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Pride, Inc. Decorates Godfrey and Alton for the Holidays

3 days 20 hours ago
GODFREY/ALTON - Godfrey and Alton are officially decorated for the holidays. Pride, Incorporated decorated the “Welcome to Godfrey” sign, the "Welcome to Alton” sign and the Benjamin Godfrey Mansion with garland, wreaths and lights. Several local organizations donated time and money to make this possible. “It was just a collaboration,” said Pat Stewart, president of Pride, Inc. “This started as a twinkle in someone’s eye that quickly developed into a community project that should please all Alton and Godfrey residents.” On Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, Pride, Inc. members and community leaders gathered at the Benjamin Godfrey Mansion to turn on the lights and pose for a photo. John Meehan dressed as Benjamin Godfrey himself. Stewart thanked the many organizations and businesses that made the decorations possible. Pride, Inc. received a grant from the Alton Community Service League, then worked with the Village of Godfrey to fundraise.

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Funding Opportunities Available For New EV Charging Stations

3 days 21 hours ago
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today the second official notice of funding opportunity through the Illinois National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, which will provide up to approximately $24 million for the construction of charging stations across the state. The second funding opportunity aims to make approximately 20 awards, building upon the 37 awards from the first NEVI funding opportunity announced by IDOT in September and aligning with Gov. JB Pritzker’s goal to have 1 million electric vehicles on Illinois roads by 2030.

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State Treasurer Frerichs, Illinois Department of Labor Team Up To Return Unpaid Wages

3 days 21 hours ago
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois workers can now search State Treasurer Michael Frerichs' I-CASH website to see if unpaid wages and penalties pursued and collected by the Illinois Department of Labor are waiting for them to claim. The addition of recovered wages to Treasurer Frerichs’ missing money site is the result of a change in the law that State Sen. Robert Peters and State Rep. Marcus C. Evans Jr. shepherded through the General Assembly last year. The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) investigates wage theft and recovers back wages when it finds that an employer has underpaid workers in violation of state law. Workers don’t always know they have money coming their way, however. Wage theft investigations take time, and sometimes a worker may move or change phone numbers by the time back wages have been collected, making them hard to locate. In other instances, IDOL may have conducted a worksite-wide audit and uncovered wage underpayments for workers who were not aware of

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Wood River Police Welcomes New Patrolman, Promotes Sergeant

3 days 21 hours ago
WOOD RIVER - Two Wood River police officers were honored at this week’s City Council meeting , with one taking the oath as a patrolman and the other being promoted to the rank of sergeant. Chris Barnes was officially sworn in as a patrol officer on Monday, while Officer Bryan Brown took the oath for his new position as Police Sergeant. Barnes said shortly after being sworn in that he plans to stay with the department until his retirement: “I’m excited to be here, and I’m ready to retire from here - so I’ll be here a while,” he said. After taking their official oaths and having their badges pinned on, Barnes and Brown were met with applause from attendees before taking a few photos. Both were also congratulated by the department after the meeting. “Congratulations to Sgt. Brown and Officer Barnes!” the department announced Monday night. “We are very fortunate to have each of you protecting our city!” A

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Gov. Pritzker Joins DPI To Launch Cannabis Research Institute

3 days 21 hours ago
CHICAGO - ?Governor JB Pritzker joined University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen, government officials, and cannabis researchers with Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) to launch the Cannabis Research Institute (CRI). The launch event introduced CRI and its director, Reginald “Reggie” Guadino, to key stakeholders through an interactive panel moderated by Mike Marshall. Marshall, a journalist for Chicago News Weekly’s “Cannabis Corner,” contributed to the development of language for Illinois HB1438, which legalized cannabis use, possession, and purchase. “At the time I was elected, we were allowing people to be held criminally liable — and inequitably so — for consuming cannabis. Just five years later, we have one of the most orderly and successful cannabis industries, and we are launching a research institute – funded by the legal sale of that same plant – that will accelerate the transformation of that old,

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American Beverage invests $320K to boost recycling in St. Peters

3 days 21 hours ago
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - American Beverage is set to roll out a new initiative that will introduce brand new recycling bins to over 20,000 households in St. Peters. The new initiative is a part of the Every Bottle Back grant, in which American Beverage will invest $320,000 to upgrade recycling services for households in [...]
Nick Gladney

