PeoriaStory

Lt. Gov. forum: fascinating

PEORIA -- Seven candidates for Lt. Governor in Illinois appeared at a Jan. 30 event sponsored by the Greater Peoria League of Women Voters and the Institute for Principled Leadership at Bradley University.

The Illinois Lt. Gov. candidates run independently.  A Democrat and a Republican will be nominated in the primary election Feb. 2, and will then run on a slate with the gubernatorial nominees. 

The Peoria forum, unique in Illinois, won praise from the candidates who said they enjoyed hearing their opponents from the other party as well as their competitors.  The two hour event attracted an audience of about 35 people, which the candidates said was a very good showing for their race.

Though all were personable, articulate and charming, one of the most interesting candidates was Ricky Hendon, 56, of Chicago, an assistant majority leader in the state senate. Democrat Hendon minced no words in attacking the "stupid wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan for draining the state and nation of money. 

Hendon, who arrived nearly a half-hour late, said he succeeded in killing a measure in the General Assembly to allow annoying traffic tickets from cameras. Of Democrat and Illinois House majority leader Mike Madigan, said to be the most powerful politician in the state, Hendon said, "I can work with Madigan but I'm not going to bow down when he's wrong." 

He said "the speaker (Madigan) owns" other candidates. "I'm independent."

Hendon gave out his cell phone number and e-mail address and said he always responds.

Democrat Thomas Castillo, 33, of Elmhurst, an electrician with no political experience but plenty of savvy, said "Madigan is the biggest problem in Illinois...People are scared of him.  I have a history of bringing people together, from the 9/12 movement to tea party forums.  I have been asked to run as a Republican." 

Castillo said his website has links to all the Lt. Gov. candidates of all parties.

The candidates agreed that the Feb. 2 primary is too early in the year, and suggested it be moved forward next time to better weather, with some suggesting near Labor Day.  Aside from frozen ground, making yard signs difficult, the campaign now is too long and costs too much, they agreed.

They disagreed on whether term limits should be enacted. Some said the voters should enact term limits on the candidates, while others said term limits mean new office holders are inexperienced and their staffs and lobbyists take over.

All expressed support for the Fair Map Amendment, a plan to redistrict the state after the US Census using an independent agency.  The League and other groups are currently circulating petitions to get this on the November ballot.

Democrat Mike Boland, 67, of East Moline, said "Iowa has a great system" for redistricting.  He also suggested that the Illinois River Coordinating Council, traditionally headed by the Lt. Gov., be expanded to include the Mississippi and other rivers in Illinois.

Asked how to solve the financial problems in Illinois, Democrat Art Turner, 59, of Chicago, said the Illinois deficit, of $11 billion to $13 billion must be dealt with. "There's no way to get around a tax increase and cuts in state government.  We need a progressive income tax," he said. Hendon agreed.

The three Repubicans disagreed, with Jason Plummer, 27, of Edwardsville, commenting that Hendon "doesn't know what he's talking about," in supporting a progressive income tax.

"The economy of Illinois has been tanking for a decade, he said. "We're losing jobs. We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. We need an environment for business to operate. It's not about increased gambling or increased taxes."

Brad Cole, 38, the mayor of Carbondale, said his city's budget is balanced. "We have a spending problem. You can't borrow your way out of debt."

Don Tracy, 59, of Springfield, a businessman and attorney, said Illinois has not had a "competent and honest" governor in the last 12 years. (Gov.) Quinn is in over his head. He's an honest bumbler." He suggested co-pays for Medicaid as well as managed care to cut costs.

Those who were invited but did not attend included Republicans Randy White, 52 of Hamilton; Matt Murphy, 39 of Palatine; and Dennis Cook, 31, of Orland Park.  Democrats were Scott Lee Cohen, 43, of Chicago, and Terry Link, 62, of Waukegan.

The Green Party candidate is Don Crawford, 54, of St. Elmo. He does not have an opponent in the primary.

