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JERSEYVILLE - A towering Christmas tree made of crocheted “granny squares” now on display near Germania Brew Haus in Jerseyville is an impressive and festive example of community collaboration. Erica Heitzig, who teaches Advanced Design at Jersey Community High School, oversaw the project which she credits several people with making a success. “My students started crocheting squares in early October. Our JCHS welding class constructed the base,” Heitzig said. “My students and I offered lessons at our local coffee shop on Sunday afternoons for those who wanted to learn.” The tree features granny squares from residents of Jersey, Calhoun, Greene, and Madison Counties - but it also features many squares from out-of-state contributors who heard about the tree project through social media. Some squares from Franklin, Virginia arrived in the mail earlier this month . “Word spread like wildfire with our granny square vision and with the

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GODFREY - The Freer Auto Body Cookies and Cocoa For Community Christmas is on the horizon and is set for Dec. 7, 2023, at the Freer location at 4512 N. Alby, Godfrey. The Freer Cookies and Cocoa event marks its 15th anniversary in 2023. This year’s festivities are from 4 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 7, 2023. Margaret Freer, one of the Freer Auto Body owners, encouraged residents to pick up a gift on Black Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, or over the weekend of heavy holiday shopping time at a reduced price for the campaign. "We need people to come and bring toys and gifts," Margaret Freer said. "It is very critical time and there is such a need in the community now. The more we get in the more people we are able to help." Lily and Taylor Freer, above, came up with the idea to have the Cookies and Cocoa event when they were very young children and it has blossomed into a huge fundraiser for Community Christmas. "We did it the first year after my son, David was killed in a car crash on Sept. 11,

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ALTON - Kaitlyn Koroby has never been a traditional artist. That’s exactly why people love her work. “I was real big on drawing even before I hit high school,” Koroby remembered. “And then when I got in high school, I found out there were art classes, and I was like, ‘No way.’ Of course, I signed myself up for it, and I didn’t get as much as I was expecting out of those. I was kind of turned off by it. I think I kind of draw differently and paint differently than a lot of other people, and a lot of my art teachers didn’t like that.” Her teachers encouraged Koroby to focus on the techniques being taught in class, which Koroby said was “understandable.” But as a young artist, she became discouraged and took a step back from creating. It wasn’t until she found herself pregnant and bored that she decided to give art another shot, no rules allowed. Four years later, Koroby is the Milton Schoolhouse Artist of

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ALTON - The Alton Community Unit School District #11 cheerleading program will host a statewide invitational competition on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, at Alton High School. Starting at 10 a.m., teams from across Illinois will showcase their cheerleading, tumbling and dancing skills at the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association (ICCA) Invitational. Over 20 teams will compete for the chance to go to Springfield in January for the state competition. Megan Hodge, Alton High School’s cheerleading coach, invites community members to come out and support the local teams. “Not a lot of people know about the cheer world, but we’re trying to bring cheer to the community and make it more popular again,” Hodge said. “It’s really cool to watch. Typically, the only people who show up to these competitions are just the cheer community when really, we’d love everyone to come and see and witness how intense of a sport cheer really is, because it truly is

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ALTON - Emily Schrumpf of Alton High School was honored as a Student of the Month for November at a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey at Gentelin’s on Broadway Restaurant. Emily is a senior at Alton High School. She is the daughter of Patrick and Keri Schrumpf. Inside of school, Emily has earned many academic accomplishments. She has a 4.632 GPA on the 4.0 scale and has been on the high honor roll every year. She has consistently taken and excelled in the most rigorous courses offered at Alton High, including several college-level classes. As it stands, she will graduate as a Platinum Alpha and Illinois Scholar with 35 dual credit hours through Lewis and Clark Community College. Emily’s college credits will place her at sophomore status when she starts college next year. While academics are extremely important to her, Emily’s extracurriculars are too. Outside of the classroom, she is heavily involved in the music program at Alton. She has

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ALTON - Alecia McCulley of Marquette Catholic High School was honored as a Student of the Month for November at a regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Alton-Godfrey at Gentelin’s on Broadway Restaurant. Alecia is a senior at Marquette Catholic High School. She is the daughter of proud parent Erica Spencer. Alecia has been part of the Marquette family since her junior year, as she transferred from Mannahouse Christian Academy in Oregon. Alecia has accomplished several academic achievements during her high school career, such as earning High Honor Roll, being elected as Student Council Class Representative, Vice President of National Honor Society, and President of the Spanish Club, and receiving recognition for demonstrating outstanding student leadership. Additionally, Alecia achieved an ACT score of 32, in which she obtained a 36 in Reading on the first and only administration of the exam. Currently, Alecia has a GPA of 4.19 and aspires to graduate with a 4.75. In addition

