PeoriaStory

First candidate forum: inexplicable

PEORIA, IL - The first local candidate forum/debate of the 2016 election season produced some odd comments.

The event, held in a church basement and sponsored by the NAACP, drew a good crowd who applauded and cheered comments that appealed to them.

Several candidates appeared who do not have opponents in the March 15 primary elections, and spoke and answered questions.  Some also do not have opponents in November, but also participated.

The only race where both candidates appeared is the contest for Peoria County judge.  It features Democrats Sonni Williams and Jodi Hoos,  The winner will face Republican Tim Cusack in November who also attended..

Hoos offered the oddest comment of the evening.  She is an appointed judge, and said she's seen it all -- fights in the courtroom, a juror throwing up at the site of gory evidence, a defendant attacking someone. I wondered: why does she want this job?

Her odd point was that in these situations, the judge must control what occurs.

Williams drew the most applause as she said, "we need a second chance for non-violent offenders.  We're putting good people who make poor choices in prison," and most are African Americans. Then their prison record makes it impossible for them to find work, she said. "We  need judges with common sense in sentencing."

Cusack, the Republican opponent of the winner of the Democratic primary, said he has saved "half a million" dollars by giving kids in juvenile court "better opportunities," and ankle monitors rather than incarceration. 

He said incarcerating a kid costs $133,000 a year. Others said putting an adult in prison ranges from $35,000 to $58,000.

States Attorney Jerry Brady, who is running unopposed, had some interesting statistics. Every homicide costs the community $7 million, he said a study has shown. He and Hoos said there are "diversionary programs" but they lack adequate funding.

Asked by the moderator to respond to a report that a $400 million federal prison might be built in Pekin, everyone said they opposed more prisons, and the money could be better spent elsewhere.  

"Invest in education and communities, not prisons," said Napoleon Harris, a Democrat and state senator who is running for the U.S. Senate against two opponents in the primary. Oddly, his signs and promotional materials did not state his party affiliation.

Chris Crawford, a Republican running for the Peoria County Board in District 11 in the primary against Gregory Adamson, who did not appear, had another odd comment. "I want to keep Peoria affordable. It's no longer regarded as an affordable place to live," he said.  Say what? Houses are cheap in Peoria.  Very cheap. 

Oh -- later he mentioned the word "taxes," saying "keep taxes low, keep Peoria affordable."

And so it went throughout the long evening. The softball questions, and the lack of opponents except for the two judge candidates, made the event less than perfect and exciting.  But it still was worthwhile, despite much time wasted by the candidates thanking everyone who organized and hosted it.

Here is a recording of the event.

2016 candidates

The Feb. 20 candidate forum hosted by the Greater Peoria League of Women Voters, for contested races only, may be more interesting. It's at the north branch of the Peoria Public Library on Allen Road behind Menards. It starts at 10:15 am.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Peoria, IL -- From a news release:

Central Illinois played host to a group of current and former Major League Baseball players recently, including Peoria-area product Ben Zobrist, at the annual Christian Center “Play with the Pros” event.

Highlighting the event was Eureka High School graduate Ben Zobrist who became a World Series Champion last fall with the Kansas City Royals and signed in the off-season with the Chicago Cubs. As a young man, Zobrist was affiliated with Christian Center programs.

Zobrist was joined at the event by fellow Major League Baseball players Zach McAllister of the Cleveland Indians (and Chillicothe) and Pat Venditte of the Toronto Blue Jays as well as former Major League Baseball players Brian Shouse of the Tampa Bay Rays (and Bradley University), Rick Short of the Washington Nationals (and Western Illinois University), and Kyle Hudson of the Baltimore Orioles.

Five other current and former Minor League Baseball players from the area also helped with the event. Ben Zobrist was more than happy to help out. “When you make it to the major leagues and get an opportunity to do something that I really didn’t think possible when I was a little kid growing up here — the fact that it is within reach for some central Illinois kids is fun,” he said.

Zach McAllister echoed Zobrist’s sentiment, saying “It’s a great honor for me to be able to come back home and help out. It definitely makes you appreciate what you have and what you’re able to do.”

