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ST. LOUIS – United States District Court Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk sentenced former St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer Brad Stephens to one year and one day in federal prison for 3 counts of Mail Fraud by obtaining taxpayer moneys from the Tower Grove South Concerned Citizen Special Business District (“Tower Grove South”) by means of material false representations. Stephens pleaded guilty on December 6, 2021. According to court documents, Stephens was employed as a police officer by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (“SLMPD”) in St. Louis, Missouri, and had been employed by the SLMPD since October 6, 2014. Tower Grove South was established to provide special police and/or security for the protection and enjoyment of the property owners and the public within the district. The administration and operations of the business district are taxpayer funded. City Wide Security (“CWS”) is a private company that contracts with businesses

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GLEN CARBON – As recipients of the Madison County Sustainability Grant, a charging station will be installed at Schon Park in Glen Carbon to support the efforts of the Village to provide sustainable options for residents. Recently awarded, this environmental grant for $15,000 will provide the Village with its first dual-port electric charging station. Once installed, the village will continue to monitor its use and determine any additional needs moving forward based on appropriate quantitative data. It’s conceived that usage of the charging station could reduce up to 100 pounds of CO2 emissions per hour per use. The new station will occupy two spaces at the south end of Schon Park parking lot. “We are very excited to be awarded this environmental grant and feel that this is a wonderful asset for our Village and its residents,” said Bob Marcus, Mayor of Glen Carbon. “Today, manufacturers are building more hybrid and electric cars than ever before,”

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EAST ALTON - Beginning Monday, April 25th, during their normal garbage pick-up day that week, East Alton Village residents may put out bulk items and general rubbish and junk not suitable for regular garbage pick-up. Items not allowed: electronics, tires, shingles, car parts, concrete, hazardous materials such as oil, paint, asbestos, etc. Trash trucks may pick up some of the items during your normal pick-up; a Village dump truck will follow along the garbage routes and pick up other items throughout the week. Depending on the volume, items may be picked up a day or two later after normal trash pick-up. In order to take advantage of the Village Spring Clean-up, all items must be placed in the area of your regular trash pick-up by 6:00 am on your regular trash pick-up day the week of April 25th. For NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE (East Alton Village residents only), the Village Drop-Off Center located at 331 Playground Court behind the Municipal Garage will also be open Monday, April 25th

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ALTON - Cameo Holland, who is in her fifth year as the Alton City Treasurer is always cognizant of any education or training that assists her in regard to her high-profile position. Holland was an outstanding student at Lewis and Clark Community College, then at Fontbonne University in St. Louis. She has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration. Recently, Cameo added to her education with a National Certification Achievement. She has earned the Certified Public Funds Investment Manager (CPFIM) Certification from the Association of Public Treasurers of the United States and Canada (APT US&C). Cameo said while it was a difficult process, she was excited to obtain the knowledge and the certification for the City of Alton. “I learned a lot with the certification,” she said. “It was difficult and took a lot of time, but it was worth it. I always want to learn more about government investments and be the best I can be at my job.” T

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BETHALTO – The Civic Memorial girls soccer team picked up their second win of the season in an 8-0 rout over Litchfield. A huge part of the win was sophomore forward Abrianna Garrett. She netted five goals on the day, bringing her season total to seven which currently leads the St. Louis area. Abrianna is the Tom Lane State Farm Insurance Female Athlete of the Month for CM. She broke the deadlock only 55 seconds into the game to make it 1-0. She scored her best goal in the 16th minute when her left-footed shot curled into the top corner from about 18-yards out. That goal was to make it 3-0. She scored her other three in the 22nd, 26th, and 39th minute. Mainly because of her, her team led 6-0 at the half. Garrett was still very humble and gave all the credit to her teammates. “It’s a team effort. Without our defenders defending for the ball and midfielders earning the ball, I wouldn’t be able to score.” She’ll look to stay on her hot streak

