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EAST ALTON – Former Southwestern Illinois College Dean of Math and Sciences Paige Mettler-Cherry has joined the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC sm ), a division of Lewis and Clark Community College, as the new Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives. As part of NGRREC’s leadership team, Mettler-Cherry will be responsible for overseeing the strategic direction for the education and conservation departments, along with supporting research operations. “My career in higher education gives me the best of both worlds, working with students and conducting research,” she said. “I am passionate about conservation and love introducing students to science, ecology and the great outdoors.” Mettler-Cherry started her career as an undergraduate research assistant at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), working with Professor of Plant Biology Marian Smith. “I was extremely lucky to meet Dr. Smith - she

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(OSF HEALTHCARE) - Thirty years of smoking a pack-and-a-half of cigarettes per day. Breathing problems. Three trips to the emergency department. Throat cancer. Nearly losing his vocal cords. Radiation treatment. A temporary tracheotomy leading to a soft food-only diet. A stroke. Depression. Relying on oxygen and a cane daily. For Ralph Federle of Alton, Illinois, it all adds up to one message to young people who want to start smoking or vaping : don’t do it. “I wasn’t really scared because I know where I’m going after I die,” Federle says of the cancer diagnosis. “But just the mere thought of my family members, my daughter, my granddaughter. I have too much to live for. And so I would fight.” Federle and Karen Boyd, one of the nurse navigators who cares for him at OSF Moeller Cancer Center in Alton are among those taking notice of the latest annual report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on young people vaping. “Youth

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(The Center Square) – Wednesday marked the repeal of parental notification of underage abortion in Illinois, and each side of the argument is making their position known. The 1995 parental notification law didn’t go into effect until 2013 after years of litigation. The law allowed for a judicial bypass of the notification requirement. Last year, the Democratic supermajority at the Illinois statehouse passed a measure to repeal parental notification. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the repeal in December. The repeal took effect June 1, 2022. At a campaign stop in East St. Louis Wednesday, Pritzker promised to keep abortion legal in Illinois, even for girls without their parents being notified. “Just across the river, Missouri Republicans have nearly eliminated women’s ability for women to access vital reproductive health care,” Pritzker said. “While here in Illinois, we’ve fought to expand women’s rights.” In 2020, more than 9,600

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY - The Illinois State Police is investigating another fatal accident that occurred early Thursday morning. A 24-year-old male from St. Louis died in a two-vehicle crash on Illinois Route 185 at Montgomery Road, Montgomery County, from a call that came in at 2:21 a.m. on June 2, 2022 . Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police: WHAT: Two-Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash WHERE: Illinois Route 185 at Mulberry Grove Road, Montgomery County? WHEN: At approximately 2:21 a.m. June 2, 2022 VEHICLE: Unit 1- 2003 White Ford Mustang Unit 2- 2015 Mack Truck Tractor Semi-Trailer DRIVERS : Unit 1- 24-year-old male from St. Louis, MO – Deceased Unit 2- Larry W. Temple, a 65-year-old male from Indianapolis, IN – Uninjured PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 1 was traveling eastbound on Illinois Route 185 just west of Mulberry Grove Road. Unit 2 was traveling westbound

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ADAM NIEMERG - One party rule is destroying our state. According to a report from 24/7 Wall St., Illinois is the seventh worst-run state in the country. The report states, “Compared to most states, Illinois is not well positioned financially. Saddled with debt, a woefully underfunded pension system, and a virtually empty rainy-day fund, Illinois has a Baa3 credit rating from Moody’s and a negative outlook — the worst of any state.” As a result of the mismanagement in Illinois, our state had the second highest outbound moves in 2021 according to United Van Lines. Anecdotally, my office hears all of the time from people who have either moved or are thinking about moving. The people I talk to are disheartened by what is going on in Springfield and they have little hope anything will change. They are tired of the one-party rule in Illinois, and they are equally as tired of the inept leadership in the opposition party. It would be easy to lay the blame of the state’s

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ST. LOUIS - Events leading up to Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 get started today and you can still get tickets. PLEASE NOTE: Although Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter is sold out, tickets still may be available on the TicketSmarter resale site: https://www.ticketsmarter.com/venues/world-wide-technology-raceway-at-gateway?utm_source=wwtr&utm_medium=pressrelease&utm_campaign=partners Thursday, June 2: 4-8 p.m. – WWTR Ballpark Village Fan Fest presented by Enterprise (601 Clark Ave., across from Busch Stadium, downtown St. Louis). Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson: 4-4:15 p.m. NASCAR Cup Series driver Cole Custer (TBD). 6 p.m. – NASCAR haulers depart WWTR staging lot. 6:30 p.m. – NASCAR hauler parade passes Ballpark Village Fan Fest presented by Enterprise and Busch Stadium. Link to weekend schedule: https://wwtraceway.com/inaugural-wwtr-nascar-cup-series-weekend-schedule/