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

Haiti -- the real inside story

PEORIA -- Dr. John Carroll, the Peoria physician who is a founder of the Haitian Hearts charity, has posted this account of what's really going on in Haiti, and what should be done.  It's really worth reading.

http://www.haitianhearts.org/newsletters/Haitian-Hearts-January-2010.pdf

Recycling e-waste

Here's a link to a terrific article on how to recycle electronic waste, any and all kinds.

(In the spirit of Luddite-ism, I printed it out, lest it disappear from cyberspace.)  

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Goodbye to a significant arts series

PEORIA -- Here's an account of the last Gilbert and Sullivan musical performed at Woodruff High School, which is slated to close in June.  It reveals again the folly of closing a 900-student high school with long traditions and support in the community. The author wishes to remain anonymous.

"The Gondoliers" which filled the Commons at Woodruff High School with music and laughter last week was just the most recent in a series of 17 Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

With the closing of Woodruff High, choral director Denise Adams doesn't know where she will be transferred or whether the series will continue. For a cheering and standing ovation audience Saturday night it would be a tragedy if it doesn't.

It was an evening to treasure starring Lee Wenger. director of radio information at WCBU, and Pete Driscoll who directs music at East Peoria High School, as the central characters -- a pair of zany gondoliers in Venice.

The student choruses which serve as a sort of Greek chorus explaining the turns of plot, proved to be all "sublime," a favorite word in Gilbert's lyrics.

For Adams who directs as well as plays the Sullivan score on piano, it was a bittersweet evening not knowing if it might be the last.

Over the 17 years, hundreds of Woodruff students have learned self confidence, stage poise, clear diction and an appreciation of the British humor through the operettas.

The dinner- theater combination in Woodruff's Commons has been so successful that many hands shot up Saturday night to confirm they hadn't missed a single "Mikado" or "HMS Pinafore."

Operetta "alumni" also returned to take part in the chorus, and Wenger and soprano Shirley Salazar who teaches voice at Bradley University, have scarcely missed a year.

Dave Barnwell, retired Woodruff principal who supported the first operetta, has performed frequently since then and was there Saturday as the Duke of Plaza Toro.

Debra Austin, professional mezzo-soprano and voice teacher at Illinois State University; soprano Rhonda Heller, retired postmaster of Metamora; Susan Somerville, a Broadway veteran; Joe Suau of Caterpillar's "Beauty and the Beast" and Peter Wessler, Woodruff orchestra director. filled out the stellar cast.

Chef Russ Cloud. a Woodruff alum, presided over the bountiful buffet.

Uncertainty runs through the plot of "The Gondoliers" and it's also in the future for Adams and the Gilbert and Sullivan Dinner Theatre series. Cross your fingers and hope for the best. -30-

UPDATE 1/30/10:  check out Roger Monroe's column in the Feb. Community Word, on Woodruff HS closing.

Animal shelter progress continues

PEORIA -- Policies that will lead to an improved animal shelter in Peoria continued  to move forward, as the Peoria County Board's Management Services Committee approved a resolution at its Jan. 26 meeting.

The resolution includes significant goals:

• Fewer animals coming into the shelter.

• More redemptions, adoptions and placements.

• Less euthanized animals.

• More spay/neutering programs.
  

Board member Andrew Rand, an advocate for better programs and policies, spoke to the committee. "This is a powerful moment for all of us.  There is massive awareness about the size of this problem" and the numbers of animals euthanized at the shelter, he said. "It should be the goal of this board to get it to zero."

He continued, "we have the opportunity to do an even better job in reducing unwanted and uncared-for animals."

The county's next step is to set up job descriptions based on the policies approved by the committee, county administrator Patrick Urich said. "How do you staff this and the next question is how do we pay for it?" he asked.

The committee set Feb. 10 as a tentative date for the next special meeting for shelter issues including revenue sources.

