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GODFREY – Campus and community emergency response teams – including ambulances, fire trucks and a helicopter – converged on Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey Campus Friday morning for a simulated HazMat incident. “We hold a mock disaster training exercise every few years to ensure the campus is prepared in the event of a real emergency,” said L&C Campus Emergency Management Consultant Chris Sichra. “This year, we were able to include students in the exercise, and give them some hands-on training for how to operate during a complex emergency incident.” L&C deployed its Emergency Operations Team at 10:23 a.m., and crews began responding to the area near the Hatheway Cultural Center. Godfrey Fire Chief Eric Cranmer, who served as incident commander, laid out the scenario. Godfrey Fire received a (mock) call about a HazMat incident involving chlorine, in which a new delivery person was involved in an accident inside Hatheway that

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URBANA – Crouched between rows of tomatoes and peppers tucked inside a high tunnel, researchers pluck insects off plants in the name of science. Because to catch a pest, you may have to release a predator. The flourishing local foods movement is driving more Illinois farmers to grow fruits and vegetables, using high tunnels to extend the growing season. All that fresh produce in an enclosed space makes insect outbreaks common. To help growers protect their investment, University of Illinois Extension is researching how to use predator insects to control pests. Bronwyn Aly , an Extension local food systems and small farms educator in Southern Illinois, knew local farmers needed a safe, efficient, and cost-effective way to deal with pests in high tunnels. This need prompted her to reach out to University of Illinois researcher Kacie Athey , assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences , for a solution. The question is, can other insects – their natural predators

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ST. LOUIS - Machine Gun Kelly will play St. Louis' Enterprise Center on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, with various special guests. Machine Gun Kelly announces this international Mainstream Sellout Tour - a colossal 52 arena run across North America and Europe featuring an incredible roster of special guests including Avril Lavigne, Travis Barker, blackbear, Trippie Redd, WILLOW, iann dior, PVRIS, and 44phantom on select dates. The multi-platinum selling artist’s first-ever arena tour will also feature a special hometown stadium performance in Cleveland, OH at FirstEnergy Stadium, the largest venue in the city. The genre-bending performer has amassed over 15.5 billion streams online and sold over 10 million album units. Produced by Live Nation, the North American leg of the tour kicks off this June at Moody Center in Austin, making stops in Miami, Boston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, St. Louis and more before wrapping up in Cleveland at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 13th. The 15-stop European

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The Conversation - You probably clean your shoes if you step in something muddy or disgusting (please pick up after your dog!). But when you get home, do you always de-shoe at the door? Plenty of Australians don’t. For many, what you drag in on the bottom of your shoes is the last thing on the mind as one gets home. We are environmental chemists who have spent a decade examining the indoor environment and the contaminants people are exposed to in their own homes. Although our examination of the indoor environment, via our DustSafe program , is far from complete, on the question of whether to shoe or de-shoe in the home, the science leans toward the latter. It is best to leave your filth outside the door. What contaminants are in your home, and how did they get there? People spend up to 90% of their time indoors, so the question of whether or not to wear shoes in the house is not a trivial one. The policy focus is typically on the outdoor environment for soil, ai

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URBANA – Have you noticed the windowed packets of seeds at garden centers with brightly colored “seeds”? These pelleted seeds are small or irregular seed that have a specialized inert coating applied to improve planting, spacing, and germination. Often the coating, which increases the weight and size of the seed, is colored which aids in planting several varieties of seed in one tray, a row in a garden, or a field. Mary Fischer, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator, says while pelleted seed was originally developed for commercial production with a mechanical seeder. Then, seed companies began producing pelleted seed for vegetables and flowers and seeds are now available at local garden centers and big-box stores. Pelleted seed has been used intermittently since WWI. The improved pelleted seed was introduced for cereal seeds in the 1930s by a British seed company, Germains. In the 1940s, the U.S. used several types of pelleted seed in reforestation

