Peoria Pundit

The following was just posted on Press Releases:

Where in the world is Aaron Schock?

Democratic Congressional candidate Colleen Callahan today called on opponent Aaron Schock to step up to the plate and directly address an issue of grave importance both locally and across the nation — GOP presidential candidate John McCain’s call to end subsidies for U.S. ethanol production.

In press reports last week, Schock was “unavailable for comment” on the issue. Instead of addressing an important issue that could adversely affect thousands of jobs and millions of dollars to the constituents he wants to represent, Schock instead had his campaign manager Steve Shearer offer a non-quote that said, in effect, that Schock — along with Colleen Callahan and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama — generally supports corn-based ethanol and other renewable energy sources.

This is a win-win for Callahan. If Schock does come out of hiding, it looks like he’s getting worried about her candidacy, which chips away at the myth of his invincibility. If he doesn’t come out of hiding (or simply return a phone call, or two) voters start wondering where Shock is and what’s he’s been up to.

Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard makes a compelling case for a new ordinance that makes it illegal to install tinted windows on vehicles. Police making traffic stops like to be able to see inside cars when they approach them. And no one wants to see any police officer killed or injured by some sociopath.

Still, there is another side to the debate:

Matt Fleming, who has been tinting windows in Peoria for about 10 years, said the new ordinance is anything but fair to small business owners like himself. Fleming, who said he tints about 30 cars a week, said most of his customers are looking for a way to reduce glare. Even the lightest tints – almost invisible to the eye, he said – can reduce up to 99 percent of ultraviolet rays.

“These are not gang-bangers,” he said.

Settingsgaard also cited driver’s impairment as a problem with tinted windows. The tint can reduce the chances a driver sees pedestrians, approaching vehicles or other obstructions, he said. While Fleming agreed some darker tints could be obstructing, most people prefer the lighter shades.

To Fleming, the new ordinance is about the city making a profit, unfortunately on his dime.

I am very susceptible to glare. On the other hand, I don’t see as well at night as I used to.

And here the funny thing about making laws: There are always consequences, because laws that affect ONLY the bad guys are very rare. The concerns of private business people do not vanish into nothingness everytime someone waves the banner of “safety” during a debate.

My two cents: Window tinting on cars is addressed by state law. Let’s let the state decide on the wisdom of going after businesses. Peoria just comes off looking like a mini-Chicago with this Nanny State nonsense.

Word on the Street also notes what I have blogged about before: Aaron Schock hasn’t been returning phone calls. And it turn out that his campaign manager has GOP bigwigs worried because he’s too busy angling for a job on the state central committee to adequately stave off Dem challenger Colleen Callahan, who’s getting more and more popular with the national party.

Tomorrow’s Word on the Street is speculating on whether or not Mayor Jim Ardis will re-appoint Doug Crew, Frank Gold and Aurthur Perkins to the Peoria Public Library Board.

Here’s the problem. Ardis wants to put new people on the board, and there are council allies who have people they would like to see given consideration. And after the public spat between the board and the council, it’s probably a good idea from a leadership standpoint to demand a pound of flesh.

And make no mistake: Ardis has every right to make changes on the board. Dave Ransburg, Bud Grieves, Jim Maloof and Dick Carver all had this right, and they exercised that right.

But Arcdis is facing something that these other mayors were not: A daily newspaper with an editorial board that seems willing to say anything to cast him in a bad light. No doubt the award-winning editorial board will anonymously claim that this is some unprecedented form of retaliation. The reality is that elected officials with the ability to appoint people to boards and commissions give those spots to people allies, not people who openly defy them.

A look at The Blog Peoria Network this week:

Rob ranted away about the Heller decision:

I’ve heard joyous cheers throughout the freedom loving world today. And while I don’t share the unbridled enthusiasm of the many, I do feel damn good. DAMN GOOD!

