East St. Louis

All too often, artistic expression proves inaccessible to everyday people, a kind of luxury out of reach for those struggling to make ends meet. Katherine Dunham understood this reality when she first turned her attention to East St. Louis in the 1960s. And so does Leverne Backstrom, one of a handful of dedicated community members still carrying on the world-renowned dancer and choreographer’s legacy there today.

Illinois will distribute $31.5 million in grants over the next year to local nonprofits, faith- or community-based organizations and governmental bodies to address issues in historically underserved parts of the state.The money for these grants comes from 25% of the tax revenue the state collects from recreational marijuana sales.

Editor's Note: This story was originally published in the Belleville News-Democrat.For the month and a half when Donald Williams was sick with…

Updated at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, June 25, with comments from the Surivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.The Marianist Province of the U.S., an…

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a health organization in East St. Louis will lend its help to the state's COVID-19 contact tracing initiative....

EAST ST. LOUIS — The city will have its first coronavirus testing site up and running by the end of the week, Mayor Robert Eastern announced this morning.…

BELLEVILLE — The success of the 2020 census will largely depend on people answering the survey themselves, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That way,…

For those interested in learning more about East St. Louis’ rich cultural legacy, a new “music and history walk” is one route to consider. Treasure…

A group of longtime East St. Louis residents, most of them senior citizens, have united in their message to city and county leaders: They’re tired of the…

EAST ST. LOUIS — A new weekly tour in the city aims to bring its cultural and historical ties to the fine arts to life. Starting Friday, up to 10…