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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt was sworn into office Wednesday for another term in the Illinois Senate. “With the start of the 103 rd General Assembly, I will continue fighting for the residents of the 57 th District,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “I will continue to address the challenges facing the people of the Metro East to better their daily lives and I am proud to be their voice in Springfield for another term.” Belt has represented the 57 th District since 2019. The district includes parts of St. Clair and Madison Counties and includes communities such as East St. Louis, Belleville, and Scott Air Force Base. Belt has championed a number of legislative solutions, such as expanding the organ donor registry, banning the burning of toxic chemicals, providing feminine hygiene products at homeless shelters, and ensuring students are fed at school. As a former school board member and chair of the Senate Education Committee, Belt remains a strong

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SPRINGFIELD – Women Employed, which has been creating fundamental, systemic change for working women for nearly 50 years, today applauded the passage of SB208, the Paid Leave for All Workers Act, which provides up to 40 hours, or five days, of paid time off for all Illinois workers for any reason, including for an employee’s illness, to care for a sick family member, or for medical appointments. Women Employed led a broad-based coalition of advocates fighting for a statewide law providing paid time off for all workers. Until now, about 1.5 million workers in Illinois did not have access to a single paid sick day. The new law, sponsored by Rep. Gordon-Booth and Sen. Lightford and championed by workers’ rights advocates and labor leaders, makes Illinois the 17 th state to secure paid sick time for its workers. “No one should fear losing income or their job because they or their loved ones are sick,” Women Employed’s Associate Director of Polic

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GRANITE CITY - Auditions for Granite City-based Alfresco Productions’ “9 to 5: The Musical” are being held on Thursday, Jan. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Auditions will take place at the Alfresco Performing Arts Center, located at 2041 Delmar Avenue in Granite City. “9 to 5: The Musical” is based on the movie from 1980 and features music and lyrics by Dolly Parton. Visit this link to see which audition slots are still available and sign up for an audition. Alfresco Productions requests those auditioning to “prepare 32 measures of a song of your choosing in the style of the character you are auditioning for.” More information to help prepare, including Audition Materials and Character Breakdowns, are available on the Alfresco Productions website . Callbacks will be held on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. if needed, and the cast will be announced that evening. It’s important to note that not

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EAST ST. LOUIS – After the Illinois legislature approved and Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill outlawing assault-style weapons, they are officially banned Wednesday morning in Illinois. Governor Pritzker signed the bill Tuesday night in Springfield after the Illinois House passed it earlier in the day 68 to 41. The bill initially cleared the House last week, but then the house had to pass it again after the senate approved the legislation with some changes. The ban took effect immediately. It is now illegal to sell assault weapons in Illinois. Illinois now is the ninth state in the U.S. to pass an assault weapons ban. The legislation caps the purchase of ammunition magazines at 10 rounds for long guns and 15 rounds for handguns. The legislation says rapid-fire devices, known as “switches,” are also banned because they turn firearms into fully automatic weapons. Pending assault rifle sales are supposedly still being processed, but only if the required background

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EDWARDSVILLE - A Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville client and local entrepreneur, with a passion for serving her community and helping others, has been featured as the cover photo in the St. Louis Small Business Monthly (SBM) newsletter for the December 2022 edition. The SBM features a website and monthly print and digital newsletter that provides local businesses around the St. Louis Metro area with resources and advice to help them succeed. Ericka Logan, co-founder of Logan & Logan Management & Accounting Services, is photographed on the cover with the tagline that reads, “Southwest Illinois People to Know.” “The Logan’s have worked hard to grow their business and provide high quality service to their clients,” said Jo Ann Di Maggio May, Illinois SBDC for the Metro East director. “They invest a great deal of time into their Belleville community, and I couldn’t

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EDWARDSVILLE - Tuesday afternoon, Edwardsville High School received an anonymous email tip regarding a possible threat of a school shooting at the school. "We promptly began working with our School Resource Officer, Sgt. Matt Evers, and the Edwardsville Police Department, who investigated the threat," Edwardsville School District 7 Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton said. "The subject of the potential threat was quickly identified and located. It was determined that there was no imminent threat to any of our students. "Due to student privacy, we are unable to provide additional details." Dr. Shelton commended the quick police response to the incident. "We appreciate the immediate response of Sgt. Evers and the Edwardsville Police Department, as well as the individual who came forward to alert us of the threat," he said. "The safety and security of our students, staff, and schools remain the highest priorities for EHS and District 7. We encourage everyone to ‘say something if

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SPRINGFIELD - Today State Representative Amy Elik (R-Alton) was officially sworn in for a second term as the State Representative for District 111 in the 103rd General Assembly. Elik was reelected in the 2022 General Election. “I want to express my deep gratitude to the people of the 111th district for trusting me to serve them for a second term,” said Rep. Elik. “I am also truly thankful to those who sent me their prayers and well wishes during my first term. That support did not go unnoticed.” “In my next term as a State Representative, I plan to continue my work finding ways to make Illinois a better place to live. Families across the state have felt the effects of poor Democrat legislation, and I will work tirelessly to ensure that everyone can be proud to call this great state their home. It is an honor to have the privilege of representing the 111th district again, and I look forward to getting to work!” The 111th District now contains par

