PeoriaStory

District 150 School Board public comments

PEORIA -- As usual, the public comments to the Peoria District 150 School Board at its July 26 meeting proved as lively and interesting as the meeting itself.

The board's previous comments last week -- a rather pathetic attempt to intimidate those who comment -- failed to deter the people who care about the school district. 

• Sharon Crews offered an eye-opening look at attendance and grade records at Manual High School. Her report will be attached below.

She noted that of 106 recent graduates, one third missed from 20 to 49 full days of school, but 62 percent made A's or B's in their classes. The grades don't reflect the "horrendous attendance records" she said.

"Tell me you are shocked by this data and consider the unfairness to students who deserve high grades," she said. "The bar is way too low."

• Terry Knapp told the board he and others check a box on the sign up sheet to address the board saying they are willing to be contacted by school officials. Neither he nor Crews has ever been contacted. "Crews's research is invaluable," he added.

He questioned the number of bus routes required to bus children to the new charter school, and said he learned from an administrator that the charter school will be paying for the busing.

He also questioned whether the board has violated the Open Meetings Act and Illinois State Board of Education Guidelines in its attempt to discourage the public to speak at meeting. "This board has been unkind to people who speak at the podium," he said, mentioning "condescending" as as one of the board's attitudes toward the speakers.

• Randall Emmert asked the board to consider raises for the three high school cafeteria managers. Their attempt to contact the administration has been ignored, he said.

• Sabena Sierra said "I am a surrogate parent when the mother is sleeping. She works nights," a comment in response to board member Jim Stowell's recent jibe at people who speak to the board who are not parents.

"When you make the wrong decisions we have to give you constructive criticism. We don't get paid for speaking. I like to know what's going on. You should go back to live broadcasts. Don't wait until November."

• General Parker, who is married to board member Rachel Parker also called for live broadcasts to begin again, without censorship of the public comments. "This is still America, we're not in China or Russia."

He noted there was no vote on the decision not to broadcast live, and it was not discussed openly, a possible violation of the Open Meetings Act.

"People say a lot of things about you. It's up to you to prove them right," he said, quoting a minister.

"If you're afraid to hear what is said, you lend credence to what they say," he added.

• Antonio Drummond said he supports District 150, which has helped him. But then "I had my job taken from me here."

Drummond then left the meeting before he could be asked for details about what occurred.

A new agenda item, for response to the public comments, drew a remark from Laura Petelle, who said the decision not to broadcast live was not discussed in the closed meetings she attended.

Board president Debbie Wolfmeyer said "it's not a policy so we didn't have to vote on it."

At a special board meeting last week, the board said they might revisit the broadcast policy in November. The Peoria Journal Star then editorialized that the live broadcasts should resume.

Here is an audiotape of the public comments. 

DW_B0057

A video of the entire meeting will appear on the WMBD-TV website soon. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Sharon Crews's comment:

The District Dashboard shows that the attendance rate at District 150 high schools is generally in the high 80s to mid 90% range.  I have no idea how these percentages are computed (I hope you can tell me), but they do not give an honest picture of how often students in District 150 are actually sitting in their classes every hour of every school day.

 I wish I had the time and money to FOIA and compile the records of all the high schools, but, as usual, Manual is my focus. 

Remember students miss out on material covered when they are out of class for any reason (excused or unexcused). 

The Manual records confirm that many students might be counted as present for the day, but many of them leave the building later.  Or some go to other places in the building—but not to their classrooms. 

These records include only the 106 recent grads.

• 15 grads were absent from 29 to 49 days of the year (that means they missed from 5.8 weeks to 9.8 weeks—or the equivalent of one grading period or well over).
  
• 15 grads were absent from 20 to 27 days (or 4 weeks to 5.4 weeks). 
  

Therefore, almost one third of the graduating class missed from 20 to 49 full days of school—plus many individual hours of classes.

The number of individual classes missed is data rarely reported to you or to the public.