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ALTON - The Great River Road Run is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Downtown Alton. The race features both a 10-mile and 5K run. Top finishers in different age groups receive a medal and there is an official race long-sleeve T-shirt. A key point, entries are still taken this morning at Mac's in Downtown Alton where registration and race pickup information is available. Race Director Russ Colona is interviewed on Our Daily Show! interview above and says more race entries are needed to make the run a success. The Alton Road Runners Club is a non-profit organization. "Our main source of fundraising for everything we do comes from the Great River Road Run. We always have a great turnout for the race and it is what funds all of our other community races and events. "This race helps fund our Summer Running Series in the summer , with the Alton Memorial Family Run, the Pee Wee Run, and the Dash-n-Glow. With each race providing a T-shirt, refreshments,

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EDWARDSVILLE - Scholarship applications are open for the Industrial Engineering Program (IE) of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering (SOE). Scholarships offer a direct incentive for IE careers, which have a projected growth of nearly 39,400 hires during the next 10 years (BLS.gov, 2023). One-time scholarships are available for eligible first-year students and transfer students. The deadline for applications is December 15. “Industrial engineering careers range from defense to transportation, traditional manufacturing, to service industries like healthcare or banking,” said Sinan Onal, PhD, associate professor and chair of SOE. “IE students go on to work in companies all over the world, but more importantly, they work to solve problems that impact humans all over the world." Two selected transfer students majoring in IE will each receive a one-time scholarship of $5,000. Four first-year IE majors who are selected will each

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BRIGHTON - The Village of Brighton encourages you to “Brighton Up the Holidays” with their annual Country Christmas Festival and first-ever Christmas Parade. The Brighton Country Christmas Festival will run from 1–7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, at Crossroads Community Church of Brighton. Families can enjoy vendors, food, music, games and carriage rides in addition to the Christmas Parade, which kicks off at 4 p.m. “We are a small community, and just to promote that togetherness, family and family events,” explained Village Clerk Tamara Jenkins. The parade will start at Betsey Ann Park in Brighton and travel through the town. Santa Claus will be riding in a firetruck. The route will end at Schneider Park on Highway 111, where community members will gather for a tree-lighting ceremony and Santa will flip the switch. Carriage rides kick off at 5 p.m. at Crossroads Church, located at 305 N. Maple Street in Brighton. Vendors, food and music will

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GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College’s concert choir is hosting its “Yep…It’s Random 2,” fall concert with local band Porch Café. The free event begins at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in the Hatheway Cultural Center’s Ann Whitney Olin Theatre on L&C’s Godfrey Campus. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Assistant Professor of Music Juliet Jackson says the music this year is fun and upbeat, and attendees can expect songs from a wide variety of artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Queen, Stevie Wonder, Pharell and Lionel Richie, among others. “Singing is such a wonderful way to connect with not only other singers, but the audience as well,” Jackson said. “It’s a communal experience where energy is given and received. It’s truly magical and uplifting.” Jackson strives to connect with communities on and off campus by collaborating with local artists and choosing fun and accessible music. She hope

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ALTON - Alton Main Street has received some prestigious recognition being awarded the Lieutenant Governor Award for Design. The honor recognizes the organization’s mini-mural grant program which resulted in public art projects on exterior walls of River Bend Yoga (100 W. 3rd St.) and The Lovejoy (401 Piasa St.), and additionally transformed a utility box in the 100 block of 3rd Street into a work of art. A salute goes out to Executive Director Sara McGibany, the board and the overall organization for such extensive work over the past year for community revitalization. McGibany has led so many positive developments in the Alton Downtown community over the years and this just adds to the list with its hard-working board and volunteers. McGibany is the force behind the valuable organization with her energy, creativity and positive nature with Alton's success always at the focal point of her efforts. The Lieutenant Governor Award for Excellence in Revitalization is one of the

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ALTON - The Alton Municipal Band is getting ready to spread holiday cheer with a free concert of live music, just in time to kick off the holiday season. The band will play all of your favorite classics, as well as new tunes that are sure to delight. Vocalist Susan Stanard will grace the stage as the featured soloist, sharing her wonderful voice with all in attendance. The concert, to be held at First Presbyterian Church of Alton, will be at 6 p.m. Sunday, December 3, 2023. Light refreshments will follow. The Alton Municipal Band is in its 134th season: to learn more about the band, follow “Alton Municipal Band” on Facebook, or visit its webpage at altonmunyband.org

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BRIGHTON - For those who live in Brighton’s Suntara Estates Subdivision — also known as Christmas Village — the holidays are merry and bright, literally. Mayor Matt Kasten and his family go all-out for Christmas, with synchronized lights, music and an annual food drive to help local food pantries. Seventeen years after they started the tradition, most of the neighborhood has joined in with displays of their own, spreading holiday cheer to community members from across the Riverbend. “It keeps us going,” Kasten said. “These days, I really want to say my body is getting too old to do this. But then I think of all the kids and their smiling faces and I decide I get the energy to do it again.” Kasten has “always been a gadgety type of person” and loves decorating for Christmas and finding new ways to incorporate technology into his display. Over the years, his family tradition grew into thousands of lights spread across the yard

