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GREENVILLE, Il. – Greenville University recently honored four faculty members retiring this summer. GU Chief Academic Officer Brian Hartley, Professor of History Richard Huston, Professor of Spanish Brian Reinhard, and Professor of Physics and Engineering Hyung Choi will retire after a combined 88 years serving the GU community and its students. Brian Hartley retires in July as professor, dean of faculty, and chief academic officer, having served 29 years – 19 years as a faculty member and 10 years as an administrator. Ordained in the Free Methodist Church, Hartley served 10 years as a pastor before coming to Greenville. Hartley served in a variety of roles on campus including theology professor, chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion, dean of the chapel, dean of arts and sciences, associate vice president for academic affairs, and chief academic officer. “I consider Dr. Hartley as one of the Greenville Greats,” says Suzanne Davis, GU president.

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ST. LOUIS - In a ceremony surrounded by advocates and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones commemorated Pride month by signing her first Executive Order of the year to establish the City’s first LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board . “I believe that those closest to the problems are also those closest to the solutions,” said Mayor Jones. “The members of this advisory board will be tasked with collaborating, bringing together its resources, and helping my administration stay laser-focused on the issues directly affecting the LGBTQIA+ community, and to pursue meaningful policy changes.” The nine-person advisory board will be appointed by the Mayor and is tasked with developing a report within its first year to highlight disparities still affecting the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as action steps the City can take to ensure further protections. Of the nine members, at least one must represent the transgender advocacy community; at least one must

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CHICAGO – To address the increase in car part thefts, State Senator Christopher Belt supported a proposal requiring people to keep record of the sale of catalytic converters that was signed into law Friday. “Catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed, leaving far too many working people without a reliable vehicle,” said Belt (D-Swansea). House Bill 107 adds catalytic converters to the definition of recyclable metal, requiring record keeping on the purchase of catalytic converters. The license plate number of the vehicle, photographs or video of the seller, a verified name and address of the seller, and a signed declaration by the seller stating that the catalytic converter was not stolen will be required. In addition, the new law prohibits a recyclable metal dealer from purchasing a catalytic converter with a value over $100 with cash. According to a recent State Farm study , Illinois ranks in the top five states in the nation for catalytic converter thefts.

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MACOUPIN COUNTY - The Illinois State Police has released information about a two-vehicle fatal crash Tuesday afternoon on Illinois Route 16 at County Line Road in Macoupin County. Grace L. Keeton, a 23-year-old female from Litchfield died in the accident. The crash occurred at 4:23 p.m. on May 31, 2022. The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 18: VEHICLE: Unit 1- 2013 Maroon Ford Fusion Unit 2- 2018 Red Ram RTS Coach Bus DRIVERS : Unit 1- Grace L. Keeton, 23-year-old female from Litchfield, IL – Deceased Unit 2- Steven A. See, 33-year-old male from Litchfield, IL – Uninjured PASSENGERS: Unit 2- Jason M. Hoos, 49-year-old male from Litchfield, IL – Uninjured Unit 2- Michael C. Phipps, 30-year-old male from Litchfield, IL – Uninjured Unit 2- Kaleb L. Anderson, 30-year-old male from Fillmore, IL – Uninjured PRELIMINARY: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred:

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CHICAGO – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $500,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding awarded to Metra by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) through the Route Planning Restoration Program to help the transit agency continue to respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Illinoisans in the Chicago area have relied on Metra’s services to get to work and visit the city. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, public transit agencies were hit especially hard which is why we worked to include this funding in the American Rescue Plan last year,” Durbin said. “Today’s announced federal support will ensure that Metra can continue to provide reliable, affordable service for people that live and work in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.” “Thanks to the efforts of Democrats, Metra will have more resources to improve services, protect jobs for working Illinoisans and get folks to where

