COVID-19 mask mandates and modifying another. “The intention is to lift the mask mandate in indoor locations by Feb. 28," Pritzker revealed at an unrelated news conference Wednesday morning in Champaign. "Of course, we still have the sensitive locations of K-12 schools, where we have lots of people who are joined together in smaller spaces, thousands of people interacting in one location at a time. And so that’s something that will come weeks hence." Pritzker is expected to expand on his modified mask mandate during a news conference in Chicago Wednesday afternoon. House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, criticized the governor’s go-it-alone dictates that supermajority Democrats have left untouched. He said he has not been briefed by the governor on the plan. “This is the typical approach of the governor over the past two years,” Durkin said during an unrelated news conferenc

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WOOD RIVER - Wood River-Hartford Elementary School District 15 released a statement Tuesday afternoon that a search is underway to find an alternative location for students who were housed at the Lewis and Clark campus following a fire that affected both Lewis and Clark Elementary and Lewis and Clark Junior High School. Fortunately, the fire occurred during a snow day, preventing any injuries or fatalities. However, the buildings currently cannot be occupied by students. The district said in a statement that the closure could last anywhere from six to eight weeks to the remainder of the year. As the district undergoes the process of finding new locations for the students displaced by the fire, they urge parents to stay tuned to their Facebook page and district website for updates. “In the next few days, you will be receiving critical information from your child's school that will provide details on where students will be placed. Please check our Facebook

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SEE VIDEO: ALTON - Stutz Excavating was busy Wednesday in the demolition of the old artist Art Towata Studio/Warehouse Building at Sixth and Piasa Street near Downtown Alton. The building once housed much of Towata's works of art from both ceramics and paintings. It had deteriorated over time. Towata, a famed Alton artist, began using the space in the late 1970s. Towata died in 2019. He was a Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville graduate. Towata obtained his bachelor of arts and master’s in fine arts from Southern Illinois-University-Edwardsville, his bachelor's degree in 1962 and master’s in 1971. Towata lived in Alton for over 65 years. Towata was 8 years old when he was confined for three years with his mother and 2-year-old brother in the Manzanar camp in the U.S. Towata was a U.S. Air Force veteran stationed at Scott Air Force Base. He also was an artist and teacher and he related his experiences and inspired many students. Towata's impact on the

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In an interview recorded following the February 7 th Wood River City Council Meeting, Councilmember Sonya Hagaman disputed that the rec center would cost $12,000,000. She did not state what the estimated cost of the building would be, because she does not know how much it will cost. On January 18 th , she, Leroy Duncan and Scott Tweedy voted to put the rec center out for bid before the architectural plans or estimates of cost were available to the council. This was done with the intent to stifle public discussion or allow changes to the building design. I made a FOIA request in an effort to learn more about what was to be included in the rec center, but was denied on the grounds that it would violate the confidentiality of the bidding process. Second, she disagreed with a comment made during the meeting that in 1980 the voters of Wood River didn’t want the Aquatic Center built. Her statement is patently false. In 1980, the residents of Wood River voted down a bond referendum

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SPRINGFIELD - Gov. J.B. Pritzker made the expected announcement Wednesday that he plans to have the indoor mask mandate removed by Feb. 28. He did say that it will not apply to "sensitive locations of K-12 schools. Illinois is one of only nine states that had still required masks inside public places. "My intention is as we've seen these numbers peak at about 7,400 hospitalizations, and heading downward significantly - we're now I think under 2,500 hospitalizations, so that's almost a third of where we were at the peak and heading even further downward - to lift the mask mandate in the indoor locations by Feb. 28," the governor said. "And that... of course, we still have the sensitive locations of K-12 schools, where we have lots of people who are, you know, joined together in smaller spaces, thousands of people interacting in one location at a time. And so that's something that will come weeks hence. But very importantly, things are getting better across the state of Illinois." Pritzker'

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CARLINVILLE - Blackburn College has received a $500,000 gift to create the Sonja Faust Hudren Endowed Professorship in Education. Hudren’s brother, Blackburn Trustee Jim Faust, his wife Helen, and their children Kristen, Erika, and Stephen established the Professorship to honor her incredible passion for teaching and to preserve her legacy at Blackburn. Originally from Chicago, both siblings attended and graduated from Blackburn - Faust in 1964 and Hudren in 1966. “I wanted to go away for college and discovered in a brochure that you could get to Blackburn by train,” Faust said. “The College was a very friendly place and, when my sister came down to visit me, she enjoyed the campus as much as I did.” After earning her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, Hudren spent nearly 25 years in the classroom for the Dundee Community School District where she was well-liked by students and widely respected by her colleagues. Hudren cared deeply about