Some class absences are completely within the control of school personnel.  Board policy reads, “While it may, occasionally, be necessary for the principal to approve the release of students from regularly scheduled classes to take part in extra curricular activities, this practice is to be held to a minimum.”

Please look at the orange section of Exhibit B and tell us if this policy has been followed. 

• 37 grads missed from 11 to 40 ninety-minute classes.
  
•  One student missed a second-hour class 27 times for school activities.

   To get the total picture of how many class periods are missed, look at Exhibit C the third column,

•  106 grads amassed 3,470 individual 90-minute class absences.
•   83 grads missed from 20 to 91 classes. 
•  Another 16 grads missed from 11 to 19 classes.

Remember each class is 90-minutes, not the 45-minute classes at other schools.  Remember these absences are over and above the all day absences. 

Twenty two of the grads were tardy (unexcused) to a class from 20 to 66 times.  To their credit 15 grads had no unexcused tardies to class.

What penalty did these students pay for these horrendous attendance records?  They graduated—no penalty there. 

Also, please note that their grades do not seem to reflect the low grades that could be expected as a natural result of absenteeism.  Last year 62% of the grades earned were A’s or B’s.  That percentage does not include the grades for the advisory periods.

The 16 top seniors took dual credit courses from ICC instead of English 7-8.  Only 86 grads took English 7-8;  63% of those students received A’s or B’s.

Please compare those English grades to the ACT reading scores of the individual students.  I do not believe you can deny that the grades are inflated.  I know how challenging English 7-8 is and/or should be.

Please tell me that you are shocked by this data, but please don’t tell me that the public doesn’t have the right to an accurate assessment of District 150’s academic standards. Also, consider the unfairness to the students who actually deserved the high grades.

 

I say:  start with attendance first.  Don’t accept the glowing lies about attendance.  Go after the truth.  Then please demand what these students could do if they knew it was expected of them.  The bar is way too low. -30-

7/28/10:  Here's an additional comment from Crews.

I have just learned even more about how Manual pads its grades.  Unlike the other high schools, Manual has an advisory period that meets during the lunch hour--probably no more than 30 minutes and with no board approved curriculum.

Students take this "course" (as it was labeled in the FOIA response to me) 8 semesters as an elective.  Credit given for each semester is .5 which, according to the FOIA, counts in the total number of credits and is averaged in with the students' grade point averages. 

As stated in the FOIA response, students earn 4 credits--that would be 4 of the 18 required credits.  The seniors' grades for this advisory period were predominantly A.  -30-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edwards death shocks environmentalists

PEORIA -- The death of Peoria environmental activist Tom Edwards has shocked the environmental community.  

Here's the Peoria Journal Star's first story on his death, in a July 23 vehicle accident on the McClugage Bridge. 

Tributes  are being written on emails and listserves, as the sad news circulates throughout the area. 

Edwards was not always the most popular environmental activist. He clashed with others in his insistence that they stop trying to manipulate nature by ripping out or killing non-native flora and fauna.

He most famously asked why forests should be rehabbed to a certain date in history, by cutting down maple trees, for example, when the planet's evolution has occurred over millions of years.  He favored letting nature take its own course, and insisted it would adapt and heal itself. 

He clashed with the US. Army Corp of Engineers in its plans to build islands in the Illinois River, saying they wouldn't work to slow the river's siltation.

He attacked the Corps plan to "renovate" the Rice Lake area by cutting down trees and performing other destructive acts, supposedly for the greater good of the site.

He went door to door to oppose Peoria Disposal Co's plan to expand its hazardous waste landfill, and that time-tested political tactic worked as thousands of people began to oppose the expansion.

He enlisted allies, and the activists persuaded the Peoria County Board to deny siting of the expansion.

His approach was not always political. When some activists feared that PDC would ultimately win, and decided to compromise with PDC, Edwards opposed that.  Then the deal fell apart. 

