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COLLINSVILLE - It's quite an accomplishment for any athlete in any sport in his or her first year to qualify for a sectional tournament in an IHSA state series, and in the case of Alton senior bowler Taylor Greco, it's a very big accomplishment indeed. Greco, in her first year of bowling for the Redbirds, qualified for the sectional tournament at Mt. Vernon with a six-game score of 785 at the regional tournament at Camelot Bowl in Collinsville Feb. 5. She is the only Alton bowler to qualify for the sectional, with teammate Regan Spinks going through as the first alternate. Greco is one of the Auto Butler Female Athletes Of The Month. In an interview conducted after the fourth game of her six-game series, Greco felt she was bowling very well despite some tough sledding along the way. "A few rough patches, but other than that, I'm doing pretty good," Greco said. "I think all of us are." At the time of the interview, both Greco and the Redbirds were in contention for both a top ten individua

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JERSEY - Jerseyville FFA members recently competed at the Section 15 FFA Vet Tech CDE and the Section 15 FFA Job Interview competitions. The Jerseyville FFA always excels in competitions and is known statewide for its FFA prowess. "The Jerseyville FFA members competing in Vet Tech and Job Interview have been working very hard studying and preparing for these competitions for the last few weeks," Sarah Nichols, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor for Jersey Community High School said. "I was very happy with the results all individuals achieved." "In the Vet Tech CDE Jerseyville students complete a general knowledge test, a math portion, identification of equipment, parasites, and breeds of animals, and finally a practicum demonstrating basic Veterinary skills. For the Job Interview CDE, students are evaluated on their cover letter, resume, job application, phone interview, in-person interview, and a follow-up letter. Both of these contests give members an opportunity to use skills

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Marisa and Thomas from Shipman Date Met/Started Dating: June 17, 2016 Briefly Describe First Date: Betsy Ann Picnic in Brighton Date Married: February 23, 2019 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Staying in and watching our favorite TV shows. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: No matter how mad you are at one another, always kiss each other goodnight.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Jeffrey & Katie Gibson from Alton Date Met/Started Dating: February 9, 2012 Briefly Describe First Date: Went to see “The Vow” and had dinner, and it was snowing really badly. Date Married: July 13, 2012 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Watch movies, camping, anything with our kids. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Don’t go to bed mad at each other! Be there for each other no matter what!

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Kara & Josh from East Alton Date Met/Started Dating: June 24, 2017 Briefly Describe First Date: The classic dinner and a movie Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: We enjoy door dashing together and trying new restaurants! Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Keep laughing with your partner!

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EVERGREEN PARK - The 21st century introduced to us a whole world of technology that has grown rapidly year by year. At the start of the pandemic in 2020, the time kids spent inside and on screens significantly increased. While there are ongoing debates on the topic of technology and kids, one thing is certain: Screen time is here to stay. The factors that play a role in how beneficial screen time is come down to both the quantity and quality of the screen time. One popular screen-time choice for young children is CoComelon . CoComelon is a YouTube channel with 128 million subscribers and counting – and each video posted is viewed millions of times. The CoComelon phenomenon is entering households all across the country, both online and through branded apps and streaming platforms like Netflix. So, what is the obsession? Shows such as CoComelon tend to draw children in because of the fun sounds and visuals, including bright colors and large shapes. Not only does this catch a child’s

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An open letter to the community: Throughout OSF HealthCare, our hospitals, clinics, and staff are being challenged in ways we haven’t experienced in two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. But if you look back on OSF history, those before us faced similar challenges. Our founding Sisters cared for patients with contagious diseases, and as it is today, the need for care was tremendous. Those Sisters were willing to do whatever was needed, saying, “This is a person created in God’s image, and I’m going to take care of them.” Today’s Sisters – and their 24,000 partners in the OSF HealthCare Mission – are also saying that. Yes, our health care workers are tired and worn out. Just like health systems across the country, our doctors, nurses, clinical support staff, and others continue to endure mental, emotional, and physical strain. The surge we are experiencing with omicron is the latest test. But our caregivers and other Mission Partners draw

