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Today's Opinions

  • George Beck made forts unnecessary here

    After years spent in searching for proof that at least one fort or blockhouse had been put up in Fayette County during the Indian years, I finally found my proof … no forts or blockhouses were ever built here.    
    My proof was lying in the manuscript of George Beck, a great-grandson of Paul Beck, who was credited with being the first white person to settle within what is now Fayette County.

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  • Voluntary cleanup better than rules

    The Fayette County Board asked for input on a proposed solid waste ordinance. At Tuesday’s public hearing, it got an earful!
    The hearing attracted nearly 200 people, and virtually no one had anything good to say about the ordinance – the stated purpose of which is to protect citizens from nuisances deemed “potentially injurious to public safety, health and welfare.”

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  • The Way We Were

    15 Years Ago

    1998 – An evening house fire in Vernon claimed the lives of Elzy and Pauline Gehrken.
    Brownstown Superintendent of Schools Jeanne Jones reported that the district needed to take on a construction project to ease overcrowding at the elementary school. The district filed an application for state funds to help with the project.
    The Vandalia City Council approved an ordinance allowing for massage therapy and tanning parlors in the city.

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  • Proposed nuisance ordinance isn't needed in rural areas

    Editor:
    I can’t believe there hasn’t been an outcry against a countywide nuisance ordinance. The proposed ordinance is an assault on our freedom in an already over-regulated United States. It could also be the perfect instrument for a neighbor to harass another neighbor. Who will make the authorities aware of an offense?

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  • Banks of the Okaw

    This week’s Mystery Banks Photo: This 5-year-old, pictured in 1934, is an Oklahoma native but has lived in St. Elmo most of her life.

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  • Book tells tale of trip to South Carolina

    Credit for the following adventure goes to my son, Mat. A couple of weeks ago,  he asked if I had ever heard of a Capt. Andrews from South Carolina, who was paid to come to Vandalia to pick up an old man, who wanted to come home. This was an entirely new story for me.

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  • Area's generosity shown once again

    We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating again.
    Fayette County residents are among the most generous people anywhere. Period.
    We’ve seen people pitch in when natural disasters strike their neighbors. We’ve seen them gather around friends and family when they lose loved ones. And we’ve seen them respond selflessly when someone is stricken with a medical condition.

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  • Reward may help officials find vandals

    Editor:
    In reference to the recent article in The Leader-Union about vandalism in our parks, it's obvious that this vandalism is happening during the early morning hours when no one is around.
    The way to catch the culprits is to offer a $250 reward.
    That's going to be the only way to stop this kind of crime against our city property. You can bet that someone knows something about this crime.
    A reward would be a good way to bring the perpetrators to justice.
    Richard Briley
    Vandalia

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