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GLEN CARBON – The Village of Glen Carbon and the Glen Carbon Heritage Museum are hosting Glenfestival of Trees to kick-off the holiday season. Individuals, groups and businesses have adorned the museum with decorated trees and wreaths to be displayed during the Christmas season. The festive greenery will be available for viewing from Nov. 25 through Jan. 1, 2023. Businesses are also encouraged to provide an informational table with materials about their organization or company that can be exhibited next to their holiday décor. Visitors can tour the museum during special evening hours throughout the holidays and will vote for their favorite wreath and tree with prizes awarded. All proceeds go towards future events at the Heritage Museum and Yanda Cabin. Samantha Doolin, museum coordinator, is pleased that many area organizations, businesses and individuals are participating in the event, celebrating its second year. New this season, Doolin added a holiday sing-along on

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ALTON - Centerstone, a national leader in behavioral health care, will host a free webinar entitled Stress and Grief During the Holidays on Wednesday, December 6 from 10-11 a.m. CT via Zoom. CEUs are available. The holidays can bring so much joy but also, for some, great pain. Exploring topics of grief and holiday stress, Dr. Melissa Flint will provide practical education and guidance about how we can carry both the joy and sorrow we hold in times of loss into the holiday season and find pieces of peace and hope during this time of the year. Objectives of the webinar include: Identify and self-assess levels of expectation about the holiday season (“perfect holiday syndrome”) Learn about two or more reasons why people might feel more out of control during the holidays Describe ways that our grief can manifest during the holidays Identify at least two ways to prevent feeling burned out during the stress of the holiday season. The presenter of the webinar will be Meliss

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ALTON - In a very heartfelt move, Mike Drake and a friend decided to make a former slow-pitch softball star’s Thanksgiving by returning his National Hall Of Fame ring. On Wednesday afternoon, Drake went to Alton Memorial Rehabilitation Center (formerly Eunice Smith Nursing Home) in Alton to present the ring to the Alton slow-pitch softball phenom - John Meeden. Mike and John played together on the legendary Alton Bucks squad. Drake is a former Alton Parks and Recreation Director and also a banking administrator. Drake had contacted the National Slow-Pitch Softball Hall Of Fame and he was willing to pay for a replica of the ring, but the organization in another act of kindness sent him a replica of one of Meeden’s rings free of charge. Meeden had his previous rings and memorabilia stolen from his Alton residence. Drake said in the spirit of Thanksgiving, he couldn’t wait to return the National Hall of Fame softball ring to John. “John is such a nice guy, he

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EDWARDSVILLE - Riverbend Head Start & Family Services in Edwardsville received 24 coats from the local Knights of Columbus chapter. On Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023, members of the Edwardsville Knights of Columbus group stopped by Riverbend Head Start to deliver coats they had purchased for the kids. Knights of Columbus member David Green explained that Head Start’s work aligns with their mission. “We’re organized to build faith, charity, community service and family,” Green said. “Those are our tenets, and this is one of our charity endeavors. We do a lot of programs over the course of the year and this is one of them.” Located at 710 N. Main Street, the Edwardsville Head Start has a preschool program for kids under 5. They work with income-eligible families from the prenatal stage until the child enters kindergarten to provide resources, education and childcare. One staff member noted that “you’d be surprised” at the number of

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EDWARDSVILLE — Scott Credit Union proudly announces the success of their 80 Acts of Kindness initiative, marking a milestone in their 80th-anniversary celebrations. This campaign, designed to give back to the communities they serve, commenced with the planting of trees in collaboration with Heartland Conservancy. SCU has completed more than 80 Acts of Kindness and expects to complete 100 Acts of Kindness before the end of the year, a testament to their commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of those in need. Each of SCU's 25 branches and many departments have actively participated in various projects, showcasing the credit union's dedication to both members and the broader community. From tree planting to painting dugouts, and helping young, first-time mothers to unhoused veterans, SCU has reached many people this year. "The overwhelming success of our 80 Acts of Kindness initiative truly reflects the generosity and compassion that defines Scott Credit Union,”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas to release 50 hostages currently being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip over a four-day long ceasefire: “I am relieved and heartened that the deal to release 50 of the 240 hostages being held by Hamas over a four-day ceasefire has been reached, with the possibility to extend the ceasefire by an additional day for every ten hostages released. We cannot rest until every single hostage has been returned to their families and loved ones. “The ceasefire will also allow essential humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, including food, water, medicine, and fuel. As I’ve said before: it is equally important to support innocent civilians who so often become collateral damage and bear the brunt of suffering during periods of conflict. “I know it will be hard, but I hope out of the ashes and pain of this curren

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BELLEVILLE – The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) announced on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, the arrest of 38-year-old Thomas Conner III of Belleville, for Involuntary Sexual Servitude of a Minor under 17 (Class X Felony), Involuntary Sexual Servitude of a Minor Under 18 (Class 1 Felony), 2 counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse (Class 2 Felony), and Solicitation of a Sexual Act (Class A Misdemeanor). ISP said on July 22, 2022, the East St. Louis Police Department received a report that Conner had sexually assaulted a minor. The ISP Public Safety Enforcement Group (PSEG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began a joint investigation into the allegation. After a thorough investigation, the case was presented to the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office. On November 14, 2023, the St. Clair County State’s Attorney charged Conner with the above charges. Conner was taken into custody at his residence by the

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