Road construction is scheduled to start on Monday July 21, 2008 at the intersection of Allen Road and Carriage Lane in the City of Peoria. Driving lanes will be reduced down to one lane in each direction while work is being performed for the new installation of traffic signals at this intersection.
Please reduce speeds while traveling through this intersection.
 
Work is expected to last for approximately one month. If you have questions regarding this, contact the City of Peoria Traffic Engineering Department @ 494-8802.

Ugh. I usually take Sheridan to Knoxville, then left on Pioneer Parkway. No doubt traffic will be especially conjested on my regular route once this starts.

But I’m going to let my loyal readers in on a secret.

I am not a patient man.

When I get frustrsted, I tend to … well, blow up and things.

So, here has been MY week. Imagine the mood I’m in when you are done.

My now-previous Web host let me know that they have had enough of me and communicate to me the need to move The Blog Peoria Project to a new location. They notify me by turning off my account. You no doubt saw the pretty orange “account suspended” page.

Hey, I knew it was coming, but I was hoping to get someone with some mad skills in mySQL and servers to help.

Instead, I got the equivalent of my landlord locking the door, but being nice enough to stand there and watch while you hauled your crap out to the curb during your break from trying to hire amoving van. Sweet.

C.J. was right. Blog Peoria done got evicted.

Fortunately, I did have some server space already purchased, thanks to generous donations.

But I still didn’t want to do the move myself. Last time, the move went sorta-well, but there were some serious issues with lost uploaded photographs that no one can find. And my size of my data base makes it impossible to move using services with which I am familiar, like “phpmyadmin.” So I spent some time trying to talk several WPMu gurus into helping, but none were available, even if I had cash to pay them

So, I starting trying to do it myself. My new host, mediatemple (mt), is a popular and powerful host. But their support ticket system is very, very slow. I’ll give A Small Orange some credit, they responded quickly and often to my tickets. These guys, however, take their time.

I started to panic. I was contacted by another Illinois blogger who operated his site through a “virtual private server,” also known as a VPS. He offered me unlimted stace and bandwidth. I jumped at the change and stzarted uploading files and tryin to manually install the WPMu. It was going well enough for me to actually point to domain name “blogpeoria” to this new server.

Then several things happened.

I have been fighting with Comcast for more two weeks over service interuptions. On the day this started, it seemed to have been resolved with the purchase of a new modem, not that it didn’t take several calls to Comcast to get it resolved.

So right in the middle of all this, I lost connection again. I called Comcast and THIS time I got a tech support rep who agreed with me that the problem wasn’t inside my apartment, but outside. So we made an appointment for the next morning.

And I spent the rest fo the day trying to finish the installation, all the while losing and regaining Internet connection. And the A.S.O. site would go down during those moments I had Internet service. THEN my friend’s site started to crash. A call to HIS server people releaved that the site might not have been as powerful and resource laden as we both thought. I tell him to pull the blog on the Blog Peoria experiment.

And I actually start getting sick.

The Comcast dude shows up and the service is up during his visit. He checks some equipment outside my home, then leaves. 90 minutes later, I’m on the phone to Comcast again. It is then they decide that I’m part of a brand-new, just discovered area-wide intermittent and recuring outage. I call bullsh*t. My service has been going in and out for two weeks or more, and they were telling me that they wouldn’t help fix MY unique problem until this outage went away. Which might be never. And no, they had no idea how widespfread the outage was in terms of the number of people affected nor the geographic area. In other words, the perfect dodge.

I pitched a fit for close to an hour on the phone to various flunkies.

Oh, and get this: My cell phone dropped the call twice. No call back. When I complained about that, I was assured by no less that two reps that Comcast service reps — not even the supervisors — have the ability to call you back. No outgoing calls. Ever. Period. No exceptions.

More about THIS later.

It turned out that the problem was right outside my back door. My immediate neighbors were being effected. They SEEM to have fixed it because I’ve gone two days without an outage.

So, I’m on Twitter later trying to get help for my server issues and I mention Comcast. Turns out Comcast monitors Twitter. I end up unloading all the problems I have with comcfast on this dude. I told him that I found it odd that a company like Comcast that tries to sell online telephone services to people would not be able to supply their own tech support workers with telephones that ACTUALLY dial out.

And because I’m doing it in public, on Twitter, he is making all these promises to me and assures me, for all to read, that Comcast call center workers ABSOLUTELY have the ability to call back people.

I tell him that I went out abd bought a cable modem because HIS COMPANY assured me that my equipment was bad, when it was not.

I’m going to email him, and he has promised to make it all good.

Which leaved with the service issues from mediatemple. I learn on Twitter that mediatemple sites are down all over the place, and that’s no doubt what’s sucking up their time. They eventually respond to all my open support tickets.

And those outages at mediatemple sites? All caused by a Comcast outage. Life is nothing if not ironic.

Eventually, I got WPMu installed. All that was needed was to import the massive database, which will bring member blogs online, and then upload all the images that my bloggers have uploaded.

So, I looked for documentation on how to do this. And I waited. And I waited. And waited. They responded. Of course, the instructions were generic, and assumed that I’m familar with DOS. I may be an old fart, but I got into computers in my 30s. I missed out on the DOS thing.

So I waited for more help. And waited. And waited.

Eventually, I get ahold of a a techie at mediatemple and he walked me through using PuTTY. And once all the files were uploaded, all the sites work.

Oh, there are some glitches. Blogrolls and categories are empty. I entered a support ticket in the WPMu forum. Someone might respond. Eventually.

Oh, and during this, my Mom took ill (she’s better now, but needed several rides to the doctor). And I’m taking by brother’s dog to the vet tomorrow. Where is this vet located? On the other side of Elmwood.

And to make this trip, today I had to replace a tire that’s about ready to blow. The mechanics (and I use that term loosly) won’t touch the tire because there’s a lugnut missing. I waited for two hours at a location that has no wireless signal.

And I’m gonna get fired in less than two weeks.

So, how’s YOUR week?

