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ST. LOUIS — Police found the body of an unidentified man in the River Des Peres in the city's Boulevard Heights neighborhood around noon on Friday.

On a special Saturday episode of The Gateway - It’s been 10 years since Michael Brown Jr. was killed and the Ferguson Uprising that followed. To honor that history and reflect on where St. Louis is today, St. Louis Public Radio is bringing back the podcast “We Live Here” for a special season.

In 1904, St. Louis chemist John Wixford developed the "Wixford Process" to clean the city's muddy water, allowing residents to drink clean water without having to do any extra tasks.

Eckert’s Farm in Belleville, Illinois, has announced the return of its sunflower experience. During the Sunflower Farm Experience from July 25 to Aug. 4, guests can enjoy a field of […]

The post Sunflower Farm Experience appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

ALTON - Tickets are running low for Rock the Hops, which returns for its 7th year as a "celebration of music, art, and craft beer", taking place this time on Saturday, August 10th, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at multiple venues in downtown Alton. As Alton's original music and art festival, Rock the Hops has become a regional favorite and has sold out every year. Attendees can "hop" around between the 5 official venues and catch as many as 27 unique and creative music performances. The lineup will include a wide variety of genres including rock, jazz-fusion, indie, folk, singer-songwriter, hip hop, Americana, experimental, and more. There will also be artisan booths featuring visual artworks and handmade goods available for purchase. Each of the 5 venues this year will play host to all three creative elements noted in the festival's tagline, creating a fun and celebratory atmosphere throughout the day. Ticket holders can choose from over 30 styles of craft beverages to sample, from seasonal

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Fairview Heights Police Officer Stitt and Officer Zywicki have completed two weeks of School Resource Officer training in Oklahoma City. The training, which gathered officers from across the country, concluded with Officer Stitt being honored with the "Top Team Member" award. Both officers expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming school year. Officer Stitt will be assigned to Grant and Illini schools, while Officer Zywicki will be stationed at Pontiac and William Holliday schools. The training aimed to equip officers with the necessary skills to effectively serve as school resource officers, focusing on student safety and community engagement. The recognition of Officer Stitt as "Top Team Member" shows the dedication and skill demonstrated during the program and is a prestigious honor for this training. With the start of the school year approaching, both officers said they look forward to implementing their training and fostering a safe and supportive environment

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul is reminding Illinois residents as temperatures rise above 90 F this week, that a recently-effective law protects vulnerable residents from gas or electric utility service disconnections for nonpayment of bills when temperatures are 90 F or above, or when the National Weather Service issues an excessive heat watch, heat advisory or excessive heat warning. Attorney General Raoul initiated the law, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2024. Temperatures around Illinois in the coming days are forecast to above 90 F in places with heat indexes above 100 F. Raoul is urging Illinois residents to be aware the update to the Public Utilities Act (PUA) means they cannot be disconnected from their gas or electric utility service during the excessive heat. “I want to remind Illinois’ most vulnerable residents that this law protects their health and safety during extreme heat by prohibiting utilities from disconnecting electric and gas service for nonpaymen

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HARDIN - On July 7, 2024, at 1:52 a.m., Calhoun County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Zach Hardin conducted a traffic stop on Summit Grove Rd, near Illinois Route 96 in Calhoun County, Illinois. Subsequent to an investigation, the driver, Patrick O. Smith, aged 53, of Pittsfield, Illinois was arrested for the following offenses: Aggravated Driving Under the Influence (5th Offense), Aggravated Driving Under the Influence (While Revoked for DUI) Driving While License Revoked (5th Offense). Smith was arrested without incident and transported to the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office. As is now required under the provisions of the new House Bill 3653, known as the SAFE-T Act; Smith was booked and released with a Notice to Appear at a later date at the Calhoun County Courthouse. All suspect(s) are innocent until proven guilty.

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SPRINGFIELD – When you think of the Illinois State Fair, you probably think of food. From sweet to savory, tasty options are available around every corner. But you may not have the appetite – or the budget – to eat everything. That’s why the Illinois State Fair offers Small Plates, Big Tastes . For just $3, you can get sample size portions from any Village of Cultures vendor, allowing you to save money while trying all the food you want. “We wanted to give fairgoers a way to ‘travel’ around the world in the Village of Cultures without breaking the bank,” said Illinois State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark . “The sample-size portions allow fairgoers to try foods from many different parts of the world, and if they enjoy what they try, they can go back for the full-size portion!” The popular “Feeding Frenzy” also returns in 2024. The “Jaws” theme song will be played over loudspeakers to mark the beginning

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DOW - The 33rd Annual Olden Days Festival is returning to Dow on Aug. 24-25, 2024, with a variety of activities, food, and more “under the windmill” on the Tri-County Antique Club grounds at 23946 IL-3 in Dow. Tom Bechtold, treasurer for the Tri-County Antique Club, shared more about this year’s festival on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com . “It’s a unique thing that’s one of a kind in this area,” Bechtold said. “It’s a fun time for a family-oriented affair, it really is. Everybody can enjoy themselves, the kids enjoy themselves.” Admission to the festival is $5, except for exhibitors and children ages 12 and under, who can get in for free. The grounds will open at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, Aug. 24, 2024, when Bechtold said the public is invited to a breakfast with pancakes, biscuits and gravy, egg casserole, coffee, juice, and milk. Breakfast will also be served from 7 to 10 a.m. on Sunday morning.

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ALTON - Community members are invited to an “All 80s Alton Mixer.” From 4–11 p.m. on Sept. 7, 2024, anyone who attended high school in Alton in the 80s can stop by Mac’s Downtown for a block party. Complete with bands, food and drinks, the night promises to be a fun experience for all attendees. “It’s going to be a blast. We’re going to see some people that we haven't seen in a really long time,” said Tom Pullen. “If you’re into 80s music and you’re into hanging out, just come down. It’ll be fun.” Tom, who organized the event with his wife, Jamie Pullen, and Cami Giertz, noted that this mixer is not a class reunion. Anyone is welcome to come, though there’s a preference for people who graduated in the 80s. But Giertz and Tom joked that they won’t be carding anyone at the door or checking old copies of Alton High School’s “Tattler” yearbooks. Mac’s will offer

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WOOD RIVER - The Wood River Main Street Business Alliance has an exciting season ahead. Kristen Burns, director of Wood River Main Street, explained that they’ve been “very busy” with new businesses and investors who are interested in vacant buildings downtown. They also have several events planned for the next few months. Burns is eager to share more about what Wood River Main Street does and how the organization can help business owners. “Everybody seems to be coming together a lot better than I thought we would,” Burns said. “We have a great group of partners that have come up, and they see the good and they see the need for the Main Street…We could not do what we do without the support of our city and the support of our city officials. Man, we really do have great people that are in Wood River.” Wood River Main Street will host their second movie night on Aug. 9, 2024, at Central Park. This will be followed by a concert

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