… At large council member Eric Turner.
He wasn’t there.
He was no doubt on important company business.
But he still gets to run for re-election without a vote for an unpopular budget that didn’t re-open Fire Station 11 or end the hated garbage fee.
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Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates The Blog Peoria Project, which promotes community-based citizen journalism in his hometown, Peoria IL. Call me at (309) 863-5748 and leave a message.
Recent Blog Peoria PostsThe Cosmos strives for equilibrium today. The hours of daylight and dark are equal. Spring returns–even if the day is dark and cold, rainy, snowy, spitting sleet. It’s the thought that counts.
Modern Wiccans call the day Ostara. I am not found of the name. Like Easter itself, the name is taken from a Teutonic lunar Goddess Eostre. Mike Nichols, author of The Witches’ Sabbats, from the website of the same name, “Her holiday, the Eostara, was held on the vernal equinox full moon.” Technically that will fall on the 29th of March. According to Nichols, the Roman Catholic Church divided the vernal holiday into Easter–the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox–and Lady Day, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on March 25th. This, of course, the day that the Angel Gabriel announces that Mary is “with child.” “Lady Day” was the name used by our first Wiccan founders.
I think I prefer the simpler “Spring Turning.” It was the phrase I used in my own fiction back before I was “officially” Pagan. It signifies a becoming. As Nichols says, it’s a springboard to Beltane, May 1st. Processes begun at the equinox find fulfillment at Beltane.
I hadn’t planned to celebrate the day, but a friend called late in the morning and said, “Let’s go to Bloomington to the Mennonite Relief Sale.” The day was dreary; and I knew that by the time we got there, most everything would sold, but I hadn’t been to the Relief Sale since it left Peoria. I was pleasantly surprised to get a bunch of pussy willows. I can’t remember the last time I had pussy willows.
And on the way back, I asked to stop in a Kelly Seed to look over their new shipment of heirloom seeds. I haven’t decided yet if I am going to plant a garden this year or slit my wrists, but Global Village in the Heights is collecting supplies for Haiti this month, and one of the things on the list is garden seeds. So I bought heritage melons, squash, radishes, and corn. And a packet of mixed lettuce if I decide to plant for myself. Spring is such a fickle time of the year…
I think the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway’s 172-page Industrial Development Brochure is incredible for its detail, and it shouldn’t leave prospective buyers of listed properties and buildings with too many questions. But if they do have any, they can always contact the railroad.
Closer to home, RailAmerica’s Toledo Peoria & Western Railway lists these properties. I’m curious, though, why two of them, here and here, which are nowhere near TP&W track, are listed (furthermore, they could find out that “Middle Road” is not spelled “Middel.”).
Genesee & Wyoming, Inc., owner of two local shortlines – Illinois & Midland Railroad and Tazewell & Peoria Railroad – provide few details on their website, but it does say this:
I&M’s extra-wide 200-foot right-of-way, and adjacent industrial sites on both I&M and T&P, offer excellent location opportunities for manufacturing, distribution and transload facilities.
Before the Internet Age, railroads published and circulated booklets detailing industrial development sites in various communities they served. One example was the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Railroad’s 1964 booklet. One page of the Peoria section, which appeared in the railroad’s 1963 Annual Report, can be viewed by clicking the thumbnail below.
The Rock Island’s promotion of both the Galena Road Industrial Park and Pioneer Industrial Park caught the attention of the Peoria Journal Star, which mentioned it in a June 16, 1964 editorial.
Past and present, American railroads know that to remain viable long term they must continuously promote their services to prospective industrial and logistics firms. And the only change is the type of media.
- David P. Jordan
I’m the kinda guy who is always going to wait until the very last minute to pay his cable bill. Usually, I find out it’s due when I can’t get on the Internet
So I’m in the Comcast office on Dries Lane ever other month.
Those guys rock. Professional, friendly and quick. Kudos.
But when I have actual [...]
Original post by Billy Dennis
Today’s strip: Chris Muir is hearing my pleas. Sam is again in the low-cut, skin-tight little black dress. Chris treats up to a front view and a maddeningly curvaceous profile.
Today’s strip: Now this is more like it. Sam is in a skin-tight, low-cut little black dress. There’s a front view and a side view. You go, Chris!
Via Slashfilm:
Now there’s a slight update: according to IESB, the shortlist is now only three names: Chris Evans (Sunshine, The Fantastic Four); Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe, Stop-Loss) and Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl). I’ve stumped for Evans before, but am a bit surprised that he’s still on the list, because of that Fantastic Four association. But that’s no big deal in the long run, as the Marvel Studios film universe has nothing to do with the Fox version of Marvel’s characters. (Confusing!) Evans is easily the best choice here.
