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Centerstone Offers Medication-Assisted Treatment for Substance Use in Alton

1 year ago
ALTON - Centerstone offers several treatment options for mental health and substance use disorders, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT). When engaging in MAT, the client takes a medication — Vivitrol, Suboxone or methadone — with the goal of preventing an opiate relapse. The medication curbs cravings and “retrains the brain” to minimize the individual’s desire for an illicit substance, explained clinical coordinator Ellyn Lowry. MAT is available at Centerstone’s Alton location at 2615 Edwards Street. “MAT, medication-assisted treatment, has a bias associated with it. But it has really been instrumental in saving lives,” Lowry said. “At the end of the day, that’s what we’re shooting for. We all have the ability to make changes in our lives if we still are breathing. And if a medication can assist a person’s process in doing that, then the sky’s the limit.” Lowry noted that some people

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Verizon ‘AI’ ‘Personal Shopper’ Assistant Ripping Customers Off With Weird Unwanted Charges

1 year ago
One recurring theme of our head-first rushed adoption of “AI” is that half-cooked automation routinely reflects the often shitty natures of the companies or individuals installing it. Health insurance companies with a history of being crooks implement Medicare rejection AI with a 90% error rate. Incompetent media company executives implement half-cooked “AI” that plagiarizes, undercuts […]
Karl Bode

Tom Lane State Farm Insurance Female Athlete Of Month: Griffin Leads CM Softball With Dual Threat Skills

1 year ago
BETHALTO — Megan Griffin delivered a standout performance for Civic Memorial High School’s girls softball team during the 2025 season, excelling both as a pitcher and a hitter. Griffin finished the season with a 9-10 pitching record and a 3.55 earned run average. At the plate, she batted .345, accumulating 30 hits and driving in eight runs. Her contributions earned her recognition as the Tom Lane State Farm Insurance Female Athlete of the Month. Raigen Schwartz, Civic Memorial’s girls softball coach, praised Griffin’s endurance and versatility. “She is a pitcher with a lot of stamina who could pitch all seven innings,” Schwartz said. “She is also good at the plate and very good on the bases. She is very base smart.” In addition to softball, Griffin was a solid volleyball player for the Eagles, demonstrating her athletic ability across multiple sports.

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O'Fallon's Brandon Snyder Brings Expertise To MetroBikeLink Trail Research Efforts

1 year ago
BELLEVILLE - The St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) is pleased to welcome Brandon Snyder of O’ Fallon, Ill., as its summer intern. During his time with the transit district, Snyder will gain hands-on experience in the transit industry, assisting with various MetroBikeLink trail projects, gathering research data and working on various other initiatives. Snyder is a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, working toward a master’s degree in urban planning. He is in the Fine and Applied Arts Honors Program and is a James Scholar. In addition to his academic pursuits, he serves as a founding member and treasurer of the Disabilities United Urbana-Champaign (DUUC), is a member of the university’s Student Planning Organization, and works as a senior student assistant at the UIUC Map Library, leading projects to monitor and update internal information about library catalogs. “Brandon brings a great deal of talent and a sharp mind to this

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US senators from Minnesota reflect on slain state legislator in Senate floor remarks

1 year ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith honored Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, during remarks on the Senate floor. The Minnesota Democratic senators on Tuesday reflected on Melissa’s leadership, devotion to her community and many contributions to her state. The Hortmans were killed over the weekend in what […]
Shauneen Miranda

Judge grills Trump DOJ on order tying transportation funding to immigration enforcement

1 year ago
A Rhode Island federal judge seemed likely Wednesday to block the U.S. Department of Transportation’s move to yank billions in congressional funding for bridges, roads and airport projects if Democrat-led states do not partake in federal immigration enforcement. U.S. District Judge John James McConnell Jr. during a hearing pressed acting U.S. Attorney Sara Miron Bloom […]
Ariana Figueroa

FBI Seeks Public Help In Carbondale Federal Building Vandalism

1 year ago
CARBONDALE — The FBI Springfield Field Office is seeking information in connection with the defacement of the Senator Paul Simon Federal Building in Carbondale, which occurred on the evening of June 10, 2025. The federal building, located at 250 West Cherry Street in Carbondale, was vandalized, prompting an ongoing investigation. As part of the inquiry, the FBI is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the unknown suspect responsible for the defacement. Authorities have released an image of the suspect and are encouraging anyone with relevant information to come forward. “There are bright lines separating where speech ends and criminal conduct begins. Those who committed this targeted vandalism to federal property will be pursued and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “Our system protects good faith expressions of ideas and opinions, but it abhors lawlessness

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Softball Standout Ava Cherry Delivers Key Performances for Roxana

1 year ago
ROXANA — Ava Cherry, a versatile athlete for the Roxana Shells, has made significant contributions across softball, basketball, and volleyball during the 2025 season and is set to return for the 2026 season. Standing 5-foot-6, Cherry emerged as one of Roxana’s top hitters this year, highlighted by a standout performance in which she hit two home runs in a single game. In addition to her softball achievements, she plays as a guard for the Roxana basketball team and has been an important player in volleyball. Cherry’s efforts have earned her recognition as the Midwest Members Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month. Roxana’s head girls softball coach, Pat Brannon, praised her work ethic and impact on the team. “She has put in a lot of work and had a strong season,” Brannon said. “She got in the swing of things and it took off for her. She is a very valuable player.”

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Local Hospice Volunteer Shares Story of Helping Families Through Grief

1 year ago
ALTON - A local BJC volunteer works with people in hospice care so they have a friend in their final days. Kathy Barrow never anticipated that she would volunteer with hospice patients. In fact, when a nurse asked her to sit with a patient in the past, the idea “kind of freaked out.” But after losing her mother and hearing about the hospice program, Barrow felt that God was telling her to give it a try. Now, she visits with a hospice patient every week and makes memory teddy bears for grieving families. “To help someone else, that’s what it’s all about, really,” she said. “I try to spend an hour . That’s not much out of a week for someone who’s on their way out of this world.” Barrow joked that she has “gotten really lazy” since retiring nine years ago, and she thought volunteering would give her something to do. It quickly became more personal as she met her patient and got to know his past, hobbies

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