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ALTON - What does the future of tourism look like in southwest Illinois? That’s a question the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau plans to answer with a new Tourism Master Plan. The Tourism Bureau has partnered with Whereabout, a destination futures studio based in Portland, OR, to create a Tourism Master Plan which will set a long-term vision for the future of the region and the organization. The planning process is already underway and includes surveys designed to gather input from visitors, local residents, small business owners and tourism partners within the bureau’s six county scope. It is part of the community-driven process to create the plan. The surveys are available on the Bureau’s website https://www.riversandroutes.com/destination-development/tourism-master-plan/ . The surveys opened October 5 and will close November 5. “Our six county region includes 39 diverse communities and we want to ensure we are meeting the needs of our partners as wel

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ALTON - If you’ve seen the posters advertising the 106th Alton Halloween Parade around town, then you already know the work of Alton High School sophomore Audrey Hunter. Every year, Alton High School (AHS) students can compete in a contest to design the parade poster. The East End Improvement Association , an Alton nonprofit that sponsors the parade, chooses the winner and plasters posters all over town. AHS career and technical education teacher Lexa Browning coordinates the contest and said Alton students have been designing the posters for at least 25 years. “ get to use their creativity and produce all these lovely posters, and it’s exciting every year to see the different concepts the kids come up with,” she added. “We’ve gone from doing them almost completely by hand to now doing them on the computer, or a combination thereof. It’s a fun project.” Browning teaches graphic communications classes, which is how she knows Hunter’s

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LIBERTYVILLE – Governor JB Pritzker today joined EVBox and other stakeholders for the launch of its new Illinois-built DC fast charger. Called the Troniq Modular, EVBox’s new product is a National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) ready electric vehicle (EV) charging station. EVBox’s new DC fast charger is compliant with the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Build America, Buy America guidelines, which requires that chargers be produced in the United States with at least 55 percent domestic content. The launch event highlights the importance of clean energy businesses like EVBox, whose innovations will help bring Illinois closer to its goal of putting one million EVs on the road by 2030. “I’m proud to work closely with industry partners, like EVBox, to advance our shared clean energy goals and accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles,” said Governor JB Pritzker . “Major EV, EV parts, and renewable energy

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CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) joined 21 of their Senate colleagues in releasing the following statement: “We condemn Hamas’ horrific terrorist attacks against Israel, for which Israel must hold Hamas accountable. In the course of that endeavor, every effort must be made to protect innocent civilians. Right now, hospitals in Gaza are hours away from running out of fuel that powers ventilators, incubators for babies, and other lifesaving equipment, and diseases are rapidly spreading without power to treat and pump clean drinking water. To prevent a potential health crisis and help save countless lives, we believe it is possible to transport fuel directly to these hospitals, desalination plants, and water pumping stations with full transparency to prevent diversion to Hamas. There are extensive oversight mechanisms in place that will track the fuel deliveries directly to the intende

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ALTON - Alton Little Theater is hosting a free Trunk & Treats event on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. as they prepare for their upcoming production of “A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder,” with showtimes running throughout November. Executive Director Lee Cox and Co-Director Brant McCance talked more about “A Gentleman’s Guide” and the Trunk & Treats on the latest “Theater Thursday” segment on Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com . Cox emphasized the family-friendly nature of the Trunk & Treats. “It’s fun - it’s not a haunted house, it’s not scary. This is for youngsters and young families who don’t want to send their kids out by themselves,” Cox said, noting the lack of sidewalks around the area. “Our parking lot is huge, we’ll have it marked off, we’ll line our cars up along the wall. “We have inherited many, many Halloween things over the years …

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ALTON – To shed light on domestic violence and remember the victims and their families, Alton Memorial Hospital is hosting a special memorial service from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, in the AMH Café Meeting Rooms. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, and anyone can be a victim regardless of gender, age, race, income, or sexual orientation. In Madison County since 1996, at least 132 people have died in domestic violence-related circumstances. Because of the prevalence of domestic violence, Alton Memorial Hospital in 2002 began screening for domestic violence for everyone 12 and older who was being assessed in the hospital. Trained staff members confidentially ask these patients if they feel safe at home or have experienced mental, physical, or sexual abuse. Alton Memorial supports a coordinated domestic violence committee that includes members from the hospital staff, Zonta Club of Alton-Wood River, Oasis Women’s Center,

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ST. LOUIS, MO. – Union Avenue Opera (UAO), known for producing vibrant and affordable original language opera in St. Louis for the last twenty-nine years, will celebrate their 30th Anniversary Season with three exciting operas in the summer of 2024. “It is wonderful to kick off our 30th season and look back on all the incredible work by many that has brought us to this point” said Founding Artistic Director Scott Schoonover. “Thirty promises to be a grand season of opera classics, monumental vocalism, and finally, finding the truth in fairytales. I can’t wait to present these epic stories on our stage.” Opening the season will be UAO’s most requested opera in recent years, George Bizet’s Carmen which will feature the return of Elise Quagliata in the title role. Local audiences will remember Quagliata from her portrayal of Sister Helen in their 2011 production of Dead Man Walking and Sister James in 2016’s Doubt. Carmen wi