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PIASA - Piasa Southwestern High School has announced the Honor Roll list for the 2nd semester. It is separated by grade. HIGH HONOR ROLL Senior Class of 2022 High Honor Roll List for Semester 2 Olivia Ahlemeyer, Tanner Albrecht, Thomas Albrecht, AmyDee Bachman, Jelsumina Biciocchi, Laini Bock, Dale Brandon, Joshua Eddington, Joshua Goff, Alexandria Goss, Grace Greenwell, Mackenzie Hampsey, Whitney Keith, Kayla LeMarr, Haileigh Lenger, Emily Lowis, Hannah Nixon, Quinn Owens, Kayla Rudolph, Ashton Seniker, Callie Stormer, Riley Tucker, Levi Unverzagt, Abby Van Doren, Megan Webb, Laina Wilderman Junior Class of 2023 High Honor Roll List for Semester 2 Brandon Adams, Timothy Alexander-Roberts, Jillian Beilsmith, Miraina Biciocchi, Hank Bouillon, Madison Bryant, Cassie Christian, Olivia Cody, Rylee Crane, Macaylin Day, Mason Day, Kennedy Dempsey, Casey Dugan, Melanie Goff, Audrey Gordon, Vance Hake, Madyson Henderson, Tyson Kahl, Samuel Marshall, Ryan Raymond, Taylor Richey,

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GRANITE CITY - Granite City Community Unit School District #9 broke ground Wednesday on a multi-purpose turf field at Granite City High School's Kevin Greene Field. Superintendent Stephanie M. Cann, GCHS Principal Daren DePew, GCHS Athletic Director John Moad and GCSD9 Board Members were present for the ground-breaking ceremony. ATG Sports, located in Festus, Mo., will oversee the project that is expected to last all summer. Kevin Greene Field and the track will be closed during construction. For more information about Granite City School District #9, visit www.gcsd9.net .

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ALTON - Olive Oil Marketplace will celebrate 10 years in business with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3, and offer several product samples from vendors and in-store sales on both June 3 and 4 at their 108 W. 3rd St. location in Alton. Olive Oil Marketplace is co-owned by Julie Meeks and her husband Tim. Meeks said she considers the marketplace a “gourmet kitchen store” which specializes in olive oils and balsamic vinegars, but also offers much more. “We are proud to say that we are family-owned, and that’s the way we’ve always been for 10 years,” Meeks said. “We have almost 80 flavors of extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars, and we also house gourmet coffee beans, loose teas, my husband makes most all of our seasonings and rubs and we carry very fine pastas in several flavors, shapes and sizes.” Several of these items and more will be available to sample “all day” on Friday, June 3 and

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CHAMPAIGN, ll. – Busey knows the importance of a lasting promise. We’re pleased to offer financial support toward continuing education endeavors to applicants of all ages and educational backgrounds through the Busey Bank Bridge Scholarship. “We're proud to provide financial support to students through our expanded scholarship program,” said Sandy DeMond, Senior Vice President - Director of Community Banking. “By investing in the future of students in our communities, we’re not only helping the students themselves but our communities as a whole.” Through the Busey Bank Bridge Scholarship Fund, $25,000 in scholarships will be awarded annually. Available across the Busey footprint, funds will be disbursed through 10 scholarships of $2,500 each. Applicants must reside in one of the following counties within the applicable states below: Illinois: Champaign, Ford, McLean, Peoria, Tazewell, Macon, Will, Grundy, Cook, DuPage, Madison, St. Clair

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ST. LOUIS – FOCUS St. Louis , the region’s premier leadership nonprofit organization, honored Filament’s Thinksgiving® at its 2022 What’s Right with the Region Awards for making a difference. Thinksgiving® was one of four honorees in the Demonstrating Innovative Solutions category, which recognizes initiatives that have demonstrated innovation and vision in making the St. Louis region a better place to live, work, or visit. Thinksgiving® is an initiative that connects teams from St. Louis companies with nonprofits for a day of creative problem-solving. Once paired, Thinksgiving® teams collaborate to identify innovative solutions to a broad mix of community-focused challenges – while building longer-lasting relationships between the companies and the nonprofits they’re serving. “While St. Louis has no shortage of big challenges, there are hundreds of nonprofits doing amazing work addressing those challenges and business

