PeoriaStory

Uh oh! Peoria's Riverfront Park Threatened

PEORIA -- Read this now, from the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club.    

There's a public meeting on April 22.  Mark your calendars.

This is apparently a real threat, and weirdly links up with the Peoria Housing Authority's decision to take a look at Taft Homes, and decide whether to get rid of them, as approved at last month's PHA board meeting.(See below.)

Peoria's valuable riverfront property is likely to be snatched away silently, unless citizens are vigilant.

The fix might already be in for well connected developers.

Candidates for the Peoria City Council should be asked about this at the March 23 candidate forum. (See below.)

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 Comment 3/20/2013:  From an email, whose author asked to remain anonymous: (Unlike the PJS, I welcome anonymous comments sent via email or the blog. No abusive comments or ads will be published, however. The PJS could use the same process, but it apparently does not want to pay anyone to monitor comments.)

"I read the article on your blog and the Sierra website. I believe there is already a developer, and it is the Simantels (former owners of the Simantel Group Advertising Agency). I believe they purchased the property over ten years ago and they were hoping to build a high rise at that time."

Editor's Note -- it's not clear whether the Simantel still owns the property.

Another candidate forum

PEORIA --The NAACP and PCLC  (PEORIA CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP COUNCIL) ARE SPONSORING A CANDIDATES FORUM FOR THE PEORIA CITY COUNCIL AND TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR CANDIDATES. 

 IT WILL BE HELD AT ST. PAUL BAPTIST CHURCH

114 EAST FORREST HILL AVENUE

PEORIA, IL 61604

6:30 PM

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2013

It's free and open to the public.

Coming soon -- worthwhile events

PEORIA -- Here are some interesting events coming soon to the Peoria area. 

PLAY: The Land Connection of Bloomington is producing WHAT WILL BE YOUR LEGACY a 25 minute play designed to serve as a conversation starter for audience members on issues of local food, agriculture policy, rural communities and economies. 

It takes place at Cornstock Theatre Winter Playhouse in Bradley Park at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 29 and 30.  It's free.

The play is directed by Doug Day with Cindy Hoey and Charlie Brown acting.  Terra Brockman of The Land Connection will lead the conversation on the play and the issues.

CANDIDATES FORUM: The League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria presents its candidate forum for Peoria at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 23 at the Peoria School District 150 Board Room, 3202 N. Wisconsin.

Candidates in contested races for Peoria City Council, Illinois Central College Board and Peoria Township Supervisor are scheduled to appear.  Questions will be taken from the audience. It's free and open to the public.

The election is April 9. Early voting begins on March 25.

ACTION: The Central Illinois Health Community Alliance meets on Saturday, March 23 to plan actions for its clean air and water campaign in Central Illinois. 

Hear updates on the campaign (including the recent sale of the Bartonville Edwards coal plant!), and reconnect on the next campaign steps.

The group will then walk around Bartonville delivering information about the health hazards of the Edwards coal plant as well as publicizing an upcoming town hall that it will host in Bartonville.

WHAT: CIHCA Meeting and Information Delivery

WHEN: Saturday March 23rd, Meet at 12:30pm

WHERE: Hardees in Bartonville (5515 S. Adams St.)

WHY: To protect clean air and water in Central Illinois

RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/165748193582961/

About Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance: CIHCA is concerned about the decades of air and water pollution created by the Edwards coal plant south of Bartonville. CIHCA is working to retire the Edwards plant and transition Central Illinois to a cleaner energy economy.

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Time for Three wows Heartland Festival audience

WASHINGTON, IL -- When classical meets country music, and the violin turns into the fiddle, wild originality sings.

That's what happened at the Heartland Festival Orchestra's March 16 concert, which featured Time for Three, a trio of young, talented, classically-trained musicians who perform, compose and arrange music into a unique blend of classical, country and jazz improvisation.

The sold out audience at Five Points Center loved it. 

"They're having a lot of fun.  They hold your attention, that's for sure," an audience member said. 

Their work is amazing and brilliant, modern without dissonance, informal, comic, the opposite of solemn, serious classical performance.  They apply show biz verve to their original  music, for a double -- or triple wham -- rock musician style for the classical/country/modern music they have created.

The orchestra backed them in many of the pieces they played, adding an extra dimension of sound.

This concert, aptly titled "Virtuoso Fiddlin' with Time for Three," was the most interesting concert yet created by the Heartland Festival Orchestra, whose concerts are always stunningly original and new.

When a baby made noise during one of their pieces, the trio smoothly integrated the brief event into their performance, for more comedy.