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BETHALTO - Donut Express, a donut and coffee shop in Bethalto, has greatly expanded its menu since moving into its newest location at 204 W Bethalto Drive. Owner Rocky Patel said after 12 years at 113 W Bethalto Drive - and after COVID-19 brought new challenges for local businesses - Donut Express was looking for something different. “The reason for moving was just a better location. We were kind of tucked away, a lot of people didn’t realize we were even there,” Patel said. “Just looking for a change - after COVID, it really affected our business a lot and we moved to a better location.” Not only does the new location make the business easier to spot, but Patel said it’s also allowed Donut Express to offer a lot more than just donuts. “At the old location, all we had was basically donuts and coffee and some soda,” Patel said. “When we relocated, we were able to actually expand our menu to include a lot of hot foods, such

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ALTON - The Greater Alton area is invited to join for a combined church Choral Cantata on Sunday, April 3, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alton and Sunday, April 10, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Main St UMC. The choirs of Mainstreet UMC and First Presbyterian Church of Alton are preparing to present Encounters with the Holy . "Embark on a creative musical journey of remembering and imagining holy encounters in our lives as we learn to walk humbly with God, love kindness, and do justice." The program will feature the combined choirs of First Presbyterian Church and Mainstreet United Methodist Church, dramatic readings, and a chamber orchestra. There will be two opportunities to attend: Sunday, Apr 3, 2022 *2:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Alton (Corner of 4th and Alby Streets in Alton, IL) A reception will follow. Please bring a non-perishable food donation for the Alton Crisis Food Center. Sunday, Apr 10, 2022 *11:00 a.m. at Main Street United Methodist

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JERSEY COUNTY - Kevin Ayres, Chairman of the Jersey County Republican Party and a Precinct Committeeman for English Township, formally announced his candidacy for Jersey County Coroner. He seeks to replace incumbent Coroner Kari Jo Alexander, who was sworn into the position last fall after the passing of her father, Larry Jo Alexander, who was the longest-serving coroner in Jersey County history. Ayres noted in a Facebook post announcing his candidacy that he worked closely with the two for years. “I have been a Jersey County Deputy Coroner for five years and have been the Chief Deputy Coroner for the past two years working very closely with Larry Alexander and now with Kari Jo Alexander,” Ayres wrote in the Facebook post. “I have also been a Jersey County Sheriff’s Deputy for 20 years. I am very passionate about both positions and enjoy serving the people of Jersey County in both capacities.” In addition to being a state-certified Lead Homicide

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MATHCON promotional video from 2021. ALTON - MathCON 2022 is proud to announce that Blake Schaper, Freshmen Homeschool Student of Alton has qualified as a MathCON 2022 Finalist. Blake is the son of Tyler & Christy Schaper. MathCON Finalists are those students who score in the top 96% percentile or above of mathematics students nationally. This is the third time Blake Schaper has attempted qualification to MathCON but due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, he was unable to attend in 2020. Blake's first qualification was in 2019 as a middle school student. MathCON is a nonprofit national mathematics organization recognized for its annual student math competition for students in grades 4-12, with more than 200,000 participants since 2008. It is an innovative Mathematics platform, including a competition series developed to enhance mathematics education. Our vision is to build a collaborative mathematics community for students and educators to enhance and support STEM education in the United

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EDWARDSVILLE - Six men face charges of mob action from a March 22, 2022, incident at the Madison County Jail. Madison County Sheriff’s Chief of Detectives David Vucich reported about what happened on March 22 at the jail. “The synopsis was on March 22, at 9:50 a.m., jail staff alerted the department to a disturbance in the jail facility. The investigation revealed a bunch of people reacted violently to an individual in a property dispute. The staff quickly had the situation under control and no one was seriously injured. Those in the jail are held at the same standards of those who do this outside the jail facility.” Vucich said he could not release at this time exactly what the property dispute was over. Those charged are Curtis A. Ray, 32, of Granite City, Curtis L. Faust, 33, of St. Louis, Joseph P. Pellazari, 37, of Granite City, Devon J. Stewart, 20, of Granite City, Terrell L. Griffith, 50, of Godfrey, and Jimmy Carrasco, 25, of Glendale, Arizona. The sheriff’s

