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SPRINGFIELD – The start of the Illinois State Fair is only 100 days away and to celebrate, the Illinois State Fair announced today that Willie Nelson & Family will headline the Illinois Lottery Grandstand on Tuesday, August 16. Tickets for the show go on sale this Saturday, May 7. Willie Nelson has earned every possible award as a musician over a career that has spanned seven decades. The ten-time Grammy Award winner has also garnered reputable credentials as an actor, author, and activist. In 1985, Nelson co-founded Farm Aid to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and help raise money to keep family farms on the land. “Willie Nelson is a true champion for farmers,” said Illinois State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark. “I can think of no one better to help us celebrate our state’s number one industry during the fair. On top of his love for agriculture, he will be performing hits that fairgoers from every generation can sing along to.” Opening

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ALTON – OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center and OSF Medical Group are pleased to announce that we are welcoming new patients to all three primary care offices in the Riverbend area. OSF HealthCare understands the importance of establishing a relationship with a primary care provider (PCP), and to better serve our patients and community, we have expanded our hours for greater flexibility to accommodate busy schedules. Primary care providers at OSF Medical Group help guide patients through the health care journey – whether getting preventive care such as wellness checks or referrals to specialists. Working together with OSF primary care clinicians, patients will have access to health education, disease prevention, and healthy living options. When needed, patients will find knowledgeable, highly skilled care teams to diagnose and treat both acute and chronic illnesses. The OSF Medical Group - Primary Care office in Alton is located at #2 Saint Anthony’s

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EDWARDSVILLE - Year-round, women strive to make significant efforts to engender equal and equitable space wherever they are. Owing to their broader contribution to the immediate community and beyond, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Inclusive Excellence, Education and Development Hub (The Hub) recognized 17 Phenomenal Women, comprising faculty, staff, students and community members, who are shaping society with their community involvement, public discourse and exemplary leadership. A virtual event held in March honored the women, including awardees from not only SIUE, but also within the SIU System. “Our campus is stronger with the presence of women like the ones celebrated at this event,” shared Lindy Wagner, assistant vice chancellor for Inclusive Excellence, Education and Development. “Our campus and the community benefit from all the hard work and dedication put in, be it visible or invisible labor.” “This event provides a chance t

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GODFREY - Taylor and Lily will be hosting their 14 th annual Christmas in July on July 29, 2022. "They are looking for raffle ticket items," their grandmother Margaret Freer said. "Everyone has been so generous in the past. The raffle is the main money-maker for the event and 100 percent of what is raised stays here in our community and is tax-deductible. "I believe we have a business donating $2,500 cash prize and we need several items to make the raffle appealing. Condo rentals, timeshares, vacation packages, green seats, etc. are all well received and coveted items. "If anyone can help please call 618-466-6151 and ask for Margaret or Carrie. We are hoping for another successful event. I cannot express enough how many people this helps."

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GLEN CARBON - Freshman Mia Range is a top-notch competitor in both track and field and soccer. She recently won the Madison County Small Schools high jump and 100-meter dash. She was the state indoor high jump champion for small schools. Mia is a Byron Carlson Petri & Kalb, Kalb, Inc., Female Athlete of the Month for Father McGivney Catholic High School. Her best in the high jump is 5-3.75 and she has run a 12.97 in the 100. She is also outstanding in the 200 meters and long jump. She won the state indoors with a 5-3 high jump. “The high jump is definitely my favorite event,” she said. “My goal for the outdoor season in the high jump is 5-foot-5. I hope to get in the low 27s or 26 at state. I want to make it to state in the 200 and high jump.” Mia said her main hope is to take a state outdoor high jump title back to McGivney. She is very satisfied with McGivney Catholic High School and said: “It is a lot different than a public school with a lot