They played works ranging from Bach's Double Concerto, played straight, then in the trio's original arrangement, to many of their own original works, to Orange Blossom Special, to an encore piece which saw the two violinists play on one violin. Amazing!

The concert will be broadcast on the Peoria NPR station WCBU 89.9 FM's show Music from the Heartland at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 12, and on Wednesday May 8 on WCBU2, the all classical station.  The programs also can be accessed at those times on the station's Website, peoriapublicradio.org.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Like the arts? Participate

PEORIA -- Here's an artsy news release: 

'Lean In' to organize

PEORIA -- Here's a fabulous article on the new feminism:

Forget the glamour gals at the top, it says. If you want a better job, organize a union.

That's the only way most women will improve their paychecks and their lives.

Coal plants

PEORIA -- From a news release:

 

Ameren Sells Edwards Coal Plant in Bartonville

Community groups concerned about decades of air and water pollution, calling for phase-out of outdated and aging plant

Dynegy Inc., the Houston-based power producer that exited bankruptcy protection last year, has acquired five coal-fired power plants in Illinois from Ameren Corp.Today’s sale includes the E.D. Edwards coal plant, located in Bartonville. Dynegy will pay no cash in the acquisition, and will assume Ameren's debt obligation of $825 million.

The local Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance was recently formed in the Peoria metro area due to concerns over local air and water pollution caused by the Edwards coal plant. The group is calling for a retirement of the outdated coal plant in order to improve air and water quality in Peoria and surrounding communities.

“The time to put the Edwards plant on a path to retirement is now,” said Sierra Club Heart of Illinois Chair Joyce Blumenshine. “The community deserves cleaner air and water and a safer place to recreate and raise children.”

The Edwards plant currently operates with outdated pollution controls, and for some pollutants has no controls at all, which means that it is contributing to illegally high levels of air pollution in Central Illinois. Ameren had announced no plans to install modern pollution controls at the Bartonville plant.[1] Furthermore, in a filing before the Pollution Control Board, Ameren identified Edwards as a plant it would be forced to close if it had to install pollution controls. [2]

“The Edwards plant remains a serious source of air pollution in Central Illinois, emitting thousands of tons of pollution every year that contributes to asthma attacks, respiratory hospitalizations and premature deaths,” said Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health Programs for Respiratory Health Association.

According to a 2010 study conducted by the Clean Air Task Force, pollution from the Edwards plant annually contributes to 110 asthma attacks, 7 premature deaths, 10 heart attacks, 4 incidences of chronic bronchitis and 7 asthma ER visits.

The Edwards plant also operates an 89-acre coal ash pond that sits on the bank of the Illinois River that has left contamination problems at the site. Coal ash contains arsenic, boron, mercury and other harmful pollutants. Each day, more than 5 million gallons of water is polluted by coal and coal ash processing. To date, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has failed to place limits on the amount of dangerous heavy metal pollution that Ameren can send from these operations.

“The Edwards plant has been polluting our community for over half a century,” said Tracy Fox, of Peoria Families against Toxic Waste. “We have to breathe in this air every day. And it’s making us sick. It is time to retire this plant and create a phase out plan for the site that ensures justice for the community and the plant workers. ”

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[1] http://www.epa.gov/air/sulfurdioxide/designations/eparesp/05_IL_tsd.pdf
[2] http://www.ipcb.state.il.us/COOL/external/CaseView.aspx?referer=results&case=14407 --

Enviro speaker at Bradley

PEORIA-- The MBA Association in cooperation with the Graduate Student Advisory Council at Bradley University is hosting Hunter Lovins for one night only!

She will be presenting "The Business Case for Implementing Genuine Sustainability"

Tuesday, April 16th at 7pm in Neumiller Auditorium in Bradley Hall

The event is free and open to the public.  

L. Hunter Lovins is President and founder of the Natural Capitalism Solutions (NCS)  (www.natcapsolutions.org).  NCS educates senior decision-makers in business, government and civil society to restore and enhance the natural and human capital while increasing prosperity and quality of life.  In partnership with leading thinkers and Implementers, NCS creates innovative, practical tools and strategies to enable companies, communities, and countries to become more sustainable.

Trained as a sociologist and lawyer (JD), Hunter is also currently a professor of sustainable business management at Bainbridge Graduate Institute, Bard College, and Denver University; and the chief insurgent of the madrone project.

History vacation: great!

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia -- To deepen your appreciation of the USA, take a history vacation.  Here's a fun, sure-fire way to do it that worked for us.