St. Clair County: Northbound I-255 Lane Closures To Begin Nov. 20

3 days 21 hours ago
CAHOKIA HEIGHTS – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that repairs on northbound Interstate 255 over Prairie Du Pont Canal just south of Illinois 157 in St. Clair County will require double lane closures starting, weather permitting, at 7 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20. One lane will always remain open. All lanes will reopen by 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27. Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on the social media platform X at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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Duckworth/Durbin: City Of Alton To Receive $215,251 For Pilots To Policy: Slow Down Alton Program

3 days 21 hours ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced $1,544,352 in total funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program for four roadway safety initiatives throughout Illinois. This funding comes through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund regional, local and Tribal initiatives that prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries through modernizing key infrastructure, installing safety measures to protect pedestrians and cyclists and conducting assessments of high traffic roads and intersections. The City of Alton will receive $215,152 for the Pilots to Policy: Slow Down Alton Program. The funding will allow the City of Alton to pilot changes to help reduce fatal crashes and injuries by reducing pedestrian crossing distances, installing visibility-enhancing treatments, lowering vehicular speeds and improving motorist and

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Parkside Primary Principal Aaron Kilpatrick is Proud of Adopted Hometown Bethalto

3 days 21 hours ago
BETHALTO - Aaron Kilpatrick didn’t expect to be an educator, much less the principal of Parkside Primary School. As a self-described “decent” student, Kilpatrick felt a little lost after graduating high school. He dropped out of community college, then joined the U.S. Navy at age 21. Eventually, he found himself as the principal of Civic Memorial High School and now Parkside Primary School, and the native Floridian is proud to call Bethalto home. “This is close to 800 miles away from where I grew up, but I do consider Bethalto home now,” he said. “There’s no place I’d rather be.” Kilpatrick credits the Navy for a lot of the good in his life. He met his wife on an aircraft carrier in Washington state. She is his “biggest supporter,” and she encouraged him to pursue education after they moved to Bethalto to be closer to her family. With her advice and the memory of a high school teacher/football coach who inspired

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Suspect Charged With Multiple Firearm Offenses In Calhoun County

3 days 22 hours ago
HARDIN - On Oct. 27, 2024, the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office was notified of a Disturbance in Progress, at a hunting property located in the area of Ash Bridge Hollow, Batchtown, Calhoun County, Illinois. The caller alleged that during a verbal altercation, another man had discharged a firearm at him. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to the scene and took the suspect into custody. A firearm used in connection with the following offenses was recovered at the hunting property. Scott P. Pohlman, age 50, of Deer Plain, Illinois was arrested for the following offenses: Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, Aggravated Assault (Firearm), Reckless Discharge of a Firearm. Pohlman was arrested without incident and was booked into the Pike County Jail and is currently being held without ond. The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office continued to investigate the matter, and subsequently executed several court authorized search warrants on Pohlman’s residence

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Switch Goes On Tuesday, Dec. 3: Nearly $67,000 Funded Wildey Marquee Renovation Efforts

3 days 22 hours ago
EDWARDSVILLE – The public is invited to take part in a festive “grand relighting” ceremony in early December to celebrate the soon-to-be-finished renovation of the Wildey Theatre marquee. City officials and supporters will flip the switch at 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 3, to reveal the newly restored neon glow and other improvements to the historic downtown theater’s marquee. The event will be jointly hosted by Mayor Art Risavy and elected officials and the Friends of the Wildey organization, which raises funds for the 115-year-old theater, concert hall and event center at 252 N. Main Street. The Friends provided just over $67,000 to pay for the bulk of the marquee work. Joe Hutton of Miller & Maack General Contractors donated design and coordination services. “Whether you’ve been coming to the Wildey for decades or haven’t yet experienced this downtown treasure, we hope you’ll join us for this fun occasion,” Mayor Risavy said. “We

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Linsey Timmins Shares How Faith Led Her Through Grief

3 days 22 hours ago
ALTON - On a recent episode of “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust, Linsey Timmins spoke about how her faith has helped her through grief after losing her husband, Tyler Timmins. Tyler Timmins was a Pontoon Beach police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2021. Linsey explained that she questioned God following her husband’s passing, but her faith has ultimately helped her handle her grief. “Tyler made me strong,” she said. “I was definitely a girl when I met him, and he helped create me into a woman and helped grow me into the woman that I am today. I’m definitely a lot softer today than I was when he married me. He married a fiery version of me, and she’s slowly coming back. But I think that whenever you go through a significant loss, especially whenever you lose your person, you lose a part of yourself, too. Grief is a weird journey.” Timmins said that Tyler fit perfectly into her life. He felt like

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