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ALTON - A COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, at Webster Temple COGIC at 1100 Highland and Webster streets in Alton. The vaccine clinic is sponsored by Webster Temple COGIC, Pastor Sancho Williams, and Alderwoman Rosetta Brown. COVID-19 Booster shots and also all of the first three shots are available at the clinic, Brown said. The clinic is in partnership with the State of Illinois Department of Public Health. Brown added voter registration opportunities will also be available. “My community is of the utmost importance to me and I want to make sure we can make things like the vaccines and voter registration available,” she said. “COVID-19 is still real and there are many who aren’t yet vaccinated, so this is a good opportunity for them. The primary election is June 28 and we want people to be registered.”

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Between a new all-time NBA Hoops high score record, a limbo competition, S’mores Night and more, there’s been a lot of activity at the Riverbender.com Community Center the past couple of weeks. Bishop Stotler scored 126 points in one minute playing NBA Hoops last Friday night at the community center, shattering his previous record of 110 points in one minute. By beating his own personal best, Stotler continues to hold the community center’s all-time high score record in NBA Hoops. In addition to NBA Hoops history being made, last Friday night also saw Birdie Elliott win the “Low Low Limbo” competition. She went home with a $35 Walmart gift card donated by Lucinda Lowe. Kids also got the chance to roast their own marshmallows and make their own s’mores on “S’mores Night” during the prior week’s Friday Night Open Play on March 11. The Riverbender.com Community Center is a recreational space for primarily grade-school-age

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GODFREY – Multiple area agencies have teamed up to coordinate and conduct a large-scale HazMat mass casualty exercise for first responders Friday, March 25, on the Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey Campus. The scene at L&C was highly active on Friday morning with an abundance of first-responder personnel on hand. L&C has held disaster exercises on campus before, but not at this scale, and not involving students, who will be volunteering and learning from the simulation. The drill runs from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Friday, primarily in the area around the Hatheway Cultural Center. At least a half a dozen first response and other local mutual aid companies from across the region will be participating and that includes Lewis and Clark Community College’s Incident Management Team, Nursing Program, and Campus Safety Department, along with the Godfrey Fire Protection District, Madison County Emergency Management Agency, Alton Memorial Hospital EMS, AVEC, and

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EAST ALTON – Helmkamp Construction continues to grow with the addition of Stuarrt Bailey to their project management team. Bailey joins Helmkamp with a background in estimating and project management in industrial work and will be mainly focused on serving Helmkamp’s clients in industrial markets. Stuarrt Bailey graduated in 2016 from the Construction Management program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Since, he has worked on construction projects at both Berco Industrial and Ameren Transmission. When asked why he decided to join Helmkamp Construction, he said “Helmkamp has a great culture. The benefits are amazing and that says a lot to me about the leadership.” Helmkamp President and Owner, Rob Johnes, said “I am pleased to announce Stuarrt as the most recent addition to our team. He comes to us with industrial experience that will allow him to jump into and excel on industrial projects. The industrial market is a specialty that Helmkamp

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GODFREY - Pride, Inc.'s 8th annual Local Celebrity Roast will be held next Thursday, March 31 at The Commons at Lewis & Clark Community College located at 5800 Godfrey Road. This year's Roast Master is State Farm Insurance Agent and long-time Pride, Inc. Board Member Karen Wilson. This year's Roastee is Zeke Jabusch, president of North Alton/Godfrey Business Council and entrepreneur. This event is a time when supporters of Pride, Inc., friends, family, colleagues and local business owners get together for some good-natured ribbing at the expense of a local business leader. Pride, Inc. Executive Director Pat Stewart shares that there are still tables to fill for the upcoming roast. "Pride's Celebrity Roast of Zeke Jabusch will be a great time, and there are still many tables available," Stewart said. "All event proceeds will go toward beautification projects in the Riverbend area. Individuals can purchase a ticket to the roast for $60. A table of 8 costs $450. Ticket prices include

