Monthly Archives: September 2006

General News

Nepotism in Secretary of State’s office?

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The Galesburg Register-Mail reports this morning on accusations of nepotism in Secretary of State Jesse White’s office by Republican challenger Dan Rutherford. He makes a good point:

Rutherford gave a number of examples, most notably that of White’s daughter, who was hired by Republican George Ryan when Ryan was secretary of state. Rutherford says she was hired at an annual salary of $39,000 and her salary was tripled when her father took office, bringing her pay to $112,000 a year.

Wow! I’ll be he got a really nice Father’s Day present that year. Rutherford also pointed out that, “according to published reports, four of White’s high-level staff have relatives now working for White.” It’s like they always say, it ain’t what you know….

City of Peoria, Television

Not just HOI, but all Peoria stations to broadcast “town hall” on Peoria violence

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In case you don’t read the comments section on Billy’s or my blogs, here’s the information on the upcoming “Target Peoria: An Open Discussion On Crime” television event.

Jonathan Ahl wrote:

I will be the moderator for this special program, broadcast on WMBD, WHOI, and WEEK from 8-9pm [Wednesday, Sept. 13]. WTVP will tape it and play it at 11pm.

The reason there are not a lot of details is that the organizers are still working them out. I feel pretty strongly that it will be an important hour and a good broadcast.

And on Billy’s site, Ahl added:

The idea for the meeting came from discussion between the GM’s at WEEK, WMBD, and WHOI. Those three worked with Ardis to get things moving. […] Mayor Ardis et al will have a Sunday press conference at 2pm to talk about it.

My thanks to Jonathan for the information.

City Council, City of Peoria

Van Auken proposes higher fines for ordinance violations

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In response to a couple of recent, over-the-top, raging parties around the Bradley area (well-reported by PeoriaIllinoisan), Second District Councilperson Barbara Van Auken is proposing raising the fines for noise violations and criminal activity to $1,000. She wrote in an e-mail to Uplands residents:

I want to update you on activities related to the riotous weekend you and your neighbors experienced. Uplands President Goitein has talked with Bradley Security Chief Baer who, in turn, is meeting with BU officials about what happened and why. I also spoke with VP Gary Anna who was very concerned about the events and promised to personally look into them. He is also supportive of […] hefty fines to property owners and party hosts. Additionally, Chief Settingsgaard is investigating the situation and plans to talk with Chief Baer about coordinating their efforts to put a halt to these raucous parties. He, too, is strongly supportive of the hefty fine suggestion.

I talked with both Randy Oliver and Randy Ray about fines to hosts and property owners. It cannot depend on how many calls we get about a party–one call is enough. If, in fact, there’s ordinance violations, e.g., noise, and/or criminal activity, e.g., underage drinking, at a party, I’m proposing a $1,000 fine for both the host(s) and the property owner if it’s owner-occupied. If the property owner is a landlord, I’m proposing that the individual–within 30 days– pay the $1,000 fine or present documentation to the Legal Department that eviction proceedings are in process or complete. While there are responsible landlords who almost never know about party activities at their property; once they know, they need to take immediate action–not just promise it won’t happen again. I’ve heard that too many times, and the problem goes on for months.

This is welcome news. I hope Van Auken’s proposal makes it to the council soon and is passed. There needs to be greater consequences for parties that involve “150 people fighting in the street” and require the use of pepperball guns to break them up.

City of Peoria, General News, Television

I’m really starting to like WHOI

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Lately, I’ve been more and more impressed with WHOI as a local news channel. I believe they usually come in last in the ratings, but I’ve noticed quite a few stories lately that they’ve covered better than WEEK and WMBD, in my opinion.

Now, they’re planning a one-hour, commercial-free special report on fighting crime in Peoria. That’s ambitious — and exciting! Here are the details from HOI’s website:

On Wednesday, September 13 HOI-19 will air a special report on fighting crime in Peoria. It’s called “Target Peoria: An Open Discussion On Crime.” It runs from 8 to 9 p.m., commercial free.

I can’t wait to see who they interview and what the format of the show will be. Kudos to WHOI’s news department!

Museum Block

If only Peoria’s museum had James Smithson’s bequest

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James Smithson“Museum officials defend names” was the headline on the front page of the paper this morning. Wait until you hear their defense!

Kathleen Woith likes to remind people that the Smithsonian likely meant nothing to people when the name was first adopted.

Today, most people immediately recognize that name as synonymous with one of the world’s most prestigious museums. They’ve forgotten, or perhaps have never known, that it was named after James Smithson, the illegitimate son of a French baronet who never lived in the U.S. but supported its ideals.

