Riverbender 🕸

EDWARDSVILLE - S. M. Wilson & Co. has completed the new $11.2 million R.P. Lumber Center in Edwardsville, Illinois. The state-of-the-art facility provides year-round ice skating, exercise and other recreational activities. The new facility answers the growing demand for “ice time” in the region for hockey, figure skating and recreational skate use. S. M. Wilson served as the General Contractor. Chiodini Architects was the architect. G & W Engineering Corporation was the building engineer. B32 Engineering Group was the ice rink engineer. The project included construction of the 64,000-square-foot facility, which features a National Hockey League regulation size ice rink with 650 seats, two community spaces for events, seven locker rooms, an elevated four-lane track and a fitness center. Located near Edwardsville High School, the recreational complex also contains a teen center that offers a variety of after-school activities including study space and safe gathering for

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EDWARDSVILLE - R.P. Lumber Co., Inc. continues to grow its presence in Iowa with the acquisition of Southwest Builder Supply in Mount Ayr. This is the family-owned hardware and building materials retailer’s 84 th location and its 5 th in Iowa. “Joe and Debbie Murphy and their team at Southwest Builder Supply have been serving Southwest and Central Iowa for decades. It is our privilege to honor that legacy by seamlessly continuing to serve the region and earn the respect of our customers for many years to come,” said Robert Plummer, President & CEO of R.P. Lumber R.P. Lumber opened its first location in Staunton, IL in 1977, and now - based in Edwardsville, IL – the company has continued to grow throughout the states of Illinois, Missouri, Wyoming, Iowa, and Wisconsin. “While certainly unique in its own right, Mount Ayr shares many similarities to the communities we currently serve,” continued Plummer. “We have a 45-year history of delivering

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GREENVILLE - Area residents are invited to join rehearsals beginning September 19, for the Greenville Choral Union and Orchestra’s 92nd annual performance of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. The Greenville Choral Union is a collaboration between the Greenville University Choir and choral singers throughout the region. Directing the Messiah is GU Director of Choral Activities Don Frazure. “Music has the power to bring us together in unity as no other medium can,” Frazure says. “The music and message of Handel’s Messiah brings together into glorious harmony the human voice and orchestral instruments with Scripture and the timeless story of God’s redemptive plan through Jesus Christ. I am truly overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to be able to conduct this performance, and I look forward to preparing this music with all who will join us." Singers (high school age and older) at any level of musical experience from the community are invited to b

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BETHALTO - Amare’s Rockin’ for Recovery, an annual music festival, presented this year by Bickle Electric Contracting Co., will help raise awareness and celebrate individuals and families recovering from, and impacted by, substance use. Riverbend area non-profit, Amare, has scheduled the event for Saturday, September 17th from 4-10 pm at the Bethalto Central Park fairgrounds. The event is in honor of National Recovery Month, which is held every year in September to educate the public about treatment services, recovery, and resources to help those in, or seeking recovery from, a substance use disorder or co-occurring disorder. Amare, a nonprofit based out of Wood River, serves the Illinois riverbend and metro-east area, working to help those recovering from substance use dependency work toward sustainability through recovery support services like recovery coaching, family recovery coaching, treatment, and detox navigation with a warm handoff, and more. Rockin’

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GODFREY – WellCreek Pharmacy has been recognized as the RiverBend Growth Association Small Business of the Month for September 2022. Located in Bethalto at 333 W. Bethalto Dr., Suite B, the pharmacy was opened by Owner Bruce Brueggemann over six years ago. Brueggemann noted, “I retired from Alton Kmart after 36 ½ years, but I enjoyed what I did and was not ready to stop working. So, I opened an independent community pharmacy to offer an alternative to big box stores – a pharmacy that is competitively priced and where patients become and remain friends.” Brueggemann eventually moved WellCreek Pharmacy to its current site in the Bethalto Liberty Bank retail complex from its original location at 341 W. Bethalto Dr. The move expanded its space for customer service and merchandise, and new fixtures were also installed to further enhance the pharmacy’s service offerings and customer experience. WellCreek Pharmacy currently has six employees, and Brueggemann

