Hotel scandal has a Peoria connection -- and the JS isn't reporting it

Since Peoria’s newspaper of record isn’t going to cover this story, I might as well pick up the slack.

The Chicago Sun Times has the details about the investors in a luxury hotel developed by a Republican big-wig have snatched up $1.8 billion in state deals — even though they haven’t repaid taxpayer-backed construction loan for the hotel.

Republican power broker William Cellini is the majority owner of the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield. A minority owner is Michael Cullinan.

Yes, that Mike Cullinan: The CEO of R.A. Cullinan & Sons, the Peoria-area-based contractor that is the general contractor on the first phase of the “Upgrade 74″ project. This is the same Mike Cullinan who is a member of the Peoria Civic Federation, the group of Peoria-area power brokers with whom former Mayor Dave Ransburg met to map out policy for the city.

Most of the state business goes to companies linked to Cellini, led largely by the Commonwealth Realty Advisors investment company that he founded and now is controlled by his children.

Another hotel investor, Michael Cullinan, runs a pair of Peoria-area road building businesses with $494.9 million in state contracts since 2001, state records show. This year, his companies are getting more than $186 million.

Various state agencies are trying to get the loan repaid or declared delinquent. There’s been not much luck getting the investors — including Cullinan — banned from doing business until the loan is repaid:

Citing the lucrative road-building deals with Cullinan’s companies, Topinka’s office said it would not have awarded those contracts and disputed the idea the administration lacks authority to scuttle the deals. Blagojevich aides predicted more lawsuits if it arbitrarily pulled the plug on any of the contracts.

“Any firm primarily owned or wholly owned by any of these investors, we think, shouldn’t be awarded huge, lucrative contracts while we’re trying to squeeze every penny from them based on a deal gone bad 20 years ago,” said Martin Noven, Topinka’s top lawyer.

So how big is Cullinan’s investment in this hotel? Not much, as it turns out:

Cullinan, a 0.98-percent stakeholder in the hotel investment group, did not return two messages left at R.A. Cullinan & Son.

We’ll have to add this to growing list of scandals involving Peoria big shots that Peorians cannot find within the pages of Peoria’s daily newspaper.

I dunno. Perhaps I’ll pick up a paper tomorrow and see it run across the front page. I kind of doubt it though.

NOTE: The Belleville News Democrat, the KWQC in the Quad Cities and NBC5 in Chicago all picked up this story.

Good news

"Spoke" with tech support. A database restire is possible from their end. Cost: $10.

Well ... I'm still alive

There's a database error of some sort going on over at my hosting company. That's the message I get whenever I try to access my peoriapundit.com site. But I'm getting ana ctual WP message, which tells me it isn't a billing issue or server issue.

I submitted a trouble ticket asking them to respore it or figure out what happened so i can restore it.

On the mean time, I'm sorry for the interuption in service. Hopefully, I didn't lose too many posts.

Liv Tyler

liv-tyler-02, originally uploaded by ecb29.

There are naughtier photos out there, but this one shows off her elfin beauty. I first noticed her back when she and Alicia Silverstone were doing the fake lesibian thing on MTV (back when they actually had music videos). But I fell in love with Liv in Lord of the Rings.

Technorati Tags: Liv Tyler, eye candy

Scarlet Johansson

Scarlet-Johansson-03, originally uploaded by ecb29.

Technorati Tags:
Scarlet Johansson, The Island, Lost in Translation, eye candy, Ghost World, In Good Company, Girl with a Pearl Earring"

Last gasp ...

Since it might be a while till I'm up and running again -- assuming I lose access today -- I thought I'd leave something nice -- yet perfectly safe for work -- to look at.



What did I tell ya?

It's this girl's small imperfections that make her so attractive.

Technorati Tags: scarlet johansson, eye candy

Does this make sense, por favor?

In the interest of encouraging diversity (and boosting hit counts) I'm trying to make my site more accessible to Spanish speaking (and reading) Peorians. I've used Alta Vista's Bable Fish to generate a link to a translated version of Peoria Pundit. Because I barely speak a work of the language, I need someone to tell me if this site make sense. If it does, I might consider a couple Chinese-language versions for people in our beloved Sister City of Benxi can read it.
Technorati Tags:
spanish, babelfish, alta vista, spanish blogs, chinese, benxi, china

I have issues

• I've added "Day by Day" to my sidebar. I still have a bit of tinkering to do, I think.

• To make room, I've dumped the pics from my Flickr site. Judging by the uttler lack of comments, no one was visiting it anyway.

• I've increased the size of the text. I've also switched to the serif font "Georgia" for enteries, and went back the the san serif font "Lucida Grande" for blockquotes. It mirrors the approach found in most newspapers. I think it will be more readable this way.

• And on the job front: I interviewed for a sales job yesterday. I'll find out Thursday. And I have many many resumes out there. I like to keep my readers informed because so many of my fans find such amusement in these details.

• And finally, and this is the biggie: I can't justify keeping my cable television and Internet connection. It's just too difficult and there are too many people and businesses having to take late payments from me. So, I'll be making do with my parents' Internet connection for the time being.

I'm due to be shut off soon, perhaps this weekend or next. As soon as that happens, posting will be light (to say the least) and will pick up after the job situation improves.

Technorati Tags:
site issues, unemployment, pay pal, donations, hint, hint, hint

Bingo's a blood sport

I am reminded of a joke:

Q: How do you get 50 little old ladies to swear at the same time?

A: Yell "Bingo!"

Heh. Via the Journal Star:

The fight started about 11 a.m. at Human Service Center, 228 NE Jefferson Ave., when Roslyn D. Moore, 45, of 1014 W. Hanssler St. allegedly moved items belonging to another player before the game.

Osceola A. Bowers, 45, of 403 NE Perry Ave. had placed belongings on a table in preparation for the game, left momentarily, and when she returned found Moore had moved them, police said.

The two women started arguing, causing facility staff to break up the fight and move each woman to opposite ends of the room.

The women, however, continued to exchange words, causing Moore to attack Bowers with her cane, reports said. Moore struck Bowers hard enough on the arm to break the cane.

I have one question: What the Hell are they doing playing organized Bingo in a government building? Peoria police just raided a place in Peoria where people were gambling on video poker machines. Apparently, only the government and churches are allowed to gamble.