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WOOD RIVER - The legacy of the Mason Mansion Haunted House continues this year with the family’s fourth generation taking the reins. From 6–8 p.m. on Oct. 30 and 31, 2023, you can stop by the Mason house at 575 5th Street in Wood River for a spooky walk through a Halloween haunted house, built by the family over the course of six months. After Nick Mason’s passing in 2021, Julie Mason and her four sons — Nick Jr., Noah, Jackson and Jace — have decided to continue the tradition started by her husband’s family so many years ago. “It started with our great-grandfather Bob. Our grandfather Harry carried it on, and then our dad turned it into a big thing in Wood River whenever he moved into the house with our mother. And now we’re just picking it up after him,” Nick Jr. said. “It’s all about the community that we build during it. Just getting everybody together. There’s not a person who isn’t a part o

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CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has launched a new awareness campaign called ’ Tis The Sneezin’ to remind residents to vaccinate against the fall and winter triple threat: the flu, COVID and RSV. The announcement comes as data indicates six counties in the state are at an elevated level for COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to the CDC’s national COVID Data Tracker as of the week ending October 14. However, the total number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state has been trending downward in recent weeks, with 503 hospitalizations for the week, down 8% from the previous week. Also this week the CDC issued an alert to healthcare providers advising of a shortage of a medication called nirsevimab which is used to protect infants from RSV. The CDC is recommending that doses should be prioritized for infants under 6 months and those with certain risk factors. The CDC also recommended that expectant parents talk to their healthcare

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EDWARDSVILLE - Putting students first, a high quality of teaching and learning and a collaborative culture are a few reasons Jennifer Hookstra, BSPharm, PharmD, MBA, CDECS, FNAP, wanted to work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Pharmacy (SOP). Professor Hookstra, who started at the University a month ago, is the new chair of Department of Pharmacy Practice. “So far, I would give us an A for our approach to teaching and desire to create a supportive environment for students,” said Hookstra. “The department is made up of so many hard-working individuals. I chose to come here because the faculty and staff are authentic and unabashedly dedicated to being student-centered, and it shows in their graduates.” Hookstra has already formulated some ideas for the SOP, but she says collaboration is key to developing a roadmap. “I would like the vision for our department to be co-created together based on our strengths and talents,”

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ROXANA - Roxana's Ridley Allen has continued to improve throughout the girls' cross-country season for the Shells. She posted a time of 27:05.8 for the Shells in the Mississippi Valley Conference Meet for 28th place. She also recorded a time of 27:06.3 in the Trenton-Wesclin 1A Regional Cross Country Meet this past weekend. Ridley is a Midwest Members Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for the Shells. Ridley said she was "exhausted" at the end of the regional but wanted to keep pushing for her team's senior Riley. "It means a lot to me to be where I am now," she said. "This is only my second year of running. The girls are like family and everyone goes through the same type of thing when they compete." Ridley, a junior, said she looks forward to coming back next cross-country season for the Shells. Again, congrats to Ridley Allen on her recognition as a Midwest Members Credit Union Female Athlete of the Month for Roxana.

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GRANITE CITY - The Harris family has had quite an impact in Granite City girls' and boys' cross-country circles this fall. Lydia Harris, the sister, of freshman cross country sensation, Landon Harris, qualified for sectional this week in Alton by clocking a time of 20:43.90 for three miles. She said in an earlier interview that she has been putting in the miles and “it has paid off,” this season. Lydia is a Stillwater Senior Living Female Athlete of the Month for the Warriors. Lydia’s girls cross country coach Aaron Werths said Lydia has dropped her time significantly over the season and he is quite proud of her. “I could see her breaking 20 minutes by the end of the season,” he said a few weeks ago after the Alton Invitational Cross Country Meet. She was close to 20 minutes for three miles this past weekend in the regional at Alton. “Lydia has carried her success during track and field to cross country,” her coach said. Lydia says she

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This Trade Spotlight is sponsored by the Home Builders & Remodelers Metro East Association. EAST ST. LOUIS - Teens Against Killing Everywhere (T.A.K.E.) is a nonprofit that provides housing revitalization and construction, job training, and more to the community of East St. Louis. Through its various programs, the organization also provides local youth with scholarship opportunities and more while teaching them valuable trade skills. Shannon Stelling, executive officer of the Home Builders & Remodelers Metro East Association , has nominated T.A.K.E. for a Trade Spotlight for October for their work promoting the positive impact that the trades can have on the community. T.A.K.E.’s partnership with AmeriCorps helps with scholarship opportunities for local youths ages 16 to 24 who are part of T.A.K.E.'s Tomorrow’s Builders YouthBuild Charter School or the YouthBuild Construction Trades Training program from another partner, the Emerson Park Development Corporatio