Edwards, a former reporter with the Journal Star, didn't own a cell phone, computer or use email, much less Facebook or Twitter. He typed and duplicated his materials to pass out to elected officials and journalists.  That tactic worked, too.

He remained independent and beholden to no one by working for himself as a roofer and contractor until he retired on Social Security, all the while advocating for the environment.  No one could intimidate him into backing down or threaten his livelihood. He lived modestly, and didn't even own a house, apparently spending most of his income on activism. 

He was a strong, reliable voice for the environment, and his activism, an example to others, will be badly missed.

  -- Elaine Hopkins

No live District 150 School Board broadcasts until November, if then

PEORIA -- The Peoria District 150 School Board debated whether to resume live broadcasts of board meetings, then decided not to consider the issue for a vote until November.  The board met as a committee of the whole on July 19. 

Laura Petelle took the strongest stand in favor of live broadcasts. "We're making it very inconvenient," she said, referring to videos of the meetings on the WMBD-TV website, recorded by the District 150 watch group and posted a day or two later. 

"People like to watch it live.  I like to watch the (Peoria) City Council live, not a week late."

Board meetings are broadcast a week late, with the public comments omitted, on the public access cable TV channel.

I record the public comments and place the audio recording on this blog the evening of the meeting.  The discussion of the broadcasts is 30 minutes into the audio posted here:  

DW_B0056

Board members acknowledged that the reason they stopped the broadcasts was not, as was initially reported, to save money, but because they objected to negative comments from the public during the public comment portion of the meeting. "It (the money) was never my reason," Jim Stowell said. 

"Nor mine," board president Debbie Wolfmeyer said.  She later admitted that she used to speak to the board from the podium before she was elected to the board. She felt no one listened, she said, but added "that's not true."  

My take:  what an odd comment, given her opposition to the live broadcasts! In fact the entire discussion was strange, since the board has never publicly voted on the broadcast issue, then at the meeting, where no board votes were to be taken, agreed to revisit the issue in November. This from a board that talks about transparency!

Martha Ross said she was in favor of stopping the live broadcasts "until we could answer people and tell our own story." But there was an unexpected consequence: "Now people don't know it's on" (television, a week late).

Stowell said, "the minutes reflect the comments. They're not censored."  My take:  that's a stretch!

Stowell became the most vocal critic of the live broadcasts, saying "the public comments dominate" the meetings.  My take:  I agree -- because the commentators have something interesting to say, whereas most of the board meetings are dull and uninformative.

Stowell continued, "the board has the responsibility to shape the message that we want to convey.  The same four people 90 percent of the time (speak). They weren't elected. They don't even have children in the district."

Afterward I told Stowell that people who comment are taxpayers, and everyone should be concerned about District 150 because of property values and because it is educating, or failing to educate, future employees of the city and region. If affects everyone, including people who live in nearby communities.

Stowell said he's tired of hearing the same message from the same people during the public comments, "they don't like Edison" (schools). He implied they are publicity seekers who don't represent the larger public, and who "won't be happy until you let them run the district." 

Wolfmeyer agreed. "I don't need to hear the same tired message from the same people," she said. 

My take:  how astounding that Stowell and Wolfmeyer resent citizens petitioning their government -- and the school board is a government that taxes its citizens.  They need public support, and should be grateful that anyone still cares enough about District 150 to attend the meetings!

Stowell did present one constructive idea -- that District 150 make better use of the public access channel by presenting school programs on it. His example wasn't the most uplifting, however:  the duct tape fashion show.

He also acknowledged that broadcasting the meetings a week late means the announcements are not timely, and positive comments are kept from the public (censored?).

Board member Rachel Parker suggested the comments be moved to the end of the meeting. But that means people cannot comment on pending issues, and so will contact board members beforehand, she said.

Linda Butler suggested revisiting the issue in November, and no one objected.

The board also discussed how to respond to comments, and were told that factual errors could be corrected, and an agenda item added to allow board members to respond.