Technorati Tags:
bingo, human services center, gambling, peoria

Truancy center not exactly Attica

Kudos to the Journal Star's Clare Jellick for her report on a day at the District 150 Truancy Center. It's hardly the chain gang that some people predicted it would become.

Technorati Tags:
truancy, clare jellick, district 150, peoria

Peoria Civic Center's failure: Bad leadership or simply a bad idea?

One of three situations is true:

1. The Peoria Civic Center was a wonderful idea when original conceived, but the people running it on the Peoria Civic Center Authority obviously are not up to the job.
2. The people running the PCC are up the the task, but there was never any chance in the world it could have become self sufficient to the point its doesn't need taxpayer subsidies.
3. Not only was the PCC doomed to failure from the very start, the people running it don't know what the Hell they are doing.

It's one of these three choices. There is no fourth choice: Competent people managing a facility that is capable of raising an adequate amount of revenue on its own. If this was the case, they wouldn't be begging -- once again -- for even more taxpayer dollars.

At-large Peoria City Council member Chuck Grayeb says there not six votes on the council in favor of giving the authority even more money. And for that, we can credit the last election when three "progressives" were kicked out and replaced with at least two "essential services first" people.

Democracy works.

Technorati Tags: peoria civic center, civic center authority, opera, ballet, HRA, hotel restaurant amusement tax, chuck grayeb, essential services

Another handout for the Civic Center

Here comes the Peoria Civic Center Authority with its hand out again. Seems they've gone ahead and started a massive construction project and then discovered that the bids are higher than they have money to spend.

Oops.

Why does this stuff keep happening? The Hotel, Restaurant and Amusement (HRA) tax was supposed to be temporary to pay off the bonds. But the damn thing keeps falling apart. And they can't make money without expanding. Again.

Proponents talk about hotel occupancy rates and the number of dollars that are pumped into the economy by visitors. Yet the damn thing cannot pay for itself. If taxpayers keep having to foot the bill through higher taxes, it obviously isn't benefiting taxpayers. The PCC was supposed to raise money for the city, not drain the taxpayers' wallets. Because of that, the Civic Center obviously and without question is NOT a financial benefit to the city as a whole. Perhaps there are some businesses who benefit, but not the people who are working minimum wage jobs who subsidize a high-end opera and ballet venue every time they buy a burger and fries.

Technorati Tags:
peoria civic center, civic center authority, opera, ballet, HRA, hotel restaurant amusement tax

Peoria firefighters at risk

Wisely, a group of Peoria firefighters are getting ready to evacuate themselves should Rita take a turn toward Louisiana. That looks to be what is happening.

Be careful guys. We are proud of you all, but upu need to mind your own safety as well.

Technorati Tags:
peoria, fighters, local 50, Roy Modglin, rita, katrina, hurricane, fema

Leave God out of it

I find myself in the position of agreeing with Vonster about this post:

I think God is punishing Texas for producing such feeble-minded, selfish choads as our president. It's like God is saying, "Mr.'s Bush and Cheney, how about YOU go {expletive deleted] yourselves." Heh Heh. You response, Mr. Bush? "We must keep fighting science in the church, so that science will keep kicking our asses everywhere else."

God didn't send Katrina or Rita to to punish anyone. God didn't send AIDS to kill homosexuals and He certainly didn't send roadside bombs to kill soldiers because our nation fails to stone homosexuals to death.

This kind of comment is ridiculous whether it's coming out of the mouth of Pat Robertson, Fred Phelps and Peoria bloggers.

Technorati Tags:
A Storm in the port, rob, vonster, katrina, rita, god, punishment, Pat Robertson

The race is on to replace Sen. Shadid

UPDATE (5:22 a.m.) : The Journal Star's Jennifer Davis reports that Dave Koehler is rumors to be Shadid's pick to replace him. I wouldn't be surprised if Shadid resign early and let the powers-that-be appoint Koehler.

WEEK is reporting that long-time State Sen. George Shadid plans to retire. That's sad news for his fans, but understandable. Shadid has spent most of his adult life in public service, from being a city cop to Peoria County Sheriff to the state legislature. Why not kick back and watch from the sidelines for a while, and enjoy being honored as an elder statesman?

Now, on the the speculation on a replacement:

I do have a few minutes to catch up on personal business, so ...

I hate my current bank (actually a credit union, but they are going to remain nameless). I'll be moving my account to a new location as soon as circumstances permit. I used to have an account at Busey Bank from back when I lived in Rantoul and Tolono (north and south of "Chambana", respectively). Now that they've bought out a Peoria bank and changed the name, I'll call them and see if the account is still open or if I closed it completely when I moved back to Peoria.

I spent an hour at WXCL studios this morning interviewing IDOT engineer George Ryan about the Upgrade 74 project. He's seems very certain that we'll be sable to drive across the Murray Baker Bridge right after the "Meet Me In The Middle" ceremony scheduled for Oct. 2. We'll see. The "Behind the Scenes" public affairs show airs Sunday mornings on all AAA Entertainment stations.

I have an interview for a sales job this afternoon. Wish me luck. No call back for a second interview for the sales job I interviewed for last week. Still possible, though. I applied for both through peoriahelpwanted.com.

Poor little B.J. Stone is upset yet again that no one is visiting his site. Go and cheer him up.

I'm going to try to write my Community Word column tonight, so I don't keep poor Debbie Adlof waiting this weekend. And I've got to get that River City Times story done about the ADM stench. The trouble is getting people from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and and Archer Daniels Midland to call me back.

Yes, the comic books are STILL for sale. The entire collection. Best offer. Email me. And if you are short on cash, you can put it on your credit card via my PayPal button on my siderail.

By the way, the new River City Times will be hitting the stands today. The most up-to-date list I have of pick-up locations is here:

Grandview Hotel owner learns punishment tomorrow

The Grandview Hotel trial continues tomorrow, Friday, at 9:15 a.m., Rm. 323, at the Downtown Courthouse. The trial is in the "remedy" phase, and the judge can decide to shut down the hotel for up to six months, now that the judge has ruled in the city's favor. Neighborhood activists who have tried to get the place to clean up its act would like to have as many supporters there as possible.