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METRO EAST - A quick area survey of gas prices in the past 24 hours from Gas Buddy on Riverbender.com revealed a wide range of prices, but all highly elevated in the Metro East. For those interested in keeping a daily gauge on prices, visit this link each day on Riverbender.com: http://www.riverbender.com/gasprices/ The lowest for regular unleaded gas was $4.43 at Walmart in Godfrey. Some of the highest prices in the past 24 hours were in Jerseyville, with $5.09 at a pair of Casey’s. The Casey’s in Wood River on Edwardsville Road posted a $5.08 unleaded regular price in the past 24 hours from Gas Buddy. Sam’s Club in Glen Carbon was also low compared to others with a price of $4.71 a gallon. The Circle K in Edwardsville on North Main had a price of $4.89. BP in Alton on College Avenue had a price of $4.79 a gallon. The Missouri statewide gas price average has set or tied new record highs for 22 consecutive days. The Center Square reported recently that the average

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WOOD RIVER - East Alton-Wood River High School senior track and field star Noah Mason is one who loves training, whether it is for track and field or in martial arts. Noah has been running track for two years now and says that his favorite thing about it is having to put in all the work needed to run races. Noah is a Midwest Members Credit Union Male Athlete of the Month for the Oilers. "Throughout high school, I have been able to develop the ability to stay focused to help me accomplish my goals which I got from track to break PRs," Noah said. Outside of track Noah is also a black belt in tae kwon do. His other hobbies include wrestling, art, music, carpentry, and drama club. Noah also succeeds inside the classroom being a National Honors Society member, academic challenge participant, and vice-presidential scholar thespian. He plans on attending Illinois State University where he thinks he'll study engineering. He does not plan to continue running track during college but

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ALTON - Dave Braasch (above), president of Alton Memorial Hospital, accepts a Perseverance Award at the Chamber Choice Awards on May 25. The awards luncheon was hosted by the Riverbend Growth Association. The hospital was honored for its courageous efforts during the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the tireless devotion exhibited on a daily basis by an excellent staff of more than 900, the physicians as well as the volunteers, Alton Memorial has taken on the worst that COVID-19 could throw at it and continues to provide excellent care – to all of its patients, families, and the communities that it serves.

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ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Jewish Film Festival is hosting a movie screening of the documentary “Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen” on Sunday, July 14 at 4 pm. The film looks back at producer-director Norman Jewison’s 1971 feature version of the beloved stage musical, “Fiddler on the Roof”. The showing will take place at the J’s Staenberg Family Complex’s Performing Arts Center. Narrated by Jeff Goldblum, the film captures the humor and drama of Jewison's quest to recreate the lost world of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia and re-envisions the beloved stage hit as a wide-screen epic. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim puts us in the director's chair and in Jewison's heart and mind, drawing on behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen stills, as well as interviews with Jewison, actresses, and more. The film explores how the experience of making "Fiddler” deepens Jewison as an artist and revives his soul. Last year, marked

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ST. LOUIS - People across the bi-state region using food pantries made difficult trade-offs to feed their families in mid-2021. A new report from the University of Missouri found that in the 26 counties served by the St. Louis Area Foodbank, 53% of food pantry clients had to choose between paying for food or utilities last year, while 40% had to decide between paying for food or medicine/medical care and 42% had to choose between purchasing food or paying for housing. That’s according to Food Assistance & Hunger in the Heartland 2021 which was conducted by the MU Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security to better understand the characteristics of food pantries and circumstances of those neighbors who rely on food pantries. “It is important to remind ourselves that food insecurity doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Bill McKelvey, co-author and project coordinator with the center. “People may also struggle to afford other essentials like housing, transportation

