Lexi Cortes

The settled lawsuits involved allegations that St. Clair County did not pay overtime compensation to employees and that sheriff’s deputies injured two people detained at the jail.

The post’s 104-acre property in the rural Freeburg that has been plagued by squatting and criminal activity in recent years.

The complaint alleges that untreated sewage spills from East St. Louis outfalls into the Mississippi River and Whispering Willow Lake during “high-flow conditions,” such as heavy rain.

In a court filing, Cahokia Heights residents want a federal judge to allow their claims for damages and claims related to flooding issues to proceed. The city's work with federal agencies is limited to the sewer system and will not address flooding concerns.

The old Belle-Clair Speedway racetrack and other structures in Belleville will soon be torn down to make way for renovations including a brand new speedway.

St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson said a $300,000 plan put forth by the county board was a good gesture, but he’s skeptical of the plan.

Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation soon plans to turn Cahokia Heights properties where derelict homes were once boarded up into a new low-income housing development called Vivian’s Village.

The U.S. Department of Labor is now suing the owner, Khalid Ramadan, for approximately $367,890 in compensation and damages for 179 IHOP workers.

To date, only 4% of the money sought for projects to help the city of Cahokia Heights address its flooding and sewage crisis has been spent, according to an EPA analysis.

The nonprofit purchased properties to renovate or demolish existing houses and to construct new ones like those in the housing development, a 20-home subdivision called Lansdowne Park.

The raises begin in January 2025 when the St. Clair County chairman, treasurer, assessor, county clerk, auditor, circuit clerk, coroner and county recorder will all be paid $106,540 each.

Officials and lawyers representing the city said Cahokia Heights had still not received most of the funding.