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Today's Opinions

  • Pension reform must be faced

    It’s time. In fact, it’s well past time.
    Illinois legislators must deal with the state’s pension crisis.
    They had an opportunity during the recent legislative session, but left Springfield without any meaningful progress.

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  • Rich, black soil draws farmers to area

    While leafing through a back issue of the genealogy quarterly of the Montgomery County Genealogical Society, headquartered in Litchfield, a series of letters written by Jacob Cress and Daniel Ludwick in the 1830s caught my attention.
    Addressed to family members still living in  Cabarrus County, N.C., the men, who were brothers-in-law, wrote letters encouraging their family to leave the “old wourn out red fields” of North Carolina and come to Illinois, were the land “is as rich and black as you wold want it.”

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  • Banks of the Okaw

    This week’s Mystery Banks Photo: This young man, pictured about 50 years ago, still plays the drums. He is semi-retired and still lives in the Vandalia area.

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  • The Way We Were

    20 Years Ago

    1993 – A children’s activity area was added to the schedule for the Grande Levée. The area was sponsored by Baroque Folk, and was staffed by members of Vandalia Girl Scout Troop No. 381.
    Tonya Cox was valedictorian of the class of 1993 at Vandalia Community High School, and Arpad Walker was salutatorian.
    Tiffany Slater was valedictorian of the graduating class at Patoka High School, and Jennifer Britt was salutatorian.

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  • Banks of the Okaw

    This week’s Mystery Banks Photo: These siblings, pictured in 1938, lived in Loogootee.

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  • Restaurant on lake not wanted by neighbors

    Editor:
    I am writing this letter as an addendum to my previous letter (The Leader-Union, April 25), as I submitted it before reading the account of the April meeting of the Fayette County Board.
    I was at the meeting, but left after the vote denying Steve and Latisha Mabry a liquor license, so I did not hear the comments of Fayette County Board Chairman Steve Knebel.

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  • The Way We Were

    15 Years Ago

    1998 – The Vandalia Community High School wrestling team finished fourth in the state wrestling tournament, bringing home a trophy for the fourth year in a row.
    A panel of Fifth District Appellate Court judges upheld the conviction of Shobonier man Rocky Bennyhoff. Bennyhoff was convicted of reckless homicide for his part in a 1995 wreck that resulted in the death of two Vandalia teens.
    George Ryan, the Illinois Secretary of State who was a candidate for governor, was the guest speaker at the Lincoln Day dinner in Vandalia.

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  • Duels were used to settle personal issues

    As far as my research shows, there has never been a duel fought in Vandalia. There have been a couple of hangings, whippings meted out by the local sheriff, according to law, a few murders and a tarring and feathering or two, but no duels.
    Duels were an accepted way for gentlemen of honor to settle “difficulties” of a personal character in the early days of Illinois.

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