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MADISON — World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, will present its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series Weekend on June 3-5. The track, located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis, will offer its fans a unique and exciting option. Fans at the track may listen to the familiar, finely-tuned Motor Racing Network (MRN) broadcasts of the Enjoy Illinois 300 and Toyota 200 on their headsets. The new fan option is to listen to an all-star short track and television announcing team calling both races live from the announcers’ booth at the speedway. Tony Bokhoven has been announcing and broadcasting for 30 years. Tony is most notably known as the voice of Knoxville Raceway – the Sprint Car capital of the world – for 26 seasons. His resume covers every professional motorsports genre, including MRN (select Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series events), CBS Sports Network (covering the World of Outlaws Sprint Car and Late model DIRTcar Series), NBC Sports Network

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GODFREY – The Woodlands Golf Club has been chosen as the April 2022 RiverBend Growth Association Small Business of the Month award recipient. Located at 2839 Harris Lane in Alton, the golf club is owned by Brian Curry. It has been in operation for 26 years, opening in 1994. The Woodlands features an 18-hole golf course, pro shop, and bar with lessons available and league opportunities. With 25 employees, The Woodlands is now under new management with a re-energized focus on satisfaction. “We couldn’t be more excited to make positive changes at the course,” noted Dan Morelli, director of operations. “We are engrained in the local community and look forward to improving the Metro-East experience. We invite everyone out to see the changes we have made.” Morelli said these changes became possible because of the senior management’s willingness to listen. Management has also made satisfaction a top priority throughout all operations. This includes

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LERNA – Visitors are invited to celebrate a presidential tradition – the Easter egg roll – at the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site in Lerna Saturday afternoon. Although President Rutherford Hayes hosted the first official White House Easter egg roll in 1878, children had been rolling their colored eggs in races since just after the end of the Civil War. The first reported egg roll was during the term of President Andrew Johnson, and by the 1870s it was a popular spring tradition for the children of the U.S. capital city. The Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site will again host the traditional egg roll, along with period games, craft activities and an egg hunt with designated times for different age groups for children 10 and under between 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday. New this year is an activity for children ages 11 to 18 and an Easter bonnet parade for adults. The egg hunt will begin at 1:15 p.m., the Easter bonnet parade at 1:45 p.m. and the egg roll at 2 p.m. Childre

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WEST ALTON – The US Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project Office announces the gate to the area will now be closed at all times beginning this Saturday, April 16 th, 2022, and will remain closed to vehicle traffic until further notice. Foot traffic is still welcome. The public is encouraged to report any observed or suspected illegal activity to the St. Charles County Police Department at 636-949-3000 or call 911. Lincoln Shields Recreation Area, part of the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, is located along the Mississippi River in West Alton, Missouri just west of the Clark Bridge. The area holds a Civil War memorial to the Confederate prisoners who contracted small pox and were then quarantined in a hospital on what became known as "Small Pox Island." Those soldiers then died and were buried on the island. Because of the shifting of the river channel and the flooding of the Mississippi River, Small Pox Island is now submerged. For more information please contact the

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL) and other members of Congress are urging the Department of Interior (DOI) to facilitate the return of Honor Flight Hub trips to war memorials and monuments in Washington, DC, by bringing back police escorts for those trips. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) greets an Illinois veteran in June of 2019 during a Land of Lincoln Honor Flight to Washington, DC “Our veterans are our heroes. Their sacrifice for our country allows us to enjoy the Freedoms we have today as Americans. The least we can do for our veterans is allow them to visit the war memorials that were built to honor their service,” said Rep. Rodney Davis. “Honor Flight is an incredible organization that serves our veterans and helps them experience inspiring and humbling monuments along the National Mall in-person. The Biden Administration and Department of Interior should do anything they can to help them

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ALTON - Alton High School Jazz Band, SIUE Concert Jazz Band, Faith Fellowship Church, and Missouri-Illinois Music and Arts Consortium (MIMAC) present an evening of Jazz at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, at Faith Fellowship Church at 4719 Seminary Road in Alton. Alton High School Jazz Band director Chris Jarden and SIUE Concert Jazz Band director Garrett Schmidt had been planning a joint concert and approached Faith Fellowship Music Team Leader Thomas Pullen. Pullen, an alum of both the Alton Music Program and SIUE Jazz Program, so it was a natural fit. Faith Fellowship has an auditorium that rivals the best performance venues in the Riverbend Area. The concert gives high school jazz students see what the next steps might look like if they continue to pursue music in college. The performance is free of charge but donations can be made to benefit MIMAC, a newly-formed 501c3 Non-Profit whose mission is dedicated to providing a platform for emerging and established musicians, hosting education

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ALTON - The Third Annual Easter Ham Giveaway in Alton was once again a blessing to many in the area in need. Hams and side items were distributed on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at Crisis Food Center, 21 East 6 th Street in Alton. Crisis Food Center (CFC) again partnered with Midwest Members Credit Union (MMCU) to give away free Hams and side items for Easter. The two organizations went 50/50 on the hams, and in addition, Crisis Food Center is donating the side items to go along with the hams. This is the third time CFC and MMCU have teamed up for this giveaway. Derrick Richardson, CFC board member and former MMCU board member, said the Easter Ham Giveaway was "a great success." "We gave out all the hams in less than an hour," he said. "MMCU and CFC renewed their commitment to continue to do this annually. We had a fun day. The employees who participated were fantastic in the way they helped set up and engaged with the community. It wouldn't have been a success without them. Easter i