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GLEN CARBON - Junior Jacob Huber is a standout on both the hardwoods and is now in track and field for Father McGivney Catholic High School. He is the Byron, Carlson Petri & Kalb, LLC., Male Athlete of the Month for the Griffins. Huber is a long jumper and sprinter and has had a strong start for the Griffins in the 2022 track and field season. He is also a guard on the McGivney boys basketball team. Huber said the key to his success in track and field is “perseverance, knowing that I’ll be fulfilled in the end.” The McGivney athlete has participated in track and field since seventh grade and says what he enjoys the most about it is the “pure competitiveness within yourself and the other athletes.” He continued: “Sports in high school have helped me understand what it's like to be faced with adversity and what it means to work hard. Both of these things and more have developed me into a hard-working and determined student and athlete.”

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EDWARDSVILLE – Metro-East Lutheran High School is pleased to announce that four students from the MELHS graduating class of 2022 have been designated as Illinois State Scholars. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), the state’s college access and financial aid agency, presents this important recognition of academic achievement to exceptional Illinois high school students annually. The State Scholar recognition is based on a combination of ACT or SAT test scores, class rank and grade point average. The 2022 Illinois State Scholars from MELHS are: Katherine Donovan, Isabella Hartsock, Trevor Pickerell and MaryAnn Rainey “On behalf of ISAC, congratulations to all of the Illinois State Scholars for their hard work and commitment inside and outside of the classroom,” said ISAC Executive Director Eric Zarnikow. “In the past two years students and families have faced unprecedented difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; from financial

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EAST ALTON – Three National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC sm ) staff members were among the experts featured during the 2022 annual meeting of the Illinois Chapter of The Wildlife Society (ICTWS). The three-day meeting was held April 10-12 in the Commons on Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey Campus. It featured 18 talks and 20 poster presenters, who discussed topics pertaining to wildlife monitoring and management, disease, ecology, and more. NGRREC had three staff, Phil Rathz, Jacob Decker and Melissa Schindler participate in the poster session. Decker, a recent Lewis and Clark Community College (L&C) graduate and member of the NGRREC Habitat Strike Team, won first place in the undergraduate student category for his poster highlighting his research utilizing trail cameras, which he completed last summer during his time as an NGRREC intern. “It was my first ICTWS annual conference meeting,” Habitat Junior Assistant Jacob Decker

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ALTON - Christie Rickman, a special needs teacher at Alton High School, wanted the community to know of an effort she considered a blessing for students recently at the NCG Movie Theater in Alton. NCG hosted the Autism and Intellectual Physical Disabilities Community Trip. NCG discounted the movie price for the students and allowed them to see a movie that definitely sparked their attention - "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." NCG accommodated the students with many sensory options from lighting, to sound, etc. There also was plenty of popcorn and drinks available for the students. Mrs. Barron and Ms. Prott's Alton classes joined Mrs. Rickman's class at the event. “NCG is such a blessing to our community for granting access to a larger part of our community,” Rickman said. “They accommodated so many diverse special needs on the day of our trip. We have several children with autism or on the spectrum and also had deaf and hard of hearing students, students in wheelchairs,

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BELLEVILLE - After a competitive bidding process, St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) today announced Belleville-based Hank’s Excavating & Landscaping, Inc. was awarded a $767,952 construction contract for Phase I of the Old Collinsville Road Trail. This approximately ¾ mile-long trail project will connect Richland Creek Bikeway in Swansea to Lebanon Avenue in Belleville, as well as to the Old Collinsville Road Bike Trail Phase II project currently under construction from Lake Lorraine Drive to Munie Road in Swansea. This latest phase will further extend the reach of the MetroBikeLink System, which features 14 continuous miles of trails in Southwestern Illinois and links users to six Metro Transit Centers. Phase I of the Old Collinsville Road Trail will feature a separate 10-foot-wide, shared-use, asphalt path within the Old Collinsville Road right of way; a pedestrian bridge over Richland Creek; and traffic signal modifications for safe crossing at Lebanon Avenue.