Maplewood, North of Main Street, will be closed for two weeks starting Monday, May 19th to allow for construction activities.

My reaction is: So why the Hell is Hinton meeting with parents? To placate them, obviously. At D150, public involvement is something that happens on their terms. And public involvement for them doesn’t mean that the district pays any attention, just that someone sits in a room and tolerates parents making noise for a few minutes, all to create the illusion they give a damn.

This is exactly what happened when they tried to move Glen Oak School to Glen Oak Park. They made the deal (behind closed doors) with the Peoria Park District first, the school board rubber-stamped the decision, the parents and the neighborhood erupted in outrage. Ken Hinton was dismissive of any opinion but his own, and board remained in his pocket. It was only because the park board blinked and didn’t give final approval. Finally, the school board was forced into a very public, very open process they resulted in a new school next to the current Glen Oak site, AND a new school next to the current Lincoln School site.

The Peoria Blogosphere — as well as HOINews, God bless ‘em — have been all over this story. Naturally, the blogs are buzzing over “King Hinton’s” latest royal decree:

C.J. Summers catches Hinton playing word games:

See, this is semantics. He’s distinguishing between “specialists” and “teachers.” The “specialist” time will be cut, but “contact time with teachers will not change.” I’m sorry, but if the “specialist” is teaching my child art, music, and physical education, I call that person a “teacher.” It doesn’t matter to me whether they are contractually or legally considered a “teacher” by District 150 standards. They’re teaching my children, and their contact time is most assuredly being cut.

It shouldn’t be. Art, music, and P. E. are not things that should be relegated to extra-curricular activities. These are an important part of a child’s education. They should be retained.

PeoriaIllinoisan puts words in Hinton’s mouth:

Even if I can’t persuade them, it really doesn’t matter because we’re not going to do what the public wants anyway. We never have in the past, so I ask, why start now? The role of a good administrator is to remain consistent and I plan on being consistently stubborn.

If they continue to be a thorn in my side I’ll dangle a carrot in front of them in the form of the promise that this is only a one year test and this could be revisited next year. That should appease them. What I won’t tell them is that next year it will be nearly impossible to bring back the 45 minutes of lost school time because money won’t be budgeted to cover lengthening of the school day and hiring extra teachers.”

Peoria Anti-Pundit seems to think that cutting 45 minutes from the schedule won’t matter:

So it is not a matter of tools or decent teachers that plagues our District. Is it a matter of money?  Is it a matter of mismanagement?  I would like to think it is the money because if it is mismanagement, then we are all responsible.  We vote the board in and the Board hires the administration.  Being on the school board is 5 years of criticism without pay. We have had some decent Boards in the past but over the last few years, egos have played into Board politics.  If you think the shit has hit the fan with Ms. Vespa firing off at the board over their latest action, then just wait until Martha Ross is not elected Board President like she thinks she deserves.  It will not only be a miscarriage of justice in her eyes but the old race card will fall out and we all will have to endure another distraction has those who disagree will probably picket the school board as in the past.

Nothing yet on Diane’s blog.

I drove by today and noticed that the former Dairy Queen stand seems to be grearing up to open under a new name, “Dudley’s,” I believe. The last business operating out of the place was some sort of hot sandwich stand. This is joint that stands next to the building that once houses the modest litter diner called “Jo Jo’s.” It was more recently a BBQ joint that didn’t impress me (twice, I received meals that weren’t fully cooked). It’s now serves chili, and does some catering, according to their sign.

Directly catty-corner from there is a brick building that houses a T-shirt printing place, a used electronic appliance store and a wine-making supply store. There was a sign in the wine-press joint saying they are selling discount tobacco. Whether this means one business is taking over for the other, or the wine place is also offering discount smokes, I don’t know. I didn’t stop in to ask, being as I don’t drink or smoke. I have other vices.

I am planning on stopping at “It’s All About the Wings,” a new eatery that opened up at the back park of the former drug store at the corner of West McClure and North Sheridan. It’s directly across from Sheridan Liquors. I haven’t gone in yet, because every time I do, there’s no place to park.

Good luck to all these entrepreneurs. It’s tough enough doing business in Peoria, let alone during the start of a long and hard recession.

UPDATE: I got the name of the chicken wing place wrong. It’s called “All Bout the Wings.” It’s a big difference.

At least no further destinations will be cut (yet). But Springfield didn’t fare so well.

According to Sunday’s State Journal-Register, Illinois’ capital loses its daily nonstop to Washington-Dulles on July 4, though Chicago-O’Hare service increases from four daily roundtrips to five at that time.

Rising fuel prices are forcing airlines to increase fares. As a result, loads decline and the airline is forced to cut service. If this trend continues, there will be more cuts in service. And destinations too.

Noonan breaks down the campaign strategy of Hillary Clinton. Here’s a tidbit.

It’s not math anymore, it’s psychodrama. If she can’t have it, no one can have it. If she has to tear the party apart, she will.

I can’t think of a better way to phrase the situation. Hillary, by spending her own money - close to $12 million so far - is forcing Obama to spend money he could be saving for the General Election. Every dollar they collectively spend now is a dollar in the pocket of John McCain.

Hillary keeps punching Obama and McCain’s hands remain clean. While Obama continues to volley with Hillary, McCain can just watch and look presidential.

Is there no one in the Hillary camp that can see that?

The question that I have had for this nomination is “How well will Hillary take losing?” I think we are starting to see the answer…and it isn’t pretty.

A farm bill is working its way through Congress that has a provision to raise the food stamp benefits and nutrition programs by $10.3 billion over a five-year period. Food stamps and the nutrition program now represent 70 percent of the farm bill spending, said U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria.

The bill, which will be voted on next Wednesday in the House, also would allow food stamps to be used on fruits and vegetables, LaHood said.

That’s nice.

In other news: Food stamps don’t already cover fruits and vegetables.

So, as an advocate for Peoria, what do I do now? It’s apparent the people who run District 150 do not know what they are doing. They stood before the public and told a bald-faced lie: That they can cut 45 minutes out of the school day, eliminate teachers who teach art and music, and still provide an education that’s equal if not better than, what they are getting now. It’s an obvious and shameful lie. And out clueless school board either buys into this nonsense or they are in on the lie.

