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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville-based litigation firm, The Gori Law Firm, recently added attorney Katie Wykoff to the firm. Wykoff joins the firm’s Medicare and liens division, to assist in resolving liens on behalf of clients. Prior to joining The Gori Law Firm, Wykoff served as prosecutor at the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office for 12 years. She specialized in felony cases involving reckless homicide and aggravated DUI counseling death/great bodily harm. “Katie will make a great addition to our team in the Medicare and liens department,” said Sara Salger, managing partner at The Gori Law Firm. “Her knowledge, experience and temperament as a prosecutor, as well as her health law training, will add to our strengths as a firm and allow us to better serve our clients in this division.” Wykoff was born and raised in Granite City, Illinois. She completed her undergraduate degree at Fontbonne University with a major in English and double minor

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PEORIA - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently raised its alert level for monkeypox after more than two dozen cases were identified in the United States. The agency set its alert level at Level 2 , which comes with a recommendation to wear a mask while traveling, along with other enhanced precautions . Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus. When someone is infected, the illness presents with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion, which then progresses to a painful rash and lesions. The illness typically lasts between two to four weeks. Despite its elevated alert level, the CDC maintains the risk for contracting monkeypox is low for the general public. OSF HealthCare infectious disease physician Dr. Douglas Kasper agrees. He says the virus spreads only after what he calls “intimate exposure” with someone who is acutely ill with the virus. “Monkeypox lesions are infective when they

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CHICAGO — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy recently visited Chicago to meet with local Postal Service leadership to discuss the ongoing implementation of the Postal Service’s bold and innovative 10-year plan, Delivering for America. Several area residents the 120 newly named postmasters working for the state of Illinois. Those included James Shelton of Alton, Kyarra Woods of Edwardsville, Melinda Partridge of Glen Carbon, Kasey Dowd of Gillespie, Stephani Patton of Glen Carbon, Stephanie Marable of Maryville, Patrick Streeval of White Hall, Annette Pierce of Belleville, Cleveland Williams of O'Fallon, Jennifer Carlock of Pochohontas, Andrew Sertich of Highland, and Yolonda Lovelace of Troy. DeJoy administered the Oath of Office to the new postmasters. Others nearby this area were: Michele Brow (Ramsey), Carmengiya Hall (Albers), Brian Westerheide (Columbia), Kizzie Austin (Millstadt), Gretchen Winter (New Athens), Andrew Weinman (New Baden), Mark McGeehan (Red Bud), Zachary

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County officials continued a discussion on Thursday to lower food truck fees. The Finance Committee discussed the resolution to lower the fee for mobile food service establishments (food trucks) by $200 from $375, but it failed for lack of a motion. County Board member and Finance Chair Chris Guy of Maryville said that the Health Department Committee voted on June 3, 4-1, to lower the fee. The County Board will vote on the issue during its monthly meeting at 5 p.m., June 15. County Board member Jaime Goggin of Edwardsville and member of the finance committee said he is not in agreement with lowering the fees. “When (the County Board) set the fees they looked at the cost to the county,” Goggin said. “It actually costs the county more to inspect a food truck.” In 2018, the county established the operation of food trucks and its permit fees. Goggin said cutting the fee is going to cost the county and it should not fall on taxpayers

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MORO - Debra Reed, regional director of operations at Crest Healthcare Consulting , has been named a "Woman of Distinction" by McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards program, a national competition for the skilled nursing industry. Reed was also named a “Veteran VIP” - a woman with over 15 years of industry experience - by a panel of industry experts for her contributions to the field of skilled nursing. She was presented with an award at a ceremony that was held in Chicago on May 12. Reed said that her husband Scott and their two daughters - Amber and Cassie - are “so proud” of her accomplishment, and she is equally proud of her team at Crest Healthcare Consulting. “It is humbling to be recognized by McKnight’s,” Reed said. “This also honors my team, as it supports the terrific job they have all done during the pandemic.” Crest Healthcare Consulting provides consulting services to central/southern Illinois

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GRANITE CITY – Granite City High School Principal Daren DePew announced that 514 students from GCHS earned Honor Roll accolades for the second semester of the 2021-22 school year. Students who obtained a grade point average of 5.0 or higher during the second semester earned High Honor Roll accolades, while students who achieved a 4.2 GPA or higher earned Honor Roll status. To view the complete list of honorees, click on the Honor Roll link for each graduation year: CLASS OF 2022 - High Honor Roll - Honor Roll CLASS OF 2023 - High Honor Roll - Honor Roll CLASS OF 2024 - High Honor Roll - Honor Roll CLASS OF 2025 - High Honor Roll - Honor Roll For more information about Granite City School District #9, visit www.gcsd9.net .