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ST. LOUIS - The area is bracing for the possibility of severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes on Wednesday after a report this afternoon from the National Weather Service in St. Louis. “We have high confidence a significant severe weather event will occur on Wednesday with widespread severe thunderstorms expected,” NWS said on Tuesday. “The greatest threat and most intense severe weather will occur from around midday through the afternoon. There is a high probability of tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail.” The prediction is that the prime time in the St. Louis region will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, so there will be a concern with school dismissals on the day. The NWS said that widespread wind damage could be a concern over Southern Illinois. The good news is the storms will be gone by Wednesday evening and sunny and cooler weather is predicted for Thursday with a high of 64 degrees. Friday and Saturday highs are predicted at 66 and 61 degrees respectively.

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Many households experience stress and anxiety about their personal finances. These intense feelings of uneasiness and discontent can lead to misinformation and negative money behaviors. The University of Illinois Extension is providing a series of six free online workshops to help families learn strategies for talking about money and important financial issues. The workshops are held each Thursday evening beginning May 5. The virtual one-hour sessions start at 6:30 p.m. Registration is required at go.illinois.edu/TalkMoney . If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate, contact Camaya Wallace Bechard, Extension consumer economics educator, cawb17@illinois.edu , or call 309-663-8270. "Ignite conversations about money and motivate your family to take action," says Wallace Bechard. The individual sessions include: Who Are You with Money on May 5: The first step to taking control of your money is matching your values and goals to your financial decision-making. In this

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JERSEY - Jersey County Sheriff Mike Ringhausen and Safety Pup made a recent appearance at a Jersey Community Hospital Health Fair and as always, were popular with those in attendance. Also present were Rep. Avery Bourne and shown here with Rita Robertson, JCUSD 100 SUPS Coordinator and State Rep. Avery Bourne, and Republican candidate for Illinois Governor Richard Irvin. Safety Pup goes to many events for the Jersey Sheriff's Office and helps educate children on a variety of things from safety practices to the potential hazards of drug abuse, and the pup also does programs for the elderly. "Safety Pup is a great tool and the kids respond well to the pup in costume," Sheriff Ringhausen said. Citizens had a variety of tests available for people in attendance from blood pressure, blood sugar, COVID-19 Tests, ABI Arterial, Liquid Panel/Cholesterol, Prostate Cancer, Thyroid, and A1C tests were done. There was strong attendance during the health fair, so it was a win-win situation for

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the grand opening of the Skin Care Center of Southern Illinois' newest location at 4575 Benes Street in Glen Carbon. The new Glen Carbon business offers medical and cosmetic dermatology services and most surgery in their state-of-the-art clinic. The Skin Care Center management said patient-focused care helps them stand out in the industry. Skin Care Center describes itself as highly qualified and that they devote their skills and energy to providing many effective medical and surgical treatments for problems of the skin, hair, nails such as skin cancer psoriasis, rashes, warts, acne, nail problems, and more. The business plans to have office hours five days a week by June 2022. "We strive to educate patients on preventing future skin conditions by teaching proper skin-care techniques and protection from the sun to avoid future skin cancer and skin damage," the practice said in a message about the business.

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BUNKER HILL - First Congregational Church of Bunker Hill welcomes you to join them in their upcoming Sermon Series beginning Sunday, April 24th. This series will last through the summer. Worship services are Sundays at 8 am and 10 am. "The book of Revelation is the last book in the Bible. It has some of the most vivid descriptions of Christ's triumph and evil's destruction in all of scripture. Does the book of Revelation matter for believers in Southern Illinois today? What does Revelation have to say about eternity, the end of times, and God's messiah? Was this book supposed to be as mysterious and confusing as so many see it today?" In addition to preaching through Revelation during Sunday morning worship, they will have several discussions. These discussions will be throughout the summer on the first Sunday night of each month (May 1st, June 5th, July 3rd, August 7th, September 4th) at 6:00 PM at the church. First Congregational Church of Bunker Hill is located at 105 N Franklin

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ST. LOUIS - Schnuck Markets, Inc. and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis (ULSTL) today announced that Schnucks customers and the company donated a total of $150,000 to support the Urban League through a recent “Round Up at the Register” campaign that celebrated Black History Month in February. Customers donated $140,000 and Schnucks provided an additional $10,000. The campaign, originally scheduled to run Wednesday, February 2 - Tuesday, February 15, was extended through February 20. Schnucks customers had the option at checkout to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar with 100 percent of donations in the St. Louis area supporting the non-profit organization’s Save Our Sons program, and Round ups at Schnucks stores in other markets supporting the Urban League chapter in each respective area. “Our customers once again showed their generosity and willingness to support the Urban League and the great work they do empowering African Americans and