The other item on the agenda, whether to require that new hires live in the district, was also debated with the following points made: 

• District 150 holds a special charter from the state, so may not have to follow all the state rules.

• But state law bans requiring residency for teachers and support staff.

• Requiring residency might diminish the talent pool, as people have many reasons to live elsewhere. The new building and grounds director lives in the country because he has horses, Petelle said.

• Requiring residency of principals and administrators will have little impact as few are hired each year.

Petelle noted that "it would be an issue if administrators moved into the district  and sent their children to private schools. That feels like a slap in the face."

She also noted that "we pay teachers like it's a trailing (spouse) career, a woman's career. We will miss out on excellent teachers."

Stowell proposed developing incentives for district staff to live in the district, and Rachel Parker, who proposed the residency idea, is to research that.

My take, only partly in jest: give the new hires the houses District 150 bought on the abortive school in Glen Oak Park plan -- which have been off the tax rolls for several years.  Or sell them to raise the money for the live broadcasts. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

7/20/10. Here's an emailed comment: Laura Petelle wrote:

Elaine,

Your blog wouldn't let me comment -- I believe I said I listen to city council on the radio -- if I said I watch it I misspoke, I'm a radio gal. Not only do we not have cable anymore but I have a 14-month-old and we severely limit our television/computer-TV-watching so he doesn't stare at the glowing box until he's a little older.

I got into it when I was driving some distance on Tuesday nights and would catch the council on the radio, and was surprised to really enjoy it. Unfortunately I don't get to listen as often as I used to, but when I'm driving or the baby goes to bed at a reasonable hour and the housework is caught up, I still get to indulge.

-Laura -30-

After School Programs: new Illinois law sets framework

PEORIA -- The first Illinois community meeting on a new state law setting up a framework for after school programs brought together advocates for these programs.

The July 19 meeting attracted Christopher Koch, Illinois State Superintendent of Schools, Kathy Ryg, director of Voices for Illinois Children and Karrie Reuter, of the Illinois Dept. of Human Services, with many Peoria area educators and agency heads in the large audience.

The event was convened by Ill. Rep. Jehan Gordon, D-Peoria, who pushed for passage of the law, SB 3543.

Advocates said the bill passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support, and will be signed by Gov. Pat Quinn on July 27.

It sets up the Illinois Youth Development Council to coordinate and strengthen after school programs, and will establish demonstration programs to evaluate best practices, outcomes and costs. But it carries no funding, only hope that private foundations will fund demonstration programs. The General Assembly must use a separate appropriation to fund it.

"I want to come up with a solution to violence" and other youth issues, including unsafe sexual activity after school, Gordon said.

She pointed to high STD rates in the Peoria area, with the rates growing the most among children ages 11-16.

Middle class parents routinely schedule after school activities for their children, from sports to  music, art, dance and other lessons.  But poor children are more likely to languish in front of a TV or amuse themselves on the streets, unsupervised.

"Approximately half of all K-12 children are either responsible for themselves or are left in a sibling's care after school hours," according to ACT Now, an agency that advocates for after school programs. 

Audience members in a question session said the money needs to go to grass roots groups now providing activities. Gordon agreed. "It's hard to ensure the funding gets to the grass roots," she said. "In this program, the grass roots create the state program."

Reuter and Koch stressed evaluating the demonstration projects, and setting up systems to track children through the programs into adulthood.  But no one offered details on how such programs should be evaluated.

Providers from programs run by the Peoria Urban League and the Peoria Boys and Girls Club were present and offered support for the new law. Someproviders talked about how poor children may have no role models or family members that care about them.

Others said children suspended or expelled from school should be sent to these programs, where they might find caring adults and mentors.

Koch said that idea should be explored further. "They aren't going to get better from putting them out on the street," he said. 

Peoria regional superintendent Gerald Brookhart said Peoria County has 33,000 kids but only seven truant officers. He suggested storefronts in inner city neighborhoods "might have more credibility" than officials. "I don't have any credibility but others do. They know who's not in school," he said.