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EAST ST. LOUIS – State Senator Christopher Belt is launching a Summer Reading Club for students to encourage continued learning throughout the summer. “Reading keeps students engaged throughout the summer,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “With summer break approaching, this reading club will keep kids learning to prepare for the next school year.” The Summer Book Club requires students to read eight books of their choice during the summer break, record the names of the books on a form and return the form to Belt’s office by Aug. 12. Everyone who completes the Summer Book Club will receive a gift card and certificate from Senator Belt. “I hope students of all ages will take advantage of this program to make reading a habit and be rewarded for it,” Belt said. “Let’s enjoy the summer by reading and being creative.” To receive a book club form, visit SenatorBelt.com to download and print the form. Parents can also call Belt’s

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EDWARDSVILLE – A member of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy’s (SOP) pharmacy advisory board for 14 years, Chris Smith, of Springfield, has been an instrumental leader and advocate of the School. Smith has held various roles, including president and committee chair. His most recent role is that of an elite donor. In December, he and his wife announced a gift of $104,250 to the SOP to establish the Chris and Debbie Smith Pharmacy Endowed Scholarship. This gift is the largest one-time individual gift that has been given to the SOP. All pharmacy students with demonstrated financial need are encouraged to apply, and priority will be given to underrepresented minority students. “Debbie and I were inspired to provide this scholarship because we wanted to create more opportunities for minority students to access the premier pharmacy school education at SIUE,” Chris Smith said. “Opportunities for higher education do not just provide

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FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS - IMPACT Strategies was recently recognized by Ameren as a top supplier partner in diverse business spending. Ameren recognized firms reporting greater than 25% of total expenditures with diverse suppliers. IMPACT Strategies was one of twelve area firms named to this list. This recognition comes as IMPACT Strategies boosts its efforts to build sustainable MBE/WBE partnerships throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. To that end, the firm is proactively building strategic relationships with qualified, established MBE/WBE firms, and hosting meet-and-greet events to assist them in forging relationships with other established majority firms. IMPACT Strategies has also hosted outreach/workshop mentoring and entrepreneurial programs in cooperation with the Illinois Office of Minority Economic Empowerment along with officials of the Illinois Small Business Development Council for the Metro East. The firm is also actively developing relationships with qualified subcontractors

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ST. LOUIS - Panic! At The Disco will be bringing their Viva Las Vengeance Tour to St. Louis on October 9, 2022. They'll be playing at the Enterprise Center at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 8 at 10 a.m. and can be bought here . About Panic! At The Disco Formed in Las Vegas, NV in 2004 Panic! At The Disco are a multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated rock band. They released their #1 album "Pray For The Wicked" in 2019 off the heels of their critically acclaimed fifth album, "Death Of A Bachelor.” "DOAB" debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Chart and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2017 GRAMMY® Awards. The RIAA platinum selling release was the highest selling rock album and fourth-highest selling album released in 2016, according to Nielsen Soundscan. "DOAB" has also spawned RIAA certified gold singles “Hallelujah,” “LA Devotee,” Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time,” and platinum singles "Death Of A Bachelor,”

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GRAFTON - Before the River Road, there was the Dinky! The historic ‘railbus’ will be celebrated with the unveiling of a replica ‘Dinky’ at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 4 at the Edward Amburg History Museum, 950 E. Main St., Grafton. In the 1920s, the Illinois Central Railroad Company created a unique “Railbus” that operated between Alton and Grafton with stops in Elsah and Chautauqua. The original engine was a city bus configured with wheels for railroad tracks that locals dubbed the “Dinky”. Grafton has created a replica of the final version of the “Dinky” - #206 which ceased operations in 1953. To honor this important part of the history of the region, Grafton will host a special day at the Edward Amburg History Museum. Events have been scheduled between 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 4 on the museum grounds. Edward Amburg History Museum is located at 950 East Main Street, Grafton, IL. Phone: 618-786-7000

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