Archive for April 20th, 2006

Neighbors aren’t fighting, school district two properties closer to goal

Posted by C. J. Summers on April 20th, 2006

It looks like the neighbors of Glen Oak Park are happy with the money they’re getting from the school district.  Another two houses have been sold, one of them for $120,000 — about $30,000 over the fair market value of the home.  I guess you could say the district made an offer they couldn’t refuse.  When you have the hammer of eminent domain hanging over your head, the smart thing to do is take the money and run, if you get a good enough offer.

Peoria Public Schools | 5 Comments »

TransPORT taking over old Cat foundry

Posted by C. J. Summers on April 20th, 2006

I found this report encouraging, especially after hearing Mr. Ady’s presentation at the council meeting Tuesday night.  One of the things he mentioned was the lack of buildings that can be used to lure manufacturing companies to Peoria county/city.  Now it looks as though the port district, or TransPORT, has quite a bit of building space to market — the old Mapleton Cat foundry.  It’s rail-served, near the river, and reasonably close to an interstate (though not ideal on that count).  This could be a great opportunity for Peoria to pull in some good-paying industry jobs.

Caterpillar, TransPORT | Comments Off

Ingersoll out of state?

Posted by C. J. Summers on April 20th, 2006

I was reading the Journal Star article on the pending demolition of the old state armory and was surprised by two things:  (1) the armory is owned by Chase Ingersoll, and (2) this revelation:

Ingersoll, who reportedly has moved out of state, couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.

Moved out of state?  Unable to be reached?  Is he an absentee landlord now?

Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Washington Post’s Pearlstein not a big Caterpillar fan

Posted by C. J. Summers on April 20th, 2006

Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein has some scathing remarks about Caterpillar in his Wednesday article:

It’s time for the Jim Owenses of the world to show the same backbone and ingenuity in dealing with the excessive and unreasonable demands of Wall Street that they previously showed in dealing with workers and labor unions.

Ouch!

Caterpillar | 1 Comment »