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EAST ST. LOUIS - The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation (JJK) is pleased to announce that 12 arts programs will receive support from the East St Louis Community Arts Access re-granting program. Now in its second year, the program is funded by the Illinois Arts Council Agency and is administered by JJK. “These grants will provide East St. Louis residents with more opportunities to participate in quality arts experiences,” said Mark Fryer, JJK’s COO. “Although our center is well known for athletics, we have a growing arts program, so we’re proud to be collaborating on this community-wide initiative.” The grant recipients include nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and working artists: Angela Alexander, Mykael Ash, East St. Louis High School Percussion Boot Camp, East St. Louis Center for Performing Arts-SIUE, Genesis Arts Ministry, House of Miles, I AM East St. Louis, Indigo Garden Project, The Inner Ear Youth Ensemble, Katherine Dunham

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CHICAGO – Building on the administration’s historic funding increases for mental and behavioral health, today Governor Pritzker announced the 2022 State of Illinois Overdose Action Plan, a comprehensive, equity-centric outline for combatting the opioid epidemic. Additionally, the Governor named David T. Jones, as the state’s Associate Secretary for Behavioral Health at the Illinois Department of Human Services, to be known as the Chief Behavioral Health Officer. “Everybody knows somebody who is struggling, and our support systems ought to reflect the universal importance of mental health,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our equity-driven State of Illinois Overdose Action Plan is just one way we’re overhauling the state’s behavioral health support systems – and with Chief Behavioral Health Officer David T. Jones at the helm, I look forward to the progress we’ll continue to make in supporting Illinoisans’ access to help.”

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — I am deeply honored to witness this momentous occasion, taking in the weight of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Senate confirmation proceedings. Hearing the depth of her qualifications and credentials and her lifelong career of advancing justice makes me so proud as a fellow lawyer and American. There have been 115 Justices on the United States Supreme Court, and Judge Jackson is the very first Black woman to be nominated to the highest court of our land. As a Black woman and as the mother of four daughters, I'm overjoyed that children throughout Illinois and, quite frankly, the world will have a broader, more imaginative view of what's possible for their futures. Judge Jackson stands on the shoulders of Jane Bolin, Constance Baker Motley, and so many Black women of history who dared to strive for more in the legal profession. Like her predecessors, Judge Jackson's achievements today represent the excellence she holds and the potential that is in all of us. Becaus

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville seventh- and eighth-grade language arts teacher Mrs. Jordi Harre is one who thrives on giving back to causes she loves, and recently, she designed shirts for Liberty Middle School families to purchase. Harre involved her students in the fundraiser and proceeds were donated to the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis. A total of 98 shirts were sold, allowing Liberty Middle School families to donate a large total of $490 to the Down Syndrome of Great St. Louis. Harre's students also made a video to teach their peers about Down Syndrome Association. The students learned valuable lessons in the fundraiser about assisting others in the community. Harre previously said she loves working at Liberty Middle and that the Edwardsville community is "incredible," in a previous interview. Harre said at that time she loves seeing the students succeed and watching them grow. Harre is a business administration grad from SIUE and obtained a Master's in Education

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SPRINGFIELD – The innovative plan to create a mobile retirement savings account that travels with the worker topped the 100,000 enrollment milestone, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said today. Frerichs set up the Secure Choice retirement savings program to combat the retirement savings crisis in Illinois and across the country. Illinois is a national leader in offering an auto-enroll IRA program. Workers in Illinois began saving in July, 2018. “A retirement savings tool that can travel from job-to-job with the worker makes it easier to save, allows a worker to retire with dignity, and saves taxpayer money by reducing the need for publicly funded safety-net programs,” Frerichs said. Today, more than 100,000 workers and 6,400 employers participate in Secure Choice, with $82 million already saved. None of this was possible without Secure Choice. The 100,000 milestone was surpassed in the first quarter of this year. “I chose to enroll in Illinois

