2007: A Blog Year In Review
Without trying to overstate the case, 2007 truly seemed to be the year the blog became more than a novelty in Peoria. Not only were bloggers in the news, they were making news and breaking the news. Moreso than ever it became apparent that news media and politicians alike were reading the blogs. Even Journal Star columnists Claire Jellick and Kirk Wessler began linking to them, instead of always being the other way around.
What started out as a simple project to recap the year turned into a huge undertaking going through multitudes of blog archives. I was a bit surprised at how much had happened over the past year, and believe me, I left out a ton of stuff, trying to focus on the more important and varied issues without linking to any single one multiples of times.
I appologize upfront to any fellow blogger that might feel left out or short changed as that was not my intention, and as any list or recap there will be disagreements about what should and should not be included, so keep in mind that this is the year in review, as I see it:
Jan
1 - Peoria.com debuts
1 - Save The Journal Star Campaign Begins (Peoria Chronicle)
1 - Twenty-One hours into the new year, Peoria records it’s first homicide (Peoria Chronicle)
6 - The Mysterious Case of Silven Yocum (Knight in Dragonland)
7 - John A Carroll continues his one man pissing contest, this time slamming Billy and Eyebrows in the same post (Peoria Pundit)
10 - Silent Majority finally speaks: Wants School Board to build new Glen Oak School at Glen Oak Park. (Peoria Chronicle)
16 - Peoria Journal Star allows comments on their website (Peoria Pundit)
16 - Catholic Diocese of Peoria falsely claims to have support of the Heart of Peoria Commission in the building of their Pastoral Center (Peoria Chronicle)
17 - F.Scotts to close (Angie’s Drama)
17 - Photo Essay: Spalding Gymnasium comes down (Name This Peoria Landmark)
25 - “As long as I’m president, we will not move farther west than Maplewood.” Bradley University’s David Broskey retires. (Peoria Chronicle)
30 - President Bush visits Peoria to a mostly receptive audience (Morton Malaise)
Feb
2 - Museum Square to looks for federal funds through low income New Market Credits (Peoria Chronicle)
24 - City Council At Large Election Quiz (PeoriaIllinoisan)
27 - Primary Election Results (Peoria Chronicle)
28 - Blogger and family threatened. Told to ’shut his mouth’ (Knight In Dragonland)
Mar
13 - New restaurant Tavern on the Water reviewed (Eyebrows McGee)
13 - Gatehouse Media buys Peoria Journal Star (Peoria Pundit)
25 - And The Walls Come Tumblin’ Down: Landmark Peoria Barn torn down for a bank drive-up teller (Chef Kevin)
28 - Self-proclaimed ‘Hottest Restaurant In Town’ gets another not-so-hot review (Eyebrows McGee)
31 - Journal Star opens a can of worms. Alleges D150 School Board member Alicia Bulter falsified claims of Masters degree from Bradley University. (Peoria Pundit)
Apr
2 - Cubs Opening Day (PeoriaIllinoisan)
9 - Billy switches themes (Peoria Pundit)
10 - Video: Bradley Demolition gets under way (PeoriaIllinoisan)
12 - CJ Summers: Terry Beechler wrongfully arrested (Peoria Chronicle)
18 - Election Results (Peoria Pundit)
22 - Cries of racism after Police subdue a drunken man who gave chase throughout the West Bluff and South End (Peoria Pundit)
26 - Billy switches themes (Peoria Pundit)
May
2 - Conned by the Iowa Steak Co. (PeoriaIllinoisan)
2 - Gary Sanford? (PollyPeoria)
8 - Councilman Bob Manning attacked on East Bluff (Scott Janz)
21 - The Riverstation returns (PeoriaIllinoisan)
23 - Billy switches themes (Peoria Pundit)
26 - Trail activists stoop to a new low. Degrade the Race For The Cure. (PeoriaIllinoisan)
29 - The Cicadas are coming! The Cicadas are coming! (Peoria Rocks)
30 - Spongebob Drowns (PeoriaIllinoisan)
31 - Globe Energy locates plant in Pioneer Park (David P. Jordan)
June
1 - Racists try to run Patriotic Citizens out of Pekin (PeoriaIllinoisan)
3 - Let’s Play City Council Jeapardy! (Peoria Anti-Pundit)
13 - Pammy ties the knot (Lollygaggin’)
16 - Video: Sigma Chi House Falls (PeoriaIllinoisan)
17 - Maplewood Update (PeoriaIllinoisan)
26 - Hypothetical: Would you boycott a business based on their support of a cause or lackthereof? (Chef Kevin)
July
1 - Billy switches themes (Peoria Pundit)
2 - Honey, I shrunk the museum (Peoria Chronicle)
2 - The Return of Drunken Deck Man (Scott Janz)
3 - PI Goes To Washington (PeoriaIllinoisan)
5 - Flight Attendants: Aren’t They Supposed To Be Nice? (Pointlessly Hypertechnical)
9 - Breastfeeding Nazis (PeoriaIllinoisan)
10 - Peoria Housing Authority is one of the worst and filthiest landords in the City (Scott Janz)
15 - The Overpass Incident (PeoriaIllinoisan)
15 - Video: Adagio in the keys of B & U (PeoriaIllinoisan)
22 - Video: Bradley’s Demolition Man (PeoriaIllinoisan)