Technorati Tags:
grandview hotel, neighborhoods, crime, 3rd district, Angela Anderson

Good news for fans of local BBQ

Work is progressing nicely on the new Grandpa John's Rib Shack on West McClure Avenue. I hear that it's going to open for business on Monday. The site is the former Hardees fast food joint at the corner of Linn and McClure.

Technorati Tags:
bbq, ribs, big john's, grandpa john, peoria, restaurants

We're going to be getting another hour of Jamie Markley and Phil Luciano on WMBD 1470 every day. I consider that good news by itself. Even better we're getting an hour less of Sean Hannity. In fact, he'll be on for onely one hour ever day. Why they don't dump the clown all together is beyond my understanding.

Here's the press release:

Riding the wave of increased listenership from recent Arbitron radio ratings, WMBD's Jamie Markley and Phil Luciano are expanding their show one additional hour. The show will now run from 3-to-6pm instead of 4-to-6pm.

“We wanted to expand the show to three hours because of our desire to be more local in drive times” said WMBD General Manager Mike Wild. “After the recent Arbitron results, the decision to expand became a real no-brainer. In the past, our syndicated mid-day shows had easily out-performed our
local afternoon show, but Markley and Luciano have turned that scenario upside down.”

In the key 25-54 demo, Markley & Luciano's numbers are 245 percent higher at 4pm than popular nationally syndicated talk-show host Sean Hannity at 3pm. “The amount of new audience that comes to WMBD when Jamie and Phil go on the air is unprecedented,” said Wild. “At 3pm, we're 10th in the
market with males 25-54. At 4pm, with Markley and Luciano, we're 2nd with a 9.7 share. We're also seeing huge gains in our female listenership during The Markley and Luciano Show.” The gain with females 25-54 on WMBD is over 250 percent from Sean Hannity to Markley & Luciano.

“This is the most fun I've ever had doing a radio show,” said Jamie Markley. “We really are just your common everyday guys doing a radio show. We want people to feel like if they don't turn on our show, they might miss out on something. People get tired of the same rhetoric or the same lame tired songs everyday. We want people to think, 'I don't know what those guys will be talking about today, but I know it'll be interesting'.”

Phil Luciano, who is also columnist for the Peoria Journal Star, had a one word reaction to the announcement of the show's expansion: “CANNONBALL!” -- an apparent reference to the duo's popular “Cannonball Friday” feature. Sean Hannity remains on WMBD from 2 to 3pm. The expansion of The Markley & Luciano Show starts this Monday, September 26th.

I think it's a good thing for the show. These guys talk about a lot of stuff, and sometimes they seem rushed.

jamie markley,phil luciano,wmbd,sean hannity,local radio,peoria

Beyonce

I'm thinking that a pic of Beyonce in a bikini might be what we all need on a cold and rainy day like this.

Technorati Tags:
beyonce, eye candy

New Scarlett

Found: Another batch of Scarlett Johansson pics. I'll be posting one a day until hit counts improve.

Technorati Tags:
scarlett johansson, eye candy

Oktoberfest gal?

I'm a big advocate of putting one's thoughts on t-shirts, and this one says it all about why people need to visit the downtown Peoria event:



Heh. I found this on the Web, not at Oktoberfest. But it's true, isn't it?

Technorati Tags:
oktoberfest, riverfront, german girls, tshirts, safe for work, peoria

Time for a time-out Drew

I think Drew's relationship with the rock musician is to blame for this:

The Charlie's Angels star, her rocker boyfriend Fabrizio Moretti and a group of friends were watching a New York Mets game in a luxury box at the Shea Stadium in Queens, New York City, when the family in the next box began taking photos of her.

Despite Barrymore's claims the family were disturbing her, the family allege the actress burst into their box and shouted at one of their group.

Michael Delvecchio tells PageSix.com, "She was drinking and smoking like a chimney, so we asked the security guard to tell her to put out her cigarette because there were young children present, but she just kept on doing it.

"Suddenly she stormed into our suite with a lit cigarette and berated one of my friends in front of his young daughter for taking a picture of her. Thankfully, one of the stadium staff kicked her out of our box."

Normally, I would dismiss this claim. Drew is a loving soul, wise beyond her years, and is kind to animals and small children.

Alas, there's visual proof:



Yikes.

Drew, Drew, Drew ... you need to take it down a notch. Perhaps your relationship with the rock star is just too high-energy. Perhaps you need a camling influence in yoru life. Perhaps an older man who is wiser to the ways of the world and would be perfectly supportive of your career, especially since you make in one movie about 1,000 times his annual earnings.

But you will have to shave that armpit hair.

Technorati Tags:
drew barrymore, charlies angels, mets, shae stadium

A whole lotta Lil' Kim

I'm not a huge fan of rap, but I couldn't pass this up:

The mother of murdered hip-hop star Notorious B.I.G. - gunned down in 1997, presumably by rival rappers - savages Sean (Diddy) Combs and Lil' Kim in a soon-to-be-published memoir.
---
Wallace accuses Lil' Kim of pilfering her New Jersey home after she let her use it for a magazine interview.

When the magazine hit the stands, "The first picture I saw was Kim wearing my son's mink coat, holding his chain and wearing his hat. I was in shock," Wallace writes. "I felt violated."

Technorati Tags:
lil kim, rapper, rap, eye candy

Time for Scarlett

It's been too long since my last Scarlett Johansson post. Momma will begin to suffer withdrawal pains.



Nice. I like the way she cleans up. Her's is not the typical Hollywood supermodel, beach bunny, cookie-cutter version of beauty.

Here's more:



I have some more, but I'll save them for later.

Technorati Tags:
scarlett johansson, lost in translation, ghost world, eye candy, the island, in good company, A Love Song for Bobby Long, girl with a pearl earring

Calling Paris Hilton; Your 15 minutes of fame were over 3 years ago ...

Paris makes the (NSFW)cover of formerly dignified Vanity Fair:



I mean, seriously ... Is there anybody left in America who hasn't seen her boobies?

It almost makes me yearn for the relatively demure and publicity-shy ways of Madonna.

Technorati Tags:
Paris Hilson, Vanity Fair, Madonna, publicy whore, cleavage, magazine covers, paris naked, paris nude, 15 minutes

Kirsten Dunst

She's become a big star thanks to that rain scene in the first Spiderman movie.

Technorati Tags: kirsten dunst, spiderman, eye candy, girls

Simon sneaks a peek

I always thought he was gay. Maybe he's just British. Not that I ever watch that show. Ugh.

