It’s open thread time.
Here’s some possible topics:
1. Governor Blagojevich wants to let restaurant patrons play Keno, which is a quick-paced form of gambling that some critics say is as addictive as Bingo on crack. Furthermore, Blagojevich says existing law gives him all the authority he needs to allow this form of gambling without...
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Yesterday, the Journal Star reported on agreement between Peoria, Pekin, Champaign and Urbana to team-up to buy the Illinois American Water Company. I’ve read the same story before, last week.
journal star,water buyout,illinois american,rwe,pekin,champaign,urbana
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The Peoria City Council might decide to seek a partner or two to to buy the suddenly for sale Illinois American Water Company.
I keep seeing paragraphs like this in the press:
On the open market, Peoria wouldn’t be constrained by the appraisers’ set price of $220 million – a strong factor that many council members...
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The Journal Star posted it’s own article about the eventual sale of the Illinois American American Water Company. I was struck by this paragraph:
Ironically, the announcement of a sale came the same day as a celebratory dinner for local employees because they helped avoid a city buyout.
There’s nothing ironic about it. IW drafted its...
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In the end, the Randy Oliver came up with wording
that notified Illinois American that they weren’t going to try to buy the company that didn’t mention “due dilligence.” So Gary Sandberg was happy.
But don’t be surprised if the phrase pops up at least once or twice at every single council meeting for the...
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County Board member Merle Widmer, a pal and a Peoria Blogger, has some sharp advice for a member of the Peoria City Council:
City Council meetings would last about half as long as if their wasn’t Gary and Chuck (with Clyde trying to catch up), repeating themselves over and over again as if the rest...
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*UPDATE: (6:38 p.m.) I spoke to City Council Member George Jacob today. He wanted to clarify what he told me after last night’s meeting. The issue with the people at the government agencies with whom he spoke wasn’t so much the issue of the buyout itself, but the timing. They believed that there...
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The Journal Star’s Jennifer Davis has some of the details about the latest plan to proceed with the buyout of the Illinois American Water Company system:
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Via WEEK
Councilman Gary Sandberg wants the city of explore the idea of re-assigning the city’s option to buy the water company to another public body.
Those bodies might include the Peoria Public Building Commission or the Greater Peoria Sanitary District.
Illinois American,gary sandberg,water buyout,peoria
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Here’s the last of the direct quotes. I’m still planning a few more posts on the topic. This whole issue raised some specific issues about the future direction of this council.
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I really don’t appreciate this comment from Polly Peoria regarding Barbara Van Auken:
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This is how Peoria’s capital “L” libertarian blogger described
the vote to not seek purchase of the system that distributes Peoria’s water:
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Forgive me for the lateness of this post. The council meeting lasted way longer that it should have. If the quality of a democracy is measured in the amount of time we let politicians and the public repeat themselves in front of a microphone, then Peoria has the healthiest damn democracy in Illinois. Jesus,...
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UPDATE: 4:30 p.m. — Here is a letter (.doc format) from John M. Wood, president of Veolia Water North America. The company is one of the bidders seeking to be named the operator of the city’s water company, should the city buy it. He is disputing the claim by the Illinois American Water Company...
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UPDATE 2: 8:20 a.m. Manning says the vote to continue spending money on “due diligence” will fail. He must have inside information. So it looks like some council members will put re-election ahead of reprresenting the best interests of their constituents.
UPDATE: 8:10 a.m. Bob Manning is on the Greg Batten/Dan DiOrio show on WMBD,...
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I’m basing this on Jennifer Davis’ fine article, and my own discussions with council members.
Gary Sandberg, Chuck Grayeb, Bob Manning and Clyde Gulley will all vote for in favor of proceeding with the “due diligence” process. Barbara Van Auken will vote in favor of it. The constituents which whom she has spoken are in...
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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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