I can’t use this blog to tell young parents that despite the problems, D150 schools are a fine place to send their kids. They won’t be. They are getting worse, and not because of outside influences. The people who run the district WANT the schools to be worse next year than they were before. All because they want to save a few dollars that that want to spend on other, educationally useless crap.

So my advice to parents: Get the hell out. D150 has reached the tipping point. Send you kids to private school, if you can. If you have to, move to Dunlap or Washington or Metamora. I’m sure these districts have their problems. But these districts seem to be run by the community and not by administrators who are determined to starve your children’s minds to feed their bloated egos and fat paychecks.

Sunday’s Journal Star includes an article about how technology is shaping politics. There’s even a segment on how blogs are making it harder for politicians to get away with saying goofy things. Because the article’s sources are pretty much limited to politicians and political scientists, the general tone of the piece is that bloggers are so darn unfair. And bloggers are biased. Well, openly biased, unlike newspapers with their unsigned editorials and pretense at objectivity.

I can name several people in public life right here in River City who do not trust the Journal Star because of inaccurate and misleading reporting on them, and then for continually repeating that inaccurate reporting when their name comes up in a different, unrelated story. And I’ve forgotten how many times the Journal Star editorial page has left out information that is contrary to the point it was trying to make.

It’s a tired old canard: The Internet can’t be trusted because it gets the facts wrong, but print can be trusted because it has editors. Folks, print has been getting it wrong all along. Which isn’t surprising, since human beings are involved. But so has the Internet. The media is plural. It’s a not a monolithic entity. But print and broadcast are closer to being the monolith, with all the mergers and takeovers. It’s easier, these days, to get a fair shake from the Blogosphere as a whole than from corporate media.

So can we please put to bed this stupid idea that biased and innacurate reporting started when Al Gore invented the Internet?

Big Media isn’t really concerned about whatever mistakes appear on blogs. It’s concerned that there’s someone to call them on THEIR mistakes and other assorted silliness. Like, maybe, NOT reporting that a candidate for congress wants to violate the nuclear anti-proliferation agreement.

And by the way, 100,000 “hits” a month is NOTHING. I got 902,000 hits in April. I suspect that the Illinois GOP site actually gets something like 100,000 page views, which is more respectable. But not close to the 345,403 page views that Webalizer says I got in April.

But then, if the writer of this piece had bothered to speak to a political blogger about the effect of political blogs on politics, this little mistake might not have happened.

Obama
In a previous comment, I called Obama’s space policy “timid.” I stand by that comment. Obama says he “grew up on Star Trek” and is “a believer in the final frontier.” Putting this statement next to his policy position on NASA is, at best, disingenuous. Even in the fictional world of Vulcan Mind Melds, green-skinned women from Orion, and Tribbles, the U.S.S. Enterprise did not build itself and the technology to do so did not just suddenly appear out of nowhere. Obama has specifically and pointedly said that the gap between the old and new programs should be extended. This is just plain wrong. Obama’s rhetoric is full of “hope” but his policy is stagnation. It most certainly does not “boldly go.”

Clinton
However painful it is for me to write anything positive about this candidate, Clinton has specifically supported the Ares and Orion programs. While she stops short of supporting missions to the Moon an Mars, I think there is support for keeping the American human space flight gap to a minimum.
Although not human space flight related, Clinton has recently spoken out regarding the antenna in Arecibo, Puerto Rico - suggesting that it be kept open.
On the subject of science and space, it is clear that she differs from her opponent. The Clinton plan would provide some forward motion for human space flight.

McCain
McCain has supported the Vision for Space Exploration - the Bush administration space policy. The VSE, while imperfect, is about finishing the ISS, replacing the Space Shuttle, and moving ahead with the goal in mind of placing a permanently inhabited base on the Moon and, eventually, landing humans on the face of Mars. The problem is that McCain has proposed a budget freeze. That’s exactly the kind of thing that would slowly strangle the VSE.

What is needed?
The United States should remain the leader in human space flight.

1. Drop the requirement to retire the Space Shuttles in 2010. The reason for this is three-fold.
A. One of the major problems cited in both the Challenger and Columbia accident investigations was “schedule pressure.” Now the administration and Congress have mandated both the completion of the ISS and the retirement of the Shuttles by 2010. All that did was create a whole lot of schedule pressure. This simply increases the possibility that someone will write one waiver too many and an unsafe vehicle will fly.
B. By adding a year or two to the life of the shuttle, we reduce the gap between programs. Adding as few as four or as many as seven additional flights would keep us ‘in business’ in space.
C. What is going to happen to all of those experienced engineers and workers during this gap in space flights? They are going to be laid off. When we finally begin launching spacecraft again, we are going to have to reassemble launch teams. Valuable experience is going to be lost. The human element of space flight extends well beyond the astronauts.

2. Speed the development of Ares/Orion.
This is rocket science. It is going to take money. The sad fact is that this could be done a lot faster if we spent more money. There are a lot of wasteful programs that don’t work. NASA does work. A big increase for the NASA budget would not seriously affect the overall Federal budget. Give these people the money and tools and they will keep amazing us, and the rest of the world.

3. Support the privatization of space.
More programs, like COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation System), to encourage private companies to develop launchers and orbital systems - including manned systems - so that, eventually, all the government has to do is request bids for contract for services like cargo transportation to the ISS (or the Moon), launch-and-landing for astronauts, and launch services (rockets themselves.)

We are T-minus 1 year, two weeks - and counting - before this hits the big screen.

According to the story…

Budgeted at $13 million, the effects-heavy “Impact” chronicles the aftermath of a meteor shower during which a piece of a dwarf star lodges itself in the moon. That triggers a series of anomalies on Earth, including cell phone service interruption, exaggerated tides and the occurrence of sporadic weightlessness.

I know - CELL PHONE SERVICE DISRUPTION??? How will we ever survive? We are all going to die!