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ST. LOUIS – The record rainfall and subsequent flooding of late July dramatically impacted the lives of people in our own community as well as those in eastern Kentucky. Both areas suffered devastating damage and the communities are rallying together to rebound. The Raceway Gives Foundation ( https://racewaygives.org/ ), the charitable arm of World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, is continuing to collect for the flood victims of eastern Kentucky. While federal agencies and our local community pitched in to take care of our neighbors in the St. Louis-Metro East region, we want to remind everyone that what happened in eastern Kentucky can only be described as devastating. The tragic floods claimed 39 lives. The eastern Kentucky area affected by the deadly flood is the hometown of several current and former members of our WWTR staff, as well as the current home of many of our special-event staff. For those who wish to make a charitable contribution to the relief

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COLLINSVILLE - Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, a legal aid provider in central and southern Illinois, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year! As part of its celebration, Land of Lincoln is seeking nominations for awards to be given at its 50th Anniversary Party in Collinsville, Illinois on Thursday, October 27, 2022. A letter of nomination outlining why the individual or group is a good candidate for the award should be emailed to Clarissa Gaff, Executive Director, at cgaff@lincolnlegal.org no later than Friday, September 16, 2022. Criteria for the four awards are listed below: Lois Wood Lifetime Achievement Award The Lois Wood Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an attorney or judge who has provided extraordinary and dedicated service over their lifetime to the low-income community by promoting and improving equal justice for low-income people. Lois Wood worked at Land of Lincoln Legal Aid for 43 years, starting as a staff attorney before serving as a managing attorney an

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ALTON - Marquette Catholic will definitely have a homecoming football game at 7 p.m. Friday at Public School Stadium against Breese Mater Dei. The Explorers forfeited last Friday’s scheduled home game against Columbia because of injuries. However, the team is ready this week, Principal Tim Harmon said. Breese Mater Dei is 1-2 overall going into the contest with a 13-2 loss to Waterloo, 27-14 win over Breese Central, and a 13-7 loss to Althoff Catholic. Principal Harmon said last week’s game was canceled because of the rash of injuries that devastated the roster. He said for safety purposes they forfeited the game. Harmon and Marquette Catholic Athletic Director Brian Hoener said there are some very talented players on the team and they expect the future of Marquette football to be solid. Harmon said there are several talented seventh and eighth-grade students who have expressed interest in being a member of the football team at Marquette. The Marquette Catholic Homecoming

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EDWARDSVILLE - Meeting the need for creative pivots and global business smarts amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center (ITC) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has continued to support its clients by coordinating virtual meetings, roundtables and trade missions. Among its offerings, over the last year, ITC has hosted trade missions to South America to provide free business development opportunities for Southern Illinois clients interested in global export. “Now more than ever the ITC is committed to finding innovative ways to support the growth of small businesses and the promotion of exports in our Southern Illinois region,” said ITC Director Silvia Torres Bowman. “At the onset of COVID, we reached out to our international partners to explore new ways to support small businesses from the region. We quickly realized that we could leverage technology that already existed to connect buyers and sellers, and at the same time,

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COLLINSVILLE - SIHF Healthcare and Collinsville Community Unit School District 10 have entered into a new partnership that includes a school-based health center at Collinsville Middle School, 9649 Collinsville Road, Collinsville, Illinois. The SIHF Healthcare health center will offer school and sports physicals, immunizations, and COVID testing; treat basic health conditions, such as colds, coughs, earaches, sore throats, etc.; and issue referrals for behavioral health services. Alison Underwood, Director of Special Education, said, "This collaborative relationship bridges the gap in identifying students needing physicals, immunizations or medical treatment that starts with our Illinois State Board of Education Award of Excellence winning Collinsville Health Staff referring students in need to the comprehensive SIHF team. This is a wonderful opportunity for students and staff to be able to be seen quickly to address health concerns and be able to return to school.” The healt