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PONTOON BEACH - In an effort to keep the Madison County Transit (MCT) Trails clean, welcoming, and appropriate for all ages, MCT is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any individuals or groups vandalizing or dumping on the MCT Trails. Although MCT has offered this reward for several years, a recent increase in vandalism and graffiti on the MCT Trails has prompted this reminder. In many cases, the graffiti that is appearing on the trails and in the tunnels is inappropriate, lewd, and not in line with MCT’s mission to provide Madison County residents and visitors with a safe, scenic, and family-friendly venue for outdoor recreation or transportation. Most of the graffiti is being found on the MCT Trails in the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon area. In addition to offering the reward, MCT is partnering with local law enforcement from various municipalities to track these incidents, investigate, and hopefully soon apprehend the offender. “W

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ALTON - Senior Services Plus postponed its Community Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, June 10, 2022, and it will be scheduled for a new date. The event was postponed due to the weather forecast. The grill is still open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today and tunes will be delivered by Chris Schuneman from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30.

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CHAMPAIGN – At 3 a.m. on June 10, 2022, the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 5 was requested by the Sullivan Police Department (SPD) and the Moultrie County Sheriff's Office to assist with a shooting investigation at a residence in the 200 block of South Madison Street in Sullivan. One victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries. Three people have been detained for questioning. The investigation remains open and ongoing. No further information will be disseminated at this time. If anyone has any information about the incident, please contact Zone 5 at 217-867-2050. Callers can remain anonymous.

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ALTON – The next American Red Cross blood drive at Alton Memorial Hospital will be from 11:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, in the AMH café meeting rooms. To register, go to HERE or contact Dave Whaley in AMH Marketing & Communications at 618-433-7947 or david.whaley@bjc.org . All presenting donors will receive a $5 e-gift card, redeemable at their merchant of choice. The donor must have a valid email address on file. Also, everyone who comes to a Red Cross blood drive in June will be automatically entered for a chance to win a VIP trip to Memphis and Graceland for two. The trip includes round-trip airfare for two to Memphis, a three-night stay at The Guest House at Graceland and Elvis Entourage VIP tour, courtesy of Graceland, a $500 gift card for expenses, plus a custom-wrapped Gibson Epiphone guitar! For more information, please visit rcblood.org/elvismovie . The Red Cross currently has about four days supply of most blood products. However, the Red Cross

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MADISON, Wis - The University of Wisconsin-Madison has recognized two local students named to the Dean's List for the spring semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. Jordyn Ginestra of Edwardsville, IL, College of Letters and Science, Dean's List. Madison Lein of Glen Carbon, IL, College of Letters and Science, Dean's List. Students who achieve at a high level academically are recognized by the dean at the close of each semester. To be eligible for the Dean's List, students must complete a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in that semester. Each university school or college sets its own GPA requirements for students to be eligible to receive the distinction. Most call the honor "dean's list", but some grant the "Dean's Honor List" and "Dean's High Honor List." To view an online listing, visit https://registrar.wisc.edu/deanslist/ . For questions or concerns about eligibility, please contact deanslist-registrar@em.wisc.edu

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ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Blues will celebrate the three-year anniversary of their first Stanley Cup championship during "We Went Blues Day" on Sunday, June 12. Fans can participate in the following activations to celebrate the day. Game 7: In Their Words View Game 7 in its entirety on Bally Sports Midwest at 7 p.m. on June 12. “Game 7: In Their Words” will feature a new introduction from John Kelly and exclusive commentary from the players and coaches from the game. Exclusive Merchandise from STL Authentics Get a copy of "History Made: The Official Story of the 2019 Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues" and a Blues/Bruins 2019 Stanley Cup Final T-Shirt for just $30. Or, you can purchase autographed We Went Blues Day pucks. All items are available exclusively online at stlauthentics.com beginning June 10. We Went Blues Day Auction Bid on hand-painted artwork from St. Louis native Kyle Lucks that features Brayden Schenn , Colton Parayko , and Craig Berube.

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EAST ALTON - On June 9, 2022, the Mississippi River Legislative Caucus, part of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, held an event hosted at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC sm ) to celebrate River Days of Action. Watershed Scientist, John Sloan discussed his research with Illinois state legislators and others during the event. Participants also heard from Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives, Dr. Paige Mettler-Cherry, about NGRREC's new focus on emerging contaminants including the new microplastic research initiative.