Of course, even for bad Sci-Fi this is bad. Once scientist (or it could be an engineer) said,

For what its worth ….. Just a quick note on your stupid movie alert: The minimum delta-V required to put the moon on a collision course with earth is about 4 km/sec. Assuming a lunar mass of 7.348300E+22 kg the kinetic energy equivalent is about 6x 10^14 giga joules. This equates to roughly 1.42 million 100-megaton Fusion warheads exploding simultaneously - and they won’t have long to wait for collision .. about 4 1/2 days.

Credit: NASAWatch

Here is the link.

I’ve written before that blogging keeps me sane.

It also stresses me out at times. Or more accurately, it sometimes is just one more thing I need to do in a life that has its own stresses, from work to family and health issues.

It’s not one thing or two things that has make this the suckiest week in years. It’s just a bunch of little crappy things.

So, I’m taking a break from blogging. Not long, a week at most. I just need to heal up, catch some sleep and maybe catch up on my reading.

So, I’m asking the folks who occasionally post here to maybe add some content once in a while.

Maybe when I come back, I’ll have some things to say. Cause frankly, I’ve been forcing it recently.

I’ll leave you all know to gossip and speculate.

Don’t worry, I have some very interesting stuff in the hopper.

UPDATE: This is shaping up to be quite a show. I have commitments for call-ins from quote a few people. I hope this sparks some meaningful discussion.

The Illinois Green Party chose Kathy Cummings, a retired special education educator and environmental activist, as the party’s U.S. Senate candidate in 2008. Cummings will take on Senator Dick Durbin (D) and Steve Sauerberg (R).

The party made the decision at its state convention at Bradley University in Peoria. Cummings, of Chicago, was selected over Chad Koppie, of Gilberts, and Arno Sponeman, of Granite City.

“We’ve got to change — we are long overdue for change,” says Cummings. “Dick Durbin is one of the top leaders in Congress, and he continues to vote for funding for Bush’s war. The only way to stop this war is to get rid of the people who continue to enable it.”

This is Cummings’ second run for public office. In 2006, Cummings filed petitions to run for State Representative, 4th District, but despite having two and a half times the required number of signatures, was denied ballot access after a Democratic challenge. Cummings
appealed the case to the IL Supreme Court, but was denied.

The Illinois Green Party is an established political party in 2006, when Rich Whitney received 10% of the statewide vote for governor. State election law allows political parties to “slate” candidates to fill offices where no candidate appears on the ballot in the primary.
No candidate ran for U.S. Senate in the Green Party primary on Feb. 5. A record number of federal, state and local candidates will appear as Greens on ballots across the state this November.

KATHY CUMMINGS BACKGROUND

* Special education teacher, Chicago Public Schools for 23 years, retired June, 2006.

* Founding Publisher NIT&WIT Literary Arts Magazine, dealing with art, music, theatre, dance, poetry, fiction, photography, etc. in Chicago for 8 years, with monthly NIT&WIT Open Mikes for 3 years.

* 1999, founded Milk Outrage Organization, Inc. (MOO) to inform the public about recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) being injected into cows to make them make more milk (Monsanto) and what conflicting studies say rBGH might mean for our children. MOO also offered safe alternatives to products using rBGH dairy. We got rBGH milk out of the Chicago Public School system for a year, until Daley hired a Monsanto attorney for his Chief of Staff and the new contract bids came up
again.

* 1975, founded a group that became Alliance of Nonsmokers (ANS) resulting in the banning of smoking in Chicago elevators, groceries, schools, and started non-smoking sections in restaurants.

*Ran for State Rep. (4th) in 2006. Sought ballot access all the way to the IL Supreme Court and was rejected.

Honestly, I hadn’t been there is well more than a year. I moved out to Kingspark, and only recently back to Peoria, and my second shift job made it tough to eat lunch or dinner there. My parents still made the trek at least once a month with a group of friends.

Today, I noticed that the site of the former Leonardo’s Pizza on War Memorial Drive has reopened as a La Gondola. As I recall, Dick LaHood owns La Gondola. Dick is cousin to Michael LaHood, the last owner of Leonardo’s, which went into bankruptcy and closed without paying employees. The LaGondola on Gale Avenue closed some time ago (driven out of business by the road repairs that lasted far, far, too long).

I’m a fan of LaGondola’s sandwiches, so I might be paying a visit. But if Dick has any business acumen at all, he’ll make nice with former Leonardo’s employees and get the recipe for the original Leonardo’s Pizza.

Just driving around Peoria, I’m seeing more than a few new restaurants opening up. It’s a sign of Spring, as it were. There’s a new chicken-wing joint opening up in the building that used to be a drug store at the corner of McClure and Sheridan. I’ll post others as I come across them.

Some corn-producing regions are already scrapping over dwindling supply. The Journal’s Joe Barrett recently reported that Kansas is threatening to sue neighboring Nebraska for consuming more than its share of the Republican River. The Grand Forks Herald reports local opposition to a proposed ethanol plant in Erskine, Minnesota, with anti-refinery yard signs sprouting up and residents concerned about well water. Backers of a proposed plant in Jamestown, North Dakota, recently withdrew their application when it became clear that the plant’s million-gallon-a-day appetite would drain too much from a local aquifer. In Wisconsin, new ethanol plants are encountering opposition in Sparta and Milton.

Starvation and thirst seem a high price to pay so politicians can pretend the U.S. has a valid energy policy ($4 per gallon, coming soon) while sucking up to agribusiness industries at the same time.

And there is this mirror. I love this mirror. I have no idea how old it is, but I’d like to think it’s a relic from bygone era in which a little tasteful female nudity was considered artistic, albeit a little risque. One of these days, Whitey is going to turn his back, and I’m going to remove that mirror and abscond with it.

JOINT CITY COUNCIL & TOWN BOARD MEETINGCITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS

6:15 P.M.

Regular Meeting

ROLL CALL

INVOCATION & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PROCLAMATIONS, COMMENDATIONS, ETC.