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ST. CLAIR COUNTY - This is an Illinois State Police District 11 summary of a two-vehicle personal injury crash on I-55 in St. Clair County at 5:36 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2022. The drivers involved were from Florissant, MO., and Alamo, Texas. A woman - Breonna Hargrove, 28, of Florissant, Mo., was transported by ambulance to a regional hospital with life-threatening injuries. More details about the crash are below from ISP. WHAT: Two-Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash WHEN: Feb. 06, 2022 at approximately 5:36 a.m. WHERE: Interstate 55 southbound at milepost 3.1, St. Clair County VEHICLES: Unit 1- 2010 White Audi Q5 Unit 2- 2022 White Freightliner Truck-Tractor Semi-Trailer Combination DRIVERS: Unit 1- Breonna Hargrove, 28-year-old female from Florissant, MO – Transported by ambulance to a regional hospital with life-threatening injuries. Unit 2- Juan Cantu, 57-year-old male from Alamo, TX – Transported by ambulance to a regional hospital with non-life-threatening

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SANGAMON COUNTY - A downstate Illinois judge has issued a ruling against the state's school mandates, including masking after lawsuits involving parents and teachers from more than 150 districts throughout the state. In granting them a temporary restraining order, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene DeWitte Grischow said the mandates violate the plaintiffs' "due process rights under the law which provide them a meaningful opportunity to object to any such mitigations." “This court acknowledges the tragic toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken, not only on this State but throughout the nation and globe,” Grischow wrote in the decision. “Nonetheless, it is the duty of the Courts to preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the boundaries of the authority granted under the Constitution. “The (Illinois Department of Public Health) is limited by law to delegating its authority only to certified local health departments

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CHICAGO – Governor Pritzker has asked the Illinois Attorney General’s office for an immediate appeal of Judge Grischow’s decision to restrain the State from enforcing the safety measures aimed at protecting teachers, school personnel, students and communities from COVID-19. The Attorney General is seeking an expedited appeal from the Fourth District Illinois Appellate Court. “The grave consequence of this misguided decision is that schools in these districts no longer have sufficient tools to keep students and staff safe while COVID-19 continues to threaten our communities – and this may force schools to go remote,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This shows yet again that the mask mandate and school exclusion protocols are essential tools to keep schools open and everyone safe. As we have from the beginning of the pandemic, the administration will keep working to ensure every Illinoisan has the tools needed to keep themselves and

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EDWARDSVILLE - Criminal charges have been issued against a former Roxana School District teacher for alleged crimes that occurred inside the City of Edwardsville. On January 26, 2022, the Edwardsville Police Department received notification from the Roxana Police Department that a former school teacher in the Roxana School District had alleged sexual relationships with juveniles that were under the age of 18 years old. The Edwardsville Police department initiated an investigation due to the sexual acts occurring within the city limits of Edwardsville. The subsequent investigation led to the execution of a search warrant on February 1, 2022, at the suspect’s residence, located in the 400 block Roanoke Drive, Edwardsville, Illinois. The suspect was taken into police custody at that time. On February 4, 2022, the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office issued criminal information for: Danielle C. Fischer F/W, 29 years of age For the following offenses: COUNT

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Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois CEO, Loretta Graham, wrote this editorial reflecting on Black History Month: As we celebrate Black History Month, let us recognize how African American culture has profoundly shaped American culture. Two of the greatest women in black history delivered a couple of the most significant speeches in American history - Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. Sojourner Truth dedicated herself to the causes of ending slavery and fighting for equal rights for women. She was born into slavery in New York and freed in 1827 under the state’s emancipation law. Let’s reflect on an interpretation of a speech she delivered, “Ain’t I a Woman?”. She said “Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ’twixt the Negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about? T

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PEORIA - How many times at work have you declared, “There has got to be a better way!” Knowing that Mission Partners (employees) have great ideas to create a better way, OSF HealthCare launched the OSF Innovation Studio – to take those ideas from exploration to commercialization. A couple of ideas that have been rapidly advanced include an app to improve surgical safety of patients with medical implants and a new type of heart stent. Kip McCoy, vice president of Innovation Studio for OSF HealthCare, says his team looks for ideas that have the potential to transform health care, are associated areas of expertise at OSF or are aligned with the OSF Innovation focus areas. Those areas include pediatrics, neurology, medical technology, big data and the social determinants of health, among others. But the Innovation Studio will also embrace random opportunities in a particular setting to improve processes, safety, recovery, treatment or even the patient’s overall