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CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced today that it has awarded $4 million in grant funding to support the Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) Success program. The CRSS Success program prepares students for entry-level positions as behavioral health workers, specifically in the areas of mental health and substance use recovery. The program is administered through IDHS’s Division of Mental Health and was created by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act which Governor Pritzker signed into law in 2019 and is funded by adult-use cannabis tax revenue. IDHS awarded CRSS Success Program grants to 11 post-secondary educational institutions across the state. Recovery Support Specialists work in a variety of capacities, such as inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance use treatment services, mobile crisis teams, recovery homes, and living rooms, which are programs that provide a safe, inviting, home-like atmosphere where individuals can calml

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ILLINOIS - Today, conservative champion Senator Ted Cruz announced he is endorsing Congresswoman Mary Miller for re-election in Illinois' 15th District. "I'm proud to endorse Mary Miller for Congress in Illinois' 15th Congressional District, and I ask my fellow patriots to support her," said Sen. Cruz. "Mary is a conservative and the kind of fighter we need in Congress who works every day to secure our border, protect life, and protect the Second Amendment." "Senator Ted Cruz is a conservative champion, and I am honored to have his endorsement," said Congresswoman Mary Miller. “I am proud to fight alongside Senator Cruz to protect our Second Amendment, defend the unborn, and stop the Democrat takeover of our elections. We will never back down in our fight against Joe Biden and the Democrats’ America Last agenda." "Grassroots conservatives across the country follow Senator Cruz's lead because he is an unapologetic conservative, and he is not afraid to take on the corrupt

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SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that applications are now being accepted for grants to provide public transportation providers with paratransit vehicles. Municipalities and local governments, as well as nonprofit agencies providing specialized transportation to seniors or individuals with disabilities, are encouraged to apply. “Public transportation is an essential service throughout the state in rural, suburban and urban communities,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “These grants – and the paratransit vehicles they provide – are an important part of our continued efforts to ensure everyone has safe, equitable access to the transportation they depend on.” The deadline to apply is May 2. Through its Consolidated Vehicle Procurement program, IDOT purchases accessible paratransit vehicles on behalf of eligible recipients using various federal funding sources. Applications should be submitted

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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High School history teachers Jill Gibson and Dave Dougherty are giving students the opportunity to learn a different side of American history. The pair designed a class called Black Experience that focuses on people and events in history that are not often talked about. “As a history teacher, we talk so much about the same people and the same things,” said Dougherty. “Every year, history gets longer, and we don’t have enough time to dedicate to other groups of people who don’t get talked about a lot. History tends to focus on the same people over and over. And when it comes to black history, it's typically along the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Harriett Tubman, and Rosa Parks. But there are so many other people.” Both Gibson and Dougherty were involved with the creation of the class. Gibson is in her 18 th year at EHS, while Dougherty is in his seventh year. “With the racial reconning that our country has gone

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The Conversation - March Madness is here, and basketball fans are making predictions: Who will be the Cinderella story of the college tournament ? Which teams will make a run to the Final Four? And of course, which player is going to get “hot” and carry their team to a championship? To say a player is “hot” or has “hot hands” means the player is on a streak of making many consecutive shots. A question that has dogged researchers, coaches and fans for years is whether players on these streaks can defy random chance, or if hot hands are just an illusion and fit within statistical norms. We are two researchers who study information sciences and operations and decision technologies . In our recent study , we examined whether players can indeed get hot in actual live-game situations. Our analysis showed that some players do get consistently “hot” during games and make more shots than expected following two shots made consecutively. However

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EDWARDSVILLE - The following students have been named to the Honor Roll at Metro-East Lutheran High School for the third quarter of the 2021-2022 school year. Grade 9 Honor Roll with High Distinction (g.p.a. 4.0) Logan Abbott, Edwardsville Rachel Brown, Edwardsville Joseph Feldhaus, Collinsville Elijah Moore, Litchfield Sofia Schwartzkopf, Edwardsville Grade 9 Honor Roll with Distinction (g.p.a. 3.75-3.99) Yoonseo Jo, Edwardsville Kate Jose, Worden Jacob Kober, Collinsville Ethan Linnenbrink, Maryville Andrew Maske, Greenville Isabelle McLeod, Troy Erik Neath, Edwardsville Timothy Rainey, Collinsville Faith Sigstad, Belleville Alexis Weber, Alton Taylor Weber, Alton Kathren Wright, Troy Grade 9 Honor Roll (g.p.a. 3.5-3.74) Rianna Jenkins, Glen Carbon Christian Kuethe, Moro Grade 10 Honor Roll with High Distinction (g.p.a. 4.0) Charles Fedder, Edwardsville Faith Hall, Edwardsville Avah Jones, Bunker Hill Vivienne Runnalls, Glen Carbon Grade 10 Honor Roll with Distinction

