Daily Archives: August 29, 2007

State of Illinois

Governor signs electric rate relief

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Blagojevich with basketballGov. Blagojevich, who had earlier threatened to scuttle the electric rate relief package agreed to by lawmakers and energy companies, finally signed the legislation yesterday, the Chicago Tribune reports:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich reluctantly signed a $1 billion electricity-rate relief package Tuesday that dramatically reshapes the Illinois electric market, saying the legislation provides a “good starting point” in protecting consumers against skyrocketing energy charges.

According to Ameren Illinois which services the Peoria area, eighty percent of residential customers “will realize a cut of 40 percent or more from the expected increase in their 2007 electric bill. Even residential customers using small amounts of electricity will get at least a $100 rebate this year.” More details on the rate relief package are available here.

Uncategorized

Abud by any other name

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Adams Supermarket is open now on the south side, but what’s the name of the guy who owns it?

I always thought it was a guy named Ahmad Abud — at least, when I went down there many months ago and talked to him, that’s the name he gave me. But when Jennifer Davis interviewed him for a story on the new grocery store in the Journal Star, he told her his name is Hussein Alsalahi.

I wouldn’t necessarily have noticed except that when Jenny’s story ran, there was a large picture of Abud/Alsalahi accompanying it. I pointed out the name difference to Jenny the next time I saw her, and she followed up on it. At the supermarket’s grand opening, she noticed that many people were calling him Ahmad, so she asked him why he had told her his name was Alsalahi.

First, he tried to make it seem like I didn’t interview him, but his older brother. When I said, No, you and I talked, then he changed his story and said he gave me his brother’s name because he was the head of the company. I asked him why he would do that and he said that’s the name he thought I should have.

Abud/Alsalahi’s company is called Pulaski Express, Inc. According to the State of Illinois’ Corporation File, the agent name on record for that company (File #62635517) is “Hussien Alsalahi.” He’s also been identified as Alsalahi in The Community Word.

So is Alsalahi his name or his brother’s? Or does he go by both names? I suppose there’s nothing inherently wrong with someone going by two completely different names. It’s just weird to me, I guess.