Technorati Tags:
Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, American Idol, cleavage

For Sale: My entire comic book collection -- cheap

I've been buying and hoarding away comic books all my life. I've got a collection that stretches back into the late 1970s. I haven't taken inventory, but I've got 10 full comic boxes (the kind you see used in comic stores) as well as an equal number of plastic milk cartons filled with them.

I've been lugging them with me as I've moved from one part of Illinois and Missouri to another. I've always told myself they were an investment. Well, now it's time to cash in. I don't have the time or patience to dicker around with a comic book dealer, who will no doubt explain that the market has fallen out of the market, yadda yadda. So I'm willing accept pennies for the dollar to get rid of 'em all at once. I'm not going to promise complete collections, cause I never worried abotu that. Nor did I spend a lot of time bagging them and sealing them up. Nor am I going to promise they are in pristine or near prinstine condition. I'm selling then for less than cover price, here.

But if you want the beginnings of a great collection that you can complete on your own, this is the way to do it.

I've got thousands of 'them. And I'm selling them all for $300 bucks. The buyer hauls 'em out. Don't even try to low-ball me any further. There's some good X-men and Teen Titans in here. No alternative or undergrounds though, I'm keeping those.

If Kevin Smith could finance the movie "Clerks" with his Daredevil and Spiderman collection, I sure as Hell can make this month's rent. If you are interested, email me their phone number and we'll get together for the exchange. And I can take a credit card payment, thanks to PayPal.
Technorati Tags:
comic books, for sale, cheap, superman, batman, teen titals, justice league, xmen, legion of superheroes, warlord, collectible, peoria

Nice cushions ...

Classy guy, isn't he?

Jessica Simpson seeing red

Jessica Simpson seeing red, originally uploaded by Peoria Pundit.

While I bow to none in my appreciation for the intelligent, seductive and sophisticated beauty of Scarlett Johansson, I've gotta admire the "dumb blonde" act Jessica Simpson has going on.

Let's face it folks, anyone who can make a a career out of portraying herself as a ditzy blonde airhead can't really be stupid, now, can she?

Technorati Tags:
Jessica Simpson, Dukes of Hazzard, Newlyweds, cleavage, dumb blonde

Are you feeling patriotic yet?

are you feeling patriotic yet?, originally uploaded by flwrbabe.

As a matter of fact, I am. Thanks for asking.

Jenny's tongue

Jenny's tongue, originally uploaded by Peoria Pundit.

More gratuitous Scarlett Johansson pics

Over at my Word Press site, I have a regular commenter who drools over Scarlett. "Momma" says she doesn't swing "that way," but any chick who clamors for more pics of this hot lady has some issues.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Aw, what the heck. Here's another:



That's enough for now, children. Let's save some for later.

Technorati Tags: Scarlett Johansson, eye candy, babes

Red Hot

Red Hot, originally uploaded by Kiki J.

"Notting Hill Carnival 2005, London.
The biggest street party in Europe and second biggest carnival in the world.
It was rocking!!!"

A thought it time to put a little beauty on this blog.

John Ashcroft's worst nightmare

Tette spruzzanti, originally uploaded by pecus.

He'd throw a sheet over this statue, but it would probably look like a wet t-shirt contest.

Holly Oaks, site issues

At least I think that's what her name is. Cute, isn't she?

Anyway, for those who haven't noticed, I'm going to start posting eye candy posts here on Blog*Spot instead of my other site. The hits I get via the Blogger NavBar are completely different than the hits I get from Peorians wanting news and information about Peoria.

Since I'm running the same Site Meter and PayPalbutton, as well as BlogAds and Google AdSense strips, on both sites, it can only help my hit counts.

I'll start doing some more cross-posting too.

Technorati Tags: maxim, pay pal, holly oaks, site meter, google adsense, blogger navbar, peoria pundit, blogads, peoria

Counterprotest

I wonder what scorn Cindy Sheehan's supporters would heap upon this woman. No know a few people who think any criticism of Sheehan is a de-facto attack on the 1st Amendment.

Feh. Your free speech right is no guanantee someone won't exercise their free speech right to call you an idiot.

Technorati Tags: cindy sheehan, iraq war, peace, protestors, 1st amendment

Scientists knew New Orleans was doomed

Via Little Green Footballs, I found this link to a National Geographic article that predicted exactly what happened:

Scarlett Johansson

Notice anything new? I've figured out how to apply Technorati Tags to Blog*spot posts. I'll post some instructions later. Oh, and you poor, pathetic IE users might be left out in the cold.



Technorati Tags: scarlett johansson, eye candy, babes, peoria, blogging

Still testing Audioblogger

Testing audio blog

'We are not afraid'

These brave Brits are showing they aren't goign to let some terrorists get the better of them.

Welcome Peoria Pundit readers

If you are here, the chances are greater than not that my site at the peoriapundit.com domain is out of service because of payment issues.

If you choose to take pity on me, there's a PayPal button to the right.

I'm hoping to get some money to the hosting company on Monday, and switch to a month-to-month payment plan for a while, then use some of the Google Ad Sense and BlogAd money I have coming to pay for a new year of service.

But it looks really likely that I'm going to be re-learning how to blog on Blog*spot again, for a few days or a week at most.

I'm spending some time tonight putting several days worth of posts here so readers will have something to read besides the occasional eye candy post, and posts about how to blog.

Despite the t-shirt, this guy isn't associated with Woodruff High School

But I certainly knew people there stupid enough to try getting stoned by huffing a full can of spray paint.




huffing,Woodruff High School

Much ado over John Roberts' addition to the Supreme Court

Using an easy-to-understand chart, Ixlq takes look at what will change and won't change if John Roberts is confirmed to the Supreme Court. Not much, it looks like.

Oddly enough, Peoria City Hall isn't mentioned, even once

The Journal Star took a long look at recent political scandals in central Illinois, including Pekin Mayor Lyn Howard, former Bureau County Sheriff Greg Johnson, and former Woodford County Sheriff Bill Myers.

Journal Star news snobs find unfunny sitcom superior to cable news

According to Steve Tarter's column about Journal Star staffers' picks for the best and worst of television, "Reno 911" is a better program than anything shown on any cable news station.