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ALTON - More than 200 attendees packed the Best Western Premier Hotel in Alton on Sunday for the 75th Gallatin Players of the Year Banquet. Marquette Catholic and Civic Memorial fans left happy as Owen Williams of the Explorers and Kelbie Zupan of the Eagles took home the male and female Player of the Year awards respectively. They headlined a great night for the diamond edition of the longtime high school basketball banquet. Alton Mayor David Goins served as keynote speaker and gave a passionate speech about success. The former Redbird basketball player used the word success as an acronym to inspire the young basketball players in the crowd, connecting hoops with the game of life. Goins, a winner of the POY award in 1978, was one of 15 former recipients of the honor who attended Sunday. He joined Ricci Stotler (CM, 1967), Kevin Caldwell Sr, (Alton, 1990), Eric Frankford (CM, 1994), Amie Gernigan (Marquette, 1994), Nic Stotler (CM, 1996), Angela Payne (Roxana, 1996), Michelle Beiermann

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ALTON - Christine L. Brice Foundation, INC, will be hosting a Community Outreach/ Family Fun Day on April 9, 2022, featuring an Easter egg hunt for children ages 0-12 at Hellrung Park in Alton, IL from 1-4 pm. The goal of the Christine L. Brice Foundation, INC is to bring both fun and awareness to the families of our community. This event will have fun and games for the entire family. Christine L. Brice Foundation, INC will be partnering with several others in our community to make this day a success. Molina healthcare will be there to help educate and assist those in the community who are in need of health insurance. SIHF will be in attendance providing Covid-19 vaccines and boosters. Familia Dental will also be in attendance advising on keeping up with good oral hygiene. Representatives from the Riverbend Headstart Program will be in attendance as well. The mission of Christine L. Brice Foundation, INC is to work in collaboration with other organizations in order to alleviate the

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GRANITE CITY – Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has awarded more than $1.4 million in FY 22 School District Library Grant Program awards to 672 public school districts. More than 1.5 million Illinois students served by school library programs will benefit from the grants. From FY 22 appropriations approved by the General Assembly and the Governor, school library grants were awarded based on a formula of $.885 per student, with a minimum grant award of $850. Granite City Community Unit School District #9 was awarded $4,777.23. The School District Library Grant Program is used for: Fiction and/or non-fiction books Educational CDs and DVDs Library subscriptions Electronic resources New computers Wi-Fi connectivity improvements Information on the grant program can be found at: ilsos.gov/departments/library/grants/schoolpercapgrant.html .

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ALTON - Jeff Larner, Republican candidate for Madison County Sheriff, is pleased to announce “America’s Sheriff” Mark Lamb of Pinal County, Arizona and Sheriff Mike Lewis of Wicomoco County, Maryland will be coming to Alton for a special campaign event on April 2. Lamb and Lewis are nationally-recognized law enforcement leaders known for their efforts to promote law and order policies. Lamb, who has held office since 2017, has been a frequent contributor to the television series, “Live PD,” “Live PD: Wanted,” and “60 Days In.” He is also a frequent guest on Fox News and NewsMax. In 2021, he co-founded “Protect America Now,” a coalition of 69 sheriffs with the purpose of "educating Americans about how the law enforcement community is standing for the Constitution and law and order.” Lewis is a 37-year law enforcement veteran who has dedicated his life to enforcing the law and Constitution. Throughout his career,

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