Featured

Don't miss this

Here's your weekly list of road construction in St. Clair, Madison and Monroe counties.

Postal workers to picket Ben's in Belleville over in-store post office

A postal workers union is planning to picket along the sidewalks Friday outside Ben's Crafts...

BND VIDEO

MORE > Photos Videos Submit a Photo

BND GALLERIES

MORE > Photos Videos Submit a Photo

Metro-east News

Carlos Garrett (far right) is taken with other prisoners to the fourth floor holding cells of the St. Clair County Building to await their court hearings. Immediately to the left of Garrett is St. Clair County Prisoner Transport Officer Jason Jenks (back to camera). Jenks escorted the group of prisoners from the St. Clair County Jail to the Courthouse.

Police chief: Centreville did poor job of keeping evidence in murder case

Centreville Police Chief Steve Brown testified Thursday that the chain of custody regarding the evidence in a decades-old murder case "was not adequate."

Crime

Jury finds Belleville man guilty of aggravated criminal sexual abuse

A Belleville man was found guilty of one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse Thursday in the assault on a 12-year-old female relative.

Hot Topics

A sign welcomes visitors through the Belleville Gate entrance at Scott Air Force Base.

Ex-Air Force official sentenced for taking contractor goodies

A federal judge sentenced Dennis Charles Toenjes Sr., 66, to three years of probation after pleading guilty to the charge of receiving gratuities in connection with his former role as a U.S. Air Force contracting official at Scott Air Force Base. 3 minutes ago

Sports

Nebraska's Walter Pitchford, left, chases a loose ball with teammate Terran Petteway, right, and Illinois' Malcolm Hill (21) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Champaign, Ill., on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014.

Former metro-east basketball, baseball players making their marks on collegiate level

Freshman Malcolm Hill's playing time has increased in recent games as he and a talented group of freshmen try to build a stronger basketball program at Illinois. 13 minutes ago

Features

Wake up and smell the bacon ... with a bacon app

Want to wake up to the sound of bacon sizzling on the stove with its aroma drawing you out of bed?

State|Region

In this Feb. 12, 2014 photo, a detailed, handcrafted wooden train, donated by Fred and Gretchen Decker to the Mattoon Arts Council and city Department of Tourism and Arts and is seen on display at their offices at the Illinois Central Railroad Depot in Mattoon, Ill.

Conversation piece: Wooden train finds home in Illinois

Mattoon couple Fred and Gretchen Decker found a final destination for a detailed, handcrafted wooden train they've owned for more than a decade. 44 minutes ago

Nation|World

Oscar Pistorius, puts his hand to his face while listening to evidence from a witness speaking about the morning of the shooting in court on the fourth day of his trial at the high court in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, March 6, 2014. Pistorius is charged with murder for the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentines Day in 2013.

Witness: Pistorius prayed over his shot girlfriend

As the girlfriend he shot in the head lay dead or dying in his home, a weeping, praying Oscar Pistorius knelt at her side and struggled in vain to help her breathe by holding two fingers in her clenched mouth, a witness testified Thursday at the double...

Opinion

Editorial cartoon

WHAT DO YOU THINK?