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CAIRO – On April 29th, 2022, Mary Davis, a 68-year-old female from Carbondale, was found guilty on charges of First-Degree Murder and Concealment of a Homicidal Death during a jury trial in Alexander County. Davis was convicted of the 2018 murder of 63-year-old Tomie Edwards. Edwards’ body was discovered by Kentucky authorities in the Mississippi River on May 22, 2018. The murder investigation was led by the Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Zone 7. The Illinois State Police was assisted by the Cairo Police Department, Alexander County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Kentucky State Police. A sentencing hearing for Davis is scheduled for June 29 th in Alexander County court. No further information will be disseminated at this time.

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GRANITE CITY – Senior three-sport student-athlete Ella Stepanek was named the 2021-22 Granite City High School Scholar Athlete of the Year, as announced by GCHS. Stepanek will be recognized at Busch Stadium on May 11 as part of the 56th Annual St. Louis Post-Dispatch Scholar Athlete Team. In addition, she will be recognized in the special section of the newspaper and online at STLhighschoolsports.com . "I’m extremely honored to have received this award, but without support from my coaches and family I wouldn’t have been able to earn this achievement. They’ve helped me maintain a schedule filled with sporting events and school functions," said Stepanek. "Even though it is challenging to maintain the demands of both sports and school, I think that in doing so it has given me an immense amount of pride in my achievements for both athletics and academics. I have learned that if I am willing to put the work in, success will eventually follow, and the responsibility

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BETHALTO - Lt. Scott Van Hoy is a pilot commander of P-8 Satellite Planes for the U.S. Navy. This past week, he was able to practice some landing touch-downs in the training of another pilot at St. Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto. For his parents and grandfather, it was a thrill to watch him in action, which is next to impossible because of what he does for the Navy. Vern Van Hoy, his father, said his dad is 92 years old and was a B-29 pilot and was in tears watching him. Lt. Van Hoy was on a 6-hour mission with the touch-downs and is based in Jacksonville, Fla. “We are very proud of him,” Vern Van Hoy said. “He can’t tell us anything when he is deployed or when he is overseas, so this was special for us.” Lt. Van Hoy went through the ROTC program at the University of Illinois on a full scholarship. He had always wanted to be a pilot, his father said. “He has been deployed twice to the South China Sea,” his dad said. “He is now

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service has announced several additions to the 2022 stamp program first announced last fall. All stamp designs are preliminary and subject to change. Additional details, including issue dates and locations, will be announced later. Charles M. Schulz New stamps salute the centennial of cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) whose “Peanuts” characters are some of the best known and most beloved in all of American culture. For five decades, Schulz alone wrote and drew nearly 18,000 strips, the last one published the day after he died. Each character reflects Schulz’s rich imagination and great humanity. His resonant stories found humor in life’s painful realities including rejection, insecurity, and unrequited love. In a celebratory mode, characters from “Peanuts” adorn 10 designs on this pane of 20 stamps and form a frame around a 1987 photograph of Schulz. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps

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BH was a troubled teen, at least in her own mind. Her parents realized there was a serious problem when they discovered she was self-mutilating. Cutting herself. On purpose. It can be hard to understand why people do this, but it’s a way some people try to cope with pain – of strong emotions, intense pressure, or upsetting relationship problems. People who cut may not know better ways to get relief from their emotional pain. BH’s parents had tried various ways to get her help, but nothing seemed to work. Then they took her to Chakota Therapeutic Riding Center (Chakota-TRC) in Germantown, IL. When BH?first arrived at Chakota, she was introduced to Cherokee, the center’s oldest therapy horse. But she was actually a bit mean with him. She kept pushing her fingers into his mouth as if she was trying to get him to bite her. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Dave told me. “After a bit, he did close his teeth on her fingers, but he didn’t

