Belleville

Because of the "mine subsidence" — what experts call the ground shifting because of underground coal mines — cracks could be seen in the store’s parking lot and on two nearby streets.

Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson said the numbers may drop in the next eight weeks but he doesn’t expect that to continue. A jail spokesman said the jail population could even increase in the long term.

Up to 50 homeowners in Belleville will be allowed to keep chickens in their backyards under an ordinance adopted by the City Council on Monday night.

Illinois became the first state in the country to abolish cash bail on Monday, but the courts remained slow in the Metro East.

Belleville joins Collinsville and other Metro East school districts who have embraced the Community Eligibility Provision since it was first implemented in Illinois during the 2011-12 academic year.

The rare lemon cuckoo bumblebee bee was recently spotted in a Belleville garden by an amateur citizen scientist. The bee’s population has been on the decline, but this recent sighting could mean good news for rare bee species and bumblebees in the region.

Capt. Eleanor “Ellie” Cooke was one of two pilots. “We’re very proud of her, and by giving her life, she saved 20 other people,” Cooke's mother said.

Belleville’s mayor and city council tabbed Stephanie Mills last week to be the city’s new fire chief, the first woman to fill the position in the municipality's history.

Illinois American Water, a public utility company, finished its project on Friday. The company replaced water-main pipes under and around Veterans Memorial Fountain in downtown Belleville.

Six interagency law enforcement task forces, including the St. Clair County-based Metro East Auto Theft Task Force, received grant funding this spring to combat car thefts through an initiative of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’ office.