A day-long baseball clinic for area youth, the Play with the Pros event, was envisioned by Brian Shouse and Ben Zobrist, then teammates with the Tampa Bay Rays, while playing catch in the outfield on a practice day. The most recent event marked the seventh in its history. Warming a cold day under the
protective Avanti’s Dome in Pekin, the December 19th event welcomed 124 kids.

Each child participating received one-on-one instruction from the pros and even got to play in a sandlot game of baseball with the pros! Sponsors and the pros, who all volunteered their time, saw to it that the event raised over $15,000
for Christian Center youth athletics programs.

This annual event takes place each December and is announced on the Christian Center’s website over the summer. Since 1948, the Christian Center in Peoria has provided area kids with a wholesome and challenging athletics programs. This year, more than 1,900 central Illinois kids will play in Christian Center baseball, softball, soccer, and basketball programs. Scholarships are available. For more information visit www.thechristiancenter.cc
       --Phil Newton
For more information: Chad Bailey, Christian Center Managing Director
(309) 208-9614 [email protected]

First candidate forum on Jan, 28

PEORIA, IL -  Here's the first candidate forum:

Spread The Word The Peoria NAACP is hosting a Candidates Forum  Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016  6:30pm - 8:00pm St. Paul Baptist Church  114 W. Forrest Hill Ave. Peoria, IL. 61604  "We need to hear" For ourselves what the candidates running for District 150 School Board have planned for our children's educational needs.  "We need to know" Who our judges are, what their platform is and if you would receive a fair and impartial hearing in their court.  "We need to know" The County Board candidates and what their platform intentions are. "We should want to be" Knowledgeable when casting our VOTES! Hope to see you there! Jackie Petty - (309) 688-2323 Helen King - (309) 922-1674   Peoria NAACP Website Link

 

The change continues

PEORIA, IL -- The amazing change in ambiance in Peoria School District 150 and its Board Meetings, under the interim superintendent, continues.  All seems to be harmony, with the fear and tension from the previous superintendent vanished.

The Jan. 25 board meeting generated public comments, of course, but they were less critical than before.

Sevino Sierra wondered why there were no hispanics on the committee selecting the new, permanent superintendent. 

Terry Knapp thanked the committee working to revitalize arts education, and also applauded the strategic plan released to the public then approved by the board. But he criticized the Common Core program, and predicted it, too, "will collapse of its own weight" within five years, as the No Child Left Behind program failed.

Sharon Crews discussed teachers and teaching, and said the answer to the current teacher shortage is to reward good teachers and give them autonomy.  A copy of her remarks will be posted below.

A recording of the public comments is posted here.

D150 Jan 25

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Here are the comments of Sharon Crews:

A teacher shortage has become a major problem for public schools.   I saw the teaching environment, especially due to discipline problems, going downhill in the early ‘90s. By the time I retired in 2005 the problems had increased.

Since 1994 two district teachers have been named Illinois Teacher of the Year. I have never understood why the reward for great teaching is to be taken out of the classroom. In fact, the only significant financial reward for any teacher is to leave the classroom to be an administrator or counselor. Many new teachers start immediately to earn administrative certification. To me, that means that teachers know that financial security cannot be achieved by being a teacher or worse yet it may mean they don’t want to be teachers.

I believe teachers should be rewarded financially for taking any liberal arts courses, not just graduate courses—the more a teacher knows the more knowledge that can be imparted to students. When I was assigned to teach senior English, I realized that I was lacking the background in British history needed to relate the history behind the literature. I spent many hours reading history books and developing the required historical term paper topics and outlines to help students organize their research. No administrator knew or cared how many hours I devoted to these and many other classroom projects.  

I want to challenge you to ask all teachers to keep records for one year of all the time they work before and after school, at home in the evening, on weekends, on days off, and in the summer: grading papers, planning lessons, researching, phoning parents, etc. You will be shocked. You will, also, find out which subject areas seem to demand the most work from teachers. Gathering this information should inspire you to find ways to reward teachers.

Also, for a year, I want to challenge you to ask teachers to keep records of all of their own money they spend on classroom needs. Again, you will be shocked.

