Belleville

The courthouse will remain open to the public, but the southwest entrance and the pedestrian crosswalk tunnel between the South First Street public parking garage and courthouse will be temporarily closed.

Heil is noted as the inventor of the talk box, the original featured in a display at the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

Officials say the construction project will expand the entry lobby, improve the security checkpoint there and provide street-level entry on the southwest side of the building.

Notre Dame Academy in Belleville and St. Ann in Nashville, Illinois will both close at the end of the school year, citing declining enrollments.

The U.S. Department of Energy has chosen a consortium of community colleges across Illinois to increase the pathway to green jobs and reduce waste and pollution for manufacturers.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state plan to eliminate preschool deserts had a successful first year and celebrated East Alton-based Wieland Manufacturing's $500 million investment to modernize its facility.

Mount Hope Cemetery has been a thorn in Belleville’s side since the mid-2000s. City officials are considering a deal to buy the property and clearing 25 of the 132 acres for the solar farm. Some locals are opposed.

Roger Wigginton, who's owned and operated Don Rodgers Ltd. clothing store since 1976 off West Main Street, plans to begin a “Retirement Sale” on Jan. 2.

The strip mall has shown signs of neglect and mismanagement in recent years. Now, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged the owners for allegedly engaging in a scheme to "misappropriate" more than $35 million in investor funds.

Robert Hart Baker, music and artistic director for Belleville Philharmonic Society, told board members in September that he needed to take a leave of absence due to kidney-related problems. By November, the 69-year-old died.