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ALTON — United Way 2-1-1 is partnering with local tax coalitions to provide free tax preparation services to St. Louis-area families with a household income of $57,000 or less in 2021. Local residents can dial 2-1-1 or visit 211helps.org to find their nearest tax preparation site, learn how to make an appointment, or get more information. The program will continue to operate flexibly to meet COVID-19 guidelines and keep volunteers and participants safe. While a limited number of sites offer walk-ins, most require advance appointments. “We are grateful to continue offering free income tax preparation services in light of the financial challenges the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created for families in the St. Louis region,” said Debbie Irwin, community economic development director, United Way of Greater St. Louis. “By offering free tax preparation services, families save money on costly tax preparation fees. Trained volunteers also work to make sure families

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SPRINGFIELD – In honor of Black History Month, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today kicked off a virtual campaign to highlight and celebrate the achievements of African Americans in Illinois. This year’s national theme is Black Health and Wellness. “Each year, it is important that we pause to honor the great contributions of people in Illinois doing impactful work in their communities,” Frerichs said. “These leaders are creating jobs, making a positive difference in the lives of our youth, and breaking down barriers to lead to a more equitable Illinois. We are thankful for their dedication and will continue to support those working hard to make things better for all.” Frerichs will honor the following recipients for their outstanding commitment to their Illinois communities: Outstanding Achievement in Arts and Humanities Roger J. Carter , Artist, Chicago Outstanding Service in Business Trez V. Pugh III , Founde

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Growing gardens in the summer can leave one feeling a little bored through the winter. Although there are a lot of cold-hardy plants you can still grow outside with minimal assistance, it's actually a lot easier to grow some things indoors than you might think. Growing salad greens or micro-greens can be done relatively easily and it really doesn't take up too much space. This can be done in a 10x20 tray on a designated shelf with grow lights or it can even be done in a cup on a window sill. It all just depends on what you want to grow and how much of it you want to have. A few ideas that are common include lettuce mixes, herbs and micro-greens. Some supplies you might want to have would include the seeds of your choice, a growing space, container(s), heat mats, potting soil mix, fertilizer and water. Really, all a plant needs to grow is soil, light and water. The additional supplies are certainly not “must haves,” they are just going to add to your success. Obviously, you

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Bob & Monica from Wood River Date Met/Started Dating: March 23, 1986 Briefly Describe First Date: Pere Marquette Date Married: March 26, 1994 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Spending family time, Date night, watching dirt racing. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Relationships are 50/50 and always tell each other " I Love You."

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GLEN CARBON – Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois is excited to announce that Girl Scout Cookies are starting to arrive in the hands of customers! If you haven’t gotten your freezers stocked up yet, we have you covered! National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend is right around the corner! February 18-20 will be the biggest weekend for the Girl Scout Cookie Program as drive-thru cookie booths will be held in areas all throughout Southern Illinois. To find a cookie booth near you (for this weekend or any other weekend) visit gsofsi.org/findcookies or text COOKIES to 59618. In addition, Girl Scouts will be in their neighborhoods for Walkabouts and Red Wagon Weekends during National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend as well as the previous weekend (February 11-13). Cookie booths will be held throughout the duration of the Girl Scout Cookie Program, which runs through March 20. You can use the cookie locator to find a cookie booth near you during any weekend now through March 20. Every Gir

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GODFREY – The Brown Bag Bistro has been chosen as the February 2022 RiverBend Growth Association Small Business of the Month award recipient. Located at 318 East Broadway in Alton, mother-daughter duo owners Christine and Erin Velloff have kept the restaurant establishment going after starting with other family members in the mix. “We were lucky enough to not have to let any staff go during the pandemic,” Christine noted. In business since 2018, the duo currently employs 18, with most of their kitchen staff working close to 40 hours a week. “We have only been open for three and a half years and our business has grown exponentially,” said Christine. “In the near future, we are hoping to add in our own delivery service so that we can give our customers the best service they can get and move away from third-party delivery service. We also hope to expand the upstairs and add another kitchen on-site.” The Brown Bag Bistro today reflects an extensive

