PeoriaStory

Planning Peoria's Riverfront -- real or a city scam?

PEORIA, IL -- Two meetings to let citizens help plan the city's riverfront, once the concrete platform is demolished, has produced a mixed effort.

Some of the ideas that citizens came up with are brilliant and fun.  They can be seen on the website planpeoria.com. 

But the site itself is clunky.  I'm not sure I got signed in correctly, as every time I try to 'like' an idea, I have to repeat filling in the blanks.  And that includes a birthday, which is bait for identity theft. It's too time-consuming to bother with.

After ideas are submitted for the next two weeks, the city plans to set up a committee to select plans for the 2.5 acre site.  The concrete platform, which the city says is damaged (then why is it still hosting restaurants?), is to be demolished. 

The site is in a floodplain, so floods regularly.  At the most recent flood last spring the city spent $800,000 on sand bags to protect the historic train station building there, Pat Sullivan, a wired-in downtown guy, said. Apparently the flooding has damaged the concrete platform.  So anything to replace it must be able to withstand floods.

Sullivan suggested a terrace to stop the floods.  Might work.

Other ideas, some of which would cost mega-bucks, ranged from an observation tower like the one in Peoria Heights, to a fishing dock. A vendor at the farmer's market held there each summer said a concrete platform is important. Winter events could include an ice skating rink and a heated platform for a holiday market. 

Most of the ideas would not leave any green space, and that's OK since Riverfront Park nearby has lovely green space, if those awful apartments can be kept out of the park. Sadly, a large display of the riverfront showed them, already constructed. 

Other weaknesses, besides the clunky website:  no minorities were present at either public session, even though many live nearby in Taft Homes and elsewhere.  Will there be any outreach to them?

And just which insiders will be on the committee?  "I want to be in the room where it happens," sings a character in the musical Hamilton.

And will the committee really reflect public opinion?  If that happens, then the apartments in Riverfront Park would be history, as the public hates them. So, despite the two meetings, city officials likely will do what they want to anyway. Or what their chief backers want.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Quest for Quest information

PEORIA, IL -- The Peoria District 150 School Board gives $5.2 million yearly to the charter school Quest, but never discusses the school, despite problems there, school critic Terry Knapp told the board at its Oct. 24 meeting.

"That's my taxpayer dollars," he said. "It is your fiduciary responsibility" to  know the amount of money being spent, and to take an interest in the school, Knapp said. 

For example, the first graduating class had only 39 graduates out of 75 that entered the class. What happened to the other students? he asked.

Two top administrators recently left, and retirees were hired to work with the teachers, he said. Teacher turnover there is strong, and one third lack teaching credentials.  The Elite group was hired to enforce discipline. 

Then 88 students were taken into the freshman class, though the charter says the class should be 75 students, he said.

Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat responded that the district's pay to the school is capped at 75 students, and the district is not paying for the Elite group or the retired teacher/mentors.

Here is a recording of the public comments. 

Download D150 10-24-16

Critic Sharon Crews said she has been seeking historical information on the schools only to find information is missing. A copy of her remarks is posted below. 

Amr Elsamny questioned the board about the long walks to school now taking place because the bus schedule has been cut back.  His children, ages 5 and 7, have to walk a total of three miles daily to and from school, he said.  But what will happen when the weather gets cold, he asked. "What are your plans for winter?"

Elsamny earlier proposed volunteer car pools to drive children to school, but school officials said liability issues prevented that option.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

From Sharon Crews: Over the last ten years of requesting data through the Freedom of Information Act, I have unfortunately discovered that the history of Peoria Public Schools evidently has a shelf life. 

 

For instance, soon after Dr. Lathan arrived, I wanted data to encourage the new administration to consider once again offering high school summer school, which was ended by the Royster administration.

 

I requested data about summer school enrollment, the cost of summer school to the district, and how it was financed—the cost of tuition, etc.  FOIA personnel searched for the data and discovered that there was none.  I was told that summer school had been paid for with Title I funds that were no longer available.  I knew that was not true and finally some believable information was offered to verify that Title I funds had never been used.

 

I fail to understand why this information was discarded.  Why shouldn’t the history of a school district be readily available?  Success or failure can only be measured by comparing the present with the past. 

