Belleville News-Democrat

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 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.

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 first-time candidate filed a petition to run for city clerk in O'Fallon, Illinois, that was successfully challenged by the incumbent for improper filing. The candidate will now campaign for the seat as a write-in instead.

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 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.

Dana Howard, a state champion at East St. Louis High School and an All-American linebacker at the University of Illinois before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and playing for the St. Louis Rams, was named in the indictment along with two others.

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.