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Edwardsville Police & Fire Departments Honor Heroic Efforts Of Officer, Citizens

2 years 2 months ago
EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville Police and Fire Departments honored two citizens and one of the City’s police officers for their heroic actions during life-threatening incidents this spring. The three were honored at the Tuesday, June 20, City Council meeting. Officer Christopher Noga is receiving the Life Saving Award for his efforts to assist a pedestrian who had been gravely injured on March 15, 2023, when he was struck by a truck on the SIU Northern Access Road. An area man, Earl Smith Jr., will receive a Citizen Commendation for his assistance during the same incident. Smith was a passerby when the pedestrian was injured, and was on the scene and had applied a makeshift tourniquet when Officer Noga arrived. The officer, who joined the Edwardsville Police Department in early 2022, then applied a department-issued tourniquet while Smith continued to comfort the pedestrian, who survived despite losing a leg in the incident. Fire Chief James Whiteford credited the “excellent

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Edwardsville Honors Two Individuals As Firefighter & Paramedic Of The Year

2 years 2 months ago
EDWARDSVILLE - Two members of the Edwardsville Fire Department with a combined 36 years of experience serving the City have been honored as the 2022 Firefighter of the Year and Paramedic of the Year. The two were recognized at the Tuesday, June 20, City Council meeting. Fire Lt. and Paramedic Brett Milton was honored as the 2022 Firefighter of the Year. Milton joined Edwardsville’s Fire Department in 2001. He has a wide range of skills and training that are put to use in a variety of important settings, Chief James Whiteford said. Milton is a trained school inspector entrusted to identify fire code violations and ensure safety for all school occupants. He manages the fire hose maintenance, replacement and testing program to ensure the equipment is safe and ready for deployment. As a member of the Madison County Technical Rescue Team, Milton responds to unusual events such as confined space, structural collapse and trench rescue operations. He also serves as a liaison to

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Durbin, Duckworth Announce $7.9 Million To Support Background Checks For Gun Sales

2 years 2 months ago
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $7,904,683in Department of Justice (DOJ) awards to assist state record repositories and state courts in sharing eligible National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) records to improve the firearm background check system in Illinois. The funding, awarded through DOJ’s National Criminal History Improvement Program and made possible by the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act , will go to the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. “When Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act , I strongly supported its provisions to boost gun violence prevention resources to strengthen the background check system for firearm sales. Now, we are seeing the resources provided by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act pu

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Forensic Sciences Program Added to SIUE's Graduate Degree Offerings

2 years 2 months ago
EDWARDSVILLE – The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Graduate School and College of Arts and Sciences have announced a new forensic sciences master’s program. The curriculum is designed to meet the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) standards. “The Master of Forensic Sciences is a unique program built in collaboration with the Illinois State Police and designed to train scientists to pursue careers in a variety of professions related to forensics,” said Elza Ibroscheva, associate provost and professor in mass communications. “As the only program of its kind in the Southern Illinois region, we are excited to offer an opportunity for training future leaders in the field while also meeting the need of our community for expertise, leadership, educational outreach and research collaborations in this interdisciplinary space.” Students will be educated and trained in nine primary areas of forensic sciences with

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Durbin Leads Colleagues In Urging Department Of Education To Reinstate The Gainful Employment Rule

2 years 2 months ago
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led six of his colleagues in sending a public comment letter to Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging him to reinstate the Gainful Employment Rule. The proposed Gainful Employment Rule uses a debt-to-earnings (DTE) ratio and an earnings premium (EP) test to determine whether career education programs, including all programs at for-profit colleges, are providing value and preparing their students for “gainful employment.” Programs that consistently saddle students with too much debt or do not produce wages for their students that are higher than a high school graduate would lose eligibility to receive Title IV federal financial aid. The Obama Administration put the Gainful Employment rule into effect in 2014, but under the Trump Administration, then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos rescinded the Gainful Employment Rule in 2019. Without the Gainful Employment rule in place, for-profit

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Free Friday Night Summer Concerts To Take Place At Alton Godfrey Rotary Park

2 years 2 months ago
ALTON - Alton Main Street and Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau along with presenting sponsor Simmons Hanly Conroy are pleased to announce two summer concerts at the new Alton Godfrey Rotary Park, located across the street from Alton City Hall at 101 E. 3rd Street in Alton, Illinois. Both concerts are free to attend and will be held from 7-9 p.m. Funky Butt Brass Band will perform on Friday, July 14th. The band was formed in 2008 by six talented musicians who respect and revere the New Orleans brass band tradition. The FBBB takes traditional New Orleans brass tunes and sprinkles in their own brand of special Saint Louis musical magic. At any given gig, you’ll also hear some Chicago blues, Memphis soul, Southern rock and St. Louis R&B. Aaron Kamm & the One Drops will perform on Friday, August 18 th . Hailing from St. Louis, MO, AKOD merges flavors of Roots Reggae and Mississippi River Blues and infuses them with improv-laced jams, and soulful vocals. With their high-energy

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Attorney General Raoul Urges National Retail Chain To Support LGBTQ+ Community

2 years 2 months ago
CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with 14 state attorneys general, is today calling on Target to support inclusivity and to reject anti-LGBTQ+ hate, intimidation and discrimination. Raoul and fellow attorneys general sent a letter to Target during Pride Month in response to Target’s recent decision to remove certain Pride-related merchandise from its stores. This decision came amid an increasing trend of harassment, hate and politically-motivated attacks on LGBTQ+ people. In the letter, Raoul and the attorneys general expressed their commitment to protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and their concern regarding Target’s recent decision. “Discrimination and harassment against LGBTQ+ people have no place in our society. Members of the LGBTQ+ community deserve to feel safe and welcome in Illinois and beyond our state’s borders,” Raoul said. “During Pride Month and throughout the year, I urge businesses to work with local

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‘They don’t know why they were shot’: MU study shows youth wounds mainly from stray bullets

2 years 2 months ago

With gun injuries now the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the United States, parents and communities are seeking new strategies to keep children safe. That’s especially the case in places like Kansas City, where children too often become innocent victims of a larger gun violence epidemic. Young people are now more […]

The post ‘They don’t know why they were shot’: MU study shows youth wounds mainly from stray bullets appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Meg Cunningham