Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis is using his position to criticize weak sentences given out to violent criminals, including the sentence of probation given to a 16-year-old who shotgun at a occupied automobile:
Anthony C. Parker of 2825 W. Fremont St. was given four years of probation by Peoria County Circuit Judge Scott Shore for aggravated discharge [...]

According to results from the Nov. 2, 2002, general election, voters decided to retain Scott A. Shore by a roughtly 83 to 17 percent margin. According to the state constitution, his six year term will be up in 2008. Too bad. It would have been fun for agitate for the ouster of a judge on [...]

Scott Janz reports that his Nightmare on Illinois Avenue is just about over.
Crossposted to Bill’s Content.

I’ve received word that the circuit court has ruled that the City of Peoria must give the owners of Elliott’s a hearing over the city’s Liquor Commission’s denial of a liquor license, as was ordered by the Illinois Liquor Commission.
The club’s owners are suing the city of Peoria.
My two cents: I doubt very much this [...]

I don’t want to seem like I’m picking on Molly Parker, cause I’m not. I just want to answer a question she posed in her Word on the Street tidbit about the CeaseFire referendum that Peoria City Council member state house candidate Bill Spears placed on the ballot for November. The CeaseFire program helped create [...]

In today’s Word on the Street, Molly Parker speculates about why Mayor Jim Ardis remains popular despite rising disatisfaction with crime and violance in the City of Peoria, a big issue in his race against former Mayor David Ransburg:
It could be that he’s one of those blessed politicians who’s so well liked personally that criticism [...]

So, who’s running for re-election on the Peoria City Council?
According to Jennifer Davis in today’s Word on the Street, only Eric Turner will commit, that’s not a surprise since he’s extremely reluctant to cast an unpopular vote. John Morris and Chuck Grayeb won’t say either way. Newly appointed George Jacob won’t say either way, but [...]

A couple days ago, I came across a comment on a blog complaining that Barack Obama is overrated because, among other reasons, he hasn’t successfully sponsored a piece of legislation.
It’s a silly argument of course. Obama is the first to tell you that his job the past few years has been to listen and learn. [...]

Peoria County State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons got himself quoted in today’s Terry Bibo column on proposed solutions to violence:
Asked what his office will do differently, the state’s attorney says he will assign specific prosecutors to each of the four high schools before Labor Day to create a more direct relationship. And he is considering doing [...]

If you are interested in that sort of thing, I’ve got some posts up at Bill’s Content.

Congratulations to the Woodruff High School varsity football team on its undefeated season, haven defeated East Peoria, 50-14. Woo Hoo! Keep up the good work. Tell me, do these two schools still exchange the Silver Horseshoe Award every year?
Woodruff High School,football,high school football

Via Romenesko, news that the chain that owns the Chicago Tribune will send jobs overseas:
This afternoon I want to share with all of you a change in the way we will handle circulation customer service calls beginning in November.
Today we announced that after careful study, the Orlando Sentinel has decided to outsource our circulation customer [...]

As I’ve reported before, the guy who starting a bar and grill at the site of the former Gaslight II on West Main Street is also behind a similar eatery/drinkery in Sunnyland called “Chubby’s.” My brother, Eric, is running the kitchen at Chubby’s and he reports they are going to start serving foot at 11 [...]

Speaking of people with more power than common sense“
A judge detained and questioned a row of spectators when a cell phone rang for a third time in her courtroom, later ordering two people to serve community service for contempt of court.
When no one admitted having the ringing phones Wednesday, Lake County Criminal Court Judge Diane [...]

I covered school districts for more than 20 years, off and on, back when I was doing this sort of thing for a “living,” and I saw this sort of unthinking authoritarian behavior all the time:
The Jefferson County School District said Thursday that it has reinstated a geography teacher who was placed on paid administrative [...]