July 29 is the fifth Tuesday of the month, and tradition calls for a Blogger Bash. We’ve done the chain hot-wing-joint thing. We’ve done the other-side-of-the-river thing. Let’s do it old school and meet at the site of the FIRST Peoria-area blogger bash and do it up at the Recovery Room. 802 W. Pioneer Parkway in Peoria. Say, [...]

An email from Merle Widmer might be of interest: “Also, you could point out on your blog site that RiverStation also owes the County $46,407.00 and that Globe Energy owes the County $170,873.00 and hasn’t made a single payment since the County lent them the money back on June 27, 2007. Also that [...]

Peoria County Board member Merle Widmer is among those who are underwhelmed at the site selected for the spiffy new library they are building on the city’s northernmost limits: Location, location; pedestrian friendly, kids on bikes, isn’t that what everybody says? And on really great on land that only cost $170,000 and acre. Tucked away but [...]

On the newly revised agenda for Tuesday’s Peoria City Council meeting is the following piece of unfinished business: (08-190) Communication from the Interim City Manager and Corporation Counsel Requesting Approval of the RESOLUTION Authorizing SETTLEMENT of Case No. 06-1187 in the United States District Court for Central District of Illinois and Other Matters Pertaining to [...]

* I hope everybody has a safe, fun and happy Independence Day weekend. We’re shutting down until Monday, but Illinoize will still be up and running, and so will the recently revamped InsiderzExchange. Go buy an ad. * If you want to see some fireworks, click here. Heh. * And now [...]

Good news, as far as I am concerned: Hy-Vee, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, said it will build a nearly 84,000-square-foot store with attached wine and spirits at the end of the shopping center that once was home to Cohen Furniture. The store, which will be the 12th Hy-Vee in Illinois and the first in Peoria, [...]

* As noted below, the governor claimed today that he wasn’t under federal investigation and engaged in a contentious back and forth with reporters. Chicago Public Radio has the audio. You must listen to this. Here’s the station’s intro to the raw audio… Illinois Governor Blagojevich’s press conference on gas pump inspections disintegrated into [...]

* 12:13 pm - The House has scheduled a Committee of the Whole for next Wednesday. In other words, another “fair trial before the hanging”… The Illinois House will schedule a Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, July 9 in order to have a full discussion on all elements of the FY09 budget. [...]

Obviously, we’ve come a long way since Medieval times, but here in Illinois, we seem to be reverting to Feudalism. Over at Rich Miller’s CapitolFax, there is some commentary on the potential of both Bill Daley and Lisa Madigan running for Governor. How droll. Read the Wikipedia description of Feudalism below, and the [...]

* Every now and then, our lovable but supremely pro-Blagojevich commenter known as “Bill” overdoses on the Kool-Aid and goes off message. Like today, for instance… OK, Rod, its not funny anymore so just knock it off. Sabotaging House candidates in YOUR OWN PARTY is going too far. Do whatever you want with the budget and [...]

* Kristen McQueary talked to former Gov. Jim Edgar about what would happen if AG Lisa Madigan was elected governor and Mike Madigan stayed on as House Speaker… “There certainly are no legal problems. From a governor’s point of view, it would be nice to have the speaker always on your side,” former Illinois Gov. [...]

* If you want to know how the rest of the year is going to go, just check out this Gov. Blagojevich quote that John Patterson pulled from yesterday’s press conference… “I think there’s great cause to be concerned. If Speaker Madigan and the House leadership pick up a veto-proof majority … then they’ll be [...]

* Rep. Jack Franks’ call for an impeachment investigation yesterday was more than a little breathless and over the top, but the administration had an absolutely ridiculous response… But the Blagojevich administration responded with a 2003 memo that Franks sent to a personnel official listing a dozen people he’d like to see get state jobs [...]

* Are there 700,000 more people in poverty in Illinois? * Chicago’s working poor struggle to get enough to eat, study shows * Judge tosses suit challenging city cell phone driving ban * Union League Club of Chicago/ University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs to Sponsor Debate on “Whether an Illinois Constitutional Convention Should Be [...]

Yesterday, as Rush Limbaugh is announcing his eight-year, $400 million contract extension, the LA Times is announcing that it was cutting 250 jobs because of declining advertising revenue.

I think we need more Fairness Doctrine.

Thursday, July 3, 2008.

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Colombian forces trick Farc rebels into freeing hostage Betancourt Ingrid Betancourt was savouring freedom last night after Colombia’s security forces duped guerrillas into releasing her and 14 other hostages from a secret camp deep in the jungle. A daring military operation ended the French-Colombian politician’s six-year ordeal as a high-profile bargaining chip and dealt a devastating blow [...]

On the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting is a notice that the City of Peoria is the subject of a comlaint: Background: Estella L. Davis filed a Complaint with the City of Peoria in the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Peoria, Illinois. The Plaintiff is claiming a Peoria Police Officer negligently brought a robbery suspect to her residence [...]