Ok, why not great? Scalia left a little loop hole that I didn’t like, he said that DC must permit citizens to register handguns. Register? Really? Do I need to register my pen, my voice, my Bible?
If you have no clue what I’m talking about, I’m sorry for you. It’s better if you just go back to watching Hogan Knows Best and leave this to the adults. And for anyone out there who’s ever entertained the idea that it was a collective or militia right?…you can kiss my fat white ass. Smug? Yep, super-smug. Smug like I just won an argument that the sun sets in the west.

Rant Off…deep breath…Happy, Happy…Joy, Joy

And Rob’s lovely wife Angie had a mini rant of her own:

Hmmmm, “Is it a good idea to set off fireworks when we live directly behind a gas station?” “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?” Cut to a police car driving by as a ‘Peoria Chiefs’ size firework goes off. Hmmmm…

KiD is doesn’t want the U.S. to explore for oil:

We have 3% of the world’s oil reserves but utilize 25% of the world’s oil production. Some of the world’s worst dictatorships are propped up by oil revenues. How ’bout we work on getting away from the petroleum economy altogether instead of drilling for loose change and perpetuating our oil addiction?

Jen has a psychic relative:

My nephew, F., believes he’s psychic because he predicted that:
1. Certain tv shows would appear on TV (in the next minutes, hours or days.
2. The ringing phone at my dad’s house was for my dad,
3. Someone playing a video game would crash.
4. Obama would win a debate.

Cory has a few words for people who get bent out of shape at having to hear music they don’t like:

I have a loud stereo. It is the stereo that came with the car. I play it as loud as my ears can stand, but I also turn it down when I get into a neighborhood/crowded area or stop at a red light/stop sign. I used to play it loud all the time until I found out that people 4 cars ahead could hear it. How did I find out? SOMEONE ASKED ME POLITELY TO TURN IT DOWN AND I DID. Until that time, I really didn’t know it could be heard that loudly outside the vehicle.

PI is POed:

You’re telling me that Golf Courses aren’t safe havens from the chaos of life anymore? What in the world is this town coming to?

Kate is freeked out by garden implements:

I peered out the screen door to see an older middle-aged woman I had never seen before. In one hand was a bag from Barnes & Noble (I think). In the other hand she held a shovel.

I guess the shovel needed a walk. And if it made a mess, she had a bag to clean it up. (Hey, Billy! I referenced poop again!)

But it still doesn’t top the time I saw some neighborhood kids going into the woods at the end of our street with a scythe …

Happy anniversary to Seth and Crystal:

Apparently, when Crystal and I got married, her classmates had a pool, betting on how long we would stay married. The longest time was five years.

Today, Crystal and I celebrate our eleventh anniversary. So, in case any of Crystal’s old classmates are reading this, I have something to say:

Pwned!

Burl is lamenting the Pirates poor showing this season.

I’m also blogging away at It’s Billy’s Blog, heinleinblog, Bill’s Content, Justice Blog of America, Blotter! and Press Releases. I started some new sites. Member Support Page lets me provide some technical support. It includes an open thread to let users moan and groan about issues.

I’ve also started a group blog called Upon Further Review. It’s a joint where BP members and commenters can post their reviews of movies, TV shows, books, restaurants, bands. Original posts AND cross posts are welcome. If you want to register for this site, email me and I’ll sign up as a contributor and/or editor.

Other sites intended as group sites are Press Releases and Blotter! Go and read their respective “About” pages.

And I’ve been playing with my thingy again. All the sites I operate are now using the same theme, Mandigo, and many sport spiffy new original header images based on my original photography. In time, all my sites will have original header images. I’ll be happy to do the same for any other blog Peoria site that switches to Mandigo, as I intend for it to become the standard, or default theme (no, I’m NOT changing any existing site’s theme w/out permission). I just find Mandigo to be wonderfully adaptable.

Also, Craig Hullinger started a blog about economic development, but he’s been too busy helping to rebuild Iowa on his weekends and all. As reported earlier, Angela Anderson, Chase Ingersoll and SciFGuy started blogs.