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EAST ALTON - The old Citizens Savings and Loan Building, which is owned by the Village Of East Alton, is set for demolition on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. East Alton Village Mayor Darren Carlton said if the weather cooperates, the old savings and loan building will be torn down next week. “We will probably start to put up a fence on Monday and then the demolition will start on Wednesday if nothing happens,” Carlton said. “We have been trying to get it down since 2017. Some things happened, but the old Citizens Savings and Loan building demolition project started moving about two to three months ago.” Carlton said the village will work to see if there is someone interested in purchasing the property of the Old Citizens Savings and Loan once it is demolished and will make good use of the location. Carlton said there are some other derelict buildings that he hopes will either be repaired or torn down and hopes this will spark movement on those properties. An abov

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ALTON - Riverbender Radio is once again celebrating Halloween with a spooky soundtrack of traditional Halloween favorites and music from classic horror films and tv for the residents of the River Bend and beyond. Special programming will run on The Bridge station only from 6 p.m. to midnight on Oct. 30, 31. This is The Bridge station's third year providing special Halloween programming. And, leading up to Christmas, The Bridge will once again shift its sound to seasonal favorites. So tune in and enjoy popular songs I Put A Spell On You by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett, This Is Halloween by Michel Elias, Thriller, and Ghosts by Michael Jackson, Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band, Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell, Dead Man's Arms by Bishop Briggs and more, while trick-or-treating and party-going this Halloween. And remember, Riverbender Radio is available on your Amazon Alexa. If you have an Amazon Alexa device in your home you can say 'Alexa, play

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PONTOON BEACH - After three years of struggling with a driver workforce shortage, the Madison County Transit (MCT) Board of Trustees approved service reductions which will take effect on December 3, 2023. Despite ongoing efforts to recruit and retain drivers, a double-digit workforce shortfall remains, necessitating mandatory overtime and posing a risk of driver fatigue and compromised service reliability. An initial service reduction plan was presented at eight public meetings throughout Madison County over the course of the last month. Following a review of the public comments received, MCT modified the original proposal accordingly. The following changes will take effect on December 3, 2023: #7 Alton-Edwardsville : Reduce frequency from 30 to 60-minute service. Serve Alton Regional Multimodal Transportation Center (ARMTC) but not Alton Square Mall on weekdays to allow for better transfer opportunities to the #8 and #10. Remove the SIUE trip from the schedule. #8 Central Shuttle

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GRANITE CITY – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that road repairs on westbound Interstate 270 between Illinois 3 and Riverview Drive in Missouri will require lane closures starting, weather permitting, at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. One lane will remain open at all times. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 30. Motorists should expect delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes during this closure. Drivers are urged to reduce speed, be alert for changing conditions, obey all construction signage, and refrain from using mobile devices while approaching and traveling through the work zone. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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EAST ALTON - The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs East Alton office hosted an open house to inform veterans about the services available to them in Madison County. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, Veterans’ Service Officer (VSO) Douglas Figge and Southern Region Supervisor Jeff Lewis welcomed veterans at the new East Alton office, located at 606 W. St. Louis Avenue. The office opened in April after moving from its previous location at Lewis and Clark Community College. “This is a great idea. The county that we’re covering is Madison, and so we wanted to make sure this area was covered, and this East Alton office is perfect for that,” Lewis said. “That’s a very important thing, that veterans are informed. To make sure they’re aware, that they know who their local VSO is and then make sure they make at least one contact with them. More if possible, but at least one so that can tell them, ‘Hey, this is

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ALTON - People who have cardiac arrests may benefit from CPR, yet many people who witness cardiac arrest do not perform CPR. That’s why OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center (1 St. Anthony’s Way, Alton) is hosting an upcoming first aid and CPR training class so Riverbend area residents are prepared to take action if necessary. The first aid and CPR training class will be held on Monday, November 13, 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the hospital’s Perpetual Help Center and led by a certified instructor. Space is limited and the deadline to register is Friday, November 10. The cost is $65.00/person. Registration can be completed by calling (618) 920-6816 or by email at susiesweetman22@gmail.com. “Knowing CPR and first aid can help save lives,” says Dennis E. Sands, MD, Chief Medical Officer, OSF Saint Anthony’s. “If your child or loved one isn't breathing, knowing how to do CPR could mean the difference between life and death. Emergencies ca

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ST. LOUIS, MO. – The season of giving is here and the United Way of Greater St. Louis is releasing the free Holiday Volunteer Guide, an online tool featuring local volunteer opportunities during the holiday season. The Guide can be found at STLVolunteer/hvg.org. "Volunteering during the holiday season is the perfect way for people throughout the region to lend their time and talent to lift our communities and celebrate United Way's Volunteer Center's 90th anniversary," said Rick Skinner, Vice President of United Way's Volunteer Center. All of?the opportunities listed are through?reputable?nonprofit agencies throughout the St. Louis region in Missouri and Illinois. There?is?a wide array of volunteer?opportunities?that people?can explore?by?location,?age, skillset,?passion and keyword.?Additionally, there are in-person, virtual and do-it-yourself at-home opportunities available through the Guide.?? ? Current examples include creating holiday goodie bags for local children, deliverin

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