News, sports and weather for Belleville, IL | Belleville News-Democrat & bnd.com

Baby girl fatally struck by car in East St. Louis

A 1-year-old girl was run over by a car and killed Saturday afternoon in the Gompers housing complex and police were questioning two juvenile boys.

Featured

Explosives found at Belleville home after domestic dispute

Belleville police officers responding to a domestic disturbance early Saturday morning found improvised...

Real Estate: What's your neighbor's home selling for?

Recent real estate transactions in the metro-east, including St. Clair and Madison counties:

Top News Stories

(From left) Metal artist Dale Rogers speaks with Art on the Square judge Laura Beard, and volunteer Narni Cahill. Beard and Cahill had to go around and speak to each of the artist's as part of the judging procedure. The annual art event draws thousands of visitors to the city each year, and is regularly ranked among the top art shows in the country. This year, 105 artists have their work on display and for sale. Art on the Square continues Saturday until 8 p.m., and on Sunday the art festival will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

'A very nice show': Art on the Square draws big crowds to downtown Belleville

Earl James' tent at Art on the Square in downtown Belleville was bustling with activity Saturday afternoon as loyal customers purchased new pieces and others marveled over his blown glass creations with decorative imagery cased between the layers ...

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Metro-east News

Lindenwood University in Belleville

First graduation at Lindenwood in Belleville: 'What they have done for this community is unbelievable'

On a warm spring day, students at Lindenwood University-Belleville took time from studying for finals to play Frisbee in the sunken garden in front...

Crime

East St. Louis man shot to death while in his wheelchair

A 47-year-old East St. Louis man who used a wheelchair was found shot to death early Saturday.

Hot Topics

8 Illinois Lottery payout checks bounce

Some lucky winners of the Illinois Lottery weren't so lucky when they went to cash their checks.

Sports

East St. Louis Markita Rush heads toward the finish line on her way to winning the 300-meter hurdles at the Class 2A girls state track and field meet Saturday in Charleston. Rush also won the event in 2011. She finished in a time of 42.14.

East Side's Rush refuses to be denied

East St. Louis senior Markita Rush knew she faced an uphill battle in trying to defeat defending Class 2A 300-meter hurdle state champion Shamier Little, of Chicago Lindblom, on Saturday.

Features

Mike Rujawitz of Belleville suffered disabling brain injuries after a motor vehicle accident in Germany in 1981. Since 2004, he's been applying for VA benefits with no luck. But a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bill Enyart aims to speed up the claim approval process for Rujawitz and about 900,000 claimants in similar situations.

'They forgot about us': Nearly 1M veterans wait on VA to process disability claims

More than 900,000 wounded veterans are waiting an average of nine months apiece -- in many cases far longer -- for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to process their disability claims.

State|Region

Gov. Pat Quinn

Ill. lawmakers face tough votes before adjourning

The Illinois General Assembly has just two weeks left in Springfield before it adjourns for the summer, leaving lawmakers with a tight deadline for...

Nation|World

Emergency personnel respond to one of the people hit by a car, at right, during the beginning of the Hikers Parade at the Trail Days festival in Damascus, Va., Saturday, May 18, 2013. Witnesses said the car drove into a crowd at the parade and hurt several people, but the nature of their injuries wasn't immediately known.

Car strikes crowd at Va. parade; dozens injured

Witnesses described a frantic scene and close calls after an elderly driver plowed into dozens of hikers marching in a small Virginia mountain town...

Opinion

Find a less political city attorney

Before the Belleville city election, Mayor Mark Eckert met with our editorial board and insisted that his Good Government Party was separate from the St. Clair County Democratic Party.