Category Archives: Blogosphere

Blogosphere, City Council, City of Peoria

PeoriaIllinoisan posts council questionnaire results

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PeoriaIllinoisan did something that I had wanted to do but just don’t have time. He sent out his own questionnaire on city issues to all the candidates and has posted their responses on his blog. Take a look at what they said about:

The Kellar Branch
The Civic Center Hotel
Glen Oak School
Peoria’s Cumulative (Bullet) Voting System

And there are five other interesting questions that let you get a glimpse into their personalities as well.

There are 14 candidates and we’re going to be whittling them down to 10 at the primary election next Tuesday, February 27.

I’m not ready to make any endorsements yet, but I have ruled out a few candidates: Gale Thetford, Ryan Spain, Kelley Mammen, Gloria Cassel-Fitzgerald. I think Thetford’s record is well documented and needs no further explanation. Ryan Spain is, in my opinion, a “progressive” and not an “essential-services-first” candidate, so I’m fundamentally opposed to his platform. His flashy campaign materials ($$$) and endorsement by Ray LaHood also make me uncomfortable (and before someone asks, yes, I know Jacob is spending more on campaign materials, but the difference is that he has visible means to do so). Kelley Mammen answered the question regarding the Kellar Branch, “That is such a beautiful area and I feel that it should be a trail only.” I’m not going to vote against someone just because they don’t agree with me on the Kellar Branch, but if this is any indication of how she will make decisions that will impact jobs and economic development, I have no confidence in her as a council person. Gloria Cassel-Fitzgerald would make a better school board candidate. Education is clearly her passion, not broader city issues.

Now, this is not to say they aren’t all very nice people. I have nothing personal against them. All I’m saying is that I’m not interested in voting for them for the reasons listed. I think there are stronger candidates who will be better for Peoria. Who are my top five? I’ll continue whittling down the list….

Blogosphere, Peoria Park District

A tale of two park districts

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PeoriaIllinoisan has a great blog entry today about Krug Park in St. Joseph, Missouri, and its similarities to the Peoria Park District. Check it out!

And speaking of the park district, I’ve been hearing rumors that there’s a petition drive on the East Bluff — an attempt to identify the “silent majority” that wants the Glen Oak/White replacement school built in Glen Oak Park. I guess they want to petition the Park Board to reconsider their recent decision to not allow park land to be shared for a school site at Prospect and Frye. If this rumor is true, it will be interesting to see how many people sign the petition, if all the signatures are valid, and if Jim Stowell and David Gorenz consider these activists to be a “very vocal minority.”

Blogosphere, City of Peoria

There’s a new portal in town: Peoria.com

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Screenshot of Peoria.com

If you’re looking for a good Peoria portal, check out the new Peoria.com. Their site has a good, clean look and no broken links that I can find. The pages load quickly and have attractive graphics. The whole thing looks very professional.

They link to news stories equally from traditional media outlets and blogs, and they are actively seeking bloggers to provide original news and opinion for their site. There’s a forum (more like a traditional computer bulletin board than a blog), a listing of upcoming Peoria events, classified ads and job listings and a community guide. It’s pretty well-rounded.

The key is going to be keeping everything fresh and updated. How many portals have you visited that have information woefully out of date or missing completely? If they’re vigilant in keeping things relentlessly updated and complete, I think they’ll be very successful. And I wish them the best of luck.

Blogosphere

Blooger Brash

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Billy has a nice roundup of everyone who showed up at Blogger Bash last night. I learned something from Vaspers the Grate that I didn’t know before: you should always have misspellings in your blog entries. Apparently, so I’m told, if your blog entries are perfect, it shows you have nothing else to do, but if you have lots of typos, it gives the appearance that you’re very busy.

So, nicee meeting all you ohter bloogers an I hop to see evryone at th enext Blooger Brash!

Blogosphere

Bash was fun

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The Blogger Bash last night was fun. It occurred to me, as I was telling my wife who all was there, that I was the only non-pseudonymous blogger present. Those attending: PeoriaIllinoisan, Mapgirl, Emtronics, Eyebrows McGee, and me. It was like going to a secret superhero party where everyone has their masks off. “Hey! You’re Bruce Wayne!”

We talked about everything from Peoria politics to religion — I think we hit on every taboo subject, yet still left as friends. I was told the place was a Cardinals bar, but the TV where we were sitting had the Cubs game on. It’s just as well. Mulder was, um, pitching? — Is that what he was doing? — for the Cardinals last night. So, it was more fun to watch the Cubs implode in the background instead.

Emtronics regaled us with stories about his chicken-farming neighbor. Eyebrows and I had a good Catholic-Protestant debate/discussion about theology. I can’t tell you anything about the mysterious Mapgirl (I’m sworn to secrecy), except that she knows a lot about Peoria and was fun to talk to. And PeoriaIllinoisan disclosed that his blog entries are short because he doesn’t like to write much. That’s why his other blogs are just pictures or videos.

For another recap, take a look at Eyebrows’ blog and Midwest Confidential. And next time, come on out for the Blogger Bash yourself! You don’t have to be a blogger to attend. We love meeting readers as well as bloggers. The more, the merrier.

Blogosphere

Blogger Bash

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It’s a month with five Tuesdays, so you know what that means: Blogger Bash!

Yes, my sources tell me that the Bash will be at Castle’s Patio Inn on Loucks tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. This is a little earlier than usual, so all you wise early-to-bed people should be able to make it this time.

I was happy to hear from PeoriaIllinoisan that it’s a Cardinals bar. After that dramatic walk-off grand slam last night, it will be a good night to watch some Cardinals baseball!

Blogosphere, City of Peoria

The WikiPeoria Project

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PeoriaIllinoisan has a great idea going over at his blog. He’s been visiting Wikipedia to see what it has to say about our fair city and thinks it’s missing some important information. Check it out.

UPDATE: Wikipedia is “an encyclopedia written collaboratively by many of its readers.”  All entries are supposed to be written from a “neutral point of view.”  And most importantly, contributors are supposed to respect other contributors.  So, how does one explain that after a contributor added “Name This Peoria Landmark” to the “external links” section on August 12, someone named “rklawton” removed that link on August 13?  Is someone purging Wikipedia’s Peoria entry of any blog references?

Blogosphere

Me and Mrs. McGee

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Unconscionably, I missed the big TV event last night. I knew I wouldn’t be able to watch it live because we were having company, but I had every intention of taping it. Alas, I forgot. I listened to it on WEEK’s website this morning (the video was so jumpy, I gave up trying to watch it).

I did remember the big party afterwards, so I headed over to the Castle Patio Inn to celebrate the big unveiling. And there, I met Laura Petelle (aka “Eyebrows McGee”) and her husband, Garth Madison. We had a nice chat about how lawyers can defend people they know are guilty, how old we all were when MTV came on the air (the bar TV was tuned to VH1 which was showing the first day of MTV to celebrate their 25th anniversary), and other sundry topics. My only embarrassment was that I kept forgetting her real name. She finally gave me her card.

I felt kind of bad for Mrs. McGee, however, since I was the only one (other than her husband, obviously) to show up to her big party. Where were all you people??? 🙂

Anyway, it was very nice meeting you, Laura and Garth. My wife and I will be having you over for supper sometime soon — we’re checking our calendar (oh, and you have to promise not to make fun of our garden). In the meantime, see you online!