Riverbender 🕸

Couples names: Brandon & Kayley City: Alton Date met or started dating: July 8, 2015 What makes your relationship special? The love we share for one another is unbeatable. We are able to have open communication to where we genuinely understand one another. Home is where we are together. We have two incredibly amazing babies, and two fur babies. Whatever one of us lacks, the other picks up with no questions asked. We are each others highschool sweethearts, best friends, and soul mates. Share a memory you have made together: Becoming the best of friends at 15 years old, to building a relationship, experiencing loss, giving birth to two of our babies, family vacation, our first place, and many more!

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Couples names: Mike & Rachel Dawid City: Edwardsville Date met or started dating: May 30, 2009 Date married: April 19, 2014 What makes your relationship special? Everything we do we work together on. We thrive on making our relationship and family work by being a team and working together. We love to spend time together and also make memories with our kids. We have 4 small kids all under the age of 7. We love to serve each other daily with words of affirmation, acts of service, and just being present. Share a memory you have made together: We got engaged in NYC. Spent our 5 year wedding anniversary there. And plan on celebrating our 10 year anniversary there next April.

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Couples names: Nathaniel & Jacqi City: St. Louis Date met or started dating: June 30, 2012 Date married: March 7, 2014 What makes your relationship special? How we met on the river boating in Nathaniel’s words… It was a hot and steamy day on 30 June 2012 I sat on the beach of enterprise island arguably the most romantic place in the world as the sun was setting and tequila bottles where drain a magical moment happened Jacqi gazed to the west and the sky lit up like the gates of heaven. she noticed an incredibly chiseled tattoo country boy practicing synchronize swimming techniques in the deep blue waters of the mighty Mississippi River. he had the look of both predator and prey. the sunshine rays glistened off his freshly Crisco oiled skin. she knew that this was no ordinary boy. at that exact moment Nathaniel looked East as an angel appeared in the horizon. her hair sparkled in the summer sun and her hair resembled the tail of the most beautiful Clydesdale.

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Couples names: Amber & Jason Craig City: Bethalto Date met or started dating: March 18, 2020 Date married: April 9, 2022 What makes your relationship special? We always tell each other the truth and we love enjoying the outdoors 4 wheeling and camping with our children. Share a memory you have made together: We took a family trip to Florida last summer. It was all our first time to the beach and to see the ocean.

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Couples names: Steven & Lauren City: Alton Date met or started dating: December 9, 2020 What makes your relationship special? The way we can always count on each other. Share a memory you have made together: Our son Travis

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Couples names: Tim & Tammy Reese City: Godfrey Date met or started dating: September 14, 1981 Date married: May 14, 1983 What makes your relationship special? The unbreakable bond, love, and friendship they share. This is their eldest daughter, Trisha, I’m submitting this for them as this year they will celebrate 40 years of marriage. Amazing right? I’ve always envied the love my parents shared. My dad: patient, kind, funny. My mom: also patient, kind, drives my dad insane with her huge heart of gold and hands ALL in to help any and everyone at anytime! They’ve raised 3 beautiful children and have 9 beautiful grandkids and 2 adorable grandpups! Their life is full of love and they still act like those two crazy kids that fell in love at the Alton Expo in 1981! Share a memory you have made together: They met at the Alton Expo back when the Alton Expo was “cool”. She called out “Hey Reese(y)” (not knowing how to pronounce his

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THE CONVERSATION - With a speech crammed full of promises – to provide more support to veterans, protect children from online dangers and crack down on fentanyl trafficking, to list just a few – President Joe Biden laid out his administration’s priorities in the annual State of the Union address . For the most part, Biden struck a positive tone delivering the speech, which drew cheers and applause – and the occasional heckling – during the joint session of Congress. But the president’s upbeat demeanor came at the end of what is usually a tough and sometimes impossible process for the writers who have crafted the speech. In any administration, writing the annual State of the Union address is a difficult assignment. I should know: I am a former presidential speechwriter for George H.W. Bush , and while I never wrote a State of the Union speech, I’ve seen the process up close and was always relieved to have dodged the bullet. Sure, the State

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Names: Left to right sitting is Marce Corbett and Sharon Rowden (deceased). Left to right standing as Ro Noll, Dee Lavic, Mary June Crowson, Mary Dixon, Jean Hauck (deceased), Joan Albers, Carolyn Dooley and Mary Lynn Rose. City: Godfrey and Alton Date met: June 1, 1954 What makes your relationship special? Friends from Marquette high school have been getting together monthly for almost 70 years! Share a memory you have made together: Picture taken on July 5, 2017. This ladies club began in 1954 when they graduated from Marquette High School. In the beginning, they alternated homes to enjoy coffee and conversation. Children were included. That lasted for a few years until there were too many children. From there they continued to meet in their homes but as a ladies’ night out and started playing cards, and sharing snacks and beverages. They would meet twice per month in those days. A few took lessons learning to play bridge, consequently teaching the rest of the