Teaching is a very personal and creative venture—good teachers put their hearts and souls into their work. Each teacher has his/her own teaching style. Teachers want to teach—not to administer computer programs or read scripted lessons. Please find ways to attract teachers and then incentives and support to keep good teachers in the classroom—but not merit pay to pit teachers against each other. We now have an environment friendly to teachers—please build on it.

 

The final hearing

PEORIA, IL -- The final public hearing on the apartments in Riverfront Park was not that exciting.  The score was 13 against the project, 7 in favor -- mostly the usual suspects in suits, hoping to make money somehow from the project.

The most moving comments against the project came from Jo Lakota, a Native American, who said the site is "the ancestral homeland of many tribes," including hers.

"There is a spirit to this place.  There is a spirit to the river," she said. "It's a huge part of my existence to go to the water. This is a precious treasure to a lot of Peorians. Native American people have gathered there (for) prayers and drums.  You need to honor the spirit of this place."

Activist Dave Pittman said the NAACP is opposed, and Joyce Blumenshine, president of the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club said the club has been against the apartments for years.

Here is a recording of the comments. 

RIVERFRONT pARK0

Comments will be taken by the city for the official record until Jan. 25. Here is the way to send them: 

Comments can be emailed to [email protected]  or mailed to:

River Trail Project Comments
c/o Chris Setti, City of Peoria
419 Fulton Street, Suite 207
Peoria, IL 61602

Here are my comments:

Riverfront Park Debacle: Final Words

PEORIA, IL., Jan. 20, 2016. For almost a year, I and many others have been appalled to watch the Peoria City Council and its staff plunge ahead to give Riverfront Park land, paid for by taxpayers, to a well-connected former Caterpillar CEO Glen Barton, and his developer friend, to create four 4-story apartment buildings in the park with a road and parking lot.

It’s a terrible idea, to place these apartments next to two chemical plants and an active railroad line hauling hazardous chemicals. The buildings will displace trees, monuments, and forever alter the ambience of the park. Thousands of people have signed petitions, written and spoken against the plan, to no avail.

The Peoria City Council seems dead set on moving forward. Four of the ‘yes’ votes received campaign contributions from Barton, a shocking conflict of interest. Details of these contributions can be found on my blog, www.peoriastory.com under the category ‘Riverfront Park.’

The blog posts trace the history of the controversial plan for the apartments. The posts are easily found under the ‘Riverfront Park’ category.

There are also photos on the blog. The requirement of the National Park Service that the lost parkland be replaced has a curious twist. The so-called replacement land is under water during floods. See the photos.  

Information about whether some of this land is eligible to become replacement land under National Park Service rules, because it may be defined as public land, also can be found on the blog.

As well, there are photos of vacant, for-sale land nearby the park that would make excellent sites for the apartment development. These would not require a bond issue and other costs to the city taxpayers.

One, the former Greeley School, a historic site with a historic name, likely could be had for very little money or free. It would not need expensive infrastructure development, and would do much to revitalize that area, which is a goal of the apartment plan in the park.

The Peoria School District would benefit from the property taxes on the development there. The city’s plan is to use a TIF District to repay a bond issue which would fund infrastructure for the apartments in the park, and rebate the developer’s cost for the park land. That would deny most of the property tax revenue to the school district for 23 years.

Meanwhile, the city’s application to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service has serious problems:

• The appraisals of the lost park land and the replacement land did not follow the Uniform Act guidelines because the appraisals were received AFTER initial negotiations for the replacement land purchase prices were finalized. 
• No archeological study has been made of these lands, which are adjacent to known original French settlements and before that, likely Native American sites.
• The need to disrupt the park has not been established because alternative sites such as the Greeley School site were not studied.
• The so-called replacement land is not comparable to the land to be lost from the park. The park land never floods. The replacement land, shown in the federal floodplain maps, flooded twice in 2015 and regularly before 2015. It is also the site of a combined sewer overflow pipe, where raw sewage is diverted into the Illinois River during heavy rain events, which occur frequently. Otherwise, storm sewer water flows into the river there carrying runoff from the streets.

There’s much more to be found on the blog.

I and others urge the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service to reject the application and rule that enough land has already been removed from Riverfront Park, that this project is not needed, and that the so-called replacement land is not comparable to what is being lost to the citizens and taxpayers.

