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Build-A-Bear celebrates 25 years with 'Unstuffed' documentary

6 months 2 weeks ago
Based company Build-A-Bear is celebrating its creation by releasing a documentary titled “Unstuffed,” which debuted this October. The documentary delves into the company's inception, its evolution into a chain store, and the nation's fascination with creating their own bears.
Liz Dowell

Greenville University Alums Gather For Homecoming Celebration

6 months 2 weeks ago
GREENVILLE - Greenville University celebrated its annual homecoming festivities last weekend with a full slate of special activities, building dedications, musical concerts, athletic games, and alumni gatherings. Those events were conducted against a backdrop of beautiful fall weather and the emergence of orange and gold foliage on campus. Headlining the weekend was a packed concert by Christian music legend Michael W. Smith on Friday night at Whitlock Music Center. His nostalgic performance had the audience singing along with his praise songs from the past several decades. Another Homecoming highlight was the unveiling of a new look for Hoguey, the University’s mascot. After several decades of wearing a furry black suit, Hoguey now has a bright orange suit with black trim. It gives the mascot a new muscular appearance and a face that matches the redesigned Panther logo introduced in 2017. The weekend activities kicked off Thursday evening with a concert by the GU Choir.

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Duckworth Applauds Confirmation Of FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker

6 months 2 weeks ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) and Chair of its Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation—issued the following statement after the United States Senate voted to confirm Michael Whitaker as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Whitaker’s confirmation comes amid a chilling surge in near-deadly misses involving commercial airlines that likely stems from plummeting aviation workforce experience levels after airlines paid tens of thousands of their most experienced pilots to stop flying, along with a wave of air traffic controller retirements. “At a time when our nation is experiencing an alarming aviation safety crisis, we need an FAA Administrator who will uphold the strongest pilot experience and training certification standards that ensure the flying public safety before our luck runs out and this year’s

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Duckworth Discusses Rail Accessibility And Improvements With Metra Leadership

6 months 2 weeks ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Metra leadership to discuss ongoing rail improvements throughout the Chicagoland area, including the need for expanding Metra’s service to O’Hare International Airport. Duckworth, a member of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, met with Metra CEO Jim Derwinski and Metra Deputy Executive Director Janice Thomas to receive updates on Metra’s ongoing and proposed improvements throughout the Chicagoland region. This includes accessibility improvements made possible through the All Station Accessibility Program , which she created through a law she authored, that will provide $1.75 billion over the next five years to help build ramps, install elevators and make other improvements to ensure that all of America’s public transit stations are finally usable for everyone. Duckworth also reiterated her support for the Chicago Hub Improvement Program. A photo from

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Duckworth Receives Everett C. Parker Award for Leadership in Passing the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act

6 months 2 weeks ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) emphasized the importance of ensuring every American’s access to telecommunications, arguing that defending telecoms rights is inextricably interwoven with the fight to protect many of the other rights we hold dear, while speaking at the 41st Annual Everett C. Parker Lecture & Awards Ceremony. At the event, which honors the legacy of a civil rights pioneer who tirelessly advocated for the public’s rights in broadcasting, Duckworth received an award for her work writing, pushing forward and passing the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act . Her legislation—which President Biden signed into law earlier this year—applies the ethical imperative of Dr. Parker’s work to America’s incarceration system, empowering the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to finally end the predatory phone call rate scheme that all too often prevented incarcerated people from staying

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Durbin Reflects On Horrific Violence In The Middle East And Need For Long Term Peace Between Israelis And Palestinians

6 months 2 weeks ago
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. During his speech, Durbin remembered the victims of the October 7 th horrific Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and commended President Biden’s emergency supplemental request to provide security aid to Israel, as well as the recent provision of humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians caught in the conflict. “The wanton slaughter of more than 1,000 Israelis and an estimated 200 hostages still being held is hard to fathom. One fact tells the grim story: more Jews died on this day than any time since the Holocaust. It was not just another bad day in the Middle East. It was a premeditated slaughter of historic proportion,” Durbin said. During his speech, Durbin also spoke on two Illinois hostages—Natalie and Judith Raanan—who were recently released from Hamas terrorists. Durbin called for all remaining hostages to be immediately

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Gov. Pritzker, IDPH Announce $9.5M To Strengthen Mental Health Services For Youth Across Illinois

6 months 2 weeks ago
CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today that the State of Illinois has awarded $9.5 million in funding to 40 different applicants across the state to support post-pandemic child and adolescent health. The size of the grants ranges from $83,000 to just over $400,000. Sixty percent of the grants are going to schools, 20% to hospital or clinic-based programs, 17.5% to local health departments and 2.5% to colleges. The funding is primarily from the CDC’s COVID-19 Public Health Workforce Supplemental Funding program authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) plus $500,000 in state dollars. It is being offered to help schools and local agencies improve student care through workforce enhancements, developing frameworks to prevent adverse childhood experiences, interventions to assist children suffering from trauma, and training for medical and school staff to expand adolescent mental health resources. “We

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