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URBANA, Ill. – Ticks, once limited to the northeast region of the United States, are making a westward migration across the U.S. and with them, tickborne diseases that cost the healthcare system up to $1.3 billion a year to treat. Exposure to ticks can happen anywhere - from backyards to parks to agricultural fields. Agricultural workers who spend significant time outdoors are at great risk for exposure to ticks. Ticks are considered vectors since they carry diseases that they transmit to other organisms. In the first year of a two-year study by University of Illinois researchers and Illinois Extension professionals, three prevalent tick species in Illinois were studied: deer tick, American dog tick, and Lonestar tick. Diseases associated with ticks include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, Powassan virus, anaplasmosis, tularemia, ehrlichiosis, heartland virus, and Alpha-gal syndrome. Based on previous studies, researchers want to better understand the level of knowledg

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O'FALLON, Ill. - Gear Girls for the win! The Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois Robotics Team from O’Fallon, Gear Girls, recently took home the prestigious 1 st Champions Award from the Liberty Science Center Invitational in Jersey City, New Jersey. This award celebrates a team that fully embodies the FIRST LEGO League Challenge experience with high achievement in Robot Performance, Robot Design, and the Innovation Project along with FIRST’s Core Values. Congrats, Girl Scouts!

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced a total of $21.2 million in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to support Head Start services for children under the age of five in receiving wrap-around support in early learning and development. The funding, awarded by the HHS Administration for Children and Families, will go to five organizations across Illinois. “Head Start programs, even through the COVID-19 pandemic, have offered critical support to our youngest Illinoisans,” Durbin said. “Today’s significant investment will help build the foundation for lifelong success for these children by supporting their early learning, health, and family well-being.” “Head Start and Early Head Start programs are critical for kids throughout Illinois to have the tools they need to succeed both inside and outside of the classroom,” Duckworth said.“Investments

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COLLINSVILLE, IL – The City of Collinsville is looking for your feedback about your neighborhood and what can be done to improve it. The Neighborhood Planning and Improvement Initiative’s goal is to solicit feedback on several criteria like where you live and satisfaction with living in the city, level of satisfaction with city services, and gauging interest in establishing neighborhood associations to name a few. “What we’re looking to do is really empower people to take initiative, identify the problem, communicate that to the appropriate staff so that we can be more proactive in our service efforts, code enforcement and our other outreach efforts,” Yancey said. The goal of the project is to have departments work more closely together, increase the ability to identify and respond to neighborhood issues and capital improvement needs, improve customer service, responsiveness, community outreach, and education efforts and encourage neighborhood-based,

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WOOD RIVER - The Wood River Police released a notice today that it is attempting to identify the woman shown above. Wood River Police said this is in regard to an active investigation and no further details can be released at this time. "If you have information that can assist in identifying her, please call the Wood River Police at 618-251-3114. "As always, we appreciate the assistance and support of our community," the police department said.

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EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County officials want to warn those visiting the Administration Building or Courthouse in downtown Edwardsville about changing road closures in downtown Edwardsville. Work is continuing and closures on St. Louis Street will be alternating from day-to-day from one end of the street to the other. Second Street remains closed. Sidewalks and crosswalks will remain open for pedestrians from the large parking lot (Off Second Street) behind the county administration building. Access to the large parking lot from W. Vandalia Street would be closed this week and the public is asked to use Clay Street to reach the parking lot. The county is asking the public not to cross or park in areas that are blocked off by barricades or caution tape. In mid-April, construction started along Second Street at St. Louis Street and goes to High Street. Due to the construction and the installation of a new water line, the pedestrian crosswalk from the parking lot to the back of

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ALTON - Many times, split-second decisions by police officers save lives. On Wednesday, Alton Police officers were presented with life-saving awards from OSF Saint Anthony's Health Center after they were sent to an area for an unresponsive person. The officers involved were John Hoefert, Jeffrey Thornton, and Dan Jensen. Upon arrival, the person involved showed no signs of life, and they administered CPR and took other life-saving measures to revive the individual. Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said he was "absolutely proud" of these officers for their heroic actions. "As those officers arrived and found the person not showing any signs of life, without hesitation, they all worked together to revive the person," the chief said. "After several minutes of CPR, as well as other lifesaving methods, they were able to bring that person back to life. I am so proud of them."