And maybe museum officials have forgotten, or perhaps never known, that the reason it was named the Smithsonian Institution was because Smithson founded it with the money from his estate:

In 1826, James Smithson, a British scientist, drew up his last will and testament, naming his nephew as beneficiary. Smithson stipulated that, should the nephew die without heirs (as he would in 1835), the estate should go “to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.”

The estate was worth about $500,000. So, hypothetically, if someone named James Amaze wants to bequeath a half a million to Peoria for a multi-disciplinary museum with the stipulation that it be named the AMAZEum, I will have no quarrel with the name. You know why? Because then it would mean something.

That’s the reason Woith’s analogy doesn’t work. Whether or not people know who James Smithson was, the name nevertheless has intrinsic meaning. It identifies and memorializes the founder. In contrast, the names museum officials have presented are meaningless — not just to the uninformed, but in their very essence.

A more apt analogy would be to liken the naming to the Dada movement, “an early 20th-century international movement in art, literature, music, and film, repudiating and mocking artistic and social conventions and emphasizing the illogical and absurd.” (NOAD) In keeping with this philosophy, the name of the movement (Dada) was chosen randomly from a French dictionary.

Furthermore, Woith’s analogy, it seems to me, would bolster arguments to put Peoria in the name. Here was Smithson — an outcast because of his illegitimate birth in 19th century England — whose name is now revered because of this fine institution in Washington. Surely the name Peoria — whose only sin was that it didn’t “test well” in focus groups — can undergo a similar transformation if the museum is really going to be as unique and prestigious as museum officials claim.

Kellar Branch, Peoria Journal Star

Journal Star does it again

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The Journal Star has another Kellar Branch editorial. I can’t help but respond to their erroneous assertions and half-truths:

The start out by saying, “Depending on how the federal government rules, Peoria’s decaying Kellar branch rail line may either become a hiking/biking trail or be forced to reopen for rail service.” Notice there’s no mention (of course) of Pioneer Industrial Railroad’s offer to provide rail service and help build the trail next to the rail line. In the Journal Star’s mind, it’s either/or, one or the other. Too bad they can’t be more open-minded.

Then they proceed to look at the many and various cost estimates for bringing the rail line up to operable condition. After glossing over the three different cost estimates the city submitted ranging from $50,000 to $2 million, they have this little gem:

Meanwhile, Pioneer Railcorp, Kellar’s jilted carrier, apparently thinks it can make the line shine for just under $10,000, which would just about cover a few bushes and some other landscaping in someone’s yard. It’s not credible. Removing the monster weeds alone covering the tracks would take an army, and you know what the military-industrial complex charges these days.

Ah yes, local employer Pioneer Railcorp — the one that wants to buy the line for over $500,000 which would sure come in handy down at City Hall, the one that wants to lure more businesses to Pioneer Park and Growth Cell Two by providing reliable rail service, the one that has offered to rehab the line at their own expense, the one that successfully and profitably ran the line for seven years, the one that provided an itemized and detailed quote for track repair — they’re the ones who are nothing more than a “jilted carrier” and whose repair quote is “not credible.”

But the city, who hired non-local carrier Central Illinois Railroad Co. — the company that couldn’t get a load of lumber up the Kellar Branch, the company that had a runaway train that endangered the lives of Peorians, the company that never successfully or profitably ran the Kellar line, the company that broke their contract with the city, the company that is costing Carver Lumber considerably more in shipping because of said breach of contract, the company that provided a vague, non-itemized, unsigned quote for track repair — their estimate for service is somehow more credible, according to Peoria’s newspaper of record.

It’s so ironic that the city is fighting so hard, spending so much money on lawyers, and for what? So they can waste more money by tearing out a $565,000 asset. Good grief!

As for the “monster weeds” the paper worries would be so expensive to remove — has the Journal Star ever heard of Roundup? I would think one trip down the tracks in a service truck with a sprayer would take care of that problem.

But perhaps the most hopeful comment is the final one: “The city and village should explain their math [to the Surface Transportation Board] in detail, pronto, to dispel the confusion and not risk jeopardizing their credibility or the trail’s prospects.” My friend David Jordan believes this indicates that the Journal Star is starting to worry that the city may not win their case with the STB. I just think it’s funny that they can’t see that the city has already “jeopardized their credibility,” and not just with the STB.

General News, State of Illinois

Ryan sentenced; could serve time in Pekin

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George RyanFormer Illinois governor George Ryan was sentenced to six and a half years in a minimum-security prison. And at which prison will he be serving that time? We don’t know yet, but the Bloomington Pantagraph reports (emphasis mine):

Although his final destination remains unknown – as does the exact start-date of the 78-month prison sentence he received Wednesday – the federal Bureau of Prisons generally attempts to place inmates within 500 miles of their homes.