No. 2 in the "10 TV shows" category:

Reno 911: "Somebody tell me again the Peoria connection on the best ensemble cast on television."

Ugh. This premise to this show -- a fake "COPS"-like camera follows Reno, Nev., officers around -- might have made for an interesting Saturday Night Live skit, or perhaps Mad TV. But a weekly series? No. And I really don't care about the "Peoria connection."

Listed No. 2 in the "worst" category:

All cable news: "Take random bits of out-of-context information, add arguments presented as debates, mix in a few commercials and you've got this junk."

I'm recalling some of the coverage of the Iraq War. I sat rivetted to the screen by the live reporting of an engagement in progress by doctor-turned-war-correspondent Dr. Bob Arnot.

I didn't like "Crossfire" either, but I won't judge CNN by that alone, anymore than I would judge the Journal Star only on its carrying a column by Cal Thomas, who is one of those talking heads on cable television that some anonymous staffer finds so objectionable.

The Journal Star has it's fair share of junk reporting.

We get it, Mr. Finke: Blagojevich is a publicity hound

It's Sunday, and Doug Finke, Copley Press' statehouse columnist, is once again complaining about Gov. Rod Blagojevich behaving the way virtually every other politician behaves.

The latest version of this oft-repeated scenario has Blago criticizing video game violence, specifically the latest version of "Grand Theft Auto." Legislation was drafted, and Blago promised to sign it. But the signing was cancelled, says Finke, because all the scandals coming out of Chicago will knock the signing off the front pages. But all is not lost for Blago. The CBS Evening News did a segment on the issue and Blago agreed to an interview.

Gee, it's like the guy might run for office some day.

There's a story like this in virtually every Sunday column that Doug Finke writes and the Journal Star prints.

We get it: Blago likes publicity. He does press conferences. He gets interviewed on national television. It may come as a shock to Mr. Finke, but Blago is hardly the only politician afflicted with a love for seeing his name in print and his face on television. I'm fairly certain that George Ryan and Jim Edgar held an occasional press conference during their careers, because I've been to a few of 'em.

Yet week after week, Finke makes it the main point of his weekly column.

There's a lot of news coming out of Springfield. I know because I read the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times. The Chicago Tribune's John Kass writes about the "Combine," a partnership between the Chicago Machine and the Illinois GOP to basically share power in Illinois.

Copley -- the California-based newspaper chain that owns the Journal Star and the State Journal-Register in Springfield -- has four reporters covering the capitol, yet there's maybe one or two articles a day about state politics in the Journal Star. And one of those articles is Finke's Sunday column that seems to exist these days for the purpose of raising Blago's "negatives," rather than raising readers' awareness of the substance of what is going on in Springfield.

I'm not defending Blagojevich; I'm trying to defend readers' right to be informed.

Finke's obsessive complaining about Blago fits a script that much of the downstate media followed for years on its editorial pages, namely that all upstate Chicago politicians are bad, while downstate Republicans are good.

The reality is much more complicated.

The Paris video

Enjoy.

Media won't give Condi a break

Sudanese government thugs were roughing up journalists who had come to cover Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the African nation. Condi came to their rescue and angrily demanded an apology.

One would think this would earn her a few Brownie points from the media. One would think that if one wasn't familiar with how the press operates.

To illustrate, consider this blogger:

while visiting the wartorn nation, rice did not ask for an apology for the campagin of genocide supported by the government that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, raped even more, and displaced 2 million. the genocide does seem to have quieted as of late, though not because of any us policy. rather, the janjaweed militia has simply run out of villages to loot and burn. run out of people to rape and kill. wow. "they have no right to push and shove," rice said. unbelievable arrogance, criminal ignorance. *

So Rice cares more about journalists than she does about the innocent people slaughtered in Sudan, huh? Ummm ... but that's why she was in Sudan, to pressure them into cleaning up their act. In what way -- short of an invasion -- is Rice not trying to help end the problems in the Sudan?

On a hunch, I cruised this person's site and discovered, no surprise, he opposed the War in Iraq. Not our business, he says. Big surprise.

Why is it that the people who whine and complain the loudest that the United States allows genocide to take place in other nations are those who whine and complain the loudest when the United States goes to war against genocidal maniacs?

What does this mediocre blogger have to do with the press reaction to Condi's defense of the press?

Because an illustrious an organization like the Columbia Journalism Review chose to link to it, as opposed to any other blog. This particular site hasn't been around that long, and there are better left-wing/liberal sites out there, not to mention better sites that have a less paranoid view of the Bush administration. Why would CJR do that, except maybe this blog fit that writer's desire to comment on the Sudan incident in a way that didn't make Condi look good.

Hat tip to OmbudsGod, who predicted the press would thank Condi in exactly this manner.

* Note to Dave Dahl: The spelling and capitalization errors in the above quote belong to the original author. Any others belong to me.

Shame on these two new Peoria bloggers

Heh.

They are called Peoria Crack House and Shame on Peoria. The goal of these two anonymous Blog*Spot sites is to shame the owners of homes where drug dealing is going on, and do the same to the owners of run-down properties.

Names and addresses are included.

I have NOTHING to do with either one. Trust me. But I completely applaud the idea of pointing out the crack houses. It seems to me that if there's crack dealing going out of a house, it's easy to shut down. Just set up a cameras to monitor the activity, arrest the customers four or five blocks away. Nothing closes up business quicker than arresting customers and taking their cars.

My two cents: Hey, if you don't want people to call you a slum lord, don't let your property get in that condition. I used to live right across the street from one of the properties on the crack house site. Nothing anyone did had any effect.

crack, johns, prostitutes, Peoria Police Department

Ray LaHood shows backbone and common sense in voting against Patriot Act extension

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)

I want the government to be able to track down terrorists before they blow up a grade school or a day care. But I also don't want the Feds to break into my home and copy my hard drive because I sent a nasty letter to someone about Karl Rove. Therefore, I want some oversight over how these broad powers are being used.

LaHood, a Peoria Republican was one of just 14 Republicans who voted against extending the Patriot Act.

At issue was the act's lack of adequate oversight, including sunset provisions that would have made the act expire is not renewed.

LaHood is a member of the House Intelligence Committee that recommended the sunset provisions, which were later blocked by the House Rules Committee.