PROCLAMATION: ARTS IN EDUCATION SPRING CELEBRATION MONTHS - APRIL AND MAY 2008

MINUTES

PETITIONS, REMONSTRANCES & COMMUNICATIONS – CITY OF PEORIA

ITEM NO. 1 PUBLIC HEARING Regarding PROPOSED ANNEXATION of 6627 SOUTHPORT Identified as Parcel Nos. 13-22-300-006, 13-22-300-007, and

13-22-300-008.

ITEM NO. 2 PUBLIC HEARING Regarding the Draft HUD CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION REPORT (CAPER).

ITEM NO. 3 CONSIDERATION OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS BY OMNIBUS VOTE, for the City of Peoria, with Recommendations as Outlined:

• 1. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Director of Public Works Requesting Approval of VENDORS for STREET MATERIALS, as Outlined in ATTACHMENT NO. 1.
• 2. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Fire Chief Requesting Approval of the LOW BID of RAGAN COMMUNICATIONS, in the Amount of $64,087.70, for the PURCHASE of TWO OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS.
• 3. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Police Chief Requesting Approval of the LOW BID of ILLINOIS FIRE AND POLICE EQUIPMENT, in the Amount of $29,952.00 ($1,248.00 Per Unit) for the PURCHASE of TWENTY-FOUR ELECTRONIC EMERGENCY RED AND BLUE LED POLICE CAR LIGHTING SYSTEMS.
• 4. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Police Chief Requesting Approval of the SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE of FORTY-FIVE DIGITAL IN-CAR VIDEO CAMERAS and the Necessary PERIPHERALS from L3 COMMUNICATIONS MOBILE VISION, INC., in the Amount of $258,440.25.
• 5. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Director of Public Works Requesting Approval for the PURCHASE of TWENTY POLICE VEHICLES for Routine Fleet Replacement, in the Total Amount of $370,507.00, through the State of Illinois Contract Bid Process, (18 Chevrolets in the Amount of $343,395.00 from BILL JACOBS CHEVROLET, One Ford Focus in the Amount of $11,501.00 from MORROW BROTHERS FORD, and One Ford Cargo Van in the Amount of $15,611.00 from LANDMARK FORD.)
• 6. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Director of Public Works Requesting Approval for the PURCHASE of THREE COMPACT CARS for Fleet Replacement from MORROW BROTHERS, in the Amount of $11,501.00 each, at a Total Cost Not to Exceed $34,503.00, Using the State Bidding Contract.
• 7. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Interim Human Resources Director Requesting Approval of a 30-DAY EXTENSION to the Current GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE POLICY to Allow More Time to Conduct a RFP PROCESS for INSURANCE SERVICES.
• H. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Director of Public Works Requesting Approval of an AGREEMENT with PEORIA COUNTY, CITY OF PEORIA, and NORTHWOODS COMMUNITY CHURCH for the IMPROVEMENT of the WILHELM ROAD and ALLEN ROAD INTERSECTION, and to WILHELM ROAD Between Allen Road and Northtrail Drive, TRANSFER of HIGHWAY JURISDICTION to the City of Peoria, with MFT RESOLUTION, in the Amount of $1,175,000.00 to Cover the City’s Share of the Improvement. (Refer to Item Nos. 02-617, 05-691 and 07-251)
• I. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Director of Planning and Growth Management Requesting to Extend the FUNDING COMMITMENT for SPD DEVELOPMENT (MacArthur Street Apartments) Until September 1, 2008. (Refer to Item No. 07-477)
• J. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Director of Planning and Growth Management Requesting Approval of a RESOLUTION Supporting the TEN YEAR PLAN TO END CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS.
• K. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Finance Director/Comptroller Requesting Adoption of an ORDINANCE Amending the City of Peoria Budget for Fiscal Year 2008 Relating to the PURCHASE of NEW POLICE VEHICLES, in the Amount of $2,307.00 from Restricted Capital Funds for the Acquisition and Maintenance of Police Vehicles.
• L. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Director of Public Works Requesting Approval of a STREET LIGHT REQUEST, in the Total Amount of $85.56 Annually for the Location of 5612 NORTH MAR VISTA DRIVE.
• M. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Corporation Counsel Requesting Approval of an APPLICATION for a CLASS G (Restaurant/Tavern, Beer Wine Only) SUBCLASS 3A (Sidewalk Cafe) LIQUOR LICENSE for 2601 W. LAKE, SUITE A-5, with Liquor Commission Recommendation to Approve.
• N. REPORT of the CITY TREASURER, REGINALD A. WILLIS for JANUARY 1, 2007, through DECEMBER 31, 2007.
• O. PEORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY FINANCIAL and STATISTICAL REPORT - JANUARY 31, 2008.
• P. ADOPTION of COMMITTEE REPORT Regarding USE of HOME FUNDS.

4. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Director of Planning and Growth Management with Request to Concur with the Recommendation from the Zoning Commission and Staff to DENY an ORDINANCE Rezoning Property Located at the NE Corner of FRYE ROAD and N. KNOXVILLE AVENUE from the Present Class R1 (Single Family Residential) District to a Class O1 (Arterial Office) District.

5. Communication from the Interim City Manager and Director of Planning and Growth Management with Request to Concur with the Recommendation from the Zoning Commission and Staff to DENY an ORDINANCE Rezoning Property Located at 9004 N. KNOXVILLE AVENUE from the Present Class R1 (Single Family Residential) District to a Class O1 (Arterial Office) District.

Unfinished Bus-Adjourn

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

(08-079) Communication from the Interim City Manager and Fire Chief Requesting Approval to AWARD a ONE-YEAR CONTRACT, with Two ONE-YEAR OPTIONS, to the LOWEST QUALIFIED BIDDER, IWIRC, in the Amount of $92,482.60, for the PEORIA FIRE DEPARTMENT WELLNESS/FITNESS INITIATIVE. (New Communication)

PETITIONS, REMONSTRANCES & COMMUNICATIONS – TOWN OF THE CITY OF PEORIA

1. Communication from the Town Clerk Recommending Approval of AGENDAS for the ANNUAL TOWN MEETING and the ANNUAL TOWN MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TOWN TRUSTEES.