 

Recently, I requested data about the history of Manual’s faculty from 2007 through the present.  Actually, I asked for a listing of all employees and all positions they held for each of the last ten years.

 

I received a thorough list of about 200 employees and their jobs or titles for each year.  However, I was told that there was no such list for 2007-2008.  Someone took the time to scrounge up a “not so thorough list” from an old district employee directory.

 

Comparing the course offerings and the Manual faculty for the last ten years with the data from the 1970s through 1990s would indeed be depressing, but it should be available, especially to a school board that certainly should know about the past in order to make decisions about the present and the future.

 

I haven’t finished compiling the data in response to my FOIA request, but I am baffled by some omissions.  There are no deans of students listed, and Dr. Kherat and Taunya Jenkins are not mentioned on any of the ten lists. 

More disturbing is that there is no mention of a chemistry teacher for three of the ten years and no physics teacher for four of the ten years.  Does that mean that those two subjects were not taught at Manual?

 

On another topic, any additions to curriculum, programs, etc., are reflected in how you spend the district’s money.  Your expenditures tell us what you think is important for the district.

 

Therefore, I continue to request that the the list of expenditures to be approved be attached to the agenda for each meeting.  As it is, we have to wait until the minutes are approved and posted to know how you spent taxpayer money.  I would, also, appreciate hearing board members ask questions about expenditures so that we can be informed not only what is to be purchased but why the expenditure is necessary.

 

Please continue to be as transparent as possible about not only expenditures but also about how new discipline policies are working, etc. - 30 -

 

 

Trump and Bush: Quite a contrast

DALLAS, TX -- The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, in Dallas, Tx. on the Southern Methodist University campus, brings the 2016 presidential race into sharp focus.

My husband, George, and I saw the Bush museum on Oct. 14.  It's one of the most impressively designed museums we have ever seen, with audio, video, many interesting photos, interactive games on crucial decisions, nice artifacts, from Saddam Hussein's pistol to the White House china and Laura Bush's dresses (beautiful, incidentally).

There's even a stuffed lion and a statue of one of the Bush dogs.  And you can have your photo taken in the oval office set, or take it yourself.

But -- and that's a huge 'but' -- it's also masterful propaganda.  For all Bush's superficial charm as revealed in the videos on display, his was a failed presidency, from the war on Iraq with its torture, etc. to the huge tax cuts for the rich to 'No Child Left Behind,' to the 2008 big recession. And on and on.

Some of these situations are discussed in the museum but the counter arguments are ignored or rarely mentioned. 

We remember it all, but the hoards of children and teens, even young adults entering this museum do not.

Will their history classes tell them the hard truth? Let's hope so.

Meanwhile, for all his failings, at least Bush was civil, calm, the total opposite of Donald Trump.  Bush and his family have not endorsed Trump, and good for them.  Trump makes them look good, in retrospect. As he would say, you know what I mean....

More on the museum:  the restaurant is terrific though a bit expensive.  And oddly, you need a credit card to exit the parking lot.  That may keep out the undesirables, I suppose.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Endorsements for Nov. 8, 2016 (See updates below.)

PEORIA, IL -- Here are my endorsements for the Nov. 8, 2016 election, in contested races from the White House to the Peoria County Courthouse:

President:  Hillary Clinton of course.  Donald Trump is a fascist in the model of Hitler and Moussolini -- a strong man promising everything without plans to deliver, while targeting and scapegoating minorities and women.

Ugh. He's an American con-artist, but dangerous. Unhinged. Can't possibly be allowed to have his finger on the nuclear trigger, or in charge of the military, the IRS and the Justice Department.

Clinton is safe, steady, will do the right thing, and has the most progressive platform in decades. The right wing has tried to kill her candidacy with attacks that consist of lies.  See my post on her emails, below. 

The worst case scenario is that Trump will pledge to resign if elected in favor of Pence, thus allowing the appointment of a new vice president. Pence is an extreme right wing conservative who would  destroy unions, medical coverage, abortion rights and gay rights.

But if Clinton wins, he's not a threat, and can go back to Indiana where he has a very low favorability rating.

