2 die from overdoses in Madison County

Two recent deaths in Madison County were caused by drug overdoses, according to the coroner. 2 minutes ago

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NEW, BUT FAMILIAR OWNERS — Veteran Blue Springs Cafe employees Brian Lammers and Cami Rakers officially took over as the co-owners of the longtime Highland restaurant on June 5 after purchasing it from Brad Michael, who owned the business for the past 22 years.

Blue Springs Cafe has new owners

Blue Springs Cafe in rural Highland has changed hands but will be under the leadership of familiar...

Leon J. Venson Jr.

Belleville man charged with two felonies in West Main Street shooting

A Belleville man has been charged in connection with a shooting Monday on West Main Street.

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Metro-east News

Library director Leander Spearman, stands in front of the new circuation desk inside the Belleville Public Library on Thursday afternoon.

Belleville Library enters high-tech age

The most visible sign of change at the Belleville Public Library is the brick work going on outside, but inside, the library is making a giant leap into the technology of the 21st Century. 3 hours ago

Crime

Police: Fake officers gag, rob motorist along I-55

Illinois State Police are warning area travelers to be vigilant after a motorist told them that men impersonating cops pulled him over on Interstate 55 and robbed him.

Hot Topics

Traffic accident on bridge kills 4 in Missouri

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a collision on a bridge near the Lake of the Ozarks killed three family members from Illinois and a Missouri man.

Sports

Hayden Hewitt avoids the tag of Nick Paulda during the 2nd inning. The Giants scored four runs in the 2nd.

Swansea/Fairview Heights drubs Metro-East to inch closer to title

Defeating Swansea/Fairview Heights three times in the regular season wasn't a problem for the Metro-East Bears. Beating the Giants a fourth time proved to be an issue.

Features

Volunteer Dan McKenzie weighs a donation of fresh produce at the Community Interfaith Food Pantry in Belleville. The 85 pound donation of corn, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and zucchini was from the Henry White Research Farm located near Millstadt. Metro-east food pantries gladly accept fresh produce to distribute to those in need. Currently donations to area pantries are down because of a lack of food drives during the summer months. Visit www.feedbelleville.org to find out more about donating to the Community Interfaith Food Pantry in Belleville.

Donate your garden surplus to metro-east food pantries

It's that time of year when gardens are bursting full of fresh tomatoes, zucchinis, cucumbers and more. 2 hours ago

State|Region

FILE - In this May 22, 2014 file photo, protesters gather outside of the McDonald's Corporation headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., the annual shareholders meeting demonstrating for higher wages and the right to unionize. On Friday, July 25, 2014, in Chicago, organizers are holding what they're calling the first national convention of fast-food workers. They’ll be discussing how to move forward with the protests and other actions calling for higher wages that have been taking place in cities around the country since late 2012. 

Fast food workers prepare to escalate wage demands

Fast food workers say they're prepared to escalate their campaign for higher wages and union representation, starting with a national convention in suburban Chicago where more than 1,000 workers are expected to discuss the future of the effort that... 5 minutes ago

Nation|World

An Air Algerie flight carrying more than 100 people from Burkina Faso to Algeria's capital disappeared from radar early Thursday over northern Mali after heavy rains were reported, according to the plane's owner and government officials in France and Burkina Faso.

Air Algerie black box found as investigators search for answers

Terrorism has not been ruled out as a possible cause of the crash in northern Mali that killed at least 116 people, although officials say the most likely culprit is bad weather. 1 hour ago

Opinion

Let private funding for ketchup bottle flow

Think ketchup, and hamburgers and french fries immediately come to mind. And Collinsville.

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