Today's News

Ten years after an expansive streetscape project for Vandalia’s downtown business district was first discussed, work on that project is under way on Gallatin Street.

As local operator Ronnie Smith began digging at the intersection of Fifth and Gallatin streets on Tuesday morning, Mayor Rick Gottman and engineer Lorne Jackson stood half a block away, explaining the flow of the project to a group of downtown merchants.

Eleven hours later, merchants, city officials and other Vandalia residents received a similar report on the project.

After I reached my early 20s and opted for contact lenses, I realized that not only had I inherited by father’s big toe, I also had his eyes.

The reason I hadn’t noticed before was because my eyes had been hidden behind thick black-framed glasses since the sixth grade. In those days, almost all light-haired and fair-skinned kids were fitted with those black frames. One style for girls came with tiny rhinestones in the corner.

 One of the top students in his class, South Central senior Isaac Grapperhaus has always been good with numbers.

That said, the 6-foot-5 center knew that although his statistics from his junior season were good - 14.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game - they needed to be better during his senior year, as the Cougars were losing four varsity regulars, including team MVP Will Crain.

 Ryan Bauer tendered his letter of resignation as Mulberry Grove High School boys basketball coach and athletic director Monday night so that he can concentrate on his new duties as MGHS principal.

"With the time it takes to coach basketball anymore, it's just better for myself, the district and my family as well," said Bauer, an MGHS alum who enjoyed a three-year stint as the head coach at his alma mater.