U.S. Senate:  Tammy Duckworth, of course. She's smart, shares the Democratic party ideals, and her election will help turn the Senate to Democrats, so Clinton can get things done.

U.S. House:  In the 18th District, Junius Rodriguez. Again, smart and knowledgeable. There's a terrific letter in the Journal Star today about why he should be elected, including the fact that his opponent, Republican Darin LaHood, was elected in a special election with a very low turnout and a questionable opponent. This district could go for the Democrats if enough people vote.

In the 17th District, Rep. Cheri Bustos is way ahead of her opponent.

Other statewide elections:  The Democrats.  All are good candidates.

Peoria County Judge:  This is a tough one. The Democrat, Jodi Hoos, has a conflict of interest with her former boss, State's Attorney Jerry Brady, who sponsored a fund raiser for her. She was a prosecutor in his office. How can she objectively judge anything his office is involved with, criminal and civil?

She also was sued over a case she prosecuted which sent an innocent man to prison until an appeals court overturned the conviction saying there was no evidence against him.  It's an outrageous case, where a well meaning babysitter, 57, with no criminal record and an outstanding life history was accused of sexually assaulting a baby. 

The child was living in a filthy home with drug addicted parents.  What the heck was this case? (Was the guy an informant, so protected? Just asking.)

The prosecutors, including Brady, Hoos and the DCFS were sued with conspiracy alleged, but they were dismissed from the lawsuit because state immunity laws protect them. The Peoria police and the city are still in as defendants, with the case proceeding through federal court. Hoos's role in this may still be discovered if a conspiracy existed.

At a candidate forum she said she stands behind the evidence.

Given this history, I cannot vote for her or Brady, who has no opponent.

Her opponent is Tim Cusack, who is listed as an interested party in this case. He was the judge, apparently. (UPDATE 10-19-2016: Not true, someone has said. But perhaps he was involved in some other way?)

What a mess. I didn't vote in this race.(See comment below.)

Coroner: The incumbent coroner, Johanna Ingersoll, is also being sued for firing an employee who was a Jehovah's Witness and a sign language interpreter.  She refused to allow him to go to a conference for JW sign language interpreters then fired him, so he's suing her for religious discrimination.  Settlement talks are taking place in this federal lawsuit.

(UPDATE 10-19-2016:  Settlement talks have stalled and the case is apparently going to trial.)

Her Democratic opponent, Jamie Harwood, says she has not allowed her staff to take advantage of training, and has other issues, as well.  He has better credentials for the job, and is endorsed.

County Board: The only contest is in District 11, where Laurie Covington is the Democrat, against Gregory Adamson, the Republican.  He has skipped some candidate forums, and didn't know what a TIF District is at one forum he attended. He's a physician and likely very busy. He's said to be a tea party candidate.

Covington, a retired Realtor, is smart, knows a lot of people, and will make a good board member. She is endorsed.

The Referendums: I endorse all of the sales tax referendums.  They will cost little, and put money into worthy causes. Since Peoria is a shopping mecca for non-residents, they will help pay for these causes.  It's true sales taxes are regressive, but the out-of-town connection here is compelling.

UPDATE 10-31-16: The Illinois League of Women Voters says not to vote for the transportation constitutional amendment, as that's bad policy.)

Judicial Retention: Vicki Wright is endorsed, and frankly I'm not sure about the other two. The attorney polls are often published in newspapers, so let's see what they say. UPDATE:  The attorney polls didn't endorse any for retention.But are they biased? Likely not. See comments below. )

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

Anon.Comment 10-30-16: Cusack's involvement in the Cole case is that he was appointed as Cole's Public Defender. He argued before the jury that there was NO evidence to convict him. But don't let the Jerry and Jodi Show let the facts get in their way. The Appellate Court, in overturning the conviction, essentially agreed with all of the points made by Cusack at trial. - 30 -

 Anon. Comment 11/02/16: "Risinger was reassigned from Peoria criminal court to Tazewell civil court because he put in writing how blacks should be treated. See:

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20130306/NEWS/303069912

He brings his conservative values to the bench.   He has been known to refuse to do gay marriages and civil unions because of his religious beliefs.

