Belleville

Belleville joins Collinsville and other Metro East school districts who have embraced the Community Eligibility Provision since it was first implemented in Illinois during the 2011-12 academic year.

The rare lemon cuckoo bumblebee bee was recently spotted in a Belleville garden by an amateur citizen scientist. The bee’s population has been on the decline, but this recent sighting could mean good news for rare bee species and bumblebees in the region.

Capt. Eleanor “Ellie” Cooke was one of two pilots. “We’re very proud of her, and by giving her life, she saved 20 other people,” Cooke's mother said.

Belleville’s mayor and city council tabbed Stephanie Mills last week to be the city’s new fire chief, the first woman to fill the position in the municipality's history.

Illinois American Water, a public utility company, finished its project on Friday. The company replaced water-main pipes under and around Veterans Memorial Fountain in downtown Belleville.

Six interagency law enforcement task forces, including the St. Clair County-based Metro East Auto Theft Task Force, received grant funding this spring to combat car thefts through an initiative of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office.

Stephanie Mills will serve as the city's first female fire chief. “It would make anyone proud to lead this department," she said. "We have a long, proud tradition. To be named chief is an honor for anybody.”

According to the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools’ educator shortage survey from the previous academic year, more than 30% of open teacher, support staff and special education positions went un- or underfilled — the highest percentage in the six years.

The 77-year-old didn't pay his property taxes, and St. Clair County foreclosed his home. His story reveals a series of breakdowns in a system that struggles to deal with people who don't fit into traditional society or follow all its rules.

Jack LeChien, the Belleville historian and co-chairman of the Gustave Koerner House Restoration committee, had heard people speculate for decades on whether Abraham Lincoln had slept in the city during his 1856 visit. If so, where?