"You're giving law enforcement an enormous amount of power, and I just think there has to be oversight. I think all of those things are tools that law enforcement needs, but when you have good, strong sunset provisions, that really holds law enforcement's feet to the fire. Somebody's going to be looking over their shoulders."
----
LaHood didn't dispute [Judiciary Committee Chairman James] Sensenbrenner's assertions that Congress had provided adequate oversight of the law and that no abuses had been uncovered. But, he added: "I think, in part, the reason was because of the sunset provision. If you eliminate that, I think people become very complacent. I don't think we'd be having this big debate that we're having (on the Patriot Act) over the last few days if it weren't for the sunset provisions."

Rep. Tim Johnson from Champaign/Urbana also voted against it, according to IlliniPundit.

I think Central Illinois breeds the kind of Republicans who take a more common-sense approach to conservatism, not the doctrinaire stance you see out of so many collar-county GOPers.

These votes will play well among mostly-moderate central Illinois voters, and probably positions LaHood well in the race for governor.

They also send a message about the need for the Senate/House compromise bill to include the senset and oversight.

Of course, there's also the possibility both these guys simply voted the convictions this time around, and weren't pandering for votes.

We've started a trend: Pekin man tried to shame mayor

Pekinite* Randy Price is trying the send a message to Pekin's mayor::

"The old City Hall is telling (Mayor Lyn Howard) that we want him out," said Price, who is vice president of Enviro-Safe Refrigerants Inc., 400 Margaret St. The building was the home of City Hall from 1951 to 2002. "Pekin has taken a black eye and everyone is fed up."

The signs appeared in front of the business Wednesday and were becoming a hit by Thursday.

With messages such as "We Accept City Credit Cards," "Mr. Howard, Do the right thing for our city - resign," and "Mr. Mayor, Shame on You," the signs have been catching people's attention.

* I don't usually blog about Pekin, but until someone steps forward to be Pekin Pundit, I'll try to pick up the slack, occasionally.

And besides, it's always fun to see Pekin following the lead of Peoria.

Erosion woes

Molly Parker has pretty decent article about the erosion problems neighborhoods face because of the storm water drainage system that hasn't been repaired.

Across the street on Devereux, Gina Wetzel, a mother of three, said she's concerned about the growing creek because it has become a safety issue.

"It's literally like a raging river," she said. "We're just real careful around storm time."

While her children are getting older now, Wetzel said all residents are a bit tired of hearing politicians promise to do something about it and then not delivering.

"At election time people would come by and say, 'Oh, we'll help,' but then not much would happen," she said. "We're very lucky they're willing to look at it now."

The council did vote to make this a priority when it sets its capital budget.

Apple idea needed a bit more polishing

I understand that the entire $19,000 Peoria School District spending to promote itself isn't going toward those dumb apple bill boards, one of which rest atop the Beewolf meeting hall at the corner of Prospect and McClure across the street from my house.

But still, that's an odd way thing to spend money on when the district is planning to close schools, one of which is Glen Oak School, where kids in the Glen Oak Park neighborhood currently attend.

But then, these people don't strike me as having much of a clue when it comes to public relations. They are about to choose Double Talk Dave Ransburg, a notorious sayer of things that are not true, as a board member.

Where's Dave Leitch's Website?

I get the most interesting email:

Bill, I have been looking and looking for Rep. Leitch's website ... But cannot find it can you help me out...I know he has one, because on the semiannual report he filed. On 9/01/04 he paid Ben Leitch $1,018.50 for website design and again on 11/10/04 he paid him another $1,018.50 for a website update...so he must have one ... but I cannot find it.

I don't have an answer. I'll let mre readers give it a try?

UPDATE: It's here: http://www.davidrleitch.org/

I assume full responsibility

The Spring 2005 Arbitron ratings are out, and I am pleased to report that WXCL FM's ratings rose from a 4.8 share last quarter to a 6.4 percent share this quarter. That's a 1.6 point increase. And it's a 2.6 point increase from the same period last year, when we were tied for seventh place. Now, we're in fifth place.

Woo hoo!

These results cover the period from March 31 to June 22. I started my Wednesday appearances on June 1. I shudder to think of the ratings juggernaut WXCL would have become had I started back in April.

Of course, some of the credit belongs to B.J. Stone, my radio cohort and program director. He had the foresight and wisdom to give me a tryout.

I'm going to go on the air solo on weekends very soon, and I'll readers know details as soon as I know them. I'll be by myself in the studio announcing songs, but I'll be able to talk about current events throughout my shift.

And I'll probably still do Wednesdays with B.J.

Peoria media discovering that Dave Ransburg is, indeed, a liar

I've been spreading the word for months. But the guys at WEEK got a first-hand look at Double Speak Dave in action today:

At about 3 P.M. on Wednesday, sources told News 25 Ransburg would apply for the board seat vacated by Aaron Schock. But when asked point blank, Ransburg told News 25 it had a scoop if that was true.

About a half hour later, his resume landed on the fax machine at District 150 headquarters.

When asked why the change, Ransburg said: "There was a deadline. Had to get in by four."

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

I saw the interview at 10 p.m. and I about laughed my butt off. The best part wasn't the complete non sequitur nature of his answer, but the look on his face -- as if he were sincerely stunned that anyone could possibly see the conflict in his two different answers -- was priceless.

Even the non-political Edgar Sandoval noticed and commented. Ransburg isn't worried about making enemies in newsrooms. When election time comes around, he's just going to open his checkbook and buy more advertising than has been spent on all District 150 campaigns during the last 10 elections. And no matter how many reporters he ticks off, his friends on the Journal Star editorial board will write that he walks on water.

There was more double talk when Ransburg said that anyone who followed his campaign for mayor knew that he made improving education as issue. What people who actually did follow his campaign remember was that his opponents made it an issue. This forced Ransburg to start talking about it in slightly less vague terms than he did previously. His record during his single term as mayor was to ignore the whole issue on the grounds that the school district's problems were it's own to solve. He did nothing to foster better communications between the city and the school district.

And this is the guy that four members of the school board want to foist on the public.

It's official: Ransburg wants school board job

The first part of the rumor proved true:

Gloria Cassel Fitzgerald and [former Peoria Mayor] Dave Ransburg join Alma Brown, Merle Felder, Stephen Morris and Cleveland Thomas, Senior seeking to fill the seat vacated by Illinois State Representative Aaron Schock.

