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Today's News

  • City approves bid for streetscape work

    Two weeks after approving a bid for infrastructure improvements in the downtown business district, the Vandalia City Council has OK’d a bid for above-ground enhancements.

    The council voted 5-2 on Monday to accept the bid of Hanks Excavating & Landscaping Inc. of Belleville for streetscape work along Gallatin Street that will include new sidewalks, period lighting and the relocation of utility lines underground.

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  • VCHS truancies, disciplinary cases drop dramatically

    After a full semester of operating Vandalia Community High School with a closed noon hour, administrators are crediting that change for a dramatic decline in absenteeism and other disciplinary problems.

    Citing numerous comparisons between this fall’s statistics and those from a year ago, Brian Kern, assistant principal at the school, told the Vandalia Board of Education on Tuesday that the results were “surprising.”

    In the case of truancy or skipping school, his term was “unbelievable.”

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  • St. Elmo man found guilty of sex offenses

    A St. Elmo man will be sentenced on three major sex offenses next month.

    Derek M. Klincar, 22, was found guilty of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse at the conclusion of a two-day jury trial in Fayette County Circuit Court.

    The jury deliberated just 30 minutes before returning the guilty verdicts on the afternoon of Jan. 6. His sentencing hearing is set for 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 30.

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  • Vandalia already has two candidates for mayor

    Rick Gottman will have at least one challenger as he seeks a third term as Vandalia's mayor.

    Gottman and John David Wehrle Jr. have filed nominating petitions for the April 7 mayoral race, according to City Clerk Peggy Bowen.

    Neil Clark has also taken out a petition, but he had not filed that petition as of Wednesday morning.

    Petitions for municipal and school boards may be filed through the end of the day Monday.

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  • Pryor committed to helping others afflicted with Parkinson's

    “Parkinson's is a long, lonely road … for the afflicted and for the caregivers. It’s just as bad as Alzheimer’s. At least with Alzheimer’s, they are still moving. With Parkinson’s, everything shuts down, and it’s a long, lonely road.”

    These are the words of Charlene “Pokie” Pryor, as she described the disease that began to claim her lifestyle when she had two grand mal seizures in 1996.

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  • History-Making President
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  • There's still time to run for office

    A day before our nation celebrated the outcome of last November’s election, some local residents began looking toward the next election.

    Monday was the first day for filing nominating petitions for the April 7 election. At that election, a number of municipal and school board seats will be filled.

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  • Downtown projects a big boost for city

    After nearly a decade of planning and several rounds of seeking bids, it appears that Vandalia's downtown enhancement project is finally going to be launched this spring.

    A bid opening last Friday produced a contractor whose price tag for the project is within 10 percent of the engineer's estimates. And that contractor has been involved in a similar – though much larger – enhancement project in downtown Belleville. It sounds like a good fit.

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  • Dr. James A. Black served in Civil War

    James A. Black was born July 2, 1835, eight miles east of Salem, the son of Willis and Emilla Hensley Black.

    After finishing his schooling, he taught school for a while in Marion County, and began to study medicine. In 1860, now Dr. James A. Black, he established a medical practice at Keensville in Wayne County.

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  • New Wave switches to high-def; some channels have new numbers

    If you are a New Wave subscriber, you may have already noticed something different about your cable TV channels – many of them now have a different number.

    Vandalia City Administrator Jimmy Morani told the Vandalia City Council on Monday night that a New Wave official told him recently that changes in some cable TV numbers are part of the cable provider’s switch over to high-definition quality for its channels.

    The switch was to take place on Tuesday morning, Morani said.

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