Today’s news: Shy, isn’t he?

December 17, 2007
By Billy Dennis

Unless noted, all links are via the Peoria Journal Star:

  • Kudos to Karen McDonald for today’s Word on the Street. The column starts with word that Aaron Schock has a habit of objecting when anyone points a video camera in his direction at public campaign events. It seems he’s worried that his dastardly opponents will take the words he says out of context and put ‘em in campaign ads. Well, duh. She also caught the fact that while Schock is telling people he hasn’t decided who to support in the Presidential primary, he is nevertheless signed up as a Rudy Giuliani delegate. The column includes other tidbits, including an explanation, of sorts, of why the Journal Star stopped mentioning it benefited from being in a enterprise zone, even as it argued against expanding an enterprise zone.
  • Meanwhile, Mike Riopell at the Bloomington Pantagraph has an interesting article on how John Morris and Jim McConoughey are playing up Schock’s youth and lack of a family life as negatives.
  • You know those sometimes daily flights Gov. Blagojevich takes from his home in Chicago to Springfield? You know how they are done at taxpayer expense? Turns out the the IRS just might decide they are a form of fringe benefit. That means the governor might have to pay taxes on them. Ouch.
  • I have just one question about Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard decision to institute an overnight violent crimes detective shift: What the Hell took too long? Better yet: Why wasn’t this already in place back when John Stetson was in charge? The answer to “why not?” is almost always “money,” and thats the case here. Settingsgaard just now got money in the budget to fill a new assistant chief position and two new patrol officers. The new officers will replace those officers who will be trained as new detectives. My two cents: Settingsgaard, along with allies on the Peoria City Council, are slowly making changes that will help the police fight crime on the streets.
  • I’m going to go on record as saying I think this woman is a hero. She couldn’t save this young girl’s life, but she tried her best to offer comfort when most people would have stood there. I’ve done my share of stories about teenagers who’ve lost their lives in traffic accidents, and this one by reporter Erin Wood is one of the most touching I have read.
  • Great quotes from Wendy Blickenstaff about her former Woodruff High School classmate Dan Fogelberg. “Miss Blick” only occasionally talked about Fogelberg, and she was asked about him a lot of times back when I was one of her students.
  • District 150’s new truancy center, coupled with a get tough policy — is increasing attendance rates. Graduation rates are up at all the high schools, but the Class of 2007 graduating class at Manual High School is a bit of a statistical anomaly with a 17 percent higher graduation rate than the previous year. The class of 2008 isn’t likely to graduate such a high percentage. It would be nice if they could figure out why THIS one class is so different, then bottle it. I think it’s just that sometimes a group of students just click, and they as a group tend to get more out of the high school experience because of closer friendships, a sense of community or perhaps because they are just having fun.

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13 Responses to “ Today’s news: Shy, isn’t he? ”

  1. prego man on December 17, 2007 at 11:09 am

    Aaron doesn’t want his photo taken near John because he looks so small next to him. Seriously, that has to be the reason. John still looks like a choirboy who got into the steroid cabinet, but Aaron looks like the incredible shrinking choirboy next to him.

    Also, Billy… you and those doggoned TIFs.

    The Journal Star did not have a TIF at any time… they were put into an enterprise zone… to save on material costs. Big difference. I know you don’t like either one, but the enterprise zone is likely easier for folks to understand.

    Come around again, if you ever have the desire to learn the truth about a TIF. The welcome mat is always out for ya.

  2. JJ on December 17, 2007 at 11:46 am

    Really surprised to hear Aaron is a chair for Rudy’s campaign when he says he hasn’t picked anyone yet to support for Pres? It’s not that he’s a Rudy supporter, it’s that he lied about it that is discouraging. Furthermore, he keeps telling people that he is pro life. For somebody like me who finds this to be an important issue it doesn’t square with Rudy’s pro choice positioning. Rudy is a fiscal conservative, but not a social one at all. Why the lies, or at a minimum, the appearance of lies?

  3. Billy Dennis on December 17, 2007 at 11:50 am

    Prego: You are correct. The PJS is in an enterprise zone, not a TIF. My mistake. I have TIFs on the brain today.

  4. Flying Hellfish on December 17, 2007 at 4:02 pm

    JJ,
    Read the source article, not just the wrap-up on this site.

    “Shearer said Schock agreed to endorse Giuliani in the spring, before he knew LaHood was retiring and that he was going to run for that congressional seat. Since then, Schock has said he would remain neutral because he must focus on running his race for Congress.”

    Don’t be discouraged with Schock – he didn’t lie.

  5. the wonderboy on December 17, 2007 at 5:15 pm

    JJ, that seems to be like asking for the definition of is. He didn’t lie? Okay, then he flip-flopped. Or he went back on a commitment. Or he saw a more advantageous political position to take. Call it whatever you like, it’s inconsistent and speaks to his character.

  6. the wonderboy on December 17, 2007 at 5:59 pm

    Apparently my mind is “oogy” today as well…that was directed at the fish of satan with wings.

    Going to be a rough week, I think.

  7. RayFan on December 17, 2007 at 7:17 pm

    Prego,

    So, you’re saying he looks like a boy amongst men?

    Hmmmm….. I can’t imagine why.

    Sorry … couldn’t resist.

  8. Louis Howe on December 17, 2007 at 7:40 pm

    Hellfish…Wake up!!! Aaron is supporting Giuliani in the strongest manner possible…..He’s standing for election as a Giuliani Delegate to the Republican National Convention where he is pledged to vote for Giuliani for President. If he wanted to remain neutral he should have resigned from the primary ballot . Of course, then he wouldn’t have been able to be a delegate and have his picture taken with the national bigwigs. Schock is being very childish and trying to have it both ways.

  9. Don Hammontree on December 17, 2007 at 10:24 pm

    Miss Blick was hot … :-)

  10. Billy Dennis on December 17, 2007 at 10:32 pm

    Miss Blick still is hot. She was on WMBD 31 today and she’s aged very well, IMHO.

  11. ltritter on December 18, 2007 at 6:40 am

    On Guiliani’s website page listing his “Illinois leadership team”:

    “State Representative Aaron Schock: Aaron Schock of Peoria is currently the State Representative for the 92nd District in Illinois At age 23, Aaron Schock is both the youngest school board president in history and the youngest member of the Illinois Legislature.”

    see http://www.joinrudy2008.com/article/pr/115

  12. An observer on December 18, 2007 at 5:42 pm

    Note the correction in the dead-tree version of the JS today, indicating that Schock is not running as a delegate for Rudy.

  13. Politics: Nuclear hawk Schock chickening out of foreign policy debate | Peoria Pundit on January 1, 2008 at 10:31 am

    [...] But give Schock some credit. He plans to attend a televised debate on WEEK on January 14, even though there will be *gasp* video cameras. [...]