NEW BUSINESS

CITIZEN REQUESTS TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE SESSION

ADJOURNMENT

Hat tip: NasaWatch.com

Rep. Markey Introduces Internet Freedom Legislation with Rep. Pickering

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunication and the Internet, today introduced H.R. 5353, the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, continuing his efforts started in 2006 to ensure that the historic, open architecture nature of the Internet will be preserved and fostered for the consumers, content providers and high tech innovators of the future. Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS) joined Rep. Markey as an original co-sponsor of the bill.

Rep. Markey made the following introductory statement:

“The global leadership in high technology the United States provides stems directly from historic policies that have ensured that telecommunications networks are open to all lawful uses and to all users. In addition, because of the vital role that broadband networks and the Internet fulfill in exercising our First Amendment rights to speak, it is important that the United States adopt a policy endorsing the open nature of broadband networks.

“The open architecture nature of the Internet is baked into its “technological DNA” - it is what has ensured the Internet’s place as the greatest “level playing field” ever created. At its core, the debate over Internet freedom is a battle about innovation and voices. For innovation, the Internet has no peer its ability to foster innovation and provide low barriers to entry for new ideas and businesses. As for voices, the Internet today is a wonderfully chaotic medium where voices both powerful and less powerful can be heard through the media mix. Individual citizens, civic groups, religious organizations, sporting clubs, trade associations, small business owners and others all have a stake in ensuring that broadband network providers keep their hands off the Internet and not degrade the ability of anybody to reach other citizens, to experiment and innovate, or to engage in free enterprise.

“The goal of this bipartisan legislation is to assure consumers, content providers, and high tech innovators that the historic, open architecture nature of the Internet will be preserved and fostered. H.R. 5353 is designed to assess and promote Internet freedom for consumers and content providers. Internet freedom generally embodies the notion that consumers and content providers should be free to send, receive, access and use the lawful applications, content, and services of their choice on broadband networks, possess the effective right to attach and use non-harmful devices to use in conjunction with their broadband services, and that content providers not be subjected to unreasonably discriminatory practices by broadband network providers.

“There are some who may wish to assert that this bill regulates the Internet. It does no such thing. The bill contains no requirements for regulations on the Internet whatsoever. It does, however, suggest that the principles which have guided the Internet’s development and expansion are highly worthy of retention, and it seeks to enshrine such principles in the law as guide stars for U.S. broadband policy. The bill tasks the FCC with the job of conducting an assessment of broadband practices and consumer rights. Finally, it requires the FCC to hold eight broadband summits around the nation and to report back to Congress on its findings and any recommendations for further action.

“I look forward to working with Full Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI), Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX), and other colleagues in the Congress on this initiative and other broadband policies in the coming months.”

Text of the Internet Freedom Preservation Act available HERE.

Summary of the Internet Freedom Preservation Act available HERE.

Central Illinois to Host 2008 UMIMRA Annual Waterways Conference

Waterway challenges and opportunities to be highlighted by Upper Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri
Rivers Association

WHAT: The Upper Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri Rivers Association (UMIMRA) hosts its annual waterways conference in Central Illinois for the 3nd year. Stakeholders from across the Midwest gather at this annual conference to discuss a broad range of topics including river restoration, flood management, economic development, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operations, as well as drainage and levee district management.

WHEN: Friday, February 15, 2008
8:00 AM – 3:30 PM

WHERE: Par-a-dice Hotel
21 Blackjack Blvd
East Peoria, IL 61611

DETAILS: The Inland Waterway System plays a critical role in the Nation’s infrastructure, providing not only an efficient means of transportation for commerce, but also an important means for recreation and environmental preservation. With increasing TransPORT (Heart of Illinois Regional Port District) activities locally, it is important to be aware of both the future challenges and opportunities associated with the Illinois River and the Inland Waterways System.

TransPORT (The Heart of Illinois Regional Port District) www.portdistrict.com covers 100 miles of the Illinois River from Marshall County in the North to Mason County in the South, encompassing Fulton, Marshall, Mason,Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties. TransPORT is a powerful economic development tool, with the primarybenefit being the creation of industrial and transportation employment for the region, stimulating the growth of intermodal logistics and industrial maritime development in the region and the state.

Yeah, I know. It’s not fair. Nobody in South Carolina named their town “Obama.” At least not in the colonial period, when I am sure the good folks of Clinton picked their name. Lincoln, Ill., I am told, was named after old Honest Abe before he became president.

The reality, however, is that anyone who’s been paying attention will read about the $1.4 million in earmarks that have been devoted to this boondoggle will come away convinced more than ever that earmarks must be curtailed and regulated.

This project exists — and continues to drain time and and resources from more worthwhile endeavors — because the movers and shakers are convinced there’s free federal money out there. But it’s not free money. There’s no such thing as free money from government because all of it, ALL OF IT, comes from the money hardworking people are forced to give the government. Every dime that does to earmark like this one is money that could be better used supporting the sort of things government has a traditional responsibility  to provide, like roads, bridges, schools, police and fire protection and national defense. This earmark is nothing more than a back door form of corporate welfare.

The downtown super-museum is a  make work project. It’s supposed to bring in tourism dollars, but won’t. Its real purpose is to help Caterpillar build a  visitor center, just like the one John Deer has. If Cat wants the former Sears Block, let them buy it outright and build it 100 percent on their own dime. The museum project should be scaled back to it’s original purpose: A museum of local history, with local historians in charge of what is and isn’t on display.

Well, times are changing.  Merchants are taking Euros over the counter in New York City:

“We had decided that money is money and we’ll take it and just do the exchange whenever we can with our bank,” Robert Chu, owner of East Village Wines, told Reuters television.

The increasingly weak U.S. dollar, once considered the king among currencies, has brought waves of European tourists to New York with money to burn and looking to take advantage of hugely favorable exchange rates.