The city of Peoria recently abandoned responsibility for the animal shelter, and the county is taking over its operations.  Under the city's management, more than 5,000 animals are killed yearly at the shelter. It takes in more than 7,000 animals. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Black history month in Peoria

PEORIA -- From a news release:

Peoria Public Library Celebrates Black History Throughout February

 

Thursday, February 4, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. “Momma Kemba” appears as African American heroine Sojournor Truth at Peoria Public Library Lakeview Branch Library in a free program that is appropriate for all ages. Kemba is an accomplished actress and playwright who exposes audiences of all ages to the fascinating character Sojournor Truth with her first person portrayal. For further information, please call 309-497-2165.

                Learn secrets of researching African American family history from Timothy Pinnick at Peoria Public Library Lakeview Branch Thursday, February 25 at 6:00 p.m. Renowned lecturer, former public school teacher and family historian Pinnick will share his expertise and speak about his African American family history research. This program is appropriate for those interested in genealogy and genealogical studies and research. This program is free of charge and for more information call 309-497-2165.

                Enjoy “Black Movie Cinema,” during February with movies and documentaries that will highlight prominent historical people, places and events important to the African American culture every Wednesday at the South Side Branch from 3:00-5:00 p.m and at the Lincoln Branch Library every Thursday from 4:00-6:00 p.m. These events are free and appropriate for all ages.

Create African Crafts during  “Make It and Take It” at the following times and locations. All craft programs are free.

                                Southside Branch,  Tuesday, February 9 at 2:30pm

                                RiverWest Branch, Thursday, February 18 at 4:00 pm

                                McClure Branch, Saturday, February 20 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

“Rise to the Occasion” at Lincoln Branch Library on Tuesday, February 2 at 4:30 p.m. as we celebrate the history and triumphs of the African American Journey. Free. Call 497-2600 for more information.

“Black History Month Story Time”  is on Tuesday, February 23 at 10:00am at Lincoln Branch Library. Join us and learn about the history of African Americans through stories and crafts.  Free. Call 497-2600 for more information.-30-

 

 

Peoria connections with Haiti: inside stories

PEORIA -- Many people from central Illinois are involved in charities that attempt to help Haiti. Below are some accounts of what's really going on there.  The first is from Dr. John Carroll, a founder of Haitian Hearts, which arranges for heart surgery for Haitians.  He writes:

1.  None of what happened or is happening in Haiti is surprising to me. The courage of the Haitian people during adverse circumstances is what I am used to seeing.

 

2.  The international community is a day late and a dollar short as usual. Haiti's government is mainly absent right now. Haiti's government has actually been absent for many years. The Haitian people have no trust in their government whatsoever. Haitian police are executing looters right now. Haitian police have told the people of Cite Soleil to kill gang members that have escaped from the prison when it fell.  

 

Building codes, infrastructure, clean water, basic things needed to be in place like humans deserve, decades before the quake. The quake would still have happened, but recovery would have been much quicker and less lives lost.

 

3.  And why is PAP so densely populated? Because people can't survive in the countryside because the trees have been cut down, deforested, because they use the trees to make charcoal to cook. But with deforestation, the erosion is terrible during the rainy season and the Haitian farmers can't plant and grow crops. So they can't live and wonder in from the country side and live in massive shanty towns in the capital. The shanty towns, frequently named for the area in the countryside (province) where they come from, may have hundreds of thousands of people.

 

Haitian farmers have been hurt by food that comes in from overseas and sold on the market for much less than the Haitian farmer can sell his grain. Haitian farmers work by hand and hoe, not big tractors. They have no good fertilizer.

 

So if PAP, which may be able to accommodate  400,000 people, did not have 3 million people living on top of each other, there would be less chaos and less death now because the epicenter was just a few miles west of PAP. Now, people are fleeing the capital to head out to the pathetic and poor countryside. The roads are damaged even more, the villages are flattened south and west of the capital, and people are even leaving on overcrowded ferries. And we know that overcrowded Haitian ferries don't historically do well. One trip in the early 90's, I saw hundreds of bodies at the General Hospital of people that drowned on a ferry called the Neptune...several thousand people lost their lives on the Neptune, and it barely made international news.