Prisons within that proximity of the governor’s Kankakee home include: Pekin, Terre Haute, Ind,; Springfield, Mo.; and Oxford, Wis.

Oh, please, please, please, let him serve his time in Pekin! That would be sweet.

General News, Ray LaHood

I suppose I should have known this….

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Emile LahoudRay LaHoodI was reading this article in the Jerusalem Post and it appears that Ray LaHood “is a distant relative of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud.” I’m guessing that’s common knowledge around here, but I didn’t realize it. It wasn’t mentioned in the Journal Star’s recent story about LaHood’s trip to the Middle East, and I couldn’t find mention of it in the Journal Star’s archives, but I didn’t do an exhaustive search either. I suppose it’s not a big deal, depending on how “distant” a relative he is. Still, it’s interesting to know.

Also interesting is LaHood’s report of his meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, compared to the Jerusalem Post’s report. From the Journal Star’s article:

“We had a very frank discussion with her [Livni],” LaHood said. “We brought up the blockade and her point – and it’s a good point – is you can’t dispute the fact that Israel is surrounded by Arab countries that want to do them in, like Iran and Syria.”

“They feel like Lebanon can be a good friend and a good partner,” LaHood said, but Israel wants to be assured that Hezbollah will not be rearmed and continue to pose a threat.

The Jerusalem Post article states:

Livni […] told representatives Ray LaHood (R-IL), Charles Boustany (R-LA) and Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) that Israel would not make any gestures toward Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.

According to officials in Livni’s office, the three congressmen came to Israel after meeting Saniora in Lebanon with a message that the blockade should be lifted for humanitarian reasons. LaHood is a distant relative of Lebanese President Emile Lahoud.

Livni’s reply was that Israel’s “pockets were empty” of gestures until UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is implemented. She said that if Saniora wanted to improve the situation, he should do everything within his power to work for the release of kidnapped IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev and enforce the arms embargo against Hizbullah.

At first glance, they’re pretty similar. But it’s worth noting that Israel is not only asking for Hezbollah not to be rearmed (that is, to get new arms shipments), but for Hezbollah to be disarmed. Israel wants UN Security Council Resolution 1701 fully implemented, which includes this provision (emphasis mine):

[The UN] Calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements:
[…]
— full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the Lebanese cabinet decision of 27 July 2006, there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese State;

Resolutions 1559 and 1680 specifically call for the disbandment and disarmament of “all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias,” which would include Hezbollah.

Livni also mentioned that it would be a good thing if those kidnapped Israeli soldiers were returned, since that’s part of what triggered the escalation. LaHood didn’t mention that, either.

Nevertheless, it looks like LaHood is going to get his wish tomorrow. CNN reports that “Israel will lift its sea and air blockade of Lebanon on Thursday evening, the Israeli government announced Wednesday.” In accord with Resolution 1701, international forces are taking over for Israeli forces, hence the step down from a full blockade on Lebanon.

General News

All-boys public school opens in Chicago

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Urban Prep Charter AcademyChicago public schools are taking a page from parochial schools’ playbook to try to improve student performance. The Urban Prep Charter Academy on Chicago’s south side has gone to a boys-only school.

According to WLS-TV (ABC7Chicago.com), “[Urban Prep President] Tim King came up with the idea for the first all-boys public school. After leading a boys Catholic school, he wanted to see all young men be given the same academic opportunity.”

“The school represents a new strategy to raise achievement levels among African-American boys,” reports cbs2chicago.com.

Operating inside the stately Lindbloom High School building, the first Urban Prep students will have a longer school day and wear blazers, shirts and ties under strict discipline — all part of an effort to reverse depressing statistics.

“We should end the steady increase of young African-American [and] Latino males going into the prison system,” Mayor Richard Daley said of the changes.

By employing teaching methods tailored for boys, Urban Prep Principal Tim King believes those trends can be changed.

“We know for example that boys learn better under conditions of stress,” he said. “So what we can do in our delivery of instruction is create an environment in which students are constantly being challenged and have to respond to those challenges.”

Enrollment in the charter school is 150 students chosen randomly from all applicants, and each of them was greeted by their last name and with a firm handshake the first day of school. The idea is that by treating them with respect, expecting them to dress professionally, and holding them to higher standards, they will learn to respect themselves and others and take pride in their school and work.

Time will tell how well this bold initiative will work. It’s worth keeping an eye on — if it’s successful, it may be something that District 150 could emulate in the future.

Picture credit: Chicago Defender/Worsom Robinson