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CHICAGO - Today, Governor JB Pritzker announced his appointment of transportation expert Gia Biagi to lead the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), pending Senate approval. Biagi brings decades of experience in urban planning, transportation, and public policy, including previously serving as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation. The announcement comes alongside Omer Osman’s retirement from IDOT after 35 years of service to the agency. “As my administration continues our ambitious goals to revitalize transportation across the state, I’m excited to appoint Gia Biagi as the next leader of IDOT,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Her expansive portfolio and unique leadership experience will undoubtedly propel IDOT’s mission forward and strengthen Illinois’ infrastructure efforts. I would also like to congratulate Secretary Osman on his retirement and thank him for so many years of dedicated service to our State.” Om

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator and co-founder of the first-ever Senate Environmental Justice Caucus Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) leadership to discuss a number of issues, including support for the ongoing Thornton Tunnel and Reservoir Project, modernizing critical water infrastructure to prevent future flooding, building resiliency against climate change and bringing environmental justice to communities that have been ignored for too long. Photos from the meeting are available on the Senator’s website. “Strengthening our water infrastructure is crucial in safeguarding our communities from future potential flooding and protecting the health and safety of all Illinoisans,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to work with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to ensure that our key water systems, including the Thorton Tunnel and Reservoir Project, will remain resilient against the effects of climate

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Every year on December 12th, enthusiasts and casual bakers alike come together to honor National Gingerbread House Day. This festive occasion not only celebrates the delicious treat but also invites creativity, community, and a sense of nostalgia. While gingerbread houses have become iconic symbols of the holiday season, their history, construction techniques, and the joy they bring are worthy of exploration. A Brief History of Gingerbread Houses The tradition of gingerbread dates back to ancient civilizations, where early forms of gingerbread were often used in religious ceremonies. However, the concept of the gingerbread house as we know it today gained popularity in Europe during the 19th century. The Brothers Grimm's fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel," published in 1812, played a significant role in popularizing the idea of edible homes, portraying a witch's house made entirely of candy and sweets. In the late 1800s, German immigrants brought the tradition to America, where it quickly

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Welcome to a fascinating journey through time as we explore significant events that occurred on December 11th throughout history. One of the most notable events on December 11th took place in 1964 when civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. King’s eloquent words resonated around the globe, emphasizing the importance of nonviolent resistance in the fight for racial equality. He highlighted the ongoing struggle against poverty and injustice, calling for global solidarity against oppression. King’s speech remains a significant moment in the civil rights movement, inspiring countless individuals to advocate for justice and equality. Fast forward to December 11, 1981, when NASA launched the first Space Shuttle, Columbia, on its inaugural mission. This marked a pivotal moment in the history of space exploration. The shuttle program revolutionized how humans traveled to space and facilitated numerou

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JERSEYVILLE - The Jerseyville Fire Department is getting some new equipment courtesy of a $1,000 grant from Illinois American Water. Fire Chief Keith Norman said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that Illinois American Water allows local fire departments to apply for grants every year. This year, the Jerseyville Fire Department’s grant application was approved for $1,000 - the maximum amount allowed under the Firefighter Grant Program . Norman aims to make every dollar count, as the equipment his department will buy - and how they plan to use it - will make a big difference for the city’s firefighters. “This will go towards the purchase of additional nozzles,” Norman said, explaining that fire hose nozzles are a “combination part” consisting of a handset, valve, and more, which all work together to allow water to “fire” out of the hose. In addition to new nozzles, the clever use of some new valves will allow the department

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GODFREY – Officials from Lewis and Clark Community College and Ameren Illinois met at the college’s Godfrey Campus, Dec. 10, to donate a 2006 Freightliner to the school’s Truck Driver Training program. L&C Board of Trustees President Dwight Werts said the truck will be a valuable training asset. “This truck can be used to train people to drive anything from a fire truck to a lumber truck to maybe even an Ameren truck,” he said. “I want to thank Ameren for being a great partner.” L&C President Ken Trzaska said the contribution is a testament to Ameren Illinois’ commitment to education and moving L&C’s programs forward. “We’re extremely grateful to Ameren for their generosity in supporting our Truck Driver Training program and Lewis and Clark in general,” he said. “We look at this as a great example of partnerships in the community and in the region.” Ameren Illinois has nearly 3,300

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GODFREY – A luncheon was held today at the Alton Wood River Sportsmen’s Club to show appreciation for the Madison County Sheriff’s Department and local government officials. The idea of Club President Harold Medford, the event was attended by Sheriff Jeff Connor, Chief Deputy Marcus Pulido, Lt. Bobby Weller, Mayor Mike McCormick, and County Board Member Linda Ogden. With the help of Steve Kochans and his efforts to coordinate with the Sheriff’s Department and Sportsmen’s Club, the luncheon was also attended by several supportive members of the community and Club board. Medford said that he hopes to make this an annual event, and to add an event honoring local firefighters. The Sportsmen’s Club, located in the Village of Godfrey, recently held an appreciation lunch for local veterans and had several hundred in attendance.