When I was an education reporter, school board members and superintendents would moan and while and gripe and complain that every little thing they did — from the curriculum to employee discipline to the menu in the cafeteria — was tightly controlled by the state.

Turns out in Peoria, not so much.

Parents feel shortening the school day isn’t just wrong, but a violation of state school code.

The Regional Superintendent of Schools says this plan does follow state code because the total number of hours the kids will be in school each week meets state requirements.

[snip]

“The plan as proposed, as I understand it, says we think we can have quality instruction that will offset the the actual contact time with the children,” said Dr. Gerald Brookhart, Regional Superintendent of Schools.

Parents say the amount of contact time with the children is exactly the issue and any plan that shortens that amount of time is the wrong plan.

[Snip]

The regional superintendent says they have not received an official plan from District 150 to shorten the school day, so until they have that nothing can happen.

What? Brookhart is approving a pan he hasn’t even looked at yet?

So much for state oversight.

Brookhart is up for re-election in 2010.

UPDATE: Diane Vespa sent me this:

Very insightful post… congratulations to you for condensing a complicated subject that is fraught with nuance and bureaucracy.

 

The Illinois School code does require a minimum of 5 instructional hours per day. The District is trying to make a legal case for a shortened school day by distorting fine print in the code and re-defining student improvement days to justify their intent to deliver less instructional time to the children of D150. Is it possible that weak-minded and disinterested officials at the state level have bought it? We shall see.

District 150’s attempt to get a shortened Wednesday approved by the state demonstrates  a shameful abuse of school code, and such passage would be in direct contradiction to the spirit and intent of the law. Once again, Peoria children take the hit. It will be interesting to watch this all shake out. A nice little science project compliments of our grade school children.

From the State Journal Register:

Democratic candidate Colleen Callahan says she has raised about $250,000 so far for her 18th Congressional District campaign to succeed U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria.

Callahan, making her first run for elective office, spoke briefly Thursday about her fundraising efforts at a news conference at the AFL-CIO Building in Springfield, where state Comptroller Dan Hynes announced he is endorsing Callahan.

The next Federal Election Commission campaign finance reports, covering the period through Monday, will be available to the public in mid-July. Callahan said she expects to have cash on hand totaling “in the neighborhood” of $130,000 to $140,000.

This time, there’s not even a mention that they tried to reach Aaron Schock. Campaign manager Steve Shearer did all Schock’s talking for him again.

Fraom the Marion (Ill.) Daily Republican:

GateHouse Media, Inc. and the Marion Daily Republican have announced that the 97-year-old Marion Daily Republican will go to a five-day publishing week beginning the week of July 7. The newspaper will publish on a Tuesday through Saturday schedule.

“With a soft economy, the rising cost of fuel prices and a substantial increase in the cost of newsprint, we feel like this is a necessary move,” said MDR publisher Tim Petrowich.

Of course, it doesn’t help when your entire business strategy is to go into debt buying all the newspapers inside a geographic area and keep investors happy with a dividend that’s mostly supported to cost savings from layoffs and early retirements.

Of course, that’s not mentioned in the article.

My battery arrived at 10:30 a.m. Of course, I was able to plug in and use it last night.

Still it’s nice to be able to be able to take it with me. I might actually visit the library now and blog from there.

So, it took exactly 24 hours from when the laptop arrived for me to get the battery. I was looking at at least five days. I guess being able to bitch and moan on a site with a moderately decent Google ranking pays off.

Still, I have yet to get that supervisor call back.

Heh.

The Journal Star managed to get comments from state legislators Mike Smith, Dave Koehler and Dave Leitch, PLUS 18th District Congressional candidate Colleen Callahan on the 2nd Amendment/Supreme Court story.

Who didn’t they reach for comment? Aaron Schock, a state legislator and Callahan’s foe in the upcoming race.

I think we are detecting a trend.