Several times this month, I’ve questioned the independence and bravery of the Peoria City Council, specifically Mayor Jim Ardis, on the issue of building a hotel that would be attached to the Peoria Civic Center. It turns out that some of the facts on which I came to this conclusion were probably in error.
Several weeks […]

The word I hear is that the proposed noise ordinance that would have let Peoria Police seize cars that made too much noise would have been shot down by a 8-3 vote had it come up for a vote at last Tuesday’s council meeting.
Among the concerns:
* Some council members believe taking people’s cars was too […]

I’m going over the agenda for the next Peoria City Council meeting
At first glance, it seems like there might be several “big stories” here. The first would be a presentation from Caterpillar and Lakeview Museum on the Museum Square, followed by a request from the city manager to approve an amendment to the existing development […]

I just happened to be reading Cattle Network’s Website and came across this passage:
- Superfund: H.R. 4341 is moooving along in the House of Representatives as cattlemen continue to urge support for legislation that will clarify that manure is not considered a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and […]

Two days after the proposed Glen Oak Park school plan was announced as a done deal, Peoria School District 150 is backtracking.
I believe School Board President Alicia Butler when she says administrators led her to believe the was significant input from the neighborhoods and that there was no opposition.
The article also makes it clear, in […]

Bradley the headline about the Bradley Scout article — BU officials say posted map is inaccurate — I couldn’t find a single word that denied what I’ve been writing:
A map recently published in the Peoria Pundit blog detailing Bradley’s 15-year plan for campus expansion and improvements bears some relevance, said Vice President for Business Affairs […]

I received the following email:
There will be a meeting at the East Bluff House (corner of Wisconsin & Nebraska Avenues) on Saturday, April 1st at 1:15 - 2:45. The discussion will center on the proposed school to be located on/adjacent to park property.
Everyone I have spoken with thus far has been opposed to that particular […]

His name is Ivan. He’s black. He drools. He eats off the floor.
My nephew Neil was supposed to be my roommate after I moved into the mobile home here in Kingspark Estates. No sooner than I signed the lease when the brakes went out on Neil’s still-unpaid-for Saturn. That kept him from being able […]

On the very same day that the Journal Star first reported on plans to build a Peoria School District 150’s “community school” on property owned by the Peoria Park District, the paper ran an glowing editorial calling it a fine example of inter-governmental partnership and a win for the community. The very next day, the […]

Here’s something else for the not-in-my-backyard-crowd oppose:
A Chicago-based mining development company plans to apply this week for a permit to mine a 1,085-acre site northeast of Canton.
If the project makes it past the lengthy permitting process, it would start operating in two years, said Greg Arnett, director of surface operations for Capital Resources Development Co.
[snip]
Arnett […]

If the City of Peoria can legally veto expansion of the hazardous waste landfill in Pottstown, as opponents say they can, then why can’t Pottstown residents vote to determine what taxes Peoria charges at city businesses? It’s only fair. After all, the if Peoria can veto what happens in Pottstown because it might affect Peoria, […]

Peoria School District 150 and the Peoria Park District want to build a new community school on the corner of Prospect and Frye, essentially at the top of Abington Hill.
Let’s count the ways this is a bad idea:
1. At least 14 owner occupied homes would have to be demolished. Kiss that property tax revenue […]

Sometimes I’m so smart I scare myself. A week ago, I predicted that Bradley University was going to use its surprising victories in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament to raise money for new facilities on campus, and this was bad news for neighbors in the nearby Arbor District. I took a huge amount of criticism […]

I thumb my nose at the critics of my Web site’s theme.
I’m now running both the white background AND the black background. Guests can use the Theme Switcher at the top of the right sidebar to pick the one they like better.

You know what the funny thing was about the Peoria City Council’s discussion about whether or not to build a luxury connected to the Peoria Civic Center? There was never a hint of a discussion over whether the city should build it.* At-large council member John Morris urged the council and everyone involved to take […]