The first thing Vespa says in criminal court when talking to people is 'if I see underwear you are in contempt of court.'  It's arguable that this is race- related but it sounds bad."

 

My comment: (Remember the Woodford County judge years ago who had a similar hangup about long hair on men?  He got in big trouble for that.) 

"Vickie Wright should be retained. She overturns Brady/Lyons on a pretty regular basis.   Our Appellate court is about the only thing keeping our courts somewhat honest." - 30 -

 

 

Rocky Glen tomorrow

PEORIA, IL -- From a news release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A fundraising event sponsored by the Friends of Rocky Glen, (FORG), to help provide a hiking trail for Rocky Glen park will occur on Saturday, October 8, 2016, from 10 am to 6 pm at Jimmys Bar, 2701 Farmington Road in West Peoria. There will be free guided hike tours throughout the day, free light breakfast, free lunch and free live music from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Donations are welcome. There will also be merchandise and memberships available for donations. Rocky Glen is a new 125 acre Peoria Park District natural area located off of Kickapoo Creek Road that includes a unique box canyon and two seasonal waterfalls. Nearly 2000 people have hiked this canyon over the past 5 years with the volunteer group Friends of Rocky Glen. Construction of a parking lot will begin this fall will allow the community year round, dawn to dusk access. According to Dave Pittman, FORG President, funds from the event will be used to help construct a hiking trail from the new parking lot up the 100 foot bluff then down into the canyon and the large sandstone rock outcroppings. “Rocky Glen is a very unique combination of geology, unique meadows and human history. We hope to develop signage along the trail that will tell its story of coal mining and late nineteenth century union organizing efforts that really did happen right here”. Rocky Glen supporters will have a chance to listen to some great homebrew country rock and acoustic music with Brian Dennison, blues artist with roots in Peoria’s south end. Brian recently performed at the Peoria Riverfront Blues and Heritage Fest. Dennison writes his own music and loves to play, always seeking to entertain and stretch his vocal range.  The polished clarity of his song I’M DONE, provides excellent background melodies, while the hard rocking title song from his CD, SOUTH END CELEBRITY, is great country rock. The well written tribute to his grandparents in SAVE A SEAT FOR ME and the beautiful images in FLOWERS, reveal his great talent. Anyone who spends some time listening to Dennison will hear some quality Peoria talent. For more information please contact FORG President Dave Pittman at 309-573-2354, [email protected].     Todd Abercrombie | September 28, 2016 at 1:46 pm | Categories: Monthly Hikes | URL: http://wp.me/p1ffIB-eY Comment    See all comments

 

Ed rally

PEORIA, IL -- From a news release:

JOIN US OCTOBER 6!

Teachers, Students, Parents, Staff and Community to Rally for School Improvement

Peoria, IL—On Thursday, parents, teachers, students, and community members will rally outside Thomas Jefferson Primary School and Trewyn School to show their shared commitment to public education.  Teachers and students will walk into the school together.  This action is part of a national movement called the Alliance to Reclaim our Schools (http://www.reclaimourschools.org/).

WHAT:           Educational Rally and Celebration

WHEN:           Thursday, October 6, 2016—7:50 AM

WHO:             Peoria Federation of Teachers President Jeff Adkins Dutro, Principals Kary Boerger        and Renee Andrews, parents, students, teachers, staff, and community supporters

WHERE:       Thomas Jefferson Primary School, 918 W. Florence Avenue &

                        Trewyn School, 1419 S. Folkers

WHY:             To pledge a commitment to building the schools all our students deserve

At Thomas Jefferson, the coalition will gather outside around the flag pole; at Trewyn participants will meet in the cafeteria. 

“In preschool, we teach our children the ABCs, and it’s a lesson they carry throughout their education.  Today, we’re adding new meaning to ABC: ‘Always Build Community.’  We’re renewing our pledge to fully fund and strengthen our schools—together,” Jeff Adkins Dutro.

The Peoria Federation of Teachers represents more than 1000 teachers, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, School Social Workers, and School Psychologists working in the Peoria Public Schools.  The PFT is affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers, and the AFL-CIO.

Additional info:  www.ift-aft.org/AROS

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