I don’t blame Bush. Bush just happens to the warm body sitting in the Oval Office while this happened. I blame the American people, because they insist on government that panders to the special interests. I blame Americans, who want quick, easy to explain solutions to problems that can only be solved by long-term planning that can cause short term pain. I blame Americans who — no matter how much they complain about a lack of good paying jobs, will buy foreign made crap if it costs so much as a nickel less.

• WHAT: Mayor’s Incentive – Peoria Promise Media Conference
• WHEN: Monday, February 11, 2008 at 2:00 p.m.
• WHERE: Woodruff High School’s Conference Room
  1800 NE Perry Avenue
  Peoria, IL 61603

The Mayor’s Incentive, Peoria Promise will present a detailed plan for Peoria Promise’s funding including donors and a Gala to be held this Spring. This year’s District 150 graduates will be funded.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

• Mayor Jim Ardis
• Board of Education President, Dr. David Gorenz
• Superintendent of Peoria Public Schools District 150, Mr. Ken Hinton
• Caterpillar Director of Corporate Public Affairs, Mr. Tim Elder

Additional information: Peoria Promise is an opportunity for qualifying City of Peoria graduates to receive a scholarship covering full tuition towards a degree or certificate at Illinois Central College.

The Gala will be held Friday, May 2, 2008 at the Hotel Pere Marquette. Artist Michael Israel will be attending with his world renowned paintings and a new work specifically done for Peoria.

• The City of Peoria parking ban is no longer in effect.
• ABCNews just broke into “Millionaire” to report Mitt Romney is  “suspending” his campaign for president, which is what you do if you want to give up, but don’t want to … Oh, Hell, I dunno why he didn’t just quit.

I had been planning all day to go to the the John Morris victory party at the River Station. I like John (and I like the River Station) but the thought of spending the evening among people as they watch their favored candidate finish third in the three-person race just didn’t appeal to me.

When I heard that Allen Mayer was holding his victory party at the Radison Hotel (a short jaunt by car from Randolph Avenue), I went over there to schmooze and watch people celebrate Allen Mayer’s victory in the race for the Democratic nomination for the 92nd District seat in the State House of Representatives.

I why wouldn’t I expect to see people celebrating? I thought at the beginning of the race for the his foe, Jehan Gordon, was the underdog. Mayer had it all over Jehan. He had the backing of powerful unions and the environment lobby, as well as a ton of local goodwill through his having served on the Peoria County board AND with being the staff attorney for Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes. I found Gordon to be smart, likable, attractive, and because she was black, she would likely attract a sizable numbers of black voters to the polls. This was why Democratic party leaders recruited her to run back when they thought the opponent would be Aaron Schock.

Then stuff about Gordon started coming out. Turns out she never really completed her studies at the University of Illinois, contrary to the claim on some of her campaign materials. Then there was a dispute over whether or not she ever worked to encourage business to make use of the North American Free Trade Act. Late in her campaign, she held a press conference to reveal that she once was arrested for shoplifting. And in a development that was reported on C.J. Summer’s site, but not in the mainstream media, she only paid the fines on the shoplifting charge seven years after the case was adjudicated … three days before she told voters about the charges.

So, forgive me for thinking that Gordon had gone from being a slight underdog to a longshot.

There were plenty of clues that it wasn’t quite going to play out that way. First, Mr. Mayer was late, and arrived with a nervous look on his face. He and his campaign people kept leaving to gather what info they could to piece together an accurate picture of the results beyond the rare updates the local media provided.

Second, it was not fun in that room. The very early results showed Gordon with a huge lead. We were assured that once votes started coming in from the county, the race would narrow. And it did. But shortly before 11 p.m., with just a few precincts left, the gap was too great to overcome. Mayer, informed of the numbers, walked over to his wife, took her aside and whispered in her ear. They left the room, and returned a few minutes later.

He stood at the podium and announced that he had called Jehan Gordon to congratulate her on her victory. He thanked his supporters, his wife (who seemed more upset that he was) and his young children, and urged everyone there to vote for Gordon and to work hard to support the entire Democratic ticket.

The final results? Jehan Gordon: 5,695; Allan Mayer: 5,332. That’s a 363 vote difference.

The postmortem: I’m sure that experts wiser than I in matters political will have a more in-depth explanation. These are my immediate thoughts.

• Early voting was critical. A person close to the campaign told me that in the city of Peoria alone, some 500 early votes were cast for Gordon. The number was closer to 200 for Mayer. I have to think that some of those votes were cast before the revelations about the U of I degree and the shoplifting charge hit the paper, and that at least some of 500 votes would have gone to Mayer otherwise.
• Were campaign workers imported to get out the Gordon vote? Several people attending said that some 200 workers out of Chicago — perhaps belonging to the Laborers International Union — hit town today at the behest of Governor Rod Blagojevich.
• Voter turnout was huge this year. The Mayer camp believes that voting was heavy among black people who were eager to cast their ballots for Barack Obama. This tended to help Gordon.
• Mayer supporters were angry that Gordon ran ads in the final week decrying attacks on her. The Mayer’s campaign had nothing to do with the revelations, they said. Indeed several people congratulated him after his concession speech for running a clean campaign that didn’t resort to mud slinging. While there are those who will assume that the Mayer’s camp tipped off the PJS, it’s also true that not one single Mayer ad mentioned any of it.
• It’s safe to assume that while Mayer didn’t make hay of the degree controversy or the shoplifting conviction, it is a safe bet that House Minority Speaker Tom Cross will have no compunction against doing so on behalf of the Republican candidate.

If you’re keeping score, we have been shutting down comments for all stories that involve crime, race, religion and other sensitive areas that could make one ignorant person go a little haywire. But these stories only involve a little piece of potentially inflammatory stories. In the meantime and until we find a solution, you can still comment on our blog.

Hat tip to Media Nation, which opines that eventually, online news orgs will have to require commenters to use their own names:

Busy editors and reporters don’t have time to monitor every anonymous comment as it comes in. This isn’t about technology; it’s about common sense. Letters to the editor are rarely published without the writer’s name attached. If anything, online comments, which are posted automatically and without editing, ought to be held to a higher standard.