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CARROLLTON - The 168th annual Greene County Agricultural Fair kicked off Tuesday and continues into this weekend with a lineup of exciting events, carnival rides and more. Last night , the Miss Greene County Fair 2022 Queens were crowned as Miss Kennedy Ruyle, Junior Miss Kenna Brannan and Little Miss Paisley Osterman. The horse racing event originally scheduled for tonight at 6 p.m. has been rescheduled to tomorrow, Thursday, June 2 at 1 p.m. Mark Walker, secretary with the Greene County Agricultural Fair, said all other carnival rides and food/drink vendors, including the “Beverage Garden,” will still be available as scheduled tonight - tomorrow will just be an extra-busy day at the fair. Admission to the fair itself for children under 12 is free; single-admission tickets are $4 for adults until Thursday and $5 on Friday and Saturday. Ticket prices for each grandstand event vary by event and can be viewed on the Greene County Agricultural Fair website

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EDWARDSVILLE - Alton junior track sprinter Khaliyah Goree got off to a great start this past track and field season as part of the Redbirds' 800-meter sprint medley relay team at the Southern Illinois Relays meet that won the prestigious Edwardsville High's Winston Brown Track Center, with a time of 2:00.18. She was extremely valuable in 4 x 100, 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 relays for the Redbirds throughout the outdoor season. The 4 x 100 relay had a 51.61 time in the Southwestern Conference Championships and a 51.69 in the Madison County Meet. For Goree and her Redbirds' teammates, it was great to be back out after the last two years resulted in the cancellation of many meets because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. "I feel like I did lose a lot to COVID," Goree said, "but I'm just glad that I can get a full season back in and just run." Goree will be a senior this coming fall at AHS. Goree's goals for next season will be to get the 4 x 100 relay to state and continue to improve in the 400 meters,

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville senior softball catcher Lexie Griffin has delivered many key hits for the Tigers in her career, and one was on May 24 in the IHSA Class 4A regional semifinal at the Edwardsville District 7 Sports Complex. She hit a leadoff double over the left fielder's head that nearly left the park, then saw courtesy runner Grace Blakemore score the winning run on a squeeze bunt in Edwardsville's 1-0 win over Quincy. The win allowed the Tigers to advance to the final on May 27, and for the feat, along with all her other contributions, Griffin has been named an iCAN Clinic Female Athlete Of The Month. Edwardsville's girls won 1-0 over Belleville East in the sectional semis on Tuesday and now play in the sectional championship game against Bradley-Bourbonnais at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Pekin. Griffin, who plays for head coach Lori Blade, felt very good after the occurrences when interviewed recently. "I'm feeling really good," Griffin said. "I think I was getting a little

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EDWARDSVILLE - U.S. Congressman Mike Bost has offered his endorsement to Jeff Connor as the next Madison County Sheriff and had the following to say regarding him. “Our Police have faced great oppression over the past few years. Police work has changed drastically, and we need the right leader with the right experience. That is why I am endorsing Jeff Connor to be the next Sheriff of Madison County. Connor has over 36 years of experience as a police officer, ranging from working patrol, detectives, to middle and upper management within his departments. Connor retired from Granite City as the Assistant chief to become the Chief Deputy of Madison County, where he serves today. Connor is the commander of the Major Case Squad of Greater Saint Louis, working to help solve some of the most heinous murders on both the Illinois and Missouri sides of the river. This is a critical election. We need you to get out and vote on June 28. Vote Republican. Vote Jeff Connor for Sheriff.”

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CHICAGO - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today released new guidance to ensure that the public and members of law enforcement understand Illinois' legal protections for abortions. Attorney General Raoul’s office released “Know Your Reproductive Rights,” a free online resource to ensure that the members of the public understand their rights. The guidance explains that Illinois law protects the right to have an abortion and treats abortion like other kinds of health care. The Attorney General also issued a letter to law enforcement to clarify that Illinois law does not criminalize abortion. “It is important for women to know that, regardless of whether federal protection for reproductive health care continues, Illinois law protects their rights,” Raoul said. “As a number of neighboring states enact draconian laws to restrict or eliminate reproductive freedom, Illinois is a proud reproductive health care oasis that will not infringe upon a woman’s

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WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have introduced a Congressional resolution establishing June 3, 2022, as “National Gun Violence Awareness Day” and designating June as “National Gun Violence Awareness Month.” This Friday, communities across the country will participate in a Gun Violence Prevention Day of Action. Every day, 321 people are shot in the United States according to Brady United. This resolution asks citizens and community leaders to give heightened attention to gun violence during the month of June, as gun violence typically spikes at the start of the summer months, and to work together to make our communities safer long-term. Kelly and Durbin have introduced the resolution each year since 2016. This resolution, in part, also honors the life of Hadiya Pendleton. Just days after performing at President Obama’s inauguration in 2013, she was shot and killed in a park, a place where young

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GRANITE CITY, IL – Today, Joe Hackler, Republican candidate for State Representative for the 112 th district, announced he is hosting an Election Integrity Roundtable on Thursday, June 9, 2022. The event will be hosted at the Hilton Garden Inn located at 360 Regency Park, O'Fallon, IL. This free event will provide voters an opportunity to learn about Illinois House Republican initiatives to make elections more secure, receive an update on new election laws passed since 2020, and allow voters to ask questions about election law and process. “Every voter deserves to know their ballot is private and secure,” Joe Hackler said. “Elections in the Metro East have historical precedent for wrongdoing, so we must be extra vigilant in providing oversight and education to all who are engaged in the electoral process.” Hackler will be joined by resident election legislation experts within the House Republican caucus, State Representatives Tim Butler (R-Springfield)

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