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GRAFTON - Grafton Mayor Mike Morrow is proud to see one of the city’s treasures - the Loading Dock-Boat House - moving closer to the National Register of Historic Places list. Mayor Morrow said it was announced at the Grafton City Council Meeting that the historic Boat Works building has been approved as a historic site on the state realm and is now headed for those who decide on the National Register of Historic places buildings. The Allen family are the owners of the Loading Dock-Boat House. Peter Allen announced the state decision at the Grafton Council meeting this week. The National Register of Historic Places is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. “I think everybody in Grafton is absolutely pleased to see it go to the National Historic Register of Places decision-makers,” Mayor Morrow said. “One positive is buildings

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EDWARDSVILLE - Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced today that Jacob Godoy, 17, of St. Louis, pled guilty to one count of first-degree murder for the January 2021 killing of SIUE student Moneer Damra. “The Defendant turned the streets of Madison County into a shooting gallery that evening, and took the life of a wonderful young man, senselessly and brutally,” Haine said. “Such violence will be met with the strictest prosecution in Madison County. We continue to pray for Moneer’s family, the SIUE community, and the ROTC program as they continue forward in the face of this horrific tragedy.” On the evening of January 14, 2021, Damra was a passenger in a vehicle on Interstate 270 and Route 157 in Edwardsville when he was struck by gunfire. He was taken to a local hospital and passed away several days later as a result of the injury. The first-degree murder charge is a Class M felony, and the sentencing range is 20-60 years in the Illinoi

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ALTON - Alton Fire Chief Jesse Jemison expressed pride that the contract between the Firefighters and Teamsters unions and the City of Alton had been approved by the deadline and it seemed a fair agreement for both sides. In previous years, the chief said some of the negotiations had been very heated and it was hard to come to a compromise. The chief says the other good news is it is a four-year agreement that runs from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2026. Chief Jemison has been a firefighter for many years and remembers how difficult some of the negotiations had been in the past. He explained the pay raises as 3 percent in the first two years and 2.5 percent in the third and fourth years. “This is a very historic thing,” he said that the contract had been settled before the deadline. “My approach was not to argue about little things and keep me vs. you out of it. "I think we were able to come up with a fair contract and equipment for firefighters and Teamsters

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MARYVILLE - Anderson Hospital is proud to have been named one of the best hospitals in the United States by Newsweek magazine in their annual "World’s Best Hospitals" rankings released this month. The 2022 list lands Anderson Hospital in the top 6% of 6,090 hospitals in the United States. Newsweek is a premier news magazine and website that has been bringing high-quality journalism to readers around the globe for over 80 years. This is the fourth year of their World’s Best Hospitals rankings. “Many medical institutions struggled with challenges over the course of the pandemic, but what has set the world's leading hospitals apart is their continued ability to deliver the highest-quality patient care and conduct critical medical research even as they focused on battling COVID,” stated Nancy Cooper, Global Editor-in-Chief of Newsweek. This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry-ranking provider.

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GREENE COUNTY - The latest Greene County Jail Booking Report shows two Greene County residents were recently arrested on traffic-related charges - one was also arrested on gun-related charges, while the other was arrested for drug possession. Ethan Taylor of Carrolton was arrested at 8:44 p.m. on Tuesday night. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance and driving with a license that was revoked or suspended. Taylor is currently being held at the Carrollton Police Department. Angelina Kent of Beardstown was arrested at 8:40 p.m on Sunday. She was charged with possession of a firearm with an invalid Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) Card. She was also charged with operating a motor vehicle while registration is suspended. Kent was held at the Greenfield Police Department but has since been released on bond.

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ALTON - The Alton Amphitheater Commission is currently accepting applications from vendors interested in participating in Commission organized events at Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater during the 2022 season. “As we prepare for an exciting season at Liberty Bank Alton Amphitheater, the Amphitheater Commission is committed to providing the opportunity for a wide-variety of vendors to introduce their products to the thousands of guests who attend events on our beautiful riverfront,” said Commission Chair Dan Herkert. Vendor applications for regular, yearly events such as Fireworks On The Mississippi, concerts, and the Alton Jazz & Wine Festival are accepted on a continuing basis and will be considered by the Amphitheater Commission as they are received. If approved, vendors will be notified promptly of their participation in scheduled events. Vendors wishing to participate in the 2022 Alton Expo in September must submit a separate application. For planning and marketing