It would be an understatement to say that the Peoria Journal Star has a problem with racist comments, and with comments that are nothing more than attempts to allege facts not in evidence. Such comments soon disappear from the Website, but not after they’ve been read by hundreds of people.

I’m wondering of the PJS will eventually decide the extra work and worry isn’t worth it.

As I’ve said elsewhere, all that is needed is to require commenters to register with the site, using an email address that’s real and verifiable. This alone scares away the racists, the haters and those who troll for the amusement of it. I still allow commenters to be anonymous to the general public, provided their stick to one online username.

You see, we teach kids about safe sex in the schools. We teach kids how to drive, safely. We have D.A.R.E. programs that teach children stay away from the dangers of drugs. Why not teach children how to safely handle a gun?

The idea is to take a week (or two) and have a hunter safety course during the P.E. period. The kids don’t fire a weapon and it might encourage them to hunt. The least the kids would get out of the class is an appreciation for the power and dangers of firearms.

As far as P.E. goes, I think it is a much better use of their time than “Cup Stacking” and Bowling (two activities my kids have done in P.E. - it isn’t all dodge ball, jump ropes, and jumping jacks any more.) I think this is a great idea for a 5th or 6th grade class.

More Scientology stuff. If you want get involved with this church, be my guest. I just think you ought to know some stuff going in.

The leadership that voted him in should be challenged next election. But at least the Pundit has someone with deep pockets to buy him pizza and beer at Whitey’s, so one formerly in opposition is now singing the same tune as the Catholic contingent that is running eveyone else out of town.

The comment is signed “Peorian,” and it links to an email address: scooterpony@sbcglobal.net. More on this later in the post. It’s worth it waiting for.

This is my reply:

Peorian (AKA “scooterpony@sbcglobal.net”): First off,
my name is Billy Dennis. Walk up and introduce yourself sometime.

Second: I usually buy my own pizza. I have been known to swipe a slice from Gary Sandberg when he isn’t looking.

Third: I will concede that Whitey’s pizza is good enough that a slice theoretically could be considered a bribe. Nevertheless, I resent the implication that I can be bribed so cheaply. Make no mistake: I can be bought, but my price is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, which means the return on investment for the bribe giver would not be very good. But if you see me driving around town in a new Cadillac while [wearing a] fur coat, you will know my price has been met. End sarcasm.

Fourth: Gee, I thought the Lebanese Mafia ran Peoria politics, not the Catholic Cabal. End sarcasm.

Fifth: Why I merit a mention in this post is beyond me, since I’m not Catholic.

Folks: I am committed to the idea that people who post anonymously on my blog have the right to remain anonymous. I do NOT have that obligation toward people who post on other forums. And I would suggest that anyone who wants to remain anonymous MIGHT want to not use an email address that they’ve used to on Websites that carry their name. You see, there’s this little thing called Google. It took about 2 seconds to discover this site that tells us that “scooterpony@sbcglobal.net” is the email address for a person named Jo Stowell.

And who is Jo Stowell? None other than the wife of Peoria School Board member Jim Stowell (the contact telephone numbers listed on both sites match, so that’s confirmation it’s the same Jo Stowell).

I’ve mentioned Jim Stowell before on this site. Most recently, I wrote that I didn’t think much of his attempt to try to squeeze a bigger contribution from the city for the construction of a new Glen Oak School. You see, Mr. Stowell was the member of the school board who was meeting with City Council member Robert Manning over the issue of what the city would contribute to the project.

Since the school district pretty much accepted what the city was willing to offer, it can be assumed that Manning came out ahead at the bargaining table. Manning, a Spalding High School graduate, is presumably a member of the “Catholic contingent that is running everyone else out of town.”

So who really wrote this comment? The email address is via their ISP, so it’s probably one the whole family could use. That means the “Catholic contingent” comment could be from Jim, Jo or (theoretically) one of their kids. The Stowell family are members of the First Federated Church, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and the United Church of Christ. But far be it for me to link my opinion of his tenure on the school board with either of these two great religions. That would be wrong.

Oh, and here’s a new rule: If I delete a comment or a part of a comment, and someone using the same domain tries to post it AGAIN … you guessed it: Domain banning. And I’ll be sharing that domain address with other bloggers.

And here’s some info for those who like to slander and libel: I’m immune. And my host WILL supply detailed routing information if they are presented with a legal warrant filed by, say, someone wishing to file a libel suit. And while public figures have a higher burden or proof, it’s not an insurmountable burden.

Remember that, anonymous cowards.

While this agency is funded by grants, the employees are carried on the city of Peoria’s books. So, it’s Peoria City Hall that’s sending out the layoff notices.

Let me be the first to say that under NO circumstances should there be any consideration for Peoria taxpayers to pick up the tab for these workers. In actuality, Peoria taxpayers already were picking up the tab, since they were paid with taxes paid by Peorians, and more than likely the money being used to keep these 11 people employed possibly would have been used for more essential services.

I’ve found myself down at the Workforce Network more than once, at various job fairs and the like. I was unimpressed. There is no job training service that they offer that already isn’t being performed or should be performed by some other already existing government entity.

And those job fairs? They are cattle calls. Usually the jobs being offered are for low paying positions that have high turnover. Job fair and job training do NOT increase the number of jobs available. I cannot imagine any of these employers increasing the number of positions they will offer because Workforce Network offers a job fair.

Here’s the bitter truth: When politicians talk about cutting the fat out of bloated government bureaucracy, Workforce Network is exactly the sort of thing they are talking out.

If there is any luck, this monstrosity and all similar agencies like it throughout the state will lose all their funding. Good riddance.

Look at it this way: Since all these people losing their jobs are such experts at helping other people find work, I’m sure it will be no burden on them to find one of their own in the private sector.

Repeat after me: Government is not the solution to high unemployment; government is the cause ofhigh unemployment. Government is not the solution to high unemployment; government is the cause of high unemployment ….