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Our Love Story: The Couple: David (I call him Dave, Husband, Love, & Sexy) and Natalie (He calls me Natty, Sugar Butt, Wife, Love, & Momma) from Wood River Date Met/Started Dating: July 11, 1997 Briefly Describe First Date: He worked at Tommy's Quik. My Mom helped me get a car. I started going in there for gas, cigarettes, and soda. If he was there, he made sure he was the one to always wait on me. He was very nice. After a few days, he asked me to stay and hang out. We spent several hours talking between customers. Getting to know each other, joking, flirting. He asked for my phone number, and we spent the rest of the night on the phone. We both knew from that day that we would be together. Date Married: April 11, 1999 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Everything. At this point in our lives, we are both disabled. He has stage 4 Kidney disease, & Chronic Hemolytic Anemia, among other things. I have Uncontrolled Epilepsy among other things. We spend 99.9% of

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Craig and Chelsea from Roxana Date Met/Started Dating: July 24, 2005 Briefly Describe First Date: Dinner at Moonlight. Date Married: January 30, 2009 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Spending time together, playing with our 3 kids. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Always marry your best friend! You will have your ups and downs, but it's the friendship that gets you through. Thanks to my Aunt for the best advice!

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Our Love Story: The Couple: "Honey" and "Sugar" from Wood River Date Met/Started Dating: April 22, 1994 Briefly Describe First Date: Our first date was at the movies at Eastgate. Date Married: August 17, 1996 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: L ooking for records and driving our pt cruiser down the river road for fish or going to Duke's bakery for a cookie. We have been together since I was 14 and he was 16. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Always love each other no matter what. Love always wins. We just fit; we are soul mates.

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Our Love Story: The Couple: Scott & Melissa from Godfrey Date Met/Started Dating: January 3, 2010 Briefly Describe First Date: Homemade dinner and movie. Date Married: September 3, 2010 Name Something You Enjoy Doing Together: Sxs riding. Sushi dates. Movies. Fun days with our kids. We have fun doing anything together. Share Advice For A Happy Relationship: Laugh. Have fun and don’t take things so seriously. Always have date nights.

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SPRINGFIELD— February can be one of the coldest and snowiest months of winter. With the upcoming sub-zero temperatures predicted for the region, HSHS Illinois hospitals and HSHS Medical Group clinics remind everyone the risk of cold-related injuries increases as the temps drop. The most common cold-related health issues are hypothermia and frostbite. Dr. Gurpreet Mander, HSHS Illinois chief physician executive, says while many people can and should stay indoors when the temperature drops to dangerous levels, some jobs require people to work in the cold. “Hypothermia and frostbite can set in very quickly and those who work outdoors should take steps to prevent these potentially serious issues.” If you must be outdoors during frigid temperatures: · Dress in layers and wear insulated clothing that allows for evaporation and minimal absorption of perspiration. · Take breaks. Be sure to warm up inside when needed. · Eat a balanced diet. · Drink

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The Center Square – Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he believes in paying off the state’s debt, but he didn't mention the state’s $4.5 billion unemployment trust fund debt that costs taxpayers tens of millions in interest during his State of the State and Budget address Wednesday. Proposing a spending plan for the coming fiscal year that's billions of dollars more expensive than what he proposed for the current year, Pritzker laid out his fiscal 2023 budget priorities on Groundhog Day at the Old State Capitol in Springfield. The governor offered up a spending plan of $45.5 billion in state funds, nearly $4 billion more than he proposed for the current fiscal year. Despite increased spending, the election-year plan includes a freeze in grocery taxes and property tax rebates of up to $300 per household. The governor is also proposing freezing the estimated 2.2 cent gas tax increase scheduled for July 1. Pritzker said the extra gas tax money wasn’t needed by the Illinois

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WOOD RIVER - Wood River Fire Department issued a Box Alarm on a fire call to Lewis and Clark Elementary at 501 East Lorena in Wood River on Friday. When firefighters arrived, they found smoke on the second floor. The fire appeared to originate in the mechanical area of the Lewis and Clark Elementary basement. With the assistance of the East Alton Fire Department and Roxana, Edwardsville, and Rosewood Heights Fire Departments, the firefighters were able to get the situation under control in a fast fashion. It was a snow day for Lewis and Clark Elementary, so there were no students in the buildings, Wood River Fire Chief Wade Stahlhut said, which was a huge blessing. Madison County Emergency Management was also called to the scene to assist. Stahlhut said he was also appreciative of the other departments for their assistance both at the fire and others with help at their fire station. The State Fire Marshal's Office was also requested to the scene to assist in the investigation o

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