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ALTON - Marquette Catholic's homecoming week is underway and Principal Tim Harmon said spirit is strong among students. The 2022 Marquette Catholic High School Homecoming Court will be formally announced at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, at Johnson’s Corner. A full school pep rally is scheduled in the Marquette Gym at 1:20 p.m. on Friday. After the homecoming court is introduced, there will be a caravan led by the MCHS Drumline to the football field for the Marquette-Breese Mater Dei game. Marquette Principal Tim Harmon each day during homecoming week there is a different dress-out theme. Monday was based on the movie “Breakfast Club,” and today, “Grown Ups.” He said there were a lot of students dressed as dads or soccer moms today. “There are a lot of aprons being worn in school today,” he said. Wednesday, the movie theme is “Mean Girls” and it will be a day to wear pink, he said. The movie “Parent Trap” will

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CARLINVILLE - Dick Spohr still remembers the events of the early morning of Sunday, Sept. 13, 1987. “The police department called my home before midnight,” said Spohr, the former Carlinville High School principal. “I pulled on some clothes and drove out to the school. I ended up wearing those clothes for a day and a half.” Tuesday marks the 35th anniversary of the fire that swept through the high school building in Carlinville, ravaging the third story. The first and second stories suffered massive smoke and water damage. The origin of the fire was traced to the attic between the third story and the roof of the structure, built in 1921. “Today’s students don’t always know much about the fire, and some haven’t even heard of it,” said Pat Drew, the current Carlinville High School principal who was a sophomore in 1987. “But all of us who were there remember it very well.” Many recall the community response to the fire

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EDWARDSVILLE – The U.S. Department of Labor awarded Madison County and the St. Louis region workforce innovation areas a four-year,$5.8 million grant to be a part of the Apprenticeship Building America program. “We are thrilled with this announcement from the Department of Labor to be able to launch the Gateway Registered Apprenticeship Programs Hub,” Employment and Training Director Tony Fuhrmann said. Fuhrmann said the Gateway Hub, which includes six local workforce innovation areas —Madison County Employment and Training, St. Clair County Intergovernmental Grants Department, City of St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and the Jefferson/Franklin Consortium in Missouri — received $5,819,104 in ABA grant funding. The project aims to register at least 750 new apprentices across the region and represents the first joint initiative between Illinois and Missouri workforce areas, Fuhrmann said “These Local Workforce Innovation Areas serve

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EDWARDSVILLE – As part of a packed week of thrilling performances, workshops, seminars and masterclasses to mark the return of Xfest to the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus, Arts and Issues will present “Chaos Theory & Other Miracles,” a show by Leggy Bones Physical Theater Company, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 in the Dunham Hall Theater. “SIUE Theater and Dance is thrilled to present the return of SIUE Xfest: A Festival of Alternative Theater and Dance after a two-year hiatus,” said Chuck Harper, artistic director of SIUE Xfest and professor and chair in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Theater and Dance.?“We have a visiting artist who is returning to the festival after a previous appearance, The Coldharts, who are presenting ‘Edgar Allan’ and ‘Silver Hammer.’ We also have two first-time presenters, Obie Award-winning actress Stephanie Berry and Leggy Bones Physical Theater Co.?There is

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ST. LOUIS, MO. – Join Katie’s Pizza and Pasta Osteria on September 27 at its Rock Hill location for its monthly Giveback Tuesday event. This month, 100% of profits from the event will be donated to Healing Action , a nonprofit that partners with survivors and the community to end commercial sexual exploitation. They accomplish that through community awareness, client advocacy, and a comprehensive array of services. Every month, Katie’s Pizza and Pasta Osteria features a local nonprofit organization and donates 100% of profits from the entire day to the charity. So far, Katie’s Pizza and Pasta Osteria has donated $335,065 to local nonprofit organizations. The donations from this Giveback Tuesday will be used to meet the ongoing services and needs of Healing Action’s clients. These services include providing survivors of trafficking and exploitation with basic needs, such as: Safe housing Food Hygiene supplies Clothing Medication copays Transportation

