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CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Insurance (IDOI) announced today fines totaling $231,900 for Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), the parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, for violations of the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act (NATA) requirements for health insurers to post up-to-date, accurate, and complete provider directory information. Earlier this year, following a targeted market conduct examination of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, the Department fined HCSC for violating NATA and ordered the company to take corrective action, including updating provider directories and making the information clearer to consumers. * Market conduct examinations allow the regulatory agency to review insurance companies' compliance with state and federal laws. The health insurer’s delayed compliance with implementing changes to its provider directories to address the NATA violations resulted in the new fine. “Consumers rely on their health insurance

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives approved funding today for interior programs and public health and safety, including several local projects championed by U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12). Bost secured $3 million for three projects strengthening water treatment and sanitation at facilities in Dietrich, Centralia, and Teutopolis. "Being a governing conservative means fighting for our Southern Illinois values while delivering real results for the people you represent,” said Bost. “That’s why I’m proud the House approved funding I requested to improve sewer and water treatment projects in Dietrich, Centralia, and Teutopolis. These are important steps forward for the many thousands of rural Southern Illinoisans who rely on these facilities for public health and sanitation.” The Southern Illinois projects funded by the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill include: $1 million for Dietrich, IL, for a sanitary sewe

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CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, together with U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Peter Welch (D-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), released the following statement: “The tragic war in Gaza, initiated by Hamas terrorist attacks on innocent civilians on October 7, is causing heartbreaking suffering among Israelis, Palestinians and citizens of other nations living in the region. “Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself against Hamas, whose leadership continues to state clearly that their goal is the complete annihilation of Israel. Israel also has the obligation, pursuant to international law, to conduct that defense in such a way as to minimize harm to civilians and allow

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BETHALTO - Midwest Members Credit Union is proud to sponsor the “Eagles of the Month” program at Civic Memorial High School. Senior students are selected each month by members of the Civic Memorial faculty to represent each department. All students are awarded a certificate and a Subway gift card. Two Seniors (1 female student and 1 male student) that were selected each month will have the opportunity to compete for a $500.00 “Eagles of the Year” scholarship each at the end of the school year. 2023 October's Eagles of the Month winners: Math - Aubrey Falk Visual Arts - Isla Schiling Social Studies - Reagan Bloodworth PE/Health – Adam Ogden Choir – Marissa Kudelka Band – Emily Bonnell Science – Madelyn Ogden English – Lucas Naugle C.T.E. – Wesley Stewart Teacher of the Month winner: Art – Shawn Callies Congratulations to all the Civic Memorial “Eagles of the Month” and the “Teacher of

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SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director John J. Kim today announced the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) EV Charging Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the purchase and installation of new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) light-duty electric vehicle charging stations at publicly accessible locations. This opportunity is being made available through Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan for electric vehicle projects authorized under CEJA. The NOFO and related documents have been posted to the Illinois EPA website . “If we want to reach our ambitious goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, then we must invest in charging infrastructure up and down the state,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to my administration’s landmark Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, I’m proud to say that’s exactly what we’re doing. By dispersing $27 million

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GREENVILLE - There’s more in store for Greenville University. The institution has overcome many challenges in its 130+ year history. Today where higher education institutions struggle to survive, Greenville University is thriving. True to its mission of empowering students for lives of character and service through Christ-centered education, GU is innovating, growing, expanding, and guiding more students to be salt and light to industries worldwide. The RISE UP campaign was launched in June 2019 in what fundraisers term a “quiet phase.” An initial goal of $30 million was moved to $60 million as dedicated alumni and friends quickly rallied to surpass the initial goal. October 20th saw the launch of the public phase of the campaign. A service of thanksgiving held in Whitlock Music Center celebrated the past and launched a vision for the future. There, campaign leaders announced that the campaign had reached $51 million toward the $60 million goal. Campaign co-chair

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today led eight of his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young, as well as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, expressing his support for increased federal funding for enforcement and compliance staffing and activity at EPA in the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request. “The request should continue to support funding that would increase and prioritize enforcement and compliance activities in communities of color and low-income areas. Specifically, we urge you to request funding for at least 400 additional full-time equivalents and provide a real increase, adjusted for inflation, across enforcement and compliance programs,” the Senators wrote. The Senators went on to emphasize the positive impacts of enforcement and compliance programs, which deter environmental law violations, protect environmental

