Dave Bakke of the State Journal Register (Springfield) lists several news stories that were first reported in blogs, and then asks, “How long before it happens in Springfield?”

He doesn’t answer that question directly, but he does speculate on why Springfield’s bloggers haven’t broken a “big Springfield story” yet: “[M]ost are not geared for it. The majority are in an opinion, humor or entertainment mode.”

In Peoria, it’s different. We have quite a few newsy blogs, and while I can’t think of a “big” Peoria story the was first reported by a blogger, I can think of several little ones. Even I have had an occasion where I was the first to report on a Peoria story, and I’m certainly no insider.

So, I’ll leave you with a couple of questions: Why does Peoria have more newsy bloggers than our state capital does? And can you think of any “big Peoria stories” that were first reported on local blogs before the Peoria media picked them up?