2025 in review: Images and stories that defined the year in metro-east news

This year has been full of ups and downs in the metro-east. Through it all, I’ve been on the scene with my cameras, weaving between police cars, crowds and pothole-filled roads to bring visual truth to written storytelling.

The metro-east is a place where things are always happening, but you have to pay attention. Some months were packed with action — it seemed every week brought a standoff, shootout or the aftermath of a high-speed chase. In others, photographing eagles was the highlight. I’m honored to serve as the visual journalist at the Belleville News-Democrat, and I look forward to covering the region for years to come. If you see me out and about, feel free to say hello, talk photography or share a news tip. I’m usually the one in all black with too many cameras hanging from my neck.

Here’s the year in metro-east news, month by month, through the eyes (and lens) of a visual journalist:

January

My first assignment of the year was covering a grocery shortage caused by residents panic-buying ahead of a winter storm. I covered the groundbreaking at the Belleville animal control building and a planning session for victims of radiation. I closed the month with a story about the best places to see eagles within an hour’s drive from Belleville.

February

February was busy. I saw a supportive atmosphere at the Belleville Fitness Club, a nonprofit gym on Illinois Street, and smiled as I interviewed The Orbits — a band from the sixties that reunited 60 years later. Not all of it was bright; I also covered two murder trials: Sammy Shafer Jr., accused of killing his wife’s girlfriend, and the conviction of Neil Howard for murdering his mother. The month ended on a high, taking portraits of Avant Elementary’s teacher of the year.

March

I took four days off in March, the most I took all year, but that doesn’t mean my plate wasn’t full of assignments. I took four days off — the most all year — but still had plenty of assignments. Political stories dominated, as is typical for spring. At Rumblin’ Ernie Farm, I documented farmer Ben Stumpf losing a critical grant. A tornado hit O’Fallon, and I covered devastation at Parkview Mobile Home Park. The Belleville mayoral race saw Jenny Gain-Meyer and incumbent Patty Gregory debate local issues. In Waterloo, I photographed the rescue of over 30 dogs from a hoarding situation.

April

April was a mix of good and bad news. Belleville’s new mayor, Jenny Gain-Meyer, won her election, and I captured the celebrations at Tavern on Main. Days later, three elementary schoolers were honored for alerting first responders to a fire at a neighbor’s house. I joined reporter Lexi Cortes at Clinton Manor in New Baden to cover how Medicaid cuts would affect care. The month also brought “No Kings” protests across the region, mourning for Pope Francis, and protests in Collinsville regarding the Illinois law banning Native American mascots.

May

May felt like the first taste of summer. I attended a punk concert at Denny’s in Glen Carbon, captured the energy of Art on the Square, documented Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s visit to Venice, and covered a news conference on the Cahokia Heights, Camp Jackson and Caseyville fire department merger, complete with impressive mustaches. The mood turned somber later in the month, covering the tragic death of Cadence Prince, an O’Fallon high school student.

June

Midway through the year, I covered Confluence Crush, the region’s only all-women’s roller derby team, and enjoyed photographing a Sparta solar farm that uses sheep for lawn maintenance.

July

July was hot, and the office AC didn’t always keep up — at times, my camera lens would fog up with condensation. The month began with a naturalization ceremony and an Elvis festival, but soon shifted to covering broken air conditioners in low-income neighborhoods and the tragic shooting of high school student Emma Schulteis in Waterloo.

August

August always feels hopeful, with school back in session. Our new education reporter, Madison Lammert, sent me to photograph the first day of school. Things quickly got hectic as I covered Belleville residents opposing a new solar development at Mount Hope Cemetery. In Breese, residents removed a Proud Boys billboard found near the high school. U.S. Rep. Mike Bost was chased to a police car by angry constituents in O’Fallon. Later that week, I reported on new accessible playgrounds, and days after, covered a multi-hour standoff in Columbia.

September

My September photo assignments included a teachers’ union protest at Cahokia High School and coverage of a controversy at Columbia High over social media comments allegedly made about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. A meeting on Sept. 19 saw multiple students, staff and parents speak in defense of a suspended employee. I attended a steelworker rally in Granite City, and after Oktoberfest, took a break to attend the Missouri Photo Workshop, which reignited my passion for photojournalism.

October

In October, I was introduced to Brad Henke, a semi-paralyzed firefighter learning to walk with new mechanical legs, thanks to donations and insurance. I finally saw the much-anticipated new school being constructed in Cahokia Heights. Reporter Meredith Howard and I visited the Wolf Sanctuary in Missouri to see fennec foxes. SNAP benefits were cut around the government shutdown, filling food pantries with worried residents. An honor flight in St. Louis included a record number of metro-east veterans, and I documented their return at Lambert Airport.

November

First real signs of winter came in November. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi visited while campaigning to succeed Dick Durbin in the Senate. I captured uplifting moments at the annual Santa Parade, a Belleville tradition held every year after Thanksgiving.

December

The final month brought difficult stories. My first assignment was at Funk Family Farm, where avian influenza killed all 1,000 of farmer Joel Funk's chickens. The next day I covered one of the largest fires I’ve seen, in East St. Louis — fortunately, no one was hurt. Lexi and I returned to Greenmount Station mobile home park, where renters were told to move out or buy their homes. The month included a manhunt in Granite City and a detention hearing for an alleged shooter. Finally, a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony hosted by Hospice of Southern Illinois brought residents together to mourn loved ones and celebrate the holiday season.

Josh Carter

Belleville News-Democrat

Josh Carter is a multi-media photojournalist at the Belleville News-Democrat. He arrived in the local newsroom in 2022 through McClatchy Media’s fellowship for military veterans. Some of his videos are backed by original music he performs and records on guitar.