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GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College, the Village of Godfrey and CJD e-Cycling will host a community e-Waste event from 9 a.m. to noon, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10 and 11, in the Tolle Lane parking lot, across from the Godfrey Campus. Most items will be accepted for free, providing community members with a secure, Earth-friendly option for discarding used electronics. The following items will be accepted but with a fee/charge, depending on size: $5-$35 to recycle cathode ray tube (CRT), projection, plasma, flat screen and console televisions. $5-$20 to recycle LCD, LED, CRT monitors. $5-$10 to recycle dehumidifiers, mini fridges and refrigerators. The following is a list of items that will be accepted free of charge: Computers, printers, cables and peripherals (keyboards, mice, etc.) Fax machines, scanners, digital converter boxes, cable receivers, satellite receivers Video game consoles, DVD players/recorders, portable digital music players Networking equipment

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), today introduced bipartisan legislation to quickly address our nation’s shortage of doctors and nurses. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act would recapture 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant visas for physicians that Congress has previously authorized—providing a desperately needed boost to our health care system in rural and urban areas. U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) will introduce companion legislation today in the House of Representatives. “Over the years and during the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrant nurses and doctors have played a vital role in our health care system, and their contributions have undoubtedly saved countless lives,” Durbin said. “It is unacceptable that thousands of trained, highly qualified doctors currently working in the U.S.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that $413,000 she secured through a Fiscal Year 2023 Congressionally Directed Spending Request will be sent by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration to Kaskaskia College in Centralia for its development of a mobile manufacturing and training lab focused on workforce development and career training initiatives. This Duckworth-secured federal funding will increase Kaskaskia College’s efforts to offer skills training for good-paying jobs for Illinoisans. “Our state and our nation are stronger when we invest in our communities and families—and that’s one of the things Congressionally Directed Spending allows us to do,” said Duckworth. “I’m so proud I was able to secure this critical support for Kaskaskia College, and I’m dedicated to ensuring Illinois continues to build upon our career training efforts. Investing in workforce

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SKOKIE – On October 31, 2023, at approximately 3:01 a.m., Illinois State Police (ISP) officials investigated a two-vehicle traffic crash involving an ISP officer’s squad car that was hit by a motorist who failed to move over on Interstate 94 southbound just south of Old Orchard Road in Cook County. On the above date and time, an ISP Troop 3 trooper was stationary in the left lane of Interstate 94 southbound with emergency lights activated and flares in the roadway behind the squad car which were set to indicate a lane closure ahead. The trooper was handling a previous weather-related traffic crash when a 2003 Toyota Matrix, traveling southbound, failed to move over, striking the right side of the ISP squad car. The Trooper was outside of the squad car at the time of the crash and was uninjured. The driver of the Toyota, 28-year-old Fadil Sanni of Chicago, IL, was also uninjured. Sanni was issued citations for Scott’s Law – Improper Passing of a Stationary Emergenc

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CHICAGO – Acting to address a sharp increase in congenital syphilis cases among newborns, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is urging healthcare providers to conduct more testing for the sexually transmitted infection in advance of birth and is launching a new phone line to provide clinical consultation for providers who treat pregnant patients and newborns. The service called the Perinatal Syphilis Warmline (at 1-800-439-4079) comes in response to an almost tripling in the number of congenital syphilis cases in Illinois since 2021. There were 29 cases in the state in 2020, 50 cases in 2021 and 84 cases in 2022. Calls will be answered within a day. “The best way to protect Illinois’s babies from congenital syphilis is for pregnant people to get tested and treated for sexually transmitted infections before birth,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “These rising rates of congenital syphilis are alarming, and IDPH is responding with new

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LAKE FOREST— Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) were joined today by local officials and community leaders to celebrate a new $18.3 million pump station and other safety upgrades at Deerpath Road and Skokie Highway (U.S. 41) in Lake Forest, a project made possible by the Rebuild Illinois capital program. The improvements address longtime flooding issues, provide more resilient infrastructure, and enhance regional mobility. “When I took office almost five years ago, it was time to put the past behind us and modernize the basic foundations of our state,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to a more than $18 million investment made possible by Rebuild Illinois, we have entirely relocated and reconstructed the existing pump station, built two new detention ponds to handle any excess flow from the pump station, in addition to making multiple safety improvements that alleviate flooding and guarantee access to this major roadway.

