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Letters

  • More gambling is not the way to increase tax revenue

    Editor,
    I just want to applaud Ward III Alderman Terry Beesley for his stand against increasing the number of liquor licenses to be used by gaming facilities in the city of Vandalia. I wish some of our state lawmakers had the intestinal fortitude shown by Alderman Beesley to simply not allow these types of gambling machines in our state.

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  • Resident agrees with Beesley, asks him to reconsider

    Editor,
    There has been great debate and turmoil in our council chambers over video gambling establishments in Vandalia, with the outcome being the resignation of one of our outstanding aldermen, Terry Beesley.
    This has come about because of the vague video gaming law the state has passed that allows entrepreneurs to bypass the intention of the law and take advantage of its many loopholes, in this instance being restrictions on what types of businesses are eligible for video gambling licenses.

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  • City extends condolences, praises those responding

    Editor,
    Shortly before 7 p.m. on Thursday, tragedy struck in downtown Vandalia, as an SUV carrying a mother and her four children were struck by an eastbound train. This resulted in the death of the mother and three of the children, ages 18, 13, and 10. The fourth child was airlifted from Fayette County Hospital for medical treatment.
    An estimated 2,000 people were lined up along Gallatin Street for the annual Lions Club Halloween Parade, an event that has been in downtown Vandalia for 70-plus years.

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  • A worthy addition to the HOF

    Editor,
    Congratulations to the members of the 2008-2009 Lady Vandal basketball team. The team will be inducted into the Vandalia High School Sports Halt of Fame on Sept. 26 at the home coming football game.

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  • Community responds to help

    Editor,
    Once again, the citizens of Fayette County came together to meet a need in our community. Thanks to the faithful volunteers and the generosity of so many, we were able to provide 5,207 FREE lunches to children in Vandalia, Shobonier, Vera, Ramsey and Brownstown this summer.
    In the spring, we asked for monetary donations to help purchase food for the lunches, and we were overwhelmed by the community's generosity.

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  • Tax cap referendum nixed

    Editor:
    A tax cap referendum that was to be placed on the November ballot has been rejected by the Fayette County Board.
    It would’ve given voters a chance to decide whether or not to put a cap on future real estate taxes of 5 percent per year or the consumer price index, whichever is less. (The consumer price index was .7 percent last year.) More than 40 Illinois counties now have it.

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  • County board says 'no' to PTELL plan

    Editor:
    At the August meeting of the Fayette County Board of Supervisors, the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) tax cap proposal was presented to the county board by chairman Steve Knebel. The board was asked to decide if the tax cap proposal should be placed on the ballot in November, to give county voters the choice of it becoming law.

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  • Remember our veterans' contributions

    Editor:
    I recently met a homeless veteran who was eating out of dumpsters.
    I feel guilty about not trying to reach out to him sooner; he died of an overdose.
    He did multiple tours in Vietnam – 1962 to 1966 – in a construction battalion.
    There are so many vets who are homeless and suffering from combat illnesses. Many of these vets are too proud to reach out for help. And they have to wait so long for any kind of help from the Veterans Administration system. These vets are really mistreated.

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  • Vandalia postmaster warns of fraudulent emails

    Editor,
    Are you receiving emails from the Postal Service about missing a package delivery? Does the email, which claims to be from the USPS, include a label with fraudulent information about an attempted or intercepted package delivery?
    If so, don’t open the email, because it may contain a link or attachment that, when opened, installs a malicious virus that can steal personal information from your computer.
    The emails claim to be from the U.S. Postal Service and contain fraudulent information about an attempted or intercepted package delivery.

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  • Resident speaks out against Circle K's request for liquor

    Editor,
    I just finished reading about the city council meeting in the June 19 issue of the paper.
    I am thankful for these aldermen who expressed concerns about Circle K’s request.
    Quote – “The intent of (Circle K) is to not sell alcohol.” Yet, Mr. Stanisz states that his plan includes selling one type of beer, charging $8 (per cup) and limiting each customer to one in a 24-hour period, and the staff will “self-police and self-report, plus a range of dollars the city would receive in revenue.
    Lots of unanswered questions!

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