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SPRINGFIELD – The tech team at Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office is one of the world’s best, a recent cybersecurity competition showed. A three-person Information Technology team from the state treasurer’s office reached the semi-final round in the International Cyber League 2022 competition. The team finished 15 th out of 500 that entered. Just 200 teams escaped the qualifying round, and the Illinois treasurer contingent was the only government team to do so. The treasurer team performed better than counterparts from some Fortune 100 companies and a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. “We take cybersecurity very seriously, as the results of this competition illustrate,” Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said. “We are very proud of our Information Technology group for its problem-solving skills and top-notch teamwork.” The treasurer’s team was led by Joe Daniels, the office’s chief information officer

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MADISON – Soup n Share, a food pantry based in Madison, estimates it distributes approximately 6,000 diapers per month as part of its "No Child Left Wet Behind" campaign to assist young mothers and families throughout Madison County. Ameren Illinois has been a corporate sponsor of the pantry for several years and presented Executive Director Sherrie Hare with a $2,000 contribution to support the organization's diaper bank. "We are so blessed to receive this contribution from Ameren Illinois. Diapers are expensive and this donation allows us to literally buy dozen of cases of diapers for our clients," Hare said. "Infants and toddlers do not have a voice when families are in need and when families do not have diapers these little ones often have to sit in wet or soiled diapers for long periods of time. Wet and soiled diapers can expose the little ones to sickness and unfortunate illnesses. "No Child Left Wet Behind" gives our area children a voice and the dry diapers they so

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HARDIN - The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office said deputies conducted a traffic stop at 11:13 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, on the Illinois River Road near Schleeper Lane in Brussels in Calhoun County. Subsequent to an investigation, the driver, Amanda A. Koskela, 42, of Florissant, MO., was arrested on the following charges: Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine Unlawful Possession of Hypodermic Syringes Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Promoting Prostitution Felony Driving While Suspended Illegal Transportation of Alcohol Operating Uninsured Vehicle Improper Lane Usage Improper Lighting (Registration Light) The suspect was arrested without incident and lodged in the Jersey County Jail. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests are forthcoming. All suspect(s) are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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ALTON – COUNTRY Financial Representative V. Deanne Stegeman is pleased to support local police officers by providing a COUNTRY Financial Operation Helping Heroes donation. Stegeman presented $1,500 to Adopt A Cop BJJ at their partner gym Strategic BJJ, located at 2248 E. Broadway, on August 17 th , 2022. “There’s a troubling trend of increasing violence targeting police officers across our nation. Providing our police patrol officers with skills to protect them from physical violence is one way we can help our communities at a local level,” said Stegeman. Adopt A Cop BJJ is a nonprofit, donation-based program that allows active duty law enforcement officers around the country to train at any affiliated academy. The program also pays 100% of the officer’s membership until they reach the rank of Blue belt. Keith Steinacher of Strategic BJJ, commented, “I’ve been working with law enforcement since 2017, and I’m excited to be working with

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ALTON - Blake Schaper has been named a 2022 National Award Winner by the Classic Learning Test for their outstanding performance on the CLT10 assessment. This award recognizes Schaper for scoring in the top 1% of all CLT10 test-takers in the 2021-22 academic year. He will receive a $2,500 Scholarship should he choose to matriculate to a CLT Partner College/University. With Regional Scores in the top 5% of all CLT 10 test takers, Eliana Snyder and Jacob Schaper both received Regional Awards for the Exam. Regional Scholars landed in the top 5% of their respective region, and National Award recipients are within the top 50 high school sophomores across the United States. The CLT10 is a college preparatory exam and PSAT® alternative designed for 9th and 10th graders and offered by the Classic Learning Test. Evaluating English, math, and critical reasoning skills, it provides a comprehensive measure of achievement and aptitude and engages students with classic texts from the most

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