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EAST ST. LOUIS – An inmate already serving a federal sentence entered a guilty plea to new charges Thursday, admitting he threatened to murder a federal judge and former federal probation officer and blow up a U.S. District courthouse. Richard L. Russell, 57, pled guilty to two counts of retaliating against a federal official, two counts of mailing threatening communications and one count of threatening to destroy a building by fire or explosion, namely the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis. U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe spoke out strongly against Russell's charges: “Threats against the lives of federal judges and probation officers will be met with equally severe punishment. “The defendant intended to disrupt operations and endanger workers at the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse, and I commend the U.S. Marshals Service for their work investigating and thwarting the threats.” According to court documents, Russell was serving a 112-month

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ALTON - The Alton Police Department responded to a report of a gunshot victim at 8:41 a.m. on Nov. 3, 2023, in the 2000 block of Agnes Street in Alton. Alton Police Chief Jarrett Ford said officers and detectives as well as members of the Alton Fire Department arrived and located the victim. The victim was provided with immediate medical attention on scene and then transported by the Alton Fire Department to a local hospital. The victim was later flown to a St. Louis area hospital for further treatment. There is no known threat to the public at this time. The investigation is still ongoing with detectives following up on all available information. Anyone with information is asked to call the Alton Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 618-463-3505, extension 634.

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ALTON - Alton and East Alton Fire Departments battled a serious blaze in the 1600 block of Walker in Alton early Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Alton Fire Chief Jesse Jemison said the fire call came in at 4:02 a.m. and there was so much damage when the fire department arrived that they couldn't do anything to save the internal part of the home. He said the roof had already caved in when they arrived and there were intense flames in the house. The chief also said the home was vacant upon their arrival at the fire. The State Fire Marshal's Office has been called to investigate and decide if it is an arson case. The chief said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, he said. The chief said the heat of the fire did cause some damage to a home next door, but thankfully because of the fire department efforts, that home was saved.

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ALTON - Alton Main Street and Jacoby Arts Center are partnering to present First Fridays, a late night art and shopping experience which spans 16 locations across the Downtown Alton district. This series is held on the First Friday of October, November and December, providing you with an opportunity to check out new shops and galleries and visit familiar favorites to experience art and great specials at each business. Participants are offering a variety of discounts, refreshments, and giveaways. Everyone who has their passport stamped at a minimum of 10 locations will receive a $10 gift certificate to any participating business. Free parking is available in the lot next to Jacoby Arts Center, located at 627 E. Broadway, and a free shuttle bus will be provided from 5:00-9:00 p.m., running a continuous loop between all participating locations. On Friday, November 3 rd , start your evening by picking up your First Fridays passport at Jacoby Arts Center. There you will receive a complimentary

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ALTON - Kristina Castelli, the Alton High girls volleyball team libero, recently earned honorable mention All-Southwestern Conference honors as a defensive specialist, her coach Phil Hamilton said. Castelli is an Auto Butler Female Athlete of the Month for the Redbirds. Coach Hamilton said Castelli fills the libero role of specializing in play on the back row. “She can go into the game in more than one position,” the coach added. “The libero allows you more flexibility almost the entire game in the back row. The libero is the backbone of your defense and your passing.” He said it is quite an honor for Castelli to be on the All-Southwestern Conference list, considering the competition for the nomination. “You have to be judicious with your All SWC entries,” Hamilton said. “She does enjoy volleyball immensely and is also a soccer player on the varsity team in the spring. She is a great athlete overall." Hamilton closed by saying: "We have

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ST. LOUIS - Yelena Gass-Bronstein spent her entire career as a registered nurse at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Now, she’s counting on her colleagues to save her life. Roughly 15% of the U.S. adult population will develop kidney disease, and Gass-Bronstein is one of the 90,000 people in the U.S. who currently need a kidney transplant. In order to avoid the “miserable” experience of dialysis, she is searching for a living kidney donor who would be willing to donate a kidney, as soon as possible. “I helped so many people during my career, and now I need help myself,” Gass-Bronstein said. “The bottom line is that in order to survive, I will need an organ. All those prayers and support — I have lots of people who responded with emotional responses, that they’re praying for me, that they’re wishing me the best. And it’s very meaningful to me, of course. It means a lot to me. But I need to find an organ.” Gass-Bronstein isn’t

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EAST ALTON - As the afternoon closes on the demolition project of the Old Citizens Savings Bank in East Alton, a large part of the building has been removed. Here are photos thanks to the 618 Drone Service. The photos provide an above-ground look at how the building's remnants are now stacked. In the morning, the demo group will be back out at the scene and continue removal until the building is completely taken down. As promised, quick progress was made on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, the first day of demolition. All day long, the site attracted the attention of onlookers and most there reflected on the architecture and history of the building, which unfortunately couldn't be saved because of a contaminated and destroyed interior, East Alton city officials said. Riverbender.com will provide another tear-down look on Friday as the demolition continues.

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