// a href = ./ //

   BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - The mother of a metro-east teenager killed a car crash is free on bond after being accused of giving her son beer and whiskey before the accident.

   The Belleville News-Democrat reports 39 year old Ginger Zehner-Denton of Mascoutah surrendered this week on a charge filed earlier this month that accuses her of unlawful delivery of alcohol.

   Her 18 year old son, Stephen Zehner, died in a Jan. 26 crash. He was a senior at Belleville West High School.

   A 16 year old passenger in the car he was driving was seriously injured and hospitalized for three months.

   Zehner-Denton's attorney says he's not commenting publicly about the case.

   The felony is punishable by up to three years in prison.

   The former mayor of Caseyville, Illinois wants the ballots from the April election recounted.  That's because George Chance lost his reelection bid by only four votes -- after 27 years in office.  

   Chance was entitled to a discovery examination of 25% of the ballots.  That took place Monday.  Chance says he's already found one vote that was miscounted, so he plans to ask a judge to have all of the ballots tallied again.

   The new mayor, Leonard Black has already taken office, but says he can't blame Chance for wanting a full recount.  

   Mayor Black told Fox 2 News that he'd probably do the same thing if he'd lost by such a narrow margin.  "I probably would," he said. "I don't hold that against Mr. Chance.  I would do the same thing. I mean it's close enough that it's reasonable."

   The final vote count was 576-to-572. 

   O'Fallon, Illinois Police aren't saying what prompted them to ask for help from the St. Louis Major Case Squad Sunday afternoon, only that a person was dead.  

   Police had been called to the victim's home in the 1300 block of Engle Court around 11:00 a.m. Saturday.  O'Fallon police are now calling the victim's death "suspicious."

   Major case investigators refused to comment on Sunday, but O'Fallon police say they expect to release more details on Monday.  

   Votes are still being counted in some metro-east elections.  

   Some of the race results are in:  Edwardsville has chosen a new mayor.  Hal Patton defeated Barb Stamer in that race.  Patton will replace Mayor Gary Niebur, who's led the city since 1992.  Mark Eckert will remain Mayor of Belleville, having beaten Jospeph Hayden and Phillip Elmore.  

   Other contests are still up in the air:  In Alton, Mayor Tom Hoechst could possibly lose his seat to write-in candidate Brant Walker but county Clerk Debra Ming-Mendoza said final numbers probably won't be available until Wednesday.  

   A property tax increase aimed at preventing the sort of cuts made in other districts has failed in O'Fallon.  Supporters had asked residents to approve a temporary tax to cover the gap until the state of Illinois paid its share of funding. The tax would have generated about $3 million dollars a year, but it was soundly defeated with 65-percent of voters saying no.

   Voter turn out was low, as expected, in most polling places in Tuesday's Consolidated Elections.  The Belleville News-Democrat reports that turnout ranged from 13 percent in East St. Louis, to 21 percent in Belleville.

   More results from Tuesday's Consolidated Elections in Illinois. 

 

Funding for many metro-east schools is nearing "crisis" status. The situation is getting so bad, that state education officials are pleading with state legislators to increase school funding by more than $800 million.

But the budget proposed by Governor Pat Quinn would cut education spending by more than $300 million.

Many Illinois school districts are already operating on deficits after the state failed to fully fund its obligations for the past two years. Virtually every metro-east district is laying off teachers in anticipation of less state funding next year. Some are cutting sports programs and closing schools.

St. Clair County schools superintendent Susan Sarfaty told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that "Districts are no longer cutting fat from their budgets — they’re cutting bone." Sarfaty says "there's no more fat to cut."

The sequester budget cuts will soon be felt in the St. Louis area as more than 4,500 civilian workers at Scott Air Force Base will soon begin furloughs. The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the employees will receive 30 day notices by mail this week.

The furloughs mean affected employees will work only four days each week for 22 weeks, and they'll lose the pay for those 22 days off.

Only civilian employees in jobs essential for base safety and security, like firefighters, will be spared.

The paper reports that budget analyst estimate the furloughs will cost the region at least $28 million in reduced spending. About 5,600 civilians work at Scott Air Force Base.

A Swansea, Illinois woman found dead in her apartment Friday was killed by someone she knew. That's according to police who day the body of 50-year-old Carmen Boyd was found by her landlord.

That's according to police who day the body of 50-year-old Carmen Boyd was found by her landlord. Police arrested 37-year-old Kristofer McDavid Saturday. A day later, the St. Clair County prosecutor charged McDavid with first-degree murder.

Captain Jeff Wild, deputy commander of the Major Case Squad said Boyd and McDavid were acquaintances."It was not random. There's no randomness to this whatsoever. I would just leave it that it was a confrontation that led to the untimely death of our victim."

Police aren't sharing many details about the murder, but court records indicate that Boyd was stabbed. McDavid's bail has been set at five-million dollars.

Swansea Police Chief Mike Arnold says this was the first homicide in the metro-east community since 2006.

Residents in the South Roxana, Illinois area can relax now, but many were on edge Monday evening. That's because of a loud boom that rattled windows in the area just before 10:00 p.m.

Some residents had expressed concern because it came from the Wood River Refinery.

Officials at the Conoco Phillips Refinery say there's no cause for concern. The boom was the result of a normal steam pressure release. Officials say it was loud, but harmless.