A district representative says the six current board members will narrow the list down to three candidates, conduct interviews and select a replacement by the middle of August.

The second part of the rumnor is that it's a foregone conclusion that Ransburg will be picked. He's apparently got the votes of everyone on the board except Sean Matheson and Alicia Butler.

Whoever is picked will haveto run for re-election in April, which would be about one year after Peoria voters tossed Ransburg out on his ear.

No more Star Trekkin' with Scotty

It was some 25 years ago -- soon after 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture" when James Doohan came to Bradley University to speak to students. The event was marketed as "Star Trekkin' with Scotty." I wasn't a student there, but I showed up anyway. He spoke and answered questions for about an hour, and I left with Doohan's signature on two Star Trek novels, which are among my most prized possessions.

A lot of actors would be upset at being typecast by a television show like Star Trek, but Jimmy Doohan, who died today, embraced it. And that's why he was in Peoria on that day and that's why he appeared at so many conventions across the world.

He was an entertainer, and he entertained. He did it well. I challenge anyone to name a character from the past 50 years who is better known as a pop culture reference. That's due to Doohan's talents, as much as anything else.

Beam me up Scotty, indeed.

Peoria media think Peorians don't need to know about LaHood's travel perks

What do people San Francisco; Fort Worth; Miami; Chicago; Salt Lake City; Little Rock, and Longview, Arkansas; Canton, Ohio; and even Manchester, UK have in common?

Their city's newspapers carried this article: Free Trips Yield Bonuses for Lawmakers.

The article begins:

Globe-trotting members of Congress reap a valuable fringe benefit they do not disclose: frequent-flier miles from trips they take at the expense of special interests or taxpayers. It does not take long for the miles to add up for free personal travel or upgrades to first class.

"There's no question it's a definite benefit. I would call it a nice perk," said Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill. He uses the frequent flier miles for upgrades and personal free trips, such as travel to charity golf tournaments in Sun Valley, Idaho.

LaHood and his wife each accumulated about 13,500 miles this year from a round trip between Chicago and China financed by the Aspen Institute. LaHood was among a dozen lawmakers attending a conference on U.S.-China relations sponsored by the Washington-based think tank.

Guess what city isn't on the list of those whose daily newspapers carried that article?

Peoria.

Which is kind of odd, because Ray represents Peoria.

I did a search of Google News and saw the story ran all over the world, but not in the Journal Star. The JS had access to that article, and I know Google includes the JS in its searches. So while it's possible this story ran someplace in the JS and I missed it, I really doubt it. I expect if I am wrong, I'll be corrected. I also don't recall seeing it on any of the other Web sites run by Peoria media.

There might be an innocent explanation. Perhaps they all just happened to miss it. Perhaps these editors and news directors considered running it, but came to the conclusion that there is no particular reason why the voters of Peoria -- or even Illinois, considering that LaHood is running for governor -- have any particular need to know that the guy is personally benefiting from the lobbyists who are paying his travel expenses.

Whatever the reason, the end result is that people in St. Francisco and Little Rock know something about Peoria's congressman than do the people of Peoria.

That is appalling.

I learned about it only because Willy Nilly finally posted an article after a several-week hiatus.

Willy says that LaHood won't discuss the paid-for travel issue with the local media. Actually, he was asked, and gave incorrect answers.

Wave to the crowd

Jessica Simpson.

More eye candy

I'm limiting my eye candy posts to my Blog*Spot site, because I want to get a little but more traffic here, and I want to limit posts on MT site to more serious subjects.

Besides, I think Michelle Trachtenberg here is young enough to be my daughter. She's cute as a bug though.

Whither Audioblogger?

I've spend about an hour trying to make an audio post to my Blog*Spot site via Audioblogger, which is supposed to integrate with Blogger. When I try to post using my phone, I invariably get a message saying "log in failed." I know I am using the correct phone number and pin. Is there a problem using Audioblogger and cell phones?

And does anyone know of a free audio blogging service that integrates with Moveable Type?

Testing Blogger images

This is outstanding. I've always thought that the need for a third-party system (like "Hello!" or "Flickr") for adding pictures to blog entries was the only thing still keeping Blogger from true excellence. I got rid of blogger back before it was purchases by Google. Since then, it's been one improvement after another. Had free and integrated image hosting been in place back then, Peoria Pundit would still be a Blog*Spot blog.

My only question is how this company can continue to offer this fine service for free.

I also want to know how many of my fellow Bloggers are aware of this feature.

By the way, enjoy the pic of Jessica Simpson.

Long overdue legal guide for bloggers

I found the EFF: Legal Guide for Bloggers courtesy of Jeff Jarvis. I agree: It's long overdue. Unless you blog exclusively about your cat (and maybe even then) bloggers need to have at least a general idea of what they can and cannot say without getting into trouble.

I have a foundation in journalism, having received a bachelor's degree in the subject and some 20 years work experience in the field. And even then, I find myself having to look things up. Just last week, I needed a refresher about New York Times v. Sullivan, the case that today still sets the standard regarding libel and public figures. I cannot imagine a serious political blogger -- whether he or she is blogging about local or national politics -- being able to avoid court threats from POed people, be they public officials or not.

Of particular interest these days are blogging about political campaigns (there are those in government who want to consider political blogs a form of campaign contribution) and (coming soon) workplace issues (such as bloggers getting fired because of their blogs).

How to link to a blog more effectively

Reciprocal links are the currency of choice in the Blogosphere. Actually, Blogads and PayPal buttons are nice for providing real cash, but I digress.

Bloggers live for hits, and if you link to other bloggers they will link to you.

I appreciate each and every link to Peoria Pundit, even the ones who call me an idiot, as long as they spell my URL correctly. As a matter of fact, criticizing a blogger without a link back is considered a petulant thing to so.

The Blogosphere is set up in such a way that there's an accepted and mutually beneficial way to link. First, if you are linking to a specific post, link to that specific post. Don't just link to the main entry page. Bloggers update their sites, and the article you want them to read won't be located on the main page for very long. You want your readers to find the article when they click on the link you gave them.

So, when linking to the other site, link to that post's permalink. Somewhere at the bottom of every post (some bloggers put it at the top) there's a link that says "permalink," or is the date and time of that post. Movable Type blogs like mine also allow permalinking by clicking on the comments link. Some bloggers change these works to something different to confuse spambots. I use "your two cents."