Reuter of DHS said,  "before you expel the kids, call us, we can work with them," adding a phone call doesn't cost any money.

Ryg said her agency's website has state budget and policy analysis. ACT Now's website will follow the new legislation, she added. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Live broadcasts coming back?

PEORIA -- The Peoria District 150 School Board's decision -- never voted upon publicly -- to stop broadcasting its meetings live on cable TV  and to censor out the public comments for a delayed broadcast -- may receive a second look by the board.

At the July 12 meeting, board members Martha Ross commented that she would like to know how much money is being saved by eliminating the live broadcasts. People have asked her about the delayed broadcasts, and she had to respond "I'm not sure when it's on TV."

But Ross also said the board had grown tired of being criticized during the public comments. It should "look into ways to answer questions" asked by the public at these sessions, she said, to avoid negative publicity.

Laura Petelle said she supports resuming the live broadcasts, and "we can have back and forth with the podium" if needed.  The next meeting of the committee of the whole should study this issue, she said.

Jim Stowell commented that a comment he heard, that "we have stupid on our foreheads because we ran for the school board --this is inappropriate."

He was referring to a remark made by activist Terry Knapp during the public comments that he was not stupid enough to run for the board.

Knapp in the audience said Stowell "can't take a joke."

Meanwhile the public comments are on an audio recording below, as usual. And a video was made of the entire meeting to be on the WMBD-TV website soon.

D150 July 12

Perhaps the board realizes that its efforts at secrecy aren't working, so it may as well go back to live broadcasts. Several speakers during the public comments urged them to do that, obviously prompting a response.

Supt. Grenita Lathan said "we do research comments" made by the public. "We are listening to you. We want to meet with you," she said.

The district is still looking at continuing its adult education program, she said. She's also interested in vocational education, she said. Speakers during the public comment session commented on both issues.

She also urged the public to stop filing so many Freedom of Information requests, since they take up staff time.  "Give us a reprieve," she said. 

Activist Sharon Crews, who files many requests, said she won't stop.  She offered a well researched report  to the board, which will be added below.

The board likes to say it's transparent, but it approved a 2-year contract with Frontline Placement Technology, a for-profit software company that manages substitute teachers, without mentioning how much it would cost.

"This will allow us to schedule substitutes a month in advance," Lathan said.

It's also outsourcing work that has been done by district staff members.

There was no discussion from the board, which gives rise to the suspicion that it was discussed illegally in its closed session that always takes place before the public meeting.

Can the financially strapped district really afford this contract?  Who is being let go who used to do this work? Details would be nice to know.

Let's hope the mainstream press finds out more about this contract, from its cost, to who owns this company, and how it can possibly schedule substitute teachers a month in advance any more efficiently than the district's human resources stuff could, since they too likely know when teachers are going to workshops and training. 

But likely they don't know when someone will call in sick at the last minute. Will the for-profit company also predict the future?

Ross commented that high school students won't have to wear uniforms next fall but will be subjected to a dress code that has not yet been finalized.

Jim Stowell commented, "bring teachers into the process." He didn't mean to help develop the code.  

"Some don't uphold professional decorum of their own dress," Stowell said.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Here is Sharon Crews's comment to the board, with some eye-opening statistics (thanks to the Freedom of Information Act!).  She shows them how to save $1 million and improve District 150 education:

   Tonight I want to speak about the District high school curricula and graduation requirements.

In that regard, District 150 has two major problems.  The first is that over the last 20 years, many academically prepared students have fled the district— unfortunate, but fact.

The second problem is that most high school courses are designed primarily to meet the needs of the students whose immediate goal is to attend college.  And those are not the majority of students in District 150 —you simply must face that fact and plan accordingly.