-- Elaine Hopkins

 

Parks meeting on Tuesday

Peoria, IL -- Here's an event that looks promising. From a news release:

Campaign  Kick Off Meeting!

Tuesday, January 19 | 6:30 PM
East Bluff Community Center
512 E. Kansas Street, Peoria

One of our nation’s greatest ideas was the creation of a system of protected public lands. Unfortunately, our tools for protecting these places are under attack in Congress.

For more than 50 years now, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has supported over 41,000 park projects across the U.S., including Jubilee, Starved Rock, Riverfront Park, the Forest Park Nature Center, and Emiquon. All at no cost to taxpayers. (Also Riverfront Park in Peoria).

With 2016 as the centennial of the National Park Service, representatives up for re-election, and IL parks in need of all the funding they can get, now is the time to call on Congress to commit to
protecting the public lands that belong to all of us.

*** snacks will be provided! ***

 

 

Good concert Feb. 6

PEORIA, IL -- Here's something that sounds wonderful:

Event:        "Chee Hyeon Choi & Friends"
                            

When:        Sat, February 6, 2016

Time:          7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Location:   Bradley University Dingledine Music Center College Auditorium

                  1417 W Barker Ave, Peoria, IL 61606

          Directions       (309) 677-2595

Admission:  free

For more informa­­tion: contact Dr. Chee Hyeon Choi at 309.677.2599 or [email protected]

Description: Bradley piano faculty member, Chee Hyeon Choi, presents a recital entitled, ‘Chee Hyeon Choi & Friends’ 
on Saturday, February 6, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. in Dingledine Music Center.

The recital is a chamber format where she invites her musician friends and colleagues for collaboration including
Drs. John Orfe (Piano) & Kyle Dzapo (Flute), Lisette Kielson (Flute), Mrs. Barbara Hedlund (Cello), and Dr. Sun-Young Gemma Shin (Violin).

The program features ensemble works and solo work which includes piano four-hands pieces of Saint-Saëns’ Le carnaval des animaux
(The Carnival of the Animals) & Schubert’s Lebensstürme op. 144; Kuhlau’s Trio for Piano and two flutes, op. 119, movements of
Couperin’s Les goûts-réunis, ou Nouveaux concerts No. 7, and Piazzolla’s piano trio, Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

Chee Hyeon Choi has been a piano faculty member at Bradley University in Peoria since 2013. As a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music
(NCTM) for the Music Teachers Association, Dr. Choi is the Competition Chair of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association (ISMTA) and
also the state Chair of the Collegiate chapters.

Her most recent performances include lecture solo recitals at Georgia Gwinnett College (Lawrenceville, GA), Illinois Central College (Peoria, IL),
and Dingledine Music Center. She also gave presentations at the annual convention of the ISMTA, Korean Piano Pedagogy Association in 2015
and Peoria Area Music Teachers Association in 2016. She has studied piano with Drs. Ian Hobson and William Heiles, piano pedagogy with
Drs. Reid Alexander and Christos Tsitsaros. She also served on the piano faculty for ISYM piano camps in 2007-2012 & 2015 and also taught
at the Millikin University High School piano camp in 2012. She founded the Bradley University summer piano camp in 2014. - 30 -

PEORIA, IL -- I missed the January 11 meeting of the Peoria District 150 School Board but activist/critic Sharon Crews was there.  Here is her report for the public comments: 

The advantage of having a superintendent that knows Peoria and Peorians is evident by Bradley’s gift of 5300 basketball game tickets to use as rewards for students. Remember last year the District paid for tickets. Also, I applaud this administration for holding a special jobs fair in December in the hopes of filling teaching jobs and other positions. Also, I am pleased with the efforts to revive the district’s music program and the response from the community in helping with the need for musical instruments.

I certainly appreciate Dr. Kherat’s and Susan Grzanich’s efforts to answer my questions about Compass Learning—questions that do not lend themselves to inquiries through the FOIA process.

I wish I could say that what I learned gives me more confidence in Compass Learning. I still see summer school as the only effective way for students to make up failed courses.

The Compass Learning requirements meet the Illinois Standard Course of Study, and the Curriculum Department has identified the content.