1.  Read or listen to the new biography, George Washington, A Life by Ron Chernow.  It's a brilliant work, reads like a novel. We checked out the audio book from the library and listened before and during the drive to Virginia.

2.  Head for Colonial Williamsburg, in Virginia. You can get a hotel package which includes admission to the sites you'll want to visit.  We called on the phone, but you can do it on the Web. Spend two nights to see Williamsburg  thoroughly over two days, and that includes Jamestown and Yorktown.  We stayed at the Williamsburg Inn, pricey but worth it.

The Yorktown battlefield

3.  Then drive to Charlottesville, Virginia, where the homes/estates of three presidents await:  Madison, Monroe, and of course Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

Plan to spend several hours at Madison's home, Montpelier. On the second day see Monroe's home, Ash Lawn-Highland for about two hours, then spend several hours at Monticello, which is nearby. 

Montpelier

In Charlottesville, we stayed at the English Inn, very reminiscent of the former Jumers in Peoria. Classical music fills the air, there's a great breakfast, better than the chain motels offer, even a swimming pool.

Ash Lawn-Highland

Except for the Yorktown battlefield, these sites are privately operated by foundations, so there are admission fees, but they are not exhorbitant. Check the websites for times and dates that they are open. 

Get advance tickets for the Behind the Scenes tour at Monticello, and for events at Williamsburg such as the evening dramas and music. They sell out.

Monticello

Always start by seeing the short films at the visitors centers that give valuable background, then take the tours.  All of our guides were entertaining and very knowledgable.  At the Yorktown battlefield our ranger/guide was amazing. A battlefield made fascinating? Even funny? Yes.

The presidential houses, actually museums, offer windows into real lives.  They are filled with art and antiques, most owned by the presidents.  And now archeological digs at these sites are revealing tales that the history books ignore. 

Slavery is the big issue for these revolutionary heroes who risked all for liberty.  They owned slaves, and didn't free most of them. The lives and personalities of their African American slaves, whose work made possible the heroism of the nation's founders, now have become part of the fascinating information at all the sites.

As we were enjoying the sites a New York Times piece came out on the presidential homes, and a Washington Post story was published about portraying slavery at Williamsburg.  So history is hot. 

We're waiting for the definitive film on Jefferson, like the new one on Lincoln.  It hasn't been done yet.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Time for protest

PEORIA -- From a news release:

Illinois Anti-Fracking Groups Mobilize, Call for Moratorium 

What: As an industry-backed fracking regulatory bill heads into committee, a coalition of grassroots groups from southern, central and northern Illinois will gather in Springfield calling for a moratorium on fracking. These groups are critical of the severe inadequacies in the current pro-industry bill presented by Representative John Bradley,  HB2615, and support the moratorium on fracking in HB3086 and SB1418.

 

Although the public is being told that all interests were represented during negotiations for HB 2615, many of these groups strongly disagree. The groups have many areas of concern including the health and safety of those near drilling sites, massive use of water, storage of toxic waste, setbacks of drilling sites from waterways and homes, and local control. HB2615 does not adequately address these issues. The vastly inflated job creation numbers touted by the oil & gas industry are also widely disputed.

When:  March 12, 1:30pm in the Capitol Rotunda (coinciding with the coalition’s Springfield lobby day). Visuals will include concerned citizens with signs. Press kits available. 

Who: Annette McMichael, SAFE Media Coordinator/ IPA Leader

            Penni Livingston, SAFE Legal Team

            Vito Mastrangelo, SAFE Legal and Steering Team

            Mary Bechtel, IPA Leader

Bruce Ratain, State Policy Associate, Environment Illinois

House/Senate sponsors of the fracking moratorium bill (invited)

            Bev Walters, founder, CAPOW

            Dr. Lora Chamberlain, founder, Stop the Frack Attack on Illinois

Participating groups include: SAFE (Southern Illinoisans Against Fracking), IPA (Illinois People’s Action), Environment Illinois, and ICMF (the Illinois Coalition for a Moratorium on Fracking). ICMF members include: MoveOn.org Illinois, PDA Chicago and Illinois, SE Environmental Task Force, CAPA (Chicago Area Peace Action), CAPOW! (Citizens Act to Protect Our Water), Stop the Frack Attack on IL, Rising Tide, RAN Chicago, Gray Panthers and the Chicago Chapter of World Can't Wait.

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Environment Illinois is a citizen-funded environmental advocacy organization working for a cleaner, greener, healthier future in Illinois.

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