Manual’s ACT composite scores that I have given you might be proof enough of the problem.   Only 11 students scored 20 or above.  Only 19 scored between 17 and 19.  70 scored 16 or below.  By the way, these tests mean nothing to the non-college bound students.

I believe that an inadequate curricula is one of the major causes of the dropout rate in District 150 and of some discipline problems. 

Over the years many Manual students who did not go to college have led productive lives in our community and in other communities.   Many of those students had the benefit of a once strong vocational program that prepared them for jobs outside the “academic” world, jobs that have served them well.  The current District 150 course offerings show a disdain for all those who have a proclivity toward working with their hands.

 A few years ago the educational gurus began preaching that the learning styles of some students require hands-on learning.   None of the speakers that came to our institutes and workshops were able to tell me how to teach Chaucer and Shakespeare as a hands-on course.  Some courses just do not lend themselves to that style of learning.

We once had many hands-on courses, but they were deemed unimportant by the decision makers.  Now the academic teachers are asked to fill that gap—well, they can’t do it.

During the Dr. Stand era—when the last of the vocational and home ec classes were killed in 150—a proposal to partner with ICC popped up and was never heard of again for obvious reasons.

First, ICC cannot meet the needs of all the 150 students who need these courses.  Secondly, transportation time and cost make the idea impossible to carry out.

You all have inherited the problem but now, unfortunately, it is yours to solve.

However, the district has to continue to try to draw the more academically prepared students back into the district.  You will not do that by continually lowering the academic standards of those who are capable of meeting them.

A good start on the right track would be to raise the graduation requirements.  I have given you a hand-out that lists the credit hours earned by this year’s 106 Manual grads.    Please note that 88 of these students earned 20 or more (up to 28.5) credits;  58 students earned 22 or above.  Only 4 students had only the minimum 18 credit hours.  That information alone should tell you that it is time to change the graduation requirements.

The Johns Hopkins block schedule has created another problem for you.  Because required senior courses are now taught in one semester instead of one year, several of next year’s seniors will probably be ready to graduate at the end of 1^st semester.  My guess is that they will be ready to graduate but maybe not so ready for college.

Besides, early graduation is not an opportunity available to students at the other two high schools—that’s unfair.

Get rid of Johns Hopkins and the block schedule and save $200,000 plus a year.  Get rid of Edison and save $800,000 plus a year.  Then maybe you can afford some courses for the non-college bound students.

I continue to plead with you to reinstate Hedy’s GED program.  I know that you are trying to cut out all mandated programs to save money—well, Johns Hopkins and Edison aren’t mandated.  Hedy’s program is much, much cheaper and does serve the students of District 150 as it is their parents who most often see the GED program as a way to make better lives for their children.  =30-

 7/17/10:  Emailed comment from Ed Dentino:

I  agree with Sharon Crews views of vocational training and  district 150.   I can't add anything to her observations.  -30-

 

Cut your phone bills!

PEORIA -- Land line phone customers in Peoria and other Illinois cities can save an average of $194 yearly by switching to one of three Consumer Choice AT&T plans that are now available, Citizens Utility Board representatives said at a July 7 news conference.

We've seen "bloated phone packages" providing services that customers do not use, said CUB staffer Patrick Deignan.  Instead they can switch to one of three plans CUB help negotiate into law. Gov. Pat Quinn recently signed the law.  They are: 

• The basic plan at $9.50 monthly, will allows 30 local calls monthly.
• The extra plan at $15 monthly, with unlimited local calls.
• The plus plan at $19.70 monthly which includes unlimited local calls plus two extra features such as Caller ID and voice mail. 

The plans will be in effect at least until 2013, Deignan said. 

A 2009 CUB study estimated that Illinois consumers could be overspending on phone charges by more than $1 billion a year.

 Consumers also can sign up for a low cost long distance plan with Pioneer Telephone.These low cost services can help people keep their land lines, which provide enhanced 911 emergency services, so police, fire and ambulance services can find a residence quickly, and operate when a cell phone has run out of battery power, said Randy Fritz, 18th District representative to the CUB board. Land lines also work during power outages.

