Back when I was a resident of the City of Peoria, I would be ecstatic at this:
State Sen. George Shadid has introduced bills to give city officials control over the majority of appointments to three boards whose members are currently picked exclusively by the county, touching off a turf war between the government bodies.
Shadid, D-Peoria, [...]

As the Beatles asked in song, “Will you still need me … when I’m 64?”
Just in time for Valentine’s Day 2006, the 64-year-old motion picture “Casablanca” will bring tough-guy Humphrey Bogart, enticing Ingrid Bergman and a strong stable of Warner Brothers stars to the big screen at the Apollo Theater in downtown Peoria Feb. 10-11.
Considered [...]

Remember David Green, the Glasford man who was shot at least 10 times by Illinois State Police officers executing a seach warrant? There’s probably going to be a lawsuit filed over the matter. I have a story about it in this week’s River City Times, available at fine establishments everywhere.
BTW: Never accept a writing assignment [...]

A bunch of Peoria newsies got this email from Monica Landeros, the WHOI reporter who abandoned the River City for a gig at a television station in the Land of the Cheese Heads:
Hi All!
My bio has posted on the web! Check it out. -ml
ps. GB is great!
http://www.wluk.com/bio/landeros.shtml
Monica and I bonded over a mutual love for [...]

Ya gotta love the Journal Star. Really. The newspaper has spent months ignoring how their beloved “Congressman Ray” has been raking in cash from lobbyists and in one case them pay for a trip to France.
I’ve spent that time begging for someone from the local media to call LaHood on his Nixon-style non-denial denials. [...]

I’m still sick of Oprah Winfrey, but I wanted to make mention of report that she’s decided to stop defending the guy whose faked autobiography ended up on her overly-hyped “book club” reading list:
Thanks to a mole in Chicago who is at Harpo Studios, we’ve been receiving updates on James Frey’s appearance on Oprah this [...]

I’n no fan of the Journal Star’s editorial page. Time and again, the newspaper prints editorials that cross the line from opinion and into the relm of deceptive propaganda. There are simply some issues that this paper will not cover fairly on the front page or the editorial page.
The Kellar Branch story is one of [...]

I find myself in complete agreement with this statement about the great Southtown Deferal Controversy:
The initial deferral, which appeared to some to be done to favor Methodist, was “blown out of proportion,” said Mayor Jim Ardis. “We give deferrals like we’re handing out lunch.”
I challenge anyone to find a meeting of the council in [...]

It would seem that all the questions have been answered. Methodist Medical Center wants to build a facility similar to the one a Pensylvania group wants to build on a long-vacant four-acre lot in the Southtown TIF district. It’s not likely the state is going to approve two such facilities in the same city.
If Methodist [...]

And only three I needed to read.

The Insight installer — actually a private contractor — just left and I’m back up and running. I have a little more than half my stuff moved over to the new place, and I still have some cleaning to do (a lot actually), but I should be moved completely over here by Friday.
I cannot stress [...]

C.J. Summers has bit the bullet and moved his site over to Word Press. No more Blog*Spot. The site looks fantastic.

I’m disconnecting my computer today and boxing it up for the move. It’s due to be reconnected on Tuesday morning. I may not have access to email or the Internet until then.

I didn’t video tape this image. I just found it while cruising blogs. So don’t send me any hate mail.
cats,ceiling fan

There’s something missing from today’s Journal Star article about the Surface Transportation Board’s decision to not close the Kellar Branch:
The city and park district have only been trying to get the deal done for a decade or so. But on Friday, the STB put the project back on hold, based on recent complaints from Carver [...]