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ROLLA, MO. - Bethalto's Hannah Butkovich, a junior in civil engineering, was a team participant on the Missouri S&T Steel Bridge Design Team that competed against 33 other collegiate teams in the American Institute of Steel Construction's Student Steel Bridge Competition on May 25-26 at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. Butkovich was an acclaimed scholar-athlete in high school at Civic Memorial in both tennis and girls soccer as a midfielder. Missouri S&T doesn't have tennis or she would be a college tennis player, so she chose the academic route with her strong prowess in the classroom. She was a straight-A student in high school and has continued her academic strength at the prestigious Missouri S&T in her engineering degree pursuit. In the months leading up to the competition the team designed and built components for a scale-model bridge. This year the challenge was to design a wildlife crossing over a highway. During the competition, Missouri S&T's team constructed their 275-pound

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ALTON - Illinois American Water’s work to separate the Alton combined sewer system and install new sanitary sewers continues. Below is information about this week’s road closures –June 13, 2022 Piasa Valley Area: 9th Street will be closed from east of Alby Street intersection east to George Street. 10th Street is closed between Alby Street and George Street with pavement restoration happening. Blair Avenue will be closed intermittently to one lane of traffic this week. Brick pavement restoration is currently occurring on 8th Street and some rework of the brick placement on 7th Street. Please drive carefully in this area, as there is a lot of construction equipment moving around the different work areas. The work in the area of State Street and Grand Avenue will continue for the next couple of weeks. The intersection of Rodemeyer and Grand Avenue will close to begin the work, with the closure extending east on Grand Avenue to State Street. State Street will then

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, about the state of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. During their meeting, Durbin and Gates spoke about preparing for future public health crises by strengthening health systems in developing countries, enhancing integrated global disease monitoring, and addressing existing gaps in public health services. They also discussed challenges and opportunities in addressing climate change. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Durbin has been a champion of strong global health funding, and he has continued to advocate for significant funding, including for the global vaccine alliance, in Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations and supplemental funding proposals. “The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as future pandemics require improvements in critical public health infrastructures, monitoring of potential outbreaks, and global response cooperation. We are

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URBANA, IL – A collaborative effort between the University of Illinois School of Social Work and Illinois Extension is working to address social inequities that negatively impact the vitality of the Illinois workforce. Researchers are seeking to use social and emotional learning in math and science classrooms to contribute to improved student grades and enhanced teacher effectiveness, while increasing interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. “Illinois has the fifth-largest STEM workforce in the country, but Black and Latinx professionals represent only 11% of Illinois’ overall workforce and only 5% of the STEM workforce,” says Durriyyah Kemp, University of Illinois Extension social and emotional learning educator for Cook County . “This program is a great way to start to diversify and build a more diverse pool of future candidates.” Social and emotional learning (SEL) focuses on building student self-awareness, self-management

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ALTON - For the last few years, summertime has felt even more special to me than usual. With the long, warm days, we’re finally able to get outside more and enjoy walks, bike rides and time at the park – often with family and friends we may not have seen for a while. In our excitement to enjoy everything summer has to offer, it’s important that we don’t forget to protect our skin when we’re out in the sun. The sun’s ultraviolet – or UV – rays can damage skin, increasing the risk of skin cancer, including the most serious type of skin cancer, melanoma. “There are increasing rates of skin cancer on the whole,” said Dr. Lynn Cornelius, chief of dermatology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Some of this may be due to aging populations, and some due to people not photo-protecting as well as they should.” Key steps we can take to protect our skin from the sun include: using sunscreen (and

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CHICAGO — Governor JB Pritzker today signed the Family Bereavement Act, an amendment to the Child Bereavement Leave Act that expands leave time requirements to cover pregnancy loss, failed adoptions, unsuccessful reproductive procedures, and other diagnoses or events impacting pregnancy and fertility. SB3120 also mandates leave after the loss of family members previously not covered in the act. The bill was originally proposed and written by Kyra Jagodzinski, a sixteen-year-old volunteer for State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake). “Illinoisans should have time to mourn and heal after an unimaginable loss like a miscarriage or stillbirth,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “There are no words to erase such immense grief, but today, we take action to ensure that our residents are given the support and grace they deserve. This bill would not have been possible without the advocacy of one of Senator Bush’s dedicated volunteers, Kyra Jagodzinski. Illinois is a better,

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GODFREY – Hosting its first large-scale indoor event in two years, the RiverBend Growth Association welcomed a room full of guests to The Commons at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey on May 25, 2022. The purpose? To celebrate the winners of its inaugural Chamber Choice Awards, as well as to catch up on a bit of organizational business. Among those attending were Growth Association members, Riverbend community mayors, and other municipality representatives from throughout the region. Also attending: State Representative Amy Elik (R-Fosterburg) and Jersey County States Attorney Ben Goetten. Board Chairman Alan Meyer of 1st MidAmerica Credit Union called the business meeting to order to first affirm board action taken in January 2022. Confirmed votes for RBGA leadership positions were Meyer as Chair, and Dan St. Peters of St. Peters Hardware who will serve as Chair-Elect in 2022. Five new members were confirmed to the RiverBend Growth Association board of directors. The

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