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ALTON - The following is a statement from Cory Jobe, President & CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau: “The Alton Riverfront is a gem and is the regional gateway to the Great River Road and unparalleled scenic beauty. I applaud the forward-thinking of Alton Mayor David Goins and members of the Alton City Council to see the need to form a commission which can ultimately transform and develop our coveted riverfront. Outdoor recreational opportunities go together with attracting travelers to southwest Illinois and the Alton Riverfront is key to those developments. Engagement with the residents, the business community, and stakeholders will in turn bring about transformational change to the region. “These changes will then place the Great Rivers & Routes region as a whole in a stronger position for future development along the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway. We all need to be forward-thinking as we approach our rivers and byways. From Route 66

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EDWARDSVILLE - The Edwardsville High School cheer squad hosted a Kindergarten to Fifth-Grade Cheer Clinic this past Saturday with a huge attendance. More than 350 K-5 students participated in the clinic. Those in attendance spent the afternoon learning jumps, sideline cheers, floor cheers, and dances from the varsity, junior varsity, and fall EHS cheerleaders. The day culminated with performances in front of a packed house. "It was a fun and spirited event," the cheer coaches said in a statement about the event.

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SPRINGFIELD – People would be prohibited from burning toxic synthetic chemicals in Illinois, thanks to a measure sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) that passed the Senate Environment and Conservation Committee Thursday. “The risk PFAS chemicals pose to people and the environment has become clearer, which is why it’s important we are acting now to reduce the amount of these chemicals entering our air,” Belt said. “The Metro East is at an immediate risk of exposure to these potentially harmful substances.” House Bill 4818 would prohibit incinerating materials covered under the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory that contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, in Illinois. The measure clarifies that incineration does not include the use of thermal oxidation for the purposes of pollution control and includes an exemption for the combustion of gases at landfills.

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HIGHLAND - Highland Lions Club President Tom Mannion with Lions Gene Redman (Past President) (R) and Larry “Biddy” Essenpreis (L) accepted 390 pairs of eyeglasses, 17 hearing aids, and 3 cell phones from Jay Boulanger of Spengel-Boulanger Funeral Home. As a community service, and to help the Lions Club, the funeral home offers to collect the items from families they serve. Both Redman and Essenpreis work at the funeral home and help with the collections. Anyone wishing to provide donations is urged to contact Spengel-Boulanger in Highland and Marine or Dauderman Mortuary in Alhambra and Hamel at any time.

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SPRINGFIELD – A teddy bear. A set of dominoes. A jade pendant. Ordinary objects made extraordinary by owners who faced the worst that humanity had to offer but somehow managed to survive. Now these objects and dozens more have been gathered for “Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory.,” a special exhibit that opened today at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Using personal treasures and keepsakes, the exhibit tells the stories of people who survived the Holocaust, wars, genocide … and the stories of friends and family who didn’t make it. Why did the survivors keep these particular mementos? What role did they play in the struggle to survive? Visitors to “Stories of Survival” will see the objects as well as beautiful photographs of the treasures surrounded by handwritten notes from the owners or their relatives. Learn the stories of: Ursula Meyer, who hid her teddy bear during the Holocaust. She survived to reclaim

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BELLEVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation today announced that Illinois Rt 161 from St Clair Avenue to Dutch Hollow Road in Belleville will be intermittently restricted to one lane in each direction beginning Monday, March 28, 2022, weather permitting. This work will take place daily between the hours of 7:00 AM and 6:00 PM. Traffic in each direction will be maintained using flaggers and arrow boards. This work is necessary to complete pavement repairs. This work is expected to be completed by the end of Spring 2022. Drivers are urged to pay close attention to changed conditions and signs in the work zones, obey the posted speed limits, refrain from using mobile devices and be alert for workers and equipment. The contractor on this project is The Killian Corporation of Mascoutah, Illinois. For IDOT District 8 updates, follow us on Twitter at @IDOTDistrict8 or view area construction details on IDOT’s traveler information map on GettingAroundIllinois.com.

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ALTON - Alton Main Street business, River Bend Yoga, will re-open its doors at 100 W Third, Alton, IL in April. River Bend Yoga students have been saluting the sun in their current location for nearly eight years. The studio represents a sacred space for movement, but also a place for the community. Throughout the past few years, it’s become even more apparent that health and wellness are not trends, but essential components of daily life. As more classes were sold out well in advance, it was clear that the Alton community needed more space for transformation. In 2020, River Bend Yoga took the first step at facilitating that transformation with the opening of the River Bend School of Yoga. The school hosts a Yoga Alliance accredited 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program. Graduates of this program are now well known in the yoga community. Several have gone on to open their own studios, furthering the penetration of health and wellness. River Bend Yoga will be working on implementing

