Today's News

In normal years, area farmers would be well into the job of harvesting their crops by now. They’d be in the fields from dawn to dusk, stretching themselves and their equipment to the limit, and generally pushing the envelope in a profession that is one of the most dangerous around.

But this is not a normal year.

Jarrod Snow, a student at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville who is serving an internship with the office of Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, sets up the "Portait of a Soldier" memorial exhibit at the Kaskaskia College Vandalia Campus on Monday. The exhibit, which includes portraits of 191 Illinois soldiers who have been killed in the line of duty since Sept. 11, 2001, by Cameron Shilling. Quinn, along with some of the parents whose children are included in the exhibit, visited the KC Vandalia Campus on Wednesday afternoon to unveil the portraits.

An area legislator told Vandalia officials on Monday night that he’s among the contingent of lawmakers pushing to keep the state’s historic sites and parks open.

The mayor told that legislator that he has formed a team that will lobby legislators for that action.

State Rep. Ron Stephens attended Monday’s city council meeting to present a $200,000 check for improvements.

After handing over the check, Stephens offered to take any comments or questions from city officials.

A riveting memorial for Illinois' fallen soldiers reached Vandalia on Monday. At the request of Sen. Frank Watson (R-Greenville), the Portrait of a Soldier memorial exhibition is at the Kaskaskia College Vandalia Campus on West Fillmore St., Vandalia.

The memorial exhibition, which has been viewed by thousands of people in more than 35 cities and towns throughout Illinois, is a series of hand-drawn portraits of more than 180 Illinois men and women who have died in service to our country since Sept.11, 2001.