 

4.  The Haitian elite of course has not been interviewed by the media. They really control Haiti and are hunkered down in their big homes, surrounded by security, or have already left Haiti for New York, Montreal, Miami, etc. It used to be said that 40 influential Haitian families controlled 40% of the wealth in Haiti. What plans do Haitians elite have to rebuild Haiti? They have no plan of course. They have their textile factories, etc, which with globalization enslave the Haitian people all the more.

 

5.  The stages of Disaster Medicine are playing out in Haiti. First there is the acute injuries and confusion. Extrication of victims is on everyone's mind. Now we are entering Stage II of infection, lack of water, new water borne diseases, lack of security, lack of housing, new orphans, and what we all forget is the psychological trauma of surviving an earthquake while your family doesn't.

 

6.  Maria and I have probably received or sent 400-500 emails or phone calls in the last 8 days. My patients call from Haiti or send an indirect message through a friend or send a message via internet. Many Haitian Hearts patients are homeless and living on the street. You can listen to a voice mail I received last night from a Haitian friend living on the sidewalks begging for help. They have lost all of their medicine and all of their material goods. Of all the patients we have played a roll in bringing to the US for surgery, we have lost one 7 year old girl who was killed instantly in her house as the quake hit. She had been operated in Saint Louis a couple of years ago.

 

7.  Haiti's future is uncertain to say the least. It will take decades to "recover".At least one silver lining is that the world for the first time has seen the courage of the Haitian people and their suffering. Most of Haiti's days have been bad during the last 29 years that I have been working there. This will be the worst natural disaster ever recorded in the Americas in my opinion.

 

These are a few of my thoughts about the disaster....

 

Again, an ounce of prevention would have been worth a pound of cure...the camera crews will leave shortly, and Haitians will have some help, but not enough.

-- Dr. John Carroll

This commentary is from Pat Sloan of Hands Helping Haiti.  The website gives some information, and here's more:

Our group is a 501(c)(3).  We have people involved primarily between Peoria and Rockford, Illinois.  We sponsor a clinic in Hinche and just built a school last year near Jacmel.  We sponsor a number of children and the school as well.  We have 4 Haitian staff.

Thank goodness our school and staff are OK.  All the children we've found have been OK, although most of their houses have been damaged or destroyed.  We stay somewhat in contact, but it is very difficult, because the cell phone system is not working well and they are not getting new fuel for their generators yet.

We do at least one medical clinic per year which involves 12 - 20 from the states and about the same number from Haiti.  We will be rescheduling our trip for as soon as we can.  We've been preparing for months to go down Feb. 1, but that won't happen now.

I help with the clinic and the school construction, but mostly now about our water filter project which we were on the verge of starting production.  It will be somewhat delayed, but this earthquake just points out even more that safe drinking water is of utmost importance.

 -- Pat Sloan

 

-30-

Unique Lt. Gov. Forum Jan. 30

PEORIA --  So many candidates running for Illinois Lt. Governor. How to choose?

The League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria and the Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Studies at Bradley University encourage you to meet the candidates wanting your vote for Lt. Governor.

This unique candidate forum takes place at 2 p.m. on Sat. Jan. 30 at Neumiller Lecture Hall, Room 145, at Bradley Hall, 830 N. Glenwood.

The 13 candidates for Lt. Gov. have been invited and most have accepted.  They include candidates from Democratic, Republican and Green parties.

TV journalist H. Wayne Wilson will moderate this forum.  It's free and open to the public.

The Chicago Tribune recently wrote about these races:

Democrats: “It’s a battle between two newcomers and four candidates with long histories in public office: Sens. Rickey Hendon of Chicago and Terry Link of Waukegan, and Reps. Art Turner of Chicago and Mike Boland of East Moline. Chicago businessman Scott Lee Cohen and electrical worker Thomas Castillo said they are counting on voter outrage over budget gridlock and other failings to boost their campaigns.”

Republicans: “Second term state Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine and education administrator Dennis Cook of Orland Park face a bevy of downstate candidates, including Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole, former Madison County Republican Chairman Jason Plummer of Edwardsville, Springfield attorney Don Tracy and Randy White, a pastor from Hamilton. Murphy has (informally) partnered with former Illinois Republican Chairman Andy McKenna in his bid for governor, after briefly flirting with the top job himself.”

