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

Fairview Heights mother, son heroin dealers to serve decades after 2 deaths

Chris Keel and Ginny Thomason stand near the house where Thomason's daughter, Jessica Williams, and Keel's daughter, Jennifer Herling, died of a heroin overdose. The drug house at 20 Kassing Drive in Fairview Heights was operated by Deborah Perkins and her son, Douglas Oliver.

Most of the people at the sentencing Thursday of the mother and son heroin dealers knew Jessica Williams.

They included Williams' family, who asked that the dealers go to prison for life.

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Featured

Governor French headmaster Phillip Paeltz in a 2011 file photo.

Ex-student, his mother file sexual abuse lawsuit against Governor French, headmaster

A peck on the cheek of a 16-year-old male student more than two years ago by Governor French Academy...

Looking out front windshield of car glazed over with freezing drizzle, sleet and ice pellets.

Icy roads cause 40 accidents in metro-east

The Illinois State Police have been kept busy Thursday morning with car accidents thanks to an ice...

Metro-east News

Injured hunter rescued after fall from deer stand in remote area

A 75-year-old man was injured Thursday morning when he fell out of a deer stand near New Athens, police said.

Crime

Montrell Cooper in a file photo provided by East St. Louis police.

Police arrest ex-boyfriend of slain East St. Louis woman

The ex-boyfriend sought in connection with the stabbing death of the mother of one of his children surrendered to police Tuesday.

Since his career as a KMOV anchor ended in May, all the news about famous St. Louis newsman Larry Conners has been about his battle to get back on the airwaves despite a one-year ban written into his contract.

Sports

Belleville West's Kayleigh Thurwalker is tennis player of the year

Kayleigh Thurwalker has hit millions of tennis balls, taken hundreds of lessons and beaten countless high-quality players since her freshman season at Belleville West three years ago.

Features

FILE - In this July 30, 2001 file photo, former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, right, speaks during a press conference alongside British model Naomi Campbell in Barcelona, Spain, before the 'Frock and Roll' benefit concert to raise money for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. Heroic in his deeds, graceful in his manner, sainted in his image, Nelson Mandela long served as both cause and muse in the entertainment community. From the 1960s, when he was a political prisoner and South Africa was under the laws of apartheid, right up to recent times, when the racist laws of the land had fallen and he was among the world’s most admired people, Mandela inspired concerts, songs, poems, fiction and movies.

Mandela inspired music, movies, poems

Heroic in his deeds, graceful in his manner, sainted in his image, Nelson Mandela long served as both cause and muse in the entertainment community. 21 minutes ago