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Today's News

  • Downtown project currently ahead of schedule

    Despite all of the rain in recent weeks, the downtown improvement project is moving along at a good pace.

    At Vandalia Main Street’s fourth “Mornings on Main Street” meeting, Lorne Jackson of HMG Engineers told a group of downtown merchants that contractors have been able to stay ahead of the proposed pace.

    “As you can tell, we’ve gone to stage II of the project, between Sixth and Seventha streets,” Jackson said.

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  • Marshel provides farmers with information, support

    At this time of the year, it is usual to see the farmers working their fields, or the planted fields showing the evidence of the work done.

    The heavy, frequent rains have changed the countryside this year, as they have prevented most farmers from having access to their fields with the farm machinery.

    Ron Marshel recognizes the seriousness of the situation, sympathizes with the area farmers and continues to work to help better the agriculture industry for the farmers in his position of manager of the Fayette County Farm Bureau.

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  • Learn all you can of Motown's plan

    It’s been nearly a month since the Vandalia City Council signed an agreement with a Michigan firm that could bring a $300 million sports complex to our community.

    The 2-million-square-foot development is to be located on 150 acres south of Wal-Mart. The developer – Motown Technology & Sports Facility Inc. – told the city that the project will create about 2,000 temporary construction jobs and nearly 900 full-time jobs, once the facility is completed. Those are big-time numbers in a county with double-digit unemployment.

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  • Attend the Bluegrass Festival

    One of our community’s biggest festivals, the Grande Levée at the Vandalia Statehouse, has been lost for at least this year, due to state budget cuts.

    But local volunteers have been working feverishly over the past few months to organize a substitute festival, one that includes both a number of the popular attractions from the Grande Levée and new, unique activities.

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  • Re-enactment groups perform funeral

    It is Saturday evening and I am sitting here reliving the events of earlier today.

    Amidst the tombstones in Liberty Cemetery near Bingham, the honor guard from Ramsey’s American Legion Post #460, along with members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, 22nd North Carolina Infantry and 15th Northwest Arkansas re-enactment groups, stood at attention, their muskets and rifles in mourn position.

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  • Ramsey Daze begins on Thursday

    The 21st annual Ramsey Daze celebration is Thursday through Saturday.

    A large carnival set up in Lions Park will be open from 6-10 p.m. the first two nights and from 6-11 p.m. on Saturday.

    Eleven boys and girls are entered in the annual Little Miss and Mister Pageant that starts the weekend celebration at 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by an evening of free music by the “Prairieland Pickers.” Reigning royalty are Brenna Hayes and Mister Zayn Sidener.

    Friday night features the annual garden tractor pull and more free music, all starting at 6 p.m.

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  • Traffic study for Motown project OK'd

    If it comes to fruition, the $300-million sports and entertainment complex planned for Vandalia’s west side will obviously create much more traffic in that part of town.

    One of the first steps in that project is taking a close look at the impact of such a complex on traffic in the area of the western Interstate 70 interchange.

    The Vandalia City Council voted on Monday to hire Crawford, Bunte and Brammeier, a traffic and transportation engineering firm, to perform such a study.

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  • Inmate's escape is short-lived

    One day after being sentenced to jail, a Vandalia man escaped while working with a Fayette County Sheriff’s office work crew.

    But TJ R. Chumley’s escape was short-lived.

    Chumley was among a group of jail inmates mowing at the Fayette County Health Department last Wednesday morning when he fled. He was captured eight minutes later, still wearing his orange jail jumpsuit.

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  • School board handles personnel and policy issues

    The Vandalia Board of Education on Tuesday held an abbreviated afternoon meeting that included the approval of a handful of personnel and policy issues.

    Also, new board member Connie Goldsmith was sworn in. She was named to the position earlier this month to fill the remaining two years of the position vacated by Tammy Woolsey.

    New teachers approved by the board were: Bethany Nave, pre-kindergarten teacher at Jefferson Primary School; Robyn DeMoulin, second-grade teacher at Vandalia Elementary School; and Annette McClintock, fourth-grade teacher at VES.

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  • Tanner Bushue: Signed, Sealed and Delivered

    South Central pitcher Tanner Bushue wasted no time signing with the Houston Astros, on Sunday at his home in Kinmundy.

    The right-handed pitcher for the South Central High School Cougars was drafted 69th overall by the Astros in the second round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft on June 9.

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Copyright © 2013

The Leader Union is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Vandalia, Il, and the surrounding area.