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GLEN CARBON - Father McGivney Catholic High School announced their first-semester honor roll. High Honor Roll is a weighted GPA of 3.60 and above. Honor Roll is a weighted GPA of 3.0-3.59 Grade 12 High Honor Roll Elisabeth Antonini, Mary Elizabeth Benware, Wyatt Biermann, Alexis Bond, Emma Bukovac, Madeline Burkart, Madeline Burnett, Samuel Chouinard, Keira Cope, Mallori Dempsey, Andrew Douglas, Caroline Foppe, Tanner Garner, Daniel Gierer, Olivia Gray, Aislin Hall, Katherine Hand, Jacob Huber, Autumn Hutson, Amelia Hylla, Sophia Ivnik, Ava Jackson, Megan Jamruk, Lauren Jones, Reece Kleinschmidt, Margaret Klusas, David Lowe, Abigail Madura, Emma Martinez, Kaleigh Pekarik, Jackson Rodgers, Ellie Ronzo, Abigail Root, Evan Rybak, Gretchen Rybolt, Evan Schrage, Abigail Shearer, Ainsley Siekmann, Melinda Smith, Alexander Sobczak, Adelyn Speight, Claire Stanhaus, Riley Strack, Alyssa Terhaar, Owen Terrell, Sophia Tutt, Paige Yasitis Grade 11 High Honor Roll Joseph Chouinard, Grace

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Rebekah Blackmon of Alton High School and Timothy Vaughn of Mississippi Valley Christian School were honored as Students of the Month of January at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey held at Gentelin’s on Broadway Restaurant. Rebekah Blackmon is a senior at Alton High School. Rebekah was born in Doha, Qatar, and moved to America eight years ago. She thanks her mother for instilling in her the importance of education. She prioritizes academics and strives to take challenging courses. She is ranked 10th in her class, has a 4.667 GPA, and received the Illinois State Scholar award. Taking biomedical and physics classes resulted in her gaining confidence in already existing academic interests and developing new interests. Outside of classes, she has been a part of Alton High’s Physics club, Math team, Upward Bound, Minority Excellence, Student Council, National Honors Society, and Mu Alpha Theta. As a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta,

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GODFREY - The Harmans Bluegrass returns to Lewis and Clark Community College's Hathaway Hall for their 45th Annual show. They will be joined by special guests That Dalton Gang. Showtime is at 7 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 14. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are still on sale. If interested in buying tickets reach out to Lori Cummins at 618-259-0991. Tickets cost $20 each. Cummins was just on Riverbender.com's 'Our Daily Show' promoting the concert and talking about the history of the event. She jokingly said that you used to be able to attend the show for $2.50 over 40 years ago. Cummins and the rest of the Harmans are looking forward to yet another successful annual concert. "It's a family night of music," Cummins said.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) has been chosen by his House Republican colleagues to serve as the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs for the 118 th Congress. Bost served as ranking member on the committee the previous two years. “It is a deep honor to be selected by my colleagues to lead the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs,” said Bost. “As chairman, I will fight to hold the Biden administration accountable, restore regular order, and ensure our veterans get the benefits and care they deserve. Growing up in a military family and then enlisting in the Marine Corps myself, this mission always been personal for me. Serving as chairman is a responsibility I do not take lightly, and I promise I will not let my veteran community down.”

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CHICAGO - If you recently bought a Lucky Day Lotto ticket online, you may want to check the winning numbers. That’s because you might be a newly-minted millionaire. The lucky online player matched all five numbers for the Monday, January 9 evening drawing to win the jackpot worth $1,050,000. The winning numbers were: 2-3-7-23-35. This is the first Illinois Lottery millionaire of 2023, and the ninth Illinois Lottery player who has won a prize of a million dollars or more playing Lucky Day Lotto in the past 12 months. In total, more than 39,500 winning tickets were sold, and nearly $1.2 million in prizes were won in Monday evening's Lucky Day Lotto drawing. The Illinois Lottery encourages all lucky winners to write their name on the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place until they’re ready to claim their prize. Winners have one year from the date of the winning draw in which to claim their prize. Lucky Day Lotto is played twice a day, seven days a week. For

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GREENVILLE - Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for program rankings and higher education planning, has included Greenville University on its list of the Best Online Colleges in Illinois in 2023. The research identifies top schools in the state based on tuition costs, the number of credits required to graduate, and the online coursework delivery format. Greenville University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds programmatic accreditations for business, education, and social work as well. GU’s online programs offer the same academic rigor and quality as on-campus options and are designed for adult learners. They include a flexible format, multiple start dates throughout the year, and personal attention from expert faculty. GU Director of Online Learning Kasey Laughlin says the learning experience for GU’s online undergraduate and graduate programs takes a holistic approach to connect and empower students. “We continue to give