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EDWARDSVILLE - CNB Bank & Trust, N.A. is excited to announce the appointment of Peter Gruben, CFA, as Chief Investment Officer. In this key leadership role, Gruben will guide the bank’s investment strategies, ensuring comprehensive portfolio management solutions and delivering customized investment services for a variety of clients, including trust, agency, IRA, and charitable accounts. With his expertise, CNB aims to further enhance its reputation for providing exceptional investment management and fiduciary services. Gruben brings over 30 years of experience as an investment professional, offering a deep understanding of financial markets and a proven history of managing diverse portfolios. His extensive expertise spans trust and investment management, enabling him to deliver strategic, client-focused solutions tailored to individual and institutional needs. “We are thrilled to have Peter join our team,” said Norma Bellcoff, VP, Senior Trust Officer & Director

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ELSAH - Elsah United Methodist Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary with a special service. At 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, community members are invited to the church, located at 2 Valley Street in Elsah. Reverend Joseph Scheets will give an hourlong sermon, followed by a reception at Farley’s Music Hall. “It’s a celebration of community,” said Pastor Alan Abert. “This is a community thing, so we’re inviting everybody from the community in. The building itself has been iconic. It’s been the face of Elsah for a long time.” Scheets will be preaching from Psalms 46, and his sermon is titled “Be Still and Know That I Am God.” The service will also include some hymns from 1874. Abert shared that the Elsah United Methodist Church was started by Elsah’s earliest settlers in the 1800s. In 1859, the Elsah Methodist Society built a two-story red brick home, which still stands in Elsah today, and held service

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ALTON - Two individuals have been charged with deceptive practices for presenting bad checks at Schwegel’s Market in Alton, marking the fifth and sixth criminal cases involving bad checks at the location since 2023. James W. Holland, 58, of South Roxana, and Lora M. Benson, 49, of Carrollton, were both charged with Class 4 felony counts of deceptive practices. On Sept. 24, 2024, Holland allegedly delivered a check written in the amount of $479 to Schwegel’s Market while “knowing the check would not be paid by the depository,” according to court documents. One week later on Oct. 1, Benson allegedly did the same with a different bad check written out for $416.74. Both cases were presented by the Alton Police Department, and both Holland and Benson were granted pretrial release from custody. These two similar cases follow a series of forgery cases involving several individuals attempting to pass bad checks at the market. These include an Edwardsville

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SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Flag Commission selected its Top 10 finalists for the state flag redesign contest with public voting slated to begin in January. Members of the commission could select up to 10 of their favorite designs – from the nearly 5,000 submissions – prior to their December 9 meeting where they narrowed their choices to 10 overall. “Having received nearly 5,000 entries, I appreciate the creativity and passion reflected in all the submissions,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, whose office convened the Flag Commission meetings. Starting in January, the public will have the opportunity to vote online at www.ilsos.gov/stateflag for one of the new designs, or one of three former flag designs, including the current state flag, the 1918 Centennial Flag and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag. After the public voting period, the commission will report its findings and recommendations to the Illinois General Assembly by April 1, 2025,

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PEORIA – Sister Agnes Joseph Williams, O.S.F., chairperson of OSF Healthcare Ministries, has announced that Bob Sehring, chief executive officer, has shared his intention to retire in April of 2026. To facilitate a smooth transition, Michelle Conger will assume the role of president of OSF HealthCare on January 1, 2025, and will then succeed Sehring as chief executive officer when he retires. “It is with deep gratitude that we honor Bob’s extraordinary contributions to OSF HealthCare. Under his leadership, our Ministry has achieved remarkable milestones, including strategic growth through mergers and acquisitions serving 17 communities with hospitals, providing care for more than 1 million patients this past year, demonstrating strong leadership through the pandemic and the post impacts on our health system, advancements in oncology services including the opening of the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute in Peoria earlier this year, and an unwavering commitment to

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CHICAGO - Today Governor JB Pritzker announced Beth McElroy Kirkwood as his appointment to fill the vacant seat on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago Board of Commissioners. Kirkwood has spent more than a decade in public service in Orland Park across multiple city departments. Kirkwood will fill the vacancy left by Mariyana Spyropolous, who was elected Clerk of Cook County Circuit court in November. “Beth McElroy Kirkwood is an example of someone who has made serving her community a lifelong priority, and I’m proud to appoint her to continue this legacy of service on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board,” said Governor Pritzker. “The MWRD serves a crucial role in ensuring the greater Chicagoland area has access to clean and safe water, protecting millions of Illinoisans.” Kirkwood was appointed Orland Township Committeeperson in 2021. Kirkwood also serves on the Moraine Valley Community College Board of

