holidays, usually ends up meeting every Monday evening at City Hall. The city is also a home rule community, a status that gives the council greater flexibility to act than a typical city commission form of government. The Marion Park District is independent of city government. It operates the parks system under a separately elected five-member board. The library board though is appointed by the mayor and city council. Media The Daily Republican, a newspaper, is based in Marion. Education Marion Community Unit School District 2 operates public schools, including Marion High School. Infrastructure Transportation Air service Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois, formerly Williamson County Regional Airport, serves the area and is located at the extreme western edge of the city. Cape Air provides daily passenger flights to St. Louis-Lambert International Airport and Nashville International Airport. Rail service Both the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern railroads have lines running through the city. Local service from those lines is provided by the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad headquartered in Marion. Amtrak passenger rail service is available at Carbondale, west of Marion. Notable people Conrad Keene Allen, exploration geologist Willis Allen, Illinois attorney, senator, and representative; lived in Marion Cory Bailey, professional baseball player in minors, majors and China Wallace A. Bandy, Illinois legislator and businessman Babe Borton, Major League Baseball first baseman for Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, St. Louis Terriers and St Louis Browns Nancy Elizabeth Brown, United States Navy Vice Admiral O. H. Burnett, Illinois legislator and lawyer Homer M. Butler, Illinois legislator and newspaper editor Robert L. Butler, mayor of Marion from May 1963 to January 31, 2018 Edward E. Denison, representative who practiced law in Marion Warren W. Duncan, Illinois Supreme Court justice James Felts, Illinois politician and newspaper editor Ray Fosse, Major League Baseball catcher for Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers William L. Harris, Illinois legislator and businessman Judith Ivey, Tony Award-winning actress Gene Johns, Illinois legislator and businessman Williametta Spencer, composer Dolph Stanley, legendary high school and college basketball coach Richard G. Wilson, soldier and posthumous recipient of U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for actions in Korean War David Wong, pseudonym of Jason Pargin, editor of Cracked.com and author of John Dies at the End References Further reading Hubbs, Barbara Burr. 1939, reprint 1979. Pioneer Folks and Places. Marion, Ill.: Williamson County Historical Society. Erwin, Milo. 1876,