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EDWARDSVILLE - Junior pitcher Jake Holder has been one of the aces of the Edwardsville baseball pitching staff this season, going to 4-0 with a 9-0 win over DeSmet Jesuit Monday afternoon at Tom Pile Field. Holder threw five innings, allowing two hits while walking one and striking out another in the win over the Spartans, giving the Tigers a 22-0 record going into a crucial Southwestern Conference series Tuesday and Thursday against Belleville East. Jake is the iCAN Clinic Male Athlete of the Month for Edwardsville High School. "I'm feeling good," Holder said during an interview that followed Monday's game. "Still felt good today, with the rough conditions, I do what I can." The weather conditions were less than ideal for the game, with a soft, misty rain falling during the contest, with an overcast sky and breeze blowing towards left field. Holder and his teammates made the best of the conditions to play well. "I didn't really focus much on that," Holder said. "I just continued

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ST. LOUIS — This Mother's Day Weekend, families can take Mom to the most popular exhibition in St. Louis for free. Just bring a standard-sized package of diapers or disposable toddler training pants to the exhibition and Mom gets in for free along with a family member's paid admission. The Mother's Day Diaper Drive benefits the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank and is valid from Thursday, May 5 through Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, 2022. Tickets are available now at www.vangoghstlouis.com . The exhibition will be open from noon until 7 p.m. on Thursday May 5; noon until 8 p.m. on Friday, May 6; 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 7; and 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Mother's Day, May 8. Founded in 2014, the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank collects, stores, and distributes 250,000 free diapers per month to struggling families through a network of 56 community, nonprofit, educational and health care partners serving low-income women and children. These diapers are obtained via local diape

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CHICAGO - Governor Pritzker today condemned the reported Supreme Court draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade, allowing states to enact even more restrictive anti-choice laws that would deny woman’s access to reproductive health care. Early in his term, Governor Pritzker signed the Reproductive Health Act to protect Illinois women in anticipation of a conservative Supreme Court overturning Roe. “The terrifying implications of this decision and what it means for millions of women across the country cannot be understated,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “But let me be clear- no matter what atrocity of an opinion the Supreme Court officially rolls out this summer in regards to Roe versus Wade – abortion will always be safe and legal here in Illinois. Illinois is and will remain a beacon of hope in an increasingly dark world. I will fight like hell – not just for the women who call Illinois home, but every person in every corner of this country who deserves

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ALTON - Curious about our wild canine neighbors? Come learn about coyotes from our local wildlife expert, Kerry Lennartz! Her talk will focus on the behavior and habits of this species, their important role in the ecosystems they live in, as well as management strategies and ways to foster peaceful coexistence. Kerry works at the Tree House Wildlife Center as a wildlife rehabilitator, and she will bring a special Treehouse resident, or two, but not a fox. 6:30–7:30 PM You can join us online May 10, 2022, on ZOOM. ZOOM registration is available via the Events tab at https://www.sierraclub.org/illinois/piasa-palisades . Attendees and friends are invited to have dinner and meet the speaker at the Old Bakery Beer Company at 400 Landmarks Blvd., Alton, IL 62002 at 5 PM. The speaking program will begin at 6:30 PM, in the event room adjacent to the dining room. Folks are welcome to attend via ZOOM, starting at 6:30 if unable to join us in-person. To register to attend this event

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BELLVILLE - As part of Foster Care Awareness Month in May, Caritas Family Solutions is spreading awareness around the need for more people to consider becoming foster parents. As the second-largest provider of foster care services in the state, Caritas serves more than 1,700 foster children on a monthly basis. “The need for foster parents is a national crisis,” said Caritas Family Solutions CEO Gary Huelsmann. “The pandemic has caused an increase in mental health issues, drug issues, opioids in particular, and other stresses on families. This has only exacerbated the need for organizations like ours. Our goal is to help strengthen and reunify families and to find children safe homes when that’s not possible.” Caritas Family Solutions provides training and licensing for people wanting to become foster parents and supports them throughout that process. The agency also recently implemented a foster parent mentor program to offer people practical advice fro

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