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today warned four voice service providers that they have been transmitting suspected illegal robocall traffic on their networks on behalf of one or more of their customers. Raoul is a member of the bi-partisan, 51-attorney general Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force, which has been investigating these providers. In the warning letters , the task force informs the providers that it has shared the findings of its investigations with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which will consider appropriate next steps. “These letters should serve as a warning to others who attempt to profit off robocalls that cost consumers time and money and violate their privacy,” Raoul said. “My office will continue to work closely with the FCC to reduce illegal and intrusive robocalls that plague consumers in Illinois and across the country.” The letters warned that if these providers continue to transmit robocalls and

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EDWARDSVILLE - With their commitment to assisting students to advance academically, it is not surprising that these staff members, working in a program designed to empower students, are doing the same. Three employees of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s TRIO Upward Bound (UB) Programs will graduate with master’s degrees from SIUE on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. Graduating are Christopher L. Cooper Sr., Upward Program director; Jasmeen Finn, UB counselor/data specialist; and Jurre Loveless, UB counselor. “This degree offers the necessary skills to manage public programs, lead teams and navigate the complexities of government agencies, non-profits and other public service organizations,” said Cooper, who will receive a master’s in public administration (MPA). “I am deeply passionate about positively impacting my community, and this MPA degree equips me with the tools to address critical social issues like poverty, healthcare, education and

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SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Director James Jennings today announced a new funding opportunity to assist communities where there are currently no wastewater collection and/or treatment facilities. Illinois EPA is making $1 million available for grants through the Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program, which will assist small and disadvantaged communities in developing a project plan that identifies a solution to wastewater collection and treatment needs. A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) has been posted to the Illinois EPA website . “We know there is a real need for the upfront engineering and planning costs before a community can even consider construction of wastewater infrastructure,” said Director James Jennings. “Funding is a significant hurdle for many communities without access to modern wastewater systems, and this opportunity is an investment in their future and our environment.” The Unsewered Communities

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GODFREY – The yard waste drop-off site available to Godfrey residents will be closed on Tuesday, December 24th and Tuesday, December 31st due to the holidays. Saturday operations of those weeks will continue. The site, located at 1433 Stamper Ln. west of Glazebrook Park, is normally available on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. – noon. Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick initiated this service as a courtesy to Godfrey residents in August of 2023, when pick up of yard waste by area trash haulers became less attainable. “This program has been very successful,” said McCormick. “The number of bags of leaves, grass, and small branches dropped off by Godfrey residents has reached over seven thousand.”

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CHICAGO – Illinois Lottery players have another shot at becoming a Mega Millionaire as the Mega Millions jackpot is now a whopping $619 million for tonight’s drawing. If won, this would be the tenth-largest Mega Millions jackpot won in U.S. history. Two people have won a Mega Millions jackpot this year: In March a player in New Jersey won a life-changing $1.28 billion; and in June an Illinois Lottery player won an astonishing $552 million playing Mega Millions on the Illinois Lottery mobile app – the largest prize ever won by an online lottery player in the U.S. So far this year, seven Illinois Lottery players have won prizes of $1 million or more with Mega Millions. Anyone could be next - all you need is a ticket to dream! There are over 7,000 Illinois Lottery retailers across the state and the Illinois Lottery also offers tickets on its website at IllinoisLottery.com or on the Illinois Lottery app. And if you have the good fortune to win a life-altering

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FRAMINGHAM, MA AND EDWARDSVILLE – Ameresco, Inc. , (NYSE: AMRC), a leading cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced that its newly formed joint venture with Republic Services (NYSE: RSG), a leader in the environmental services industry, has achieved commercial operation at their landfill gas (LFG) to renewable natural gas (RNG) plant located at Republic Services’ Roxana Landfill in Edwardsville, Illinois in November. The Roxana RNG facility captures naturally occurring landfill gas and processes it into pipeline-quality RNG, a low-carbon transportation fuel. This project beneficially uses previously flared LFG to create RNG that will displace fossil fuel in a nearby Energy Transfer natural gas transmission pipeline. The facility, which is one of the largest of its type in North America, is designed to process 6,000 SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute) of raw landfill gas per minute. It is estimated that the

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SPRINGFIELD — Brad Jacobs, a retired firefighter from Alton, is making his name known for his pickleball talents after recently qualifying for the national tournament following his success at the Illinois Senior Olympics. Jacobs, who served in the Alton Fire Department from 1970 to 2000, took up the sport after a fellow coach encouraged him to try it out post-retirement. Jacobs, now an active member of the pickleball community, credits his doubles partner Bob Biarkis, an experienced player from Edwardsville, for introducing him to the competitive side of the sport. “I never played in a tournament before, but Bob asked if I would like to join him in Springfield, and we ended up going undefeated and winning the gold,” Jacobs said. The Illinois Senior Olympics took place in Springfield, where Jacobs showcased his skills in the 3.5 skill level category. Beyond his achievements in pickleball, Jacobs remains committed to charitable work, particularly focused on youth

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