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JERSEY COUNTY - Jersey County is embracing an official affiliation with BackStoppers. First responders are also set to support the organization with future fundraisers. Jerseyville Police Chief Brad Blackorby said he and the other first responders in Jersey County are excited to move ahead with the BackStoppers agreement. He said it will not only benefit Jerseyville Police but Jerseyville Fire, Grafton Police, Jersey County Sheriff’s Office, and all the first responders in Jersey County. This also includes all volunteer firefighters in Jersey County and EMS personnel. BackStoppers was started in this region by Richard H. Amberg, one-time publisher of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. The publisher took the idea of Nicholas Blassie, president of Meatcutters Union Local #8 in Detroit, who created an organization that provided relief for families of fallen public servants. Amberg invited key civic leaders from business, labor, and other professions and created the charger for BackStoppers

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From ancient Greece, live performance theater has had a rich and sometimes challenging history and nothing short of controversial. Thespis, the Greek poet, is considered the father of tragedy and introduced dialogue to the live performance’s choral performance structure, though some scholars tend to disagree. But it is no longer the time of Ancient Greece. The United States has its vibrant history of live performance theater from the Broadway Theater in Manhattan, N.Y., to Illinois’ longest-running community theater, Alton Little Theater, located in Alton. Alton Little Theater’s website states it was founded in 1933 by an English teacher, Dorothy Colonius, who had a clear vision of creating a community theater for Alton residents. Eighty-eight seasons later, the torch was passed to Executive Director and goddaughter of Colonius, Lee Cox, and her passionate and theater-loving team members. It is no easy feat to put together a live performance, and what the audience

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ST. LOUIS - The U.S. Postal Service has acknowledged delivery has been backed up in recent days because of the serious winter storm that hit many parts of the United States and also hit this region with considerable snow and ice this past week. One local postal service branch supervisor said some carriers on Wednesday morning received 6,000 letters to deliver, so it appears the backlog in postal services receiving mail has broken. She encouraged residents to be patient because the service is working hard to rectify the delay in delivery. “Every office in the 620 and 622 zip codes have had delays,” the area postal supervisor said. “Our carriers normally get up to 300 letters a day and they averaged 20 to 80 letters a day until today, and they now have over 6,000 letters. We have been backed up since last week because of the weather.” A U.S. Post Office spokesperson says the agency is aware of delivery problems and is taking steps to address the issues. The recent

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Kelly And Kevin Willumat from Granite City Date Met/Started Dating: June 7, 1984 Briefly Describe First Date: I was 9 so we sat on the swings and talked. Date Married: August 26, 1994 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Disc Golf Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Compromise. Have a day a week with your own friends.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Kim & Kraig Daniels from East Alton Date Met/Started Dating: August 30, 2014 Briefly Describe First Date: Football game followed by Applebees for dinner. Date Married: October 14, 2017 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: We’re both competitive at heart so whether it’s Dave and Busters or playing the Wii we love to play games together. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Don’t ever lose your playfulness, just because your growing older together and have more responsibility doesn’t mean you can’t have fun together.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Megan and Scott Rardin from Alton Date Met/Started Dating: June 8, 2006 Briefly Describe First Date: We enjoyed a few drinks at a local establishment. Date Married: July 8, 2013 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: We enjoy going to sporting events, live concerts, and the occasional parents' night away! Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: You can’t always get what you want but as long as you got each other you got all you need.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Butch and Juanita Davis from Cottage Hills Date Met/Started Dating: December 16, 1997 Briefly Describe First Date: Movies and Taco Bell Date Married: October 16, 1999 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Camping, church, window shopping and just spending time together. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Talk things out, don't go to bed upset, and tell each other that you love each other.

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As a veteran political reporter, Taylor Pensoneau placed a premium on accuracy and realism. Now, as an accomplished fiction writer, he is doing the same. Pensoneau has just released Devil on the Prairie (Downstate Publications: $18.95), an intricately written mystery novel that captures readers with its suspense and numerous sidebars. The fast-moving work weaves real-life locales throughout the Midwest to provide a sense of place, and create a realistic tone. “Many of the scenes from the book are set in real places in southwestern Illinois, St. Louis, and elsewhere,” remarked Pensoneau. “I visited a lot of those places in my youth, and in my work in journalism.” Pensoneau, who lives in New Berlin, IL, was a top political writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in the 1960s and 1970s. He was based at the Illinois statehouse for much of his time with Post-Dispatch, but covered some of the seminal moments in national political history, including the Watergate

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