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ST. CLAIR COUNTY - Illinois State Police released information about a fatal vehicle vs. pedestrian traffic crash that occurred at approximately 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, on Illinois Route 177 westbound at Eidmann Road, St. Clair County. WHAT: Vehicle versus Pedestrian Fatal Traffic Crash VEHICLE: Unit 2- Tan 1999 Toyota Camry DRIVER: Unit 2- 16-year-old male from Mascoutah, IL. PASSENGER: Unit 2- 15-year-old female from Belleville, WI PEDESTRIAN: A 46-year-old female from Freeburgh, IL – Name withheld pending family notification – Fatally Injured PRELIMINARY REPORT: A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred: Unit 2 was traveling west on IL Rt. 177 at Eidmann Road, in St. Clair County. The pedestrian was walking in the roadway and was fatally struck by Unit 2. The driver and passenger of Unit 2 reported no injuries. The events surrounding the crash remain under investigation and no further information is available at this time

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FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS - Travis Schwartz, project manager, and Jordan Grant, senior project engineer at IMPACT Strategies have recently completed in-depth continuing education courses to further their construction knowledge and enhance IMPACT’s client services. Travis Schwartz completed the Project Manager Academy through Fails Management Institute (FMI) in Raleigh, NC in February. The four-day intensive training focused on topics such as: project planning, customer-focused construction, field productivity, and ethics and integrity. Schwartz said, “I enjoyed the hands-on learning and working as a team with different groups of people. I also developed relationships with other project managers from across the country as we learned new methodologies and best practices to take back to our firms.” Jordan Grant graduated from the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) Construction Leadership Institute in March. The nine-week annual program, attended by the area’s

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EDWARDSVILLE - Longtime Edwardsville Post 199 baseball manager Ken Schaake, who guided the team to the 1998 American Legion national championship, died Wednesday, at age 68. Schaake, who was a Legion baseball manager for 38 years for Post 199 and the Metro-East Bears before stepping down in 2019, was a fixture in area summer baseball, winning 874 games, three Illinois state championships and the national championship as Post 199 went 41-7 and won the Legion World Series in Las Vegas. Many of the players on that team were on the 40-0 Edwardsville High team that won the IHSA Class AA state title and were ranked number one in the nation. Schaake's teams also finished second in the Great Lakes regional three times to go along with 17 District 22 and nine Fifth Division championships. Dennis Sharp, another affiliated with area Legion baseball for more than two decades, said Kenny had 38 years in as a Legion manager/coach. “Legion Baseball was Kenny’s passion in the summer

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SPRINGFIELD - State Representative Amy Elik (R-Fosterburg) issued the following statement after the Illinois House of Representatives approved a tax on Illinois jobs: “I voted against the jobs tax because we have the funds to pay off this debt. Thousands of Illinoisans were sent to the unemployment line by the governor two years ago, leaving the state with $4.5 billion in unemployment insurance debt. Instead of paying off this debt with funding received from the federal government as many other states have done, House Democrats approved legislation to only pay down $2.7 billion in debt, leaving Illinois workers with $1.8 billion in debt that will result in higher taxes and decreased benefits.”

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ALTON - You’re a patient, and your health care provider has talked to you about taking part in a clinical trial – research to see how care can be delivered better. Trials can last weeks to years. You could do them at home or need to make regular trips to a clinic. The study could involve taking new medicine or simply giving feedback about how to manage the cost of your health care. It’s a lot to consider. Pros and Cons Leah Watson is clinical research coordinator at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center in Alton, Illinois, which recently started clinical trials at Moeller Cancer Center . Watson says when thinking about participating in a clinical trial, you should first evaluate the pros and cons as they relate to you. “Pros would be obviously, hopefully, curing , or at least giving a longer life or less progression of disease,” says Watson. “Some cons that we're seeing: our patients aren't willing to give personal data. A lot of

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GLEN CARBON - The Troy Knights of Columbus have given a generous donation of $2,000 to Father McGivney Catholic High School. McGivney School issued a thank you to the Knights of Columbus for their constant support.

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EAST ALTON – Registration is now open for the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s water-focused summer camps, to be held throughout June and August as part of its Swarovski Waterschool USA program. This year, NGRREC sm will have two camps – a one-day River Connections camp, and a five-day Camp Waterschool – each hosted through Lewis and Clark Community College’s (L&C) College for Kids program. “We use hands-on activities to explore the world of water in a way that is both fun and educational.” Director of Environmental Education Sarah Fisher said. “Kids have a great time interacting with water while learning about water within our communities and in our rivers.” The one-day camp, River Connections, will give campers an opportunity to put their science sleuth skills to work through a day of exploration. The participants will use their senses to experience the river in a whole new way. River Connections

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