For purposes of credit recovery, Compass Learning divides a course’s content into modules. Each module addresses specific components of a course. Each module requires 25 hours at the computer and earns .5 credit if a student completes 80% of the work with the required minimum hours and receives a 60 or above on the unit test. Students cannot do any work at home. Credit recovery grades do not replace failing grades on the transcript; the F remains on the transcript. The grade is recorded as a credit recovery grade.

These answers give rise to the following questions:

How many modules at 25 hours each must be taken to earn a semester grade?

Who decides which or how many modules must be taken to make up for a course failure?

How does a partial course grade (just one or two modules) show up on the transcript and how much credit is given?

How many modules are required to make up a failed course? Are credit recovery grades pass or fail or is a letter grade earned?

Can credit recovery grades raise or lower grade point averages?

If a student doesn’t make up a required course with Compass Learning, how or when is the course retaken?

To me, this system does not present a consistent, fair, or viable way of making up courses. Please find a way to return high school summer school. - 30 -

 

Heartland Orchestra greets the new year

WASHINGTON, IL -- The Heartland Festival Orchestra's New Year's concert, on Jan. 9 at Five Points auditorium, was brilliant, as usual.

It's always a home town version of the great Vienna concert broadcast by PBS stations to celebrate New Year's Day, complete with falling balloons to close the event. 

The guest artists, a song and dance team of Bev and Kirby Ward, performed beautifully. These polished performers with Broadway voices, sing and dance, both tap and ballroom.

The program consisted of a few traditional classical waltz numbers, but more Broadway pieces, classics from Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and others.  Some were familiar, others not, but all were cleverly done by the Wards.

Kirby Ward proclaimed "Trouble" from The Music Man as the first rap number, and did it.  

The orchestra created a great big band sound to accompany the pop numbers. All in all it was a highly entertaining concert. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

 

 

Riverfront Park hearings, last one Jan. 20

Updated 1/17/16.   Wednesday, Jan. 20 is the last Riverfront Park hearing. Written comment deadline is Jan. 25. See below:

 

PEORIA, IL --From various sources:

The River Trail Luxury Apartments proposed for Riverfront Park have a long way to go yet and this issue definitely is not over.

There are valid questions and strong evidence that the larger part of land the city wants to use for replacement property for the existing park open space, does not qualify.

 

Of course the City of Peoria posted notice for the public meetings below before the holidays.

 

If you can attend and bring a friend to ask questions about this project, there is still every reason to try to save the Riverfront Park and many of us think it can be done. This issue affects concerns for toxic waste as both locations have brownfield concerns. This issue affects global warming concerns because open green space will be paved over, many trees and prairie will be destroyed.

 

Wednesday, Jan. 6th at Peoria City Hall Council Chamber 4th floor at  6 p.m.

    This is a public meeting on ideas for the new park area that is to replace the existing open space at Riverfront Park. The description says questions about the replacement property can be asked.

 

Wednesday, Jan. 20th at Peoria City Hall Council Chamber 4th floor at 6 p.m.

      This is THE PUBLIC HEARING required by Land and Water Conservation Fund guidelines for conversion property requests. This meeting is to be reported to IDNR and to the National Park Service and we want City Hall to report questions that are raised.

 

We need as large a crowd as possible at this public hearing to show the public wants to save Riverfront Park.

 

Monday, January 25th at 5 p.m. is the deadline for written comments on the Environmental Assessments for both the Conversion Property that is proposed and for the Riverfront Park apartments project area. We contend it is better to leave the Riverfront Park land undisturbed with the mature landscaping, many trees, and soil cover that is there to prevent contaminated soil that is known to be below the surface from erosion into the river, and being sent through the area via dust from construction. The Environmental documents are posted to the city website and their

website has the posting below about the meetings:

 

Information from http://www.peoriagov.org/riverfrontpark/

 

·         January 6, 2016, 6:00 p.m., City Hall, Room 400, Public Meeting On Concept Plan For Replacement Property

·         January 20, 2016, 6:00 p.m., City Hall, Room 400, Public Meeting on Concept Plan For Conversion Property

·         January 25, 2016, 5:00 p.m. Deadline For Comments