Here are the words atop the petition the newly organized “Smoke Free Peoria” coalition is going to pass around:
“Whereas:
Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the country, killing approximately 65,000 nonsmokers in the U.S. each year.
Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 69 that cause cancer.
Secondhand smoke is proven to aggravate […]

The following is the text of a memo sent to “licenced food facilities” from Don Cavi, director of environmental health for the Peoria City/County Health Department on June 21:
“With the warmer weather upon us, many food facilities, possibly including yours, have started to grill foods outside their licenced existing establishments. Please note, the current food […]

There are two developments that might be causing headaches for area restaurateurs in the near future.
First: The folks who brought the smoking bans in Champaign, Urbana, Bloomington are beginning efforts to do the same here in Peoria. I’ll have more details tomorrow, but “Smoke Free Peoria” people are planning a campaign to get folks to […]

Via WMBD 1470:
Some Central Illinois-based National Guardsmen are headed overseas. Members of the Peoria-based 182d Airlift Wing left Wednesday for Texas, where theyll be trained for about thirty days. Then it will be off to the Iraqi region. The 182d troops deployed, who are in Security Forces, specialize in weapons handling, POW handling, and security.

Alexis Khazzam decided to build a park. Unfortunately, he built part of it on a street easement. He says it was an honest mistake. My two cents: It seems to me that a smart cookie like Alexis Khazzam should have known that you just don’t start building without checking to make sure it’s legal. Building […]

Scott O’Brien, a frequent PP commenter, has a long post on his own blog about, among other things, the parking ticket given to former Peoria City Council member Marcella Teplitz. She complains that the ticket for parking too far away from the curb in front of the Peoria County Courthouse. She told Phil […]

Defence attorney Frank Picl pleaded guilty but mentally ill yesterday to defrauding a sick and elderly client. Does this sound like a man suffering from a bi-polar condition (previous called “manic depressive”):
Month after month, [attorney Frank] Picl would withdraw money from her accounts or close her certificates of deposit, sometimes incurring a penalty because […]

The Illinois Department of Transportation has so far earned high marks for the quick pace of work on the Upgrade 74 project. It’s all run fairly smoothly, and the public is generally kept informed of work and the delays.
It seems the bloom is off the rose.
Residents of Donna Lane and Westport Road — just […]

The Peoria City Council took a crack at reforming how its many commissions operate, and it’s about time.
Most of the reforms discussed last night went through, but not without a lot of carping about details. Most of the gripes I’m writing off as attempts to retain power and avoid criticism. Council members will no longer […]

You’ve probably noticed that I’m going by “Billy Dennis” instead of “Bill.”
I’m named after Dad, and the family calls me “Billy” to differentiate. I think I was in the third grade when I decided that “Billy” was a child’s name and I started signing all my paper’s “Bill.” It stuck as I got older. It […]

Rob Smith, AKA “Acidman,” creator of the infamous and scandalous blog “Gutrumbles,” has died. His daughter Sam reports on his blog that:
They found him at 2:00 this morning slumped over on the couch. He did not shoot himself and no pills or alcohol were found in the house. When I find out anything else I’ll […]

Note: All articles are via the Journal Star unless otherwise noted.
The City of Peoria talked about a tax increment financing district with property owners. My two cents: They learned, and I think this is significant, that the city won’t be trying to us eminent domain to buy up land along South Darst for the […]

Not only did Peoria’s newspaper of record run an article about Ray LaHood’s defense of earmarks – also known as “pork barrel spending” — and above the fold on page 1 — they ran two editorials that actually make sense.
They not only correctly and rationally present a case against a Constitutional amendment that would prohibit […]

I received another comment to my original post about the new morning team at “The Wolf” 104.9 FM::
Well, I firstly want to thank all the kind words written on our behalf from friends back in Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz. And Billy Dennis, I DO realize that this is 3 months old, but this is the fist I’m […]

From Peoria City Hall:
This week’s yard waste collection in the City of Peoria will experience delays in the normal collection schedule. For the balance of this week, please have your yard waste available for collection on your normally scheduled day. The yard waste will be collected as soon as possible. All yard waste […]