We continue with our sunny and mild days today. We are looking at sunny skies for today with a high of 80. Then, we'll see mostly clear skies for tonight with a low of 58. Meanwhile, Thursday and Friday will be much the same before a chance of showers and storms and a bit more humidity come into the area for the weeke...

The City of Vandalia is hosting a Community Geothermal meeting on June 16th at 6 pm at Kaskaskia College-Vandalia Campus. The City is exploring a community geothermal system that would potentially help lower energy costs along with several other benefits. Speaking on our podcast "Talking about Vandalia," May...

The Illinois State Board of Education will be given $45 million for the purpose of property tax relief in the coming year, an allocation Statehouse Republicans called for this spring after the funds were not included in the budget for the current year. Sen. Don DeWitte, R-West Dundee, argued the state budget doesn't in...

An Illinois law to ban electronic processing fees on taxes and tips remains on hold after a federal court ruling and a one-year delay passed by the General Assembly. U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall ruled on Monday that a federal order issued in April blocks the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act. Hours...

(West Frankfort, IL) -- A southern Illinois high school principal is stepping down as he faces a felony charge. The Frankfort Community School District announced that Aaron Hill resigned this week as the principal at Frankfort Community High School. Hill was arrested in February on a felony aggravated battery charge. T...

After a rainy and stormy Monday, we should get some sunshine and mild temperatures for today. We are looking at sunny skies for today with a high of 79. Then, clear skies and a little cooler tonight with a low of 54. We should remain dry through the work week before rain and storms return to the area this weekend. Sunr...

The Vandalia City Council briefly discussed going with a higher bid on a project because of familiarity with the company. But, they eventually decided to go with the low bid. The project is for a lift station pump replacement and piping rehabilitation at Illini Avenue or the former PolyPak location. The two bids receiv...

Opening weekend at Charter's Patio in downtown Vandalia was very well attended. This past Saturday night, there were performances from The Morning After and 1973-The Music of Journey. A very large crowd was out for the opening event of the year at Charter's Patio, estimated at 600 to 700 people in attendance. Meanwhile...

Just hours after the state's General Assembly wrapped its spring session, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker appeared along top Democrat leadership in Springfield to tout the passage of a 2027 fiscal year budget and numerous policy recommendations he's asked the body to take up. 163 bills passed both chambers in the final wee...

The Illinois General Assembly has passed legislation to regulate e-bikes, scooters and other micromobility devices. State Rep. Barbara Hernandez said a broad coalition asked for state regulation after injury reports surged across the country. The micromobility bill cleared the state legislature on Monday morning and ca...

(Springfield, IL) -- Governor Pritzker is accepting the fact that the Bears could leave Illinois after the state legislature failed to approve a bill designed to help the team build a stadium in Arlington Heights. Pritzker acknowledged the team's possible departure yesterday. A bill that was introduced late Sunday n...

The Illinois General Assembly has passed a record-high $55.9 billion budget for fiscal year 2027. The budget includes new taxes on targeted advertising services, digital assets, social media platforms and fantasy sports. It limits certain income tax carryover deductions and raises the tax on retail tire sales from $2 t...

We have showers and storms in the forecast for this morning and there is a chance of a strong to severe storm today. Our forecast for today calls for showers and storms likely this morning, then mostly cloudy skies after that with a high of 80. Then, gradually clearing skies for tonight with a low of 58. Meanwhile, th...

City of Vandalia Clerk Carla Huhn says the new "Community Connect" program will make life a lot easier for folks dealing with the city in a number of ways. Speaking on our podcast "Talking about Vandalia," Huhn says not only will you be able to make online payments quickly and securely along with a ...

Legislation to ban the use of cell phones by students from bell-to-bell officially passed both chambers in the Illinois Capitol on Sunday, sending the bill to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's desk. Having passed the Senate in April 2025, the governor urged lawmakers to move it forward before the end of this session. After months o...