Peoria Illinoisan

While listening to the AM, I heard an ad for an ISP.  I wasnt paying particular attention to it until I heard a line towards the end in which they boasted something like this: “We have higher customer service approval ratings than America Online.”

Well if that doesn’t make them the best ISP ever, I don’t what does!

Along the same lines, I thought of some other possible advertising slogans, feel free to add your own:

Peoria.  We’re more business friendly than Chicago. 

The new Internet Explorer 7- less holes than Internet Explorer 6.

I’m Rod Steward and my new album is much less annoying than Barry Manilow’s. 

Here at the Chicago Grill, we make better burgers than McDonald’s!

District 150.  We’re less secretive than Dave Ransburg.

Hi.  I’m Dave Ransburg and I’m less secretive than District 150. (paid for by Citizens for Ransburg)

We’ve all had the experience of calling tech support, sitting on hold for a half hour, to finally get a foreigner who speaks broken English and often can’t solve your problem anyway.

The new blog “It’s Not My Fault” is run by a tech support rep sitting on the other end of that phone.

A classic knock-down drag-out fight broke out on CJ Summers blog between Snarkelicious and “Scott Creedy” involving the Heart of Peoria Plan, the Secret Societys and the Powers That Be in Peoria Politics.  It was a mighty brawl, but in the end, they both agreed that Museum Square is a bunch of BS and hope that the “Med-Tech Thing” succeeds, even if “Scott Creedy” still thinks the people in charge are questionable at best.

Aren’t blogs fun! 

I’m waiting for Round II. 

Have you ever dreaded for the entire day the function you have to attend, and then (after getting over your funk) ended up really enjoying it, at which point you are forced to leave to do what you really wanted to do in the first place only to realize that you really just wanted to be back at the place that you had dreaded all day!?!

I was glad to open the paper this morning and read that the proposed bar and grill at the old Gaslight was approved by the city council 6-4.  They saw what it could be and not what it was.  As I said before, I there was no reason other than unfounded and misplaced fear to deny the new liquor license.  While this in itself won’t guarantee success for Renaissance Park, it is a nice start which could help clean up what appears to be the most downtrodden area of Main Street with the hopes of a snowball effect to come.

Give the new owner Tyler Siebert a chance, because in my eyes he’s taking a big risk.  The clientele he is looking for may not want to go the Flora-Ellis neighborhood after dark.  Will the “saturation police� help?  Only time will tell.

District 150 is moving forward with their plans to built at Glen Oak, and is proving what I said before- the community forums are a formality and there will be a new school built in and alongside park land, in conjunction with the Park District run community center.  Now that they have Ray LaHood on board, and it’s only a matter of time before they convince enough people… or more accurately, the people with veto-power.

Vonster has a great map showing the properties… oops, sorry, I meant C.J. Summers has a great map showing the affected properties.

Tony Vecchio, owner of Peoria Autoworks.  Hero or Fool?

PjStar: “The man backed Vecchio up against a car, pulled out a gun and put it in Vecchio’s face, grabbing his shirt.  Vecchio said he then shoved the man backwards, knocking him off balance.  The gun went off and the assailant ran off toward Pecan Street, with Vecchio in pursuit”

I applaud Mr. Vecchio for having the balls to not put up with this crap, because not everyone, me included, would shove a guy off who was holding a loaded gun to my head.  Was Mr. Vecchio so fed up with things like this that he was willing to take his life into his own hands?  Did he see fear in this person’s face?

“He called 911 as he chased the man and ultimately lost sight of him.  Several construction workers nearby ignored Vecchio’s shouts to stop the man”

Is crime and guns in this city becoming so rampant that some citizens don’t even fear it anymore, with the knowledge that they HAVE to take things into their own hands if anything is going to change?

There are reports of shots fired nearly everyday, with people being shot, some fatally, on a regular basis.  When and how will it stop?  What are the Police doing to proactively curb this activity?

Mr. Vecchio didn’t do the wisest thing, but he decided to fight back, and I commend him for that.

Listed by Jim Maloof Realtors

Property ID: 14624826
Price: $200,000
Sq. Feet: 35,200
Lot Size: 0.65 Acres
Price/SF: $5.68
Taxes: $1,646.00
Built: 1924

THE OLD ARMORY BUILDING. 24,640 SQ. FT. FORMERLY USED AS BASKETBALL COURT/THEATER/AUDITORIUM. BUILDING COULD BE REHABILITATED FOR MANY USES OR LAND RE-DEVELOPED. NEAR NEW I-74 EXIT.

My usual contributors to Peoria Landmarks can’t figure out what this image is.

District 150 asked for parents opinions after deciding what to build.

Shockingly, The Catholic Diocese is asking the parents opinions before deciding what to build.

Very strange, indeed.

I see Bill Dennis was thinking the same thing. 

I learned from Rally Peoria that a zoning change is needed to allow for the Zoo expansion at Glen Oak Park.  This is a minor technicality that seems to have come up recently and is hardly worth noting.  Zoning changes are not uncommon, so what’s the big deal?

Timing.

It gives the perfect opportunity to bash around the Park District when they are already being beaten up on.

The Zoo expansion is good.  No, it’s great, actually.  You can bemoan the loss of land and the serenity of the park all you want, but how many of you actually go to Glen Oak to lay in the grass and stare at the clouds?  Glen Oak is moving forward, the Zoo expansion is a no-brainer, and quite frankly, I don’t think the school is such a bad idea either.  Speaking of that, the Journal Star reported (with negative spin, of course) the shocking news that not everyone is against building the new school on the edge of the park.

I hate to make predictions, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the city council spends some time discussing this, and I guarantee you it will have nothing to do with the Zoo.  Bob Manning will get his chance to dance around and look like a hero for raking the Park District over the coals… before they unanimously approve the technicality.

Dartman’s World of Wonder is a blog specializing in video and audio clips of America’s uniquely strange pop culture. 

Does anyone remember the piano playing and singing Ms. Reva Cooper Undersicker on Peoria’s local access tv from the 80’s?  I didn’t either, until I found this video clip on his blog.  Those were the days…

My favorite post so far is of the Monkee’s acting like the fools that they were on the Johnny Cash Show.  Classic!

I’ll be keeping an eye on this blog.

If you want to know what all the fuss is about, here’s the site with the photos that started the trouble.  Decide for yourself.

How ironic is it that Vonster is pissed off because he can’t reply to Peoria Pundit’s posts, while no-one can reply on Vonster’s very own site.  In essance, Vonster has already banned you, me and everyone else from replying to his site… the very thing that he is upset about.

Don’t worry, Vonster, you can still email Bill, the same as you encourage people do to on your site.  You see, you’re not banned afterall, infact you should be flattered that Bill is copying your rules.

Now stop acting like a little baby, and get on with your life.