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Couples names: Latavia Jo & Tianna City: Alton Date met or started dating: August 7, 2020 What makes your relationship special? Latavia Jo & Tianna met in August 2020 through a mutual friend and began dating on December 21, 2021. Their relationship is really special because Tianna had been single for over four years before “finding” Latavia Jo and continued to wait for her to become single. Tianna would often run into Latavia Jo downtown Alton and “knew they would one day become a couple” Share a memory you have made together: Tianna and Latavia Jo have traveled a lot together over the last year visiting Chicago, IL twice, Arkansas, Memphis Tennessee, Nashville Tennessee, Las Vegas Nevada and Tulum.

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Couples names: Dean & Carole Mann City: Carrollton Date met or started dating: May 21, 1971 Date married: November 3, 1973 What makes your relationship special? Dean and I started dating shortly after he was drafted. He was eventually deployed to Vietnam. We communicated by letters, as there were no computers or cell phones. Dean was discharged in February 1973 and we got married November 3, 1973-50 years this year! We appreciate every day together and enjoy each day together. We love to walk, bike ride, and hiking at Pere Marquette. Simple things-together! Share a memory you have made together: We have so many wonderful memories. We both love Halloween and having Halloween parties and decorating our garage for trick or treaters. Other wonderful memories are the day Dean got home from Vietnam, our wedding day, the birth of each of our 4 children, and the birth of each of our 6 grandchildren. God has truly blessed us!

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Couples names: Greg & Lauren LeClaire City: Alton Date met or started dating: October 12, 1984 Date married: October 2, 2009 What makes your relationship special? WE dated in high school. She became the Queen of Highland in 1987. I was in the Navy and asked Lauren to marry me but she refused. 24 years later we got together and have been married for 13 years. She is now an RN and I am a mechanic. She is the LOVE of my life. Share a memory you have made together: My goodness I took a hard drive down to Riverbender tech suppor and they recovered our drive. So many pictures of us back when we started out together. 8 kids but none of our own. Lauren is an amazing woman.

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JERSEY COUNTY - Two Rivers Crime Stoppers posted information today in conjunction with the Jersey County Sheriff's Office and sought the whereabouts of a man wanted for a charge of delivery/possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. Jeremiah Bowman, 5-foot-7, 150 pounds, birth 02-24-89, is the person wanted. He has ties in Greene County and Calhoun County. The arrest warrant was valid as of this posting. If anyone has any information about the whereabouts of Bowman, contact the Jersey County Sheriff's Office at 1-800-300-2590.

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GODFREY – Welding Technology Program Coordinator Travis Jumper and Biology adjunct faculty member Paula Holloway have been chosen by their peers as Lewis and Clark Community College’s nominees for the Illinois Community College Trustees Association’s (ICCTA) Outstanding Full-Time and Adjunct Faculty Member Awards. The awards recognize the instructors’ high achievements. Travis Jumper, ICCTA Outstanding Full-Time Faculty Award nominee “I’m aware of the acclaim and distinction this award comes with and I’m astonished and thrilled to be nominated,” Jumper said. “I will do everything in my power and ability to live up to the honor bestowed on me by my colleagues and friends, and will do my best to represent our wonderful institution.” Jumper began his run as a full-time faculty member and welding coordinator in August 2012 and is currently pursuing his doctorate in an effort to better serve L&C and his students. His academic

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GODFREY – Prospective students considering advancing their careers or just furthering their education are invited to tour campus and check out available programs during Discover Day at Lewis and Clark Community College, Monday, Feb. 20. Discover Day gives future Trailblazers the chance to tour campus, meet with academic and financial aid advisors, learn about our programs and career opportunities, and get a tase of student life with free food, music and fun. This open-house style event gives prospective students and parents the chance to interact with other students, as well as L&C faculty and staff. L&C Recruiter Daniel Nosce believes Discover Day is a great time to learn what it’s like to be part of Trailblazer Nation. “Discover Day is a chance for students in our surrounding communities to learn what makes Lewis and Clark Community College special,” he said. “We’ll showcase everything that L&C has to offer, from programs and departments

