St. Clair County

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.

Madison County in the Metro East began flipping red in the 2010 election, and the GOP’s support has only gotten stronger. But local Democrats don’t see neighboring St. Clair County flipping anytime soon.

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

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.

Kenny Euge, 75, was pronounced dead on Saturday after a fire at his residence. It had been a years-long battle for Euge, a Vietnam veteran, to remain living in a caboose in rural St. Clair County where he died.

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.

This development comes after the St. Clair County Health Department announced last week it was investigating an outbreak of shigellosis among customers who'd eaten at the LongHorn Stakehouse.

The St. Clair County Health Department is investigating a cluster of illnesses among customers who dined at a LongHorn Steakhouse in Illinois.