Teri Maddox

Melanie Brink, who has led Freeburg’s elementary school district through two years of controversy and upheaval, is leaving to become superintendent of Belle Valley School District 119 in Belleville next year.

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

The Granite City Electoral Board ruled in favor of a local resident who had filed objections against Baumgartner and a second mayoral candidate, Kim Benda, for violating the Illinois Election Code.

The Metro East board's action follows a similar move three months ago when it also voted to censure and remove for undisclosed reasons.

Colin Brown, 16, was hit by a stray bullet in his car while going home to O’Fallon, Illinois, from a hockey game with his father.

The past few years haven’t been kind to the 104-acre property in rural Freeburg. The Metro East American Legion post used to be one of the largest in southern Illinois — and the only one that operated a recreation area. But that's all changed.

Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the Metro East city took action to curb what police and officials view as a worsening problem.

Roger D. Sutton Jr. had maintained his innocence in the death of Patrenia Butler-Turner. But jurors believed Sutton's nephew, who testified he had helped dump the body.

Rebecca Boyer and Karl Gilpin volunteered to become the organization’s new co-directors after learning that next year’s show was at risk of being canceled due to lack of leadership.

Co-Directors of Art on the Square, a staple of the Metro East town, sent an email to committee members last week, stating that they didn’t “see a path” for putting on a show in 2025.

After leaving for a vacation, the Belleville family left their cat, Malone, with St. Clair County Animal Services after a biting incident to be monitored for rabies symptoms. The director of Animal Services later called the family to inform of them of "terrible, terrible mistake," according to the suit.

Their vision includes a family-friendly sports bar and restaurant during the day, a nightclub for adults after 9 p.m. and rental rooms for meetings and special events.