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WASHINGTON - Congresswoman Mary Miller (IL-15) announced that she will not be attending the State of the Union on Tuesday night in protest of Joe Biden's record with the American people. "Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up President Trump’s State of the Union Address, which celebrated a secure border, support for our military, and American energy independence," Miller said. "Joe Biden’s presidency has been filled with lie after lie, especially lies about the border being secure, inflation being temporary, and the DOJ targeting parents for attending school board meetings. I will not be attending Biden’s State of the Union to listen to him lie about the damage he has caused to our country while the left-wing media and members of Congress applaud his lies." Miller cited Biden's recent lies about the national security risk of the Chinese spy balloon that flew across the entire continental United States, in addition to the lies Biden told about illegally taking

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EDWARDSVILLE - Junior forward Jake Curry has made many positive contributions to the Edwardsville boys basketball season this year, as the Tigers have come back from a slow start to win 14 of its last 17 games and eight of their previous nine contests. The latest wins came over the weekend, with Edwardsville pulling off a 33-32 win over Belleville East at home on Feb. 3, then going on the road to defeat Waterloo 44-28 on Feb. 4. For Curry's part, he's been averaging 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, racking up 58 assists, 18 steals and two blocked shots along the way. As far as the Tigers' current streak, which reached four with the win over the Bulldogs, he's feeling very optimistic. Curry is an iCAN Clinic Male Athlete of the Month for the Tigers. "I feel good," Curry said in an interview that followed the big win over the Lancers. "We worked really hard this week in practice. We thought we were going to have a game on Monday (against East St. Louis SIUE Charter, which was postponed

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WOOD RIVER - Kacey M. Hill is the 2022 Wood River Telecommunicator of the Year. Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells said telecommunications have a stressful job and must stay calm in frantic situations, listen to violent events, and cope with their own strikes of adrenaline. “Telecommunicators must have good judgment skills and the ability to make decisions quickly,” Chief Wells said. “The prioritize calls by the level of importance. They need to recognize the difference between emergencies and non-emergencies. “Telecommunicator Hill is a great example of the description above and remained focused and calm during an officer-involved shooting in the Village of South Roxana, an officer-involved shooting in the City of Wood River, and a large fire at Lewis & Clark Junior High/Elementary. She performed her job above and beyond the call of duty.” Chief Wells said Hill makes a difference in the community and exemplifies the mission of the police department.

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SPRINGFIELD - The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded a $1.5 million grant to SIU School of Medicine scientist Brandon Cox, PhD, to test compounds that are predicted to stimulate regeneration of cells used for hearing, called hair cells. The process could illuminate a path to restore human hearing. Researchers have discovered that birds, fish and amphibians can regrow these auditory hair cells. The new hair cells form from adjacent supporting cells after damage. Humans are born with roughly 12,000 of these specialized sound-detecting cells within the ear. Hair cell damage is a common cause of hearing loss, affecting about 1.5 billion people worldwide. Once hair cells are killed, it is believed the damage is irreversible and becomes cumulative as we age. Hearing loss is the most common injury that affects men and women serving in the United States military. The damage can result from either intense or prolonged exposure to loud noise or exposure to specific medications. Members

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GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College experienced an increase in enrollment this spring for the first time since the Spring of 2016. “It is definitely due to everyone’s hard work that we are experiencing an increase in total student enrollment and headcount,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Cherise Jackson. “In addition to new strategies we have deployed focused on recruitment efforts, efforts aimed at retaining students and supporting them through their academic journeys toward graduation are also playing an important role in our overall increases in enrollment." As of Feb. 6, the total student headcount was up 9.6 percent to 4,007 students, with total credit hours up 5 percent to 32,869. Of the college’s student body, there are currently 2,444 students (up 5.2 percent) taking 24,776 credit hours (up 3.2 percent) at Lewis and Clark, and 1,563 dual credit students (up 17.3 percent) taking 8,093 credit hours (up 10.9 percent) at their

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EAST ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State Police (ISP) Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG) is an investigative unit created in 2019 comprised of both state and local law enforcement agencies and community organizations utilizing a community-based approach to violent crime reduction. PSEG successfully helped decrease violent crime in the East St. Louis area in 2022. Compared to 2021, homicides in East St. Louis decreased by 22% and non-fatal shootings by 29%. In 2022, PSEG seized more than 175 firearms. “Thanks to ISP’s Public Safety Enforcement Group, we’ve taken significant steps forward in building safer communities where all families can thrive,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our dedicated troopers and historic investments in state-of-the-art facilities are crucial components of a holistic, community-based approach to reducing violent crime and making Metro East residents feel safe.” “In 2019, there were 36 homicides and 121

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