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GRANITE CITY – As we continue to celebrate Music in our Schools Month in April, the Granite City High School Band competed in the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Solo & Ensemble Contest on March 5 at Alton High School and received a total of 21 ratings. The Warriors came away with 15 first-place ratings, five second-place ratings, and one third-place rating. The following students received a First-Place rating: - Makayla Bird - Gianni Cipponeri - Arianna Collins - Laryn Evans (2) - Brennen Foote - Annah Hale - Bailey Hanks - Brianna Johnson - Lexi Kunz - Victoria Robinson - Karlie Scarborough - Abby Smith - Faith Teets - Emma Wing The following students received a Second-Place rating: - Miranda Cowley - Jordan Lakin - Alex Krull - Victoria Robinson - Karlie Scarborough The following student received a Third-Place rating: - Gloria Ozorio For more information about Granite City School District #9,

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GRAFTON - While places in the world were still unsure of how to approach 2021, Living Lands & Waters (LLW) continued their efforts to make the world a cleaner place. Headquartered in East Moline, Illinois, Living Lands & Waters is a 501 (c)(3) environmental organization. Spending up to 9 months a year living and traveling on their barge, the Living Lands & Waters' crew hosts river cleanups, watershed conservation initiatives, workshops, tree plantings and other key conservation efforts. As the COVID Pandemic took hold of the world the LLW crew continued picking up garbage from the Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio Rivers. The crew also worked hard planting and distributing native trees and removing invasive species, but all in-person education came to a halt. With the need for a new education outlet, LLW educators Mike Coyne-Logan and Rachel Loomis took the opportunity to create a virtual education program designed for students from across the country and dedicated to connecting them

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CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) announced today the opening of the Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) to help homeowners who have fallen behind on monthly mortgage payments and/or related housing expenses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Struggling homeowners will be eligible for up to $30,000 in free assistance to pay past due mortgage payments, property taxes, property insurance, and delinquent homeowner and/or condo association fees. Homeowners in need of assistance can find more information on program eligibility and begin an application at www.illinoishousinghelp.org . Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. “Housing stability is a crucial part of our economic recovery, and I’m pleased to announce that Illinois residents can now apply for $30,000 in mortgage support,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Illinois was the fastest state in the nation to respond

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BETHALTO – The Civic Memorial girls soccer team is in good hands with senior goalkeeper Kaylyn Aiello. She made 13 saves against Marquette Catholic High School on Monday (April 11) in the 3-2 loss, but things could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for her terrific second-half effort. The funny part is goalkeeper isn’t even her preferred position. She’s usually a midfielder but gained the starting position after senior Emily Williams went down with an injury. Since then Kaylyn has played in eight of the 11 games for CM with an even 4-4 record. Through those eight games she’s recorded 65 total saves with a .793 save percentage. Kaylyn is a Tom Lane State Farm Insurance Female Athlete of the Month For Civic Memorial. After the loss, she remained humble to her teammates and refused to talk about herself. “I just feel like it was a really good game. I feel like our defense limited the shots on goal.” When asked if this was one of her better

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GODFREY - Lewis and Clark Community College’s Radio Broadcasting program hosted a group of 22 students from Civic Memorial High School Wednesday, April 6. The students received a tour of the broadcasting department and WLCA studios, where they learned about radio and podcast production. The students even had the opportunity to interview L&C President Ken Trzaska during a Facebook livestream. To view a recording of the livestream, visit https://www.facebook.com/LCradiobroadcasting . To learn more about L&C’s Radio Broadcasting program, contact Lemons at (618) 468-4940 or mlemons@lc.edu . Fall registration is now underway. To get started, apply at www.lc.edu/admissions .

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GLEN CARBON – Operation: You’re Not Alone, a Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois community service project, was a great success last spring. As a result, they are bringing the project back for a second year. Through Operation: You’re Not Alone, Girl Scouts will collect personal care and entertainment items – such as socks, tissues, and word puzzle books – for residents in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Girl Scouts will leave plastic donation bags hanging on neighborhood doors by April 23. Filled bags will be collected on Saturday, April 30. “Girl Scouts are known for giving back to their communities. Our girls enjoyed this project last year, so it made sense to repeat it this spring,” said Mary Buchanan, Senior Director of Program Engagement. “Our neighbors in nursing homes and long-term care facilities were greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this project, Girl Scouts can brighten their day and let them know

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MAPLEWOOD, Mo. – Through their giveback program, Closets for a Cause, Saint Louis Closet Co. donates to local nonprofits. This April, a portion of their profit for the month will go to Operation Shower, whose mission is to host baby showers for St. Louis military families to ease the stresses of deployment and separation. “Operation Shower is so excited to be partnering with the Saint Louis Closet Co. as we love their mission of giving back to organizations within their community,” says LeAnn Morrissey, Founder and Chief Shower Officer of Operation Shower. The donation from Saint Louis Closet Co. directly impacts how many moms-to-be Operation Shower can serve and will help provide necessary items for expecting families, such as diapers, bottles, baby clothes, and toys. Operation Shower has been active in the St. Louis area since 2007 and hosts about 500 military families each year, with about 16 large-group baby showers that bring families together. The nonprofit ha

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