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Local News

  • "Vandalia In Bloom" nominees listed; voting deadline is Monday

    The following homes have been nominated in the City of Vandalias Vandalia In Bloom promotion. The contest is designed to recognize area citizens hard work on the landscaping around their home.

    Six winners will be selected by a panel of judges. However, the public will be allowed to vote in a Peoples Choice category. To vote, see the ad on page 14 of the June 5 issue of The Leader-Union. Deadline for voting is Monday, June 9, at 8:30 a.m.

    For more information, call JoAnn Givens at the Vandalia City Hall, 283-1152.

    Dee DePew

    Bluff City

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  • St. Elmo's disc golf course off to a good start

    If Saturday's grand opening of the Eagle Point Disc Golf Course is any indication, St. Elmo's mayor has succeeded in coming up with a new community attraction that people of all ages can enjoy.

    Mayor Jayson Porter estimated that more than 200 people turned out for the grand opening, with many of those playing the new disc golf course that is laid out over close to 26 acres at Lake Nellie north of town on the St. Elmo blacktop.

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  • Local man found guilty of felony sex crimes

    A Vandalia man faces a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of three sex offenses.

    A Fayette County jury found Johnathan L. Matthews guilty of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and one count aggravated criminal sexual abuse at the conclusion of a two-day jury trial.

    The jury deliberated 90 minutes before returning the verdicts early Wednesday evening.

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  • Schaefer family makes hay while the sun shines

    The familiar saying, "Make hay while the sun shines" is more than just an old adage to the Schaefer family.

    It describes the ideal conditions for harvesting their living and continuing what has become a family tradition raising and selling hay not only in their neck of the woods, Beecher City and the surrounding counties, but also for customers as far away as Florida, Arkansas, and Missouri.

    They have provided hay for some of the very finest horse race champions.

    You might say the name Schaefer is almost synonymous with the word hay in some areas.

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  • Relay for Life is Saturday

    The annual event to raise money locally for the fight against cancer is held this weekend in Vandalia.

    The Fayette County Relay for Life on Mark Greer Field at Vandalia Community High School gets under way when the gates open at 4:30 p.m., 5 hours after a new part of the event begins.

    A softball challenge has been added to this years Relay for Life, with several teams squaring off in contests at Ruemmelin Park on Locust Street.

    The Vandalia Fire Department and Vandalia Police Department are scheduled to play a doubleheader, with the first game set for 11 a.m.

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  • Judge Schwarm delivers St. Elmo Memorial Day address

    I am quite proud and feel privileged to be invited to be the speaker here today as the Veterans Memorial is dedicated. This is an impressive tribute to all who have served. St. Elmo is to be commended for coming together as a community to make this happen.

    I am also humbled to be asked to speak here today. Humbled because I have never served in the military, never worn the uniform. My father, Stanley Schwarm, was a World War II veteran and a prisoner of war in Germany. I am quite proud of his service.

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  • Two-time cancer survivor cites benefits of Relay for Life

    Vera Durbin is a two-time survivor of cancerand looking and feeling great! However, she realizes the battle against cancer and the quest for the prevention of and cure for the dreaded disease must go on.

    Therefore, she is a worthy advocate for the Fayette County Relay for Life, which will take place June 7-8 on the Vandalia Community High School track.

    The National Relay for Life began approximately 20 years ago in Tacoma, Wash., and this is the 11th year for Relay for Life in Fayette County.

    Durbin remembers being diagnosed with uterine cancer.

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  • District to create master plan for athletic facilities

    A meeting between Vandalia school officials and representatives of several community organizations was held last Thursday to launch the process of creating a master plan for sports facilities in the community.

    Superintendent of Schools Rich Well told a group of about 28 individuals that the process started with discussions several years ago about an all-weather track, but has subsequently spread to include other facilities near the school complex some owned by the school district and some by the Vandalia Park District.

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  • Governor finally releases state funds for school districts

    Local school officials received word late last week that state school aid payments for the final month of the fiscal year will be made.

    The decision by Gov. Rod Blagojevich to release about $390 million in General State Aid payments to the states school districts comes after he came under increasing pressure from education officials and the media.

    For the past several weeks, Blagojevich had indicated that he would address the state budget deficit by withholding the last two semi-monthly payments of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.

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  • Vandalia, St. Elmo hold Memorial Day Programs

    The American Legion Posts in Vandalia and St. Elmo held Memorial Day programs over the weekend.

    In St. Elmo, the program included the dedication of the community's new Veterans' Memorial. The memorial, which is located just west of the Phillips Building on U.S. Route 40, includes the names of 466 local residents who have served this country since the War of 1812.

    The speakers at the St. Elmo program included Judge S. Gene Schwarm, state Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Greenville) and National Road Association Executive Director John Goldsmith.

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