Details on these and other money saving plans, including ways to save money on cell phones, are available on the CUB website or by calling 1-800-669-5556. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

July 4 West Peoria parade: theater to move public opinion

PEORIA -- In the never ending, furious scrum to move public opinion, the traditional parade, especially the July 4 parade, serves an amusing role.

Who can resist a free spectacle? Not the thousands that lined the lovely, leafy streets of West Peoria on this July 4 to take in the annual parade.

I marched today, holding a League of Women Voters banner in front of a spiffy white convertible owned by a League member.  Not much spectacle in that.  Next year we will make a few signs, including one that says the League still supports single payer health care.

"We're the voice of reason," I told a few spectators, because we were sandwiched between the irrationals.

Before us were the right-to-lifers, who apparently have no care about the world's groaning over population or about making women bear unwanted children under force of law -- "vote pro-life" one of their signs said.

Behind us were the teapartiers or 9/12 movement,  who are just plain irrational (or racists) in their mixed up ideology. (No taxes, except for war, global warming is a fascist myth.)

Also in the parade, political candidates, belly dancers in skimpy costumes, regardless of their figures (!). Even a sci-fi float with treckies -- yes, they're still out there, with costumes from Star Trek. Or maybe it was Darth Vader. Either way they were really hot (as in weather hot) in those black outfits.

All were competing for public attention using costumes, signs, goodies given away to the spectators.

Will all the people whose kids carried home an Aaron Schock yellow balloon really vote for him, despite his anti-family votes in Congress against health care, unemployment benefits extension and other measures that hurt ordinary people?

Schock does get the award for most creative way to get attention -- every kid carrying a balloon is also carrying a sign with his name on it.

Still -- some might become aware that these balloons are considered a menace to wildlife, which might die from ingesting a spent balloon thinking it can be eaten.  Thanks, Aaron for killing the waterfowl.  Those nasty Canada geese deserve to die for the messes they make, right?

The Peoria peace movement was in the parade, a small, quiet counter to the overwhelming militarism always on display at events like this, to appease those who confuse patriotism with militarism.

There were more than 80 entries, with the horses of the volunteer sheriff's posse bringing up the rear.  Gorgeous, expensive equines. Now that's real beauty, with no political agenda. Worth waiting for.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Outrage in the USA

PEORIA -- Here's a terrific piece that says it all.

The author is 100 percent right about what is going on, and the yahoos that are letting it happen!

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Outrage in Haiti

PEORIA -- Haitian Hearts founder Dr. John Carroll has been in Haiti for several weeks.

Here is his horrendous account of what's going on there. It's a must read, and on  his blog.

Which one is the State's Attorney of McDonough County, IL?

MACOMB -- Here's an interesting photo that ran in a recent print issue of the McDonough Voice, formerly the Macomb (Illinois) Daily Journal.  

These law enforcement officials, dressed as women, a/k/a Hooters girls, are the Republican McDonough County State's Attorney James Hoyle, Bushnell, IL police chief Merv Hilliard and Blandinsville, IL police chief Justin Lundgren.

The photo, apparently only in the newspapers's print edition, has drawn protests and defenders. 

The protesters have pointed out that these men would not have dared to dress as blacks, as Native Americans, or as any other ethnic group.  But apparently it's OK to mock women. 

Their law enforcement connections raise additional issues, namely what they really think of the women victims of domestic violence who turn to them for help -- or not -- after seeing this photo.

Their defenders say they are good guys and didn't mean anything by this, and that critics are being overly sensitive. They're not sexist, their pals say. (Just clueless?)

But don't take my word for it.  Read the eight -- so far -- letters yourself, back to June 15, and the comments. They are a hoot!  And also show how stupid some people are. They are on the newspaper's website.

Here's the link.  Scroll down to see all eight letters and the comments.

 -- Elaine Hopkins