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O'FALLON, IL. - According to William Shakespeare (from “Othello”), “Good name in man and woman is the immediate jewel of their souls." Some names are family names, while others are uniquely named to stand out. Regardless, a name says something about us. Below are the top baby boy and baby girl names for deliveries at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in 2022. They are: Boys: Oliver, which was also the top boys’ name for 2020 and 2021. Girls: Amelia These names for bundles of joy were part of the 912 babies that were delivered by HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Women and Infants Center in 2022. For those expecting in 2023, St. Elizabeth’s Women and Infants Center offers a wide range of services for mothers and infants, and the 2023 prenatal class schedule is now available on the hospital’s website at hshs.org/StElizabeths/Events/Mother-Child . It includes Prepared Childbirth Classes, Breastfeeding Class and other education about the amenities

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CHICAGO - The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today a new website that tracks the levels of COVID-19 in wastewater samples in Chicago and other cities across Illinois. The interactive online tool builds on the statistics posted on the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker website and provides more Illinois-specific data in easy-to-understand charts. “This data is now going to be available to researchers and the public alike, giving everyone as accurate picture as possible for the pandemic,” said Bill Jackson, executive director of DPI. “This is a game-changer in terms of transparency and public health awareness, and we applaud IDPH for partnering with us on this bold step.” “Wastewater surveillance is a great tool that can help detect and monitor COVID-19, the flu and other pathogens,” said Dr. Sameer Vohra, IDPH director. “This new website is designed to inform and educate residents

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SPRINGFIELD - During the campaign last year, I drove all across the state, and I couldn’t help but notice some signs in people’s yards that said, “FIRE PRITZKER.” I was concerned about this until my kids pointed out that when people in their generation think something is really cool they say, “That’s FIRE!” So, I want to take this moment to thank everyone who put up those very encouraging signs! Today, as every day, I feel blessed to stand with my compassionate and dedicated partner in governance and your Lieutenant Governor, the outstanding Juliana Stratton. Officially retiring today is one of Illinois’ finest leaders ever. His legacy stands as an example to everyone who aspires to serve the public interest. On behalf of the people of Illinois, please join me in giving thanks to our inimitable Secretary of State Jesse White. I want to acknowledge other distinguished guests here today: Beginning with the love of my life and the Firs

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ALTON - Alderwoman Rosetta Brown released a meeting schedule for the Fourth Ward today. “ LET’S CONTINUE; IN 2023, ON OUR WAY TOGETHER!! 4TH WARD INFORMATIONAL MONTHLY MEETINGS 3 RD THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH: 6PM-7PM THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2023 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2023 THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023 THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023 THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023 THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2023 THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2023 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2023 Location: Todays Beauty Supply, 1415 Central, Alton, IL

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EAST ALTON – Illinois RiverWatch will be premiering their film “Biodiversity of Freshwater Mussels: Community Science in Action” along with a short presentation highlighting community science during the next National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s Neighbor Nights event, Jan. 17. This month’s event will be held in a hybrid format, giving participants the opportunity to join virtually or in-person at the NGRREC field Station, located at 1 Confluence Way, East Alton, Illinois. “The goal of this film will be to demystify the overall process of scientific research,” said RiverWatch Director and Stream Ecologist Danelle Haake. “We also want to show that community science projects are for everyone and no experience in science is required to participate.” The Field Station will open at 6 p.m. for in-person guests, with a tour starting at 6:15 p.m. The hybrid portion of the event will begin at 7 p.m., beginning with

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GODFREY – To kick off a new year of celebrating local small businesses, Riverbend Kitchen and More, LLC was honored as the January 2023 RiverBend Growth Association Small Business of the Month award recipient. Owned by Terri Hart, Riverbend Kitchen and More has been in business for over nine years now, with six employees at its location in Alton at 215 Herbert Street. RKM specializes in kitchen and bath remodels, but can also provide bars, built-ins, and more. “We consider ourselves a boutique that will work with customers from concept to completion,” noted General Manager Deehan Coffman. “We provide full installations or can work with your contractor. We want to see your dream come to life in your home.” RKM recently added a new designer to its staff and is looking to add still more team members very soon. “Our showroom is constantly changing to keep up with current trends as well,” Coffman added. “We are also expanding to the Soulard

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ALTON - Alton officials are excited about the progress that is underway on the Riverview Soil Stabilization Project in the winter months. Other than the brisk zero-degree temps for a week near Christmas, Alton's winter weather has been mild for continuous Riverview work, Public Works Director Mike Parsons said. “The work continues on the Riverview Soil Stabilization Project,” he said. “GSI, a company out of Denver, Colorado, has the contract for the work from FEMA. Considerable progress is being made overall to date.” Sheppard Morgan & Schwaab, Inc., is the civil engineer for the project. Justin Kleinschmidt is the lead for SMS in the engineering part of the work. “During the winter of 2019 and 2020, emergency steps were taken to make the Riverview Drive site safe, with emergency repairs performed in collaboration with FEMA,” Kleinschmidt said previously. “At that time, it was decided that a slope stabilization contractor should prepare

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