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MACOUPIN COUNTY - The Macoupin Art Collective of Staunton, would like to announce its fifth-anniversary celebration on Saturday, March 26, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The MAC will be hosting an entire day of events and crafts and also unveiling their new ArtBus to extend their community ArtReach. Events of the day will include a silent auction, raffle, screen printing, and bus tours. In addition, they will be hosting 8 different craft classes, each open to 5 students, first come/first serve. All classes are free, but donations are welcome. The MAC is also requesting attendees bring a non-perishable item for the local Helping Hands food pantry, also celebrating their fifth year on Main Street. The Macoupin Art Collective was founded in 2017 by professional artist and educator, Brandace Cloud. In that short time, The MAC has become a vibrant and welcoming face on Main Street, creating a safe space for art and expression for all ages in mediums such as paint, clay, fabric, glass,

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GODFREY – The RiverBend Growth Association recently welcomed three more area businesses into their membership, joining in the first months of 2022. 1:16 Lawn Care was founded in 2015 by Zach and Jessica Darr with a passion to serve its community and a mission to create satisfied customers by providing high-quality lawn service. Their website notes that they strive to continually be “a company of remarkable integrity and professionalism.” Providing landscape design and maintenance services to customers that are both reliable and affordable, 1:16 Lawn Care has a crew of landscapers that provide an array of services, from routine lawn mowing and trimming to larger yard projects. Larger projects include such things as landscape, patio paver, concrete installation, landscape restoration, and seasonal property clean-ups. A unique feature for a lawn care company, they also offer to add a “pop of color to your home or create the perfect accent wall,” with their

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SPRINGFIELD – Area cities and counties showed a remarkable decrease in unemployment over the year from January 2022 to January 2021 in recently released Illinois Department of Employment Security stats. Edwardsville was down to a 3.0 percent unemployment rate compared to 4.7 percent from January 2022 to January 2021, while Alton dropped to 5.7 percent from 9.3 percent, Granite City to 4.9 percent from 6.4 percent and East St. Louis still was high at 8.4 percent compared to 12.1 percent in 2021. In the counties, Madison County is at 4.4 percent from 6.4 percent a year ago, Macoupin County is at 4.5 percent from 6.3 percent in January 2021, Jersey is at 4.2 percent from 6.1 percent, Greene County at 4.7 percent from 7.8 percent and Calhoun is at 4.9 percent from 6.6 percent. St. Clair County is at 5.5 percent from 7.8 percent a year ago in January. Statewide, the unemployment rate decreased over the year in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas in January for the tenth consecutive

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URBANA - High school and college basketball seasons are in the home stretch - March Madness gets underway this week and the state of Illinois just crowned its high school champions. Meanwhile, baseball bats, softballs, and track hurdles are being taken out of storage to start those campaigns. Each of those sports brings glory and fun but also stress on your bones, joints, and muscles. With sports being a year-round thing for many high school athletes, it’s important to practice good orthopedic health. Dr. James Murphy is an orthopedic surgeon for OSF HealthCare in Urbana, Illinois. He says high school athletes are still growing, so some pain is inevitable, especially if you’re jumping a lot. “When you're having pain that's consistent and pain that's very bothersome, get it looked into. Get it worked out,” says Dr. Murphy. “It's probably nothing. It usually doesn't mean any kind of surgery or anything else is indicated. But oftentimes it does indicate

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MAHOMET - Before the COVID-19 pandemic even struck, food insecurity in the senior population was a real problem in America. The most recent report from Feeding America found that 7.3% of the senior population – or 5.3 million seniors – is food insecure. The pandemic has only intensified the issue – making even a simple trip to the grocery store difficult or even impossible due to economic difficulties, fear of catching the virus or other hardships. Now, more than ever, food assistance programs can be a lifeline for seniors in need. The OSF Peace Meal Program is one example of help available. OSF Peace Meal helps seniors improve their nutrition, sustain their independence and enhance their quality of life through meals, fellowship and a connection to other services they may need. This March, OSF Peace Meal joins the Administration for Community Living and Senior Nutrition Service providers across the country to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the national Senior

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URBANA – Growing food is not limited to outdoors in the summer. With some planning, you can grow food indoors throughout the year. University of Illinois Extension horticulture educators Nicole Flowers-Kimmerle says that before starting an indoor kitchen garden, it is essential to think about what you want to gain by growing food indoors. You might wish to have herbs to give recipes a special touch or boost nutrition for added health benefits. “Keep in mind the amount of work you want to put into your indoor garden, schedules including your daily routine and time away, and whether your plants will be only indoors or transferred to outside during nice weather,” Flowers-Kimmerle says. The limiting factor for growing plants indoors is light. Three aspects of light must be considered when planning to grow an indoor garden – light intensity, duration, and quality. Most plants grown for food need intense, bright light. A south-facing window is a good location for

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Morgan County native Ellen Hardin Walworth was a woman whose interests were both diverse and numerous. Her role in founding the Daughters of the American Revolution, though, is her greatest legacy. Walworth, who was born in Jacksonville on Oct. 20, 1832, was one of four women who established the D.A.R. in 1890, which continues today as one of the nation’s foremost female historical organizations. Along the way, she not only became an attorney and scientist, but also an accomplished historian. Her intellect was a reflection of her upbringing. She was the oldest of four children to Jacksonville attorney John J. Hardin, a Kentucky native who had moved to Morgan County in 1831. The son of a United States senator, the younger Hardin was elected to Congress as a Whig in 1843 and was a political rival of Abraham Lincoln, despite the fact that he was a cousin to Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd. A three-term member of the Illinois House, Hardin was killed at Buena Vista during the Mexican-America

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Maryland Heights had to tap special funds to cover debt payments for the Centene Community Ice Center.

Mourners walk into Friendly Temple Youth Worship Center Friday March 18, 2022 for home going services for former democratic state representative and County government staffer Cora Faith Walker. Walker died Friday March 11, 2022.

Variety St. Louis has teamed up with St. Louis Boy Scouts to launch a Variety Venturing Crew for teens with disabilities.

Fire department gave federal agency incident report on death of Walker, a former state legislator who died March 11 at Loew’s Hotel in downtown St. Louis.

Metro Transit plans to cut bus service by 5% beginning Monday to deal with a continued shortage of drivers.

A little over four years ago, the Maryland-based rock outfit Two Inch Astronaut announced an indefinite hiatus and dashed all hopes of a sequel to the band's excellent 2017 album Can You Please Not Help. Instead, songwriter Sam Rosenberg followed up his former band's nearly ten-year tenure with a move to Chicago and a subsequent transformation into a goblin.

If you were a fan of over-the-top, rubber-faced comedy in the mid-’90s, you’ve probably heard Cannibal Corpse without even realizing it. The Florida-based death metal band made a cameo appearance in 1994’s Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, in a scene that sees the film’s eponymous hero awkwardly cutting a rug on the dance floor during a song titled “Hammer Smashed Face.” It’s a ridiculous little bit of trivia, but it’s honestly no more ridiculous than anything else about Cannibal Corpse.

A 27-year-old man was arrested early Saturday after trying to carjack a marked patrol vehicle from two city officers.

Officers were responding to a shots fired call at Chouteau Avenue and South 7th Street when the man stepped in front of a police SUV, forcing it to come to a stop.