Green: Don W. Crawford is the candidate for this party, with no opposition.

Peoria animal shelter pans continue

PEORIA -- Of 2,700 dogs arriving at the Peoria City/County Animal Shelter last year, 1,100 were pit bulls. "Some are not adoptable. Do you keep it for life in a cage? What about the quality of life?"

Peoria County Humane Society president Lise Mundwiller spoke to a Peoria County Board committee on Jan. 20 discussing animal shelter problems, and did not appear to support a 'no-kill' shelter.  The shelter now kills about 5,000 animals each year, out of 7,000 it accepts.

She suggested a free spay-neuter program for "farm cats" and pit bulls, and said the shelter can only handle 55 adult dogs, 30 puppies and 100 cats and kittens.

The committee informally discussed various ideas, including how to charge for the 10 percent of animals brought there from other counties, whether to require all animals be micro-chiped, even whether to adopt special legislation for the pit bull problem, to reduce their numbers.

But county attorney Bill Atkins nixed that idea. "How do you prove it's a pit bull?" he asked.  He once got involved in a court case over whether an animal was actually a dog, he said. "Specific breed laws are very difficult to enforce."

Instead, officials could focus on whether a dog is dangerous, he said. Some pit bulls are loving, others said.

The committee meets again at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

It's making plans to take over the shelter from the city, which ditched it to save money. Board members have expressed interest in increasing adoptions and decreasing the kill rate. It can enact a variety of ordinances depending on the policies it accepts.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Newspaper bankruptcies: what to do?

PEORIA -- If US newspapers, including the Peoria Journal Star are shrinking, don't blame the Internet.  Blame their terrible financial management.

Here's an interesting article about the financial state of US newspapers today. The author, Alan Mutter, has his own financial stake/conflict of interest in sinking print newspapers, since he's a Silicon Valley consultant.  Nevertheless his facts are facts.  Here's what he says about GateHouse, owner of the PJStar:

GateHouse Media owes $1.3 billion in debt, or 14.7 times the $85 million in operating profits it produced in the prior 12 months. (Operating profits also are known as EBITDA, which stands for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.)

He also states:   Fitch Ratings, a private agency that analyzes the quality of bonds for institutional investors, said publishers at this critical point should not have debt greater than one time their annual operating profits.

GateHouse is at nearly 15 times its operating profits, many of those at the expense of Peoria readers of the PJStar, as staff has been cut and coverage cut back. 

Meanwhile others bemoan the fate of newspapers, as if storms they can't control -- not financial malfeasance -- is killing them.  Their solution:  government vouchers to prop them up. The PBS show NOW devoted its most recent half-hour to a new book on this subject:

NOW's David Brancaccio talks to professor Bob McChesney and journalist John Nichols about the perils of a shrinking news media landscape, and their bold proposal to save journalism with government subsidies. Their new book is "The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again."

Alas, nobody mentioned the foolish debt the newspapers have run up,  so their executives could grow rich at the expense of the public.  Yes -- a lot of that money went into high salaries, bonuses and other compensation. 

So how would McChesney and Nichols deal with that issue?

Their solution to save journalism is to let the public choose which media to subsidize!   They claimed gossip sites would not really benefit.   Oh sure.

The alternative is to let the government choose which media would be eligible. Uh oh!  That's a terrible idea.

What is the answer?  Perhaps the government's role could be in bankruptcy court, so that when overextended media file to ditch their debts, the properties can only be sold to non-profits or cooperatives, less likely to loot the company for executive compensation.

Or maybe not.  Look at this post on Gannett's excesses with its not-for-profit. 

Meanwhile, it's a very sad day for the readers, for as McChesney and Nichols rightly state, democracy depends on an informed public, and the newspapers, especially, do the basic and vital research upon which electronic media feed endlessly.  At least they have done so in the past because they had the resources, unlike blogs, websites and smaller publications.

When the newspapers collapse, nothing likely will the void.

 -- Elaine Hopkins