We have a chance of strong to severe storms this evening and tonight. Today we are looking at mostly sunny skies with a high of 89. Then, scattered showers and thunderstorms for tonight with a low of 65. The National Weather Service in St. Louis says strong to severe thunderstorms are possible today, mainly this after...

The Fayette County Farm Bureau has completed and released their 2026 Crop Survey. Overall, the numbers for corn are very similar to last year. This year's projected yield for corn is 178.92 bushels per acre. That is down just slightly from 179.8 last year. For soybeans, the numbers are up from a year ago. This year...

The City of Vandalia continues to take steps to help the new Racetrac Travel Center to keep moving forward to locating here. At a special meeting on Monday night, the Vandalia City Council acted on two issues that helped with the process. Speaking on our podcast "Talking About Vandalia," Mayor Doug Knebel ta...

State Rep. Amy Murri Briel, D-Ottawa, is the latest lawmaker subject to allegations of ethics violations and inappropriate behavior in the office after a former staffer went public with allegations including drug use and sexual harassment. Laura Jackson, Briel's former chief of staff and campaign staffer, went public T...

A tax court ruling in Maryland may have implications for a digital advertising tax in Illinois. The court found that Maryland's digital advertising gross revenues tax violates the Tax Freedom Act, the Commerce Clause and the Due Process Clause. Andrew Wilford of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation said federal law ...

(Chicago, IL) -- Illinois is receiving more than one-billion-dollars in federal grant money to expand high-speed internet access statewide. Officials say the funding will connect approximately 350-thousand residents through homes, businesses and community institutions across Illinois by 2031. Illinois applied for the f...

We are looking at mild conditions again today. We will see increasing clouds during the day today with a high of 83. Then, partly cloudy skies for tonight with a low of 64. Meanwhile, we will be warmer during the day on Wednesday with a high in the upper 80's. And, the National Weather Service in St. Louis says we ha...

The Vandalia City Council has officially rejected bids for demolition for a home at 329 West Randolph Street. And, they will now look to get bids from developers to potentially rehabilitate the property and get people back living there. A special meeting was held on Monday night with 3 items on the agenda. The 3rd it...

News Release from U.S. District Attorney's Office---- BENTON, Ill. - Following roughly 45 minutes of deliberation a federal jury found a Fayette County man guilty of one count for attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. James W. Berner, 46, from Ramsey, was charged in February 2025 after an investigation revealed Ber...

At the Illinois State Fair this week, controversy surrounding ethics, transparency and complaints against lawmakers followed politicians from the State Capitol to the fairgrounds just 3 miles north. A "workplace culture and accountability" working group was created by House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" W...

Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey denied being aware of or having met a sex offender who contributed to his campaign, and his running mate said the funds scrutinized by J.B. Pritzker's campaign would be donated to charity. Campaign contribution records and state sex offender records confirm that Victor D...

(LaSalle Co., IL) -- An investigation continues into the 1992 kidnapping and murder of Tammy Zywicki. Yesterday marked the 34th anniversary of her disappearance. Illinois State Police and FBI are exploring new leads, examining two-hundred pieces of evidence, and retesting items with modern DNA technology. Zywicki was r...

The Illinois State Police handled an accident on Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Routes 40 and 128. Illinois State Police reports say the accident occurred at 5:09 pm on U.S. Route 40 at Illinois Route 128 at the Fayette/Effingham County line. State Police say preliminary investigation indicates they responded...

It will be sunny and mild today and we'll have much the same weather throughout this work week. We are looking at sunny skies today with a high of 81. Then, mostly clear skies for tonight with a low of 59. Meanwhile, we will be much the same throughout this week, with the temperature creeping up a bit into the middle ...

Vandalia Mayor Doug Knebel talks more on the City's Strategic Plan. Speaking on our podcast "Talking About Vandalia," Mayor Knebel talks about all the steps involved with the process He says the big final step is an area that will keep them accountable to get things accomplished. The plan was unveiled at las...