Feh. We need a traditional square-jawed hero for this role, not some pretty boy. Evans is an X-games sorta guy. Cap is a baseball/football/track letterman kinda guy. And the FF movies sucked and that kinda stink don’t wash off.
But I am far, far to politically correct to suggest that a black guy who did this wouldn’t be sitting in the Tazewell County Jail right now. Just sayin’.
Here are some possibly related postsDecember 23, 2009 — Five Peoria police layoffs averted (0)November 29, 2009 — Pekin is on the right track (2)October 22, 2009 [...]
Original post by Billy Dennis
if you guys think this is amazing, wait till the Avengers movie comes out. dakkota92 Says: March 19th, 2010 at 4:03 pm. he wanted more money they said no soo he quit. SilentWorld13 Says: March 19th, 2010 at 4:08 pm …
Of course this would mean that he could be a villain in Iron Man 3 or even the Avengers movie. Now what if each major villain of the Marvel heroes banded together? Mandarin for Iron Man, Red Skull for Captain America, Loki for Thor, …
As for Chris Evans, he was the best part of the Fantastic Four, so why not keep him for a spot in the Avengers movie instead? Sebastian Stan / Wilson Bethel Sebastian Stan and Wilson Bethel are unknowns to me. I don't watch Gossip Girl …
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My wife and I watched with great interest the city council meeting last night. We were cheering Gary Sandberg on as he quite nicely confronted the works department on their blatant lies, flimsy excuses, and irrational planning.
The typical reply of an incompetent fool is to say anything but never answer a direct question. Gary: “how many snow plow drivers were out on Friday and Saturday?” Answer: “they had 3 weeks of training.”
Huh? It went on like that, but the irrelevant “answers” only put the foot further in the mouth.
Whining: “Do we have to relive every moment of the last 3 days?”
Yes, you do.
So our snow plowers are inexperienced, they laid off all the experienced drivers, to…save money? Tell that to District 150.
Lawsuits seem appropo. A popular uprising against such bad city management is needed. They refuse to answer for their horrible job. We cannot tolerate such behavior and attempts to escape accountability.
What happened to the funds allocated to snow plowing?
Easy way to raise more funds for snow removal. Allow the city to declare a snow emergency and if you drive during this emergency and get stuck you will be fined 300 bucks and your car towed, the money from the tickets to go directly into the snow removal budget. Lets make the pinheads that got their minivans and camaros buried all over the place on Friday and Saturday shoulder a bit of the cost as well.
Unpopular budget? I didn’t hear one peep
It is a sad commentary that there’s public outrage over the snowfall, but seemingly no one cares about the budget which continues to include a regressive tax/fee and doesn’t adequately fund essential services like fire and — as we now know — snow plowing.
true dat
C.J.
I think that the snow removal problem is representative of the lack of basic services in this city and is easier for many citizens to understand and focus on then the complexities of the budget and the shortfalls contained within.
It’s not just budget for snow removal that’s the problem. As one gentleman declared quite boldly in the Council meeting last night, it’s strategy.
He wisely remarked that the city police, fire and rescue, and civil defense workers should have coordinated a plan, working together to (1) inform the public (2) block off major routes temporarily, with detours (3) solve the problem.
For public works official and mayor to speak of “getting past the unfortunate event”, “stop assigning blame”, “not relive the past 3 days”, and “move onto to other business”, with no specific remedy or planning revisions…this is extremely sad and myopic.
This public works disaster was totally unnecessary and avoidable. It also impacted schools, business, hospitals, and the public in huge financial losses. What about that?
I was at the council meeting last night and I was there not to complain about the snow removal or lack there of, I went because I thought that most of the council members that voted for the budget chickened out and didn’t get rid of the garbage fee which doesn’t go to garbage collection. Some of these people were elected on the promise they would get rid of this “fee” including the Mayor. They didn’t and I just wanted to remind the viewing audience about these people as we have an At Large election coming up. I feel asleep waiting for citizen’s comments and when I awoke, they were on Grayeb. I couldn’t take it anymore and had to leave. It will not be long but they will raise the garbage fee by a few dollars to cover something we need like new park benches for the new parking scheme on Washington Street. I predict around June or July.
As for the snow removal? After listening to each and every council person blow wind and make the same point after the same point (except Sanberg), I could have summed it up in just a few words: “We’ll do better the next time!” Basically that is all that happened and that is all that will happen. It will melt like today and people forget and have already resumed driving like idiots. Feh