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Cardinals' Allen Craig, Matt Holliday, Jason Motte and Adam Wainwright joke around during a photo shoot on Monday morning.

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Postcards from Florida: News-Democrat reporter David Wilhelm and photographer Zia Nizami are in ...

Barbecue restaurant to open Friday in downtown Belleville

A new barbecue restaurant will open in downtown Belleville on Friday.

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Metro-east News

Belleville city leaders and residents on Tuesday morning marked the start of construction for the 911 Memorial at the city firehouse near the intersection of Illinois 15 and Illinois 159.

Sept. 11 memorial project in Belleville breaks ground

A groundbreaking ceremony for the September 11 Memorial Walkway of Southern Illinois was held at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Crime

A surveillance camera caught this image of one of the suspects in the theft of cigarette products at the Farm Fresh store.

Two accused of breaking into Farm Fresh store twice for cigarettes

Two rural East Alton men face felony burglary charges in connection with breaking into a convenience store twice and stealing cartons of cigarettes and boxes of cigars.

Hot Topics

Fire destroys two buildings

Mascoutah, Freeburg firefighters truck water in to battle a two-structure fire

Firefighters from Mascoutah and Freeburg were extinguishing hot spots late Tuesday afternoon after two structures caught fire in the 7000 block of Reinnick Road near Mascoutah.

Sports

Skye Cieszlak, girlfriend of missing Saginaw Spirit hockey player Terry Trafford, is comforted in the parking lot of the Saginaw Township Wal-Mart, Tuesday, March 11, 2014. Police found a 1995 GMC Sierra that matches the description of Terry Trafford's vehicle. Police found a body in the truck but have not yet identified the person.

State police find body of missing hockey player

The Saginaw Spirit minor league hockey team confirmed Tuesday that police found the body of 20-year-old player Terry Trafford, who disappeared eight days earlier after receiving discipline from the club.

Features

Art on the Square artist Marina Lee with the sculpture that Gov. French Academy students were assisting her with. It's all part of the High School Sculpture in the City program, where artists spend time with local students prior to the annual Art on the Square festival.

Art in action: Sculptor works with students at Governor French Academy

Governor French Academy students with wet, sticky modeling compound in their hands went to work forming trees on two different sculptures under the direction of sculptor Marina Lee of Milwaukee, Wis.

State|Region

Illinois authorities investigate killing of ducks

Illinois Conservation Police is investigating the illegal killing last week of more than 30 ducks at the Carlyle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area near Vandalia. 20 minutes ago

Nation|World

FILE - Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen smiles during an interview in the former basketball arena that has become the new home for the church in Houston, in this Sept. 20, 2004, file photo. Authorities are investigating after $600,000 in checks and cash was stolen from a safe at Pastor Joel Osteen's Houston megachurch, which has one of the largest congregations in the country. Police spokesman Kese Smith said Tuesday March 11, 2014 $200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks were stolen from a safe sometime between 2:30 p.m. Sunday and 8:30 a.m. Monday.

$600K taken from safe at Osteen's megachurch

Authorities are investigating after $600,000 in checks and cash was stolen from a safe at Pastor Joel Osteen's Houston megachurch, which has one of the largest congregations in the country. 22 minutes ago

Opinion

Can we improve odds for the poor?

The classic American tale is about the person who goes from rags to riches. Unfortunately in America today, it's more likely that the rags remain.

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