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that the unemployment rate fell -0.2 percentage point to 4.8 percent, while nonfarm payrolls increased by +19,600 in February, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and released by IDES. The January monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report from +8,600 to +10,800 jobs. The January unemployment rate was unchanged from the preliminary report, remaining at 5.0 percent. The February payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflects activity for the week including the 12th. In February, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month gains in employment were: Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+8,300), Manufacturing (+4,800), Leisure and Hospitality (+4,800) and Educational and Health Services (+4,300). The industry sectors that reported monthly payroll declines were: Professional and Business Services (-3,400) and Financial

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ALTON - SIHF is highlighting Endometriosis Awareness Month; it’s an important time to bring women, families, and medical communities together to recognize the signs and symptoms of this disease that affects nearly 176 million women worldwide. “Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue – similar to endometrial tissue (the inner lining of the uterus) – spreads to areas outside the uterus, including the ovaries and the Fallopian tubes’” explained Jamie Hardman, OB/GYN Physician at SIHF Healthcare in Alton. Common signs and symptoms of endometriosis include pelvic pain, painful periods, pain with intercourse, pain with bowel movements or urination, excessive bleeding, and infertility. Other signs and symptoms include fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or nausea, especially during menstrual periods. “Endometriosis can be a challenging condition to manage. An early diagnosis, a multidisciplinary medical team, and an understanding of your

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ST. LOUIS - Five pet care startups from across the U.S. pitched their businesses to pet industry influencers and investors at Global Pet Expo for a chance to win the 2022 Pet Care Innovation Prize powered by Purina. The Global Pet Expo is the pet industry's largest trade show attracting pet-focused entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes and stages from around the world. The grand prize is worth $10,000 and comes with support from pet care leader Purina. This year's grand prize winner was FluentPet . The San Diego-based startup is the company behind the FluentPet HexTile System: a way to combine recordable sound buttons and connecting HexTiles that enables dogs, cats, and other animals to express themselves and be understood by humans. FluentPet uses cognitive science and academic research to make teaching, learning, and communicating easier for pets and their people. "We are so grateful to be this year's Grand Prize winner, a prize we've been working toward for a number of years

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ST. LOUIS - Since the founding of the Nat'l Museum of Transportation in 1944, the museum and staff have worked to curate the largest collection of its kind in the world. Today, their mission is to be the leader in protecting and interpreting North America’s transportation heritage. The Museum’s rail and transit collections have grown to encompass more than 190 major exhibits. The collection is recognized as the largest collection of transportation vehicles in the world. A day at the National Museum of Transportation is the "perfect St. Louis family outing." With a new year comes new exhibitions, and TNMOT has much to offer. Raffle to Win a 1924 Model T – through June 19 The 'Road to the Big Raffle' prizes include a beautiful 1924 Ford Model T Coupe, gas gift cards (Who doesn't need that right now?), WeatherTech Gift Card, Mobile Detailing, and more! Each day from June 12 through June 19 a winner will be drawn. Tickets are $25 each or five for $100.00. Two tickets

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ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Area Foodbank has been selected for the 2022 Best of Bridgeton Award in the Non-Profit Organization category. About the Best of Bridgeton Award: Each year, the Bridgeton Award Program identifies companies that have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Bridgeton area a great place to live, work, and play. Our mission is to recognize the small business community's contributions to the U.S. economy. The St. Louis Area Foodbank celebrates being the recipient of this award and we are grateful for this recognition by the City of Bridgeton. The need for food is immense and continues to grow. In an average year, nearly 400,000 people rely on the St. Louis Area Foodbank for assistance, and during the pandemic, we’ve served more neighbors

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