17+ hour, 10+ min ago  (474+ words) Summer officially begins with the June 21 solstice, but metro-east schools have been out for weeks. If you're looking for something to do with your children, or simply searching for a fun outing, Belleville has a host of activities available this…...

1+ day, 4+ hour ago  (289+ words) There is always something: a leaky faucet, chipping paint, gutters full of leaves or a room that no longer works the way it used to. Homeownership comes with a permanent background hum of maintenance, repairs and decisions that can only…...

3+ day, 9+ hour ago  (736+ words) A federal lawsuit filed last week seeks to block an Illinois law allowing doctors to help terminally ill patients end their own lives ahead of its Sept. 12 effective date. The complaint, brought by medical advocacy groups, an Illinois-based physician and…...

4+ day, 16+ hour ago  (1027+ words) Local residents and activists took three top officials from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on a so-called "toxic tour" of the metro-east on Friday. The goal was to show them what life is like in the communities confronting sewage-contaminated floodwaters,…...

1+ week, 16+ hour ago  (565+ words) One person is being held in jail and calls for donations to metro-east animal shelter are surfacing after a dog was dragged from a vehicle in Washington Park. Washington Park Police Chief Allen Bonds said the department received a call…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago  (517+ words) Summer is the season for soliciting in Belleville. Companies selling everything from solar systems to storm windows, educational books to pest control, hire college students and others to go door to door and drum up business. It's a legal activity,…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago  (355+ words) At a special meeting of the Board of Education, which was held Saturday evening, it was decided that a music and art department be added to the curriculum of studies now taught in the grade schools. The annexation of the…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago  (79+ words) Belleville News-Democrat One person died Tuesday morning in a collision between a motorcycle and a semitruck on Illinois Route 4 in Madison County, Illinois State Police said. The crash happened about 9: 10 a. m. on Route 4 just south of the Interstate 70 interchange outside Marine,…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago  (448+ words) The metro-east is headed for a potentially dangerous mix of weather events this week, including high heat indices, flash flooding and potential severe weather. The National Weather Service released a heat advisory at midday Monday through Tuesday night. It predicts…...

2+ week, 10+ hour ago  (225+ words) The Belleville News-Democrat has won 15 awards for its community reporting in 2025, including three first-place finishes and the top award for best school board coverage. The Illinois Press Association recognized the BND's work at a ceremony Thursday in East Peoria. Judges…...