The ability to permalink is one of the things that separates a true blog from an ordinary Web site. So do it.

But any post of yours that refers to an entry on another blog should also include that sites main entry page.

Confused, huh?

The reason is simple. Blogs are ranked in popularity by the number of hits they receive and by the number of links to them. It's considered a matter of courtesy to link to the main site so that services like the Blogosphere Ecosystem will notice, and increase the linked-to blog's ranking.

You will end up with posts that look like this one:

"I don't want Peorians to miss the Daily Herald's multi-part coverage of Gov. Blagojevich's "pay to play" ethics problems. So, I'm linking to Archpundit's excellent post that links to the individual articles."

You see what I did? I linked directly to the main site at http://www.Archpundit.com and to the article in question at http://www.Archpundit.com/archives/012260.html.

Speaking of how to help a site's ranking in the Truth Laid Bear's Blogosphere Ecosystem, every serious blogger should add his or her site. It's easy to do. Doing so guarantees that you site is counted and the sites you link to also counted.

Also, every serious blogger should have s Site Meter button. Site Meter is what the Ecosystem and virtually the entire Blogosphere uses to determine your site's popularity. Between the two of them, they serve as the Blogosphere's ratings system.

A cheap and nifty Web tool for bloggers

It's a Web tool that lets blog users resize their photos before they post them to the Web.

Look at this image:



The original, which I found via a Google Image search, was four times the size. There was no way that I could have used it on my site. It simply would have been too wide.

Normally, I would use some image editing software, like Adobe Photoshop Elements, to reduce the size to something manageable. But not all bloggers have access to this kind og software, and my goal is to make it possible for people to blog without having to spend one single dime.

Of course, I could have simply inserted a comment into the image tag to limit the width to something that wouldn't exceed my template width. But that would still have slowed down how long it takes for visitors to upload the image. The image would still contain the same number of pixels, but visitors browsers would simply resize them for viewing. Ugh.

This nifty and free Web tool allowed me to upload the too-large image, and then select how large I wanted the copy to be: 25, 50 or 75 percent of the size of the original. The 25 percent option resulted in the image that would fit. I saved this new, smaller version on my PC, then uploaded it to my free Photobucket account.

Picasa and Hello! are options that work well for Blogspot hosted blogs (since they all are owned by Google, I imagine they would be). But they require the user download software onto their PC, which often isn't an option for students or other people who are blogging from a computer not their own.

Blog Peoria is back and running

After being down for many, many weeks, I finally got it back up and running. This time I am using Movable Type.

Unfortunately, I seem to have lost all the previous posts. I might still be able to save the bunk of them. Here's hoping.

Let this be a lesson to all you young bloggers out there: Backup your files.

And for those who don't know, Blog Peoria is a group blog for Peoria-area residents.

I'm down again

This time Supass Hosting is blaming it on a nameserver:

Bill,

We are currently working
on the nameservers that your account relies on.
This should be fixed shortly.
Thank you for your patience while this is resolved.

We had temporarily resolved this matter,
and then we found the problem lies deeper within
the configuration. We apologize for this mistake,
and I assure you we are working on this matter as soon as possible to get this running.

Regards,

Pat
Regards,
Pat W.

Well, I feel so much better now. At least one of their hard drives didn't crash. At least, I hope thay backed up their drive on the name server. At least THAT is up to date as far as my account is concerned.

I've moved to Movable Type

Now, Peoria Pundit on Blog*Spot hasn't moved, but my main blog, Peoria Pundit is now running on Movable Type, the blogging software choice for serious bloggers. MT is very similar to the TypePad interface I've using for the past 25 days. It should, since both come from Six Apart.

Trying something new and liking it

Sooner or later, I am going to move my main Weblog to another host. While I'm at it, I thought I'd investigate migrating from pMachine -- about which I have no real complaints -- to Moveable Type.

To get a feel for the flavor of Moveable Type, I've been making use of the free-trial period for TypePad, a pay hosting service/system that makes use of software based on MT.

I really like it.

The features include multiple categories, integrated blogrolls, a nifty QuickPost bookmarklet that lets you add a new blogrool member or a post without opening the main "add a new post" site. It also allows for uploading images directly to the server at the time time that photo is inserted into a post.

I may end up keeping TypePad and use them as my server company.

Adapting the template to personal tastes was easy and satisfying.

In the mean time, I'll be doing my major posting to this site.

(Folks: As usual. Blogger is acting up and I can't spell check. So, I'm leaving the errors as is.)

Testing Flickr

bergman
Originally uploaded by Peoria Pundit.

I read about a new free photo blogging service like Photobucket or Hello!

It's called "Flickr."

It let folks upload up to 10 Megs of images a month, then use their interface to post the blog onto your Blogger, Moveable Type, WordPress, LiveJournal, etc. blog.

IT seems to work like Photobucket, but with a "submit to blog" interface. With Photobucket, you have to cut and past the image tag, then to directly to Blogger or to whatever service you are using.

Hello! lets users directly upload from their hard drive using software they have downloaded into their PCs, then post that image directly into a new Blogger post. The downside is that it only words with Blogger.

It's still in beta testing stage, and its worth a look.

Site down, and it's not my fault

Through no fault of my own, Peoria Pundit is out of commission. My hosting company is having server problems followign a reboot. It's been down since at least 8 a.m. this morning and it wasn't back up by the time I had to leave for work this afternoon.

I'm a little miffed, of course.

So, if any of my regular readers read this, please pass the word on your blogs, if your don't mind.

This seems to be happening far too often.

UPDATE: It's official. I have a problem.

It's been 12 hours now that Surpass Hosting has been unable to get my site back up and running. The last message on my now-massive repair ticket is that they have to completely reload backed up data onto a brand-new hard drive in the server. Funny how this damn thing escalated from a simply restart of a server. In fact, they were completely unaware of the problem until I sent them an email two effen' hours after I noticed the outage.

Here's a new rule of thumb. Start bitching the very first time you get a "timed-out" or "cannot be found" message. Don't hit the refresh button. Don't restart the computer. Start bitching. Right away.

Another lesson: You hunt for the cheapest hosting company, you get the cheapest hosting company.

%*@#!% !!!