22 - Thoughts and rambles about the deadly overpass brick toss (Peoria Anti-Pundit)
25 - Blogger Bylaws (PeoriaIllinoisan)
26 - Ray LaHood will not seek re-election (Ahl Things Considered)
Aug
1 - Chicago Cubs are in 1st place (PeoriaIllinoisan)
1 - The Arbor District has an arbor again (Peoria Chronicle)
3 - Billy switches themes (Peoria Pundit)
5 - Aaron Schock to run for Congress (Peoria Pundit)
6 - New Bradley University President: Joanne Glasser (Peoria Chronicle)
12 - How to find Peoria Landmark #164 in 7 easy steps (PeoriaIllinoisan)
13 - The Best Pizza In Peoria Is… (Chef Kevin)
15 - Bradley student Danny Dahlquist dies in tragic fire. Journal Star shows up uninvited at funeral. (Peoria Pundit)
16 - Peoria Journal Star reprints Dahlquist family statement, conveniently leaving out the paragraph regarding media intrusiveness. (Peoria Pundit)
21 - Recommended for Historic Designation: 21 Peoria Park District Landmarks (Peoria Chronicle)
Sept
3 - A visit to Bar Louie unleases a firestorm. (PeoriaIllinoisan)
16 - Billy switches themes (Peoria Pundit)
21 - The overpass incident & the Bradley fire are not racially tied (O’Brien’s Briar Patch)
22 - Cardinals are mathematically eliminated from the postseason (PeoriaIllinoisan)
28 - Cubs Clinch! (PeoriaIllinoisan)
Oct
2 - FOR SALE: Gateway Building (Peoria Chronicle)
10 - Manual 22? Oh, puhleeeeease….. (Lollygaggin’)
15 - Traffic study spawns misleading Journal Star racial profiling headline (O’Brien’s Briar Patch)
24 - Woodruff & Manual tickets rescinded (Peoria Chronicle)
Nov
5- Billy switches themes (Peoria Pundit)
9 - Riverfront Museum Group asks for a bailout from Peoria County (Peoria Pundit)
10 - While I’m videotaping a mob at Bradley, my wife is home chasing them off (PeoriaIllinoisan)
13 - Bar Louie management jumps on Chef Kevin case for posts he never made (Chef Kevin)
14 - St.Ann’s Expansion: City of Peoria ignores their own newly approved zoning code (Peoria Chronicle)
19 - Game Over: The STB rules against the city’s wishes. (Peoria Chronicle)
23 - Councilman Nichting suggests an illegal “Meigs Field Operation” on the Kellar Rail Line. (Peoria Chronicle)
Dec
7 - WTVP needs your help (PeoriaIllinoisan)
10 - Bradley fans salute Bradley Soccer’s end to an emotional run to the elite 8 and unsaid tribute to the Dahlquist family (Kirk Wessler’s Captain’s Blog)
12 - Shooting at Northwoods Mall (PeoriaIllinoisan)
21 - Justice for Silven Yocum (Knight in Dragonland)
22 - Committee being formed to study combined Rail & Trail (Peoria Chronicle)
December 28th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
You totally forgot to mention my post on Burittos as Big as your head at Northwoods Mall! This is rigged!
December 29th, 2007 at 10:48 am
I think you missed a few of Billy theme switches.
December 29th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
I dunno, I think this took a lot of thought and effort.
December 29th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Thanks a lot, PI. I was going to change my theme today, but I can’t now.
December 29th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
What? Billy switched themes?
Good Post
December 29th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Bite me. All of you.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:07 am
[...] has compiled a review of 2007 in the blogosphere. I was thinking of doing something similar, but he beat me to it, and I couldn’t have done it [...]
December 30th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Thanks for some links to posts that went up before I started paying attention.
December 30th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
So what’s the point of this post? To recount what everyone has posted about. It’s interesting but what’s the point.
December 30th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
then don’t read it nasty boy.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
now who is being nasty. I merely asked what he was trying to show? Bloggers drive the news in this town, I gather from his post. Not entirely true but they do have a major influence. Wasn’t trying to step on toes.
December 30th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
One interesting fact not pointed out is that a lot of the stuff attributed to other online sources was first publicized in the paper. Could be a problem? Hmmm…
December 31st, 2007 at 9:35 am
Bloggers don’t necessarily “make” the news but they certainly develop it!
December 31st, 2007 at 11:34 am
Bill: We’d all have plenty of room.
December 31st, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Emtronics- it took entirely too much time, which is why I didn’t find Diane’s groundbreaking post about LaBamba. I had to draw the line somewhere.
Subway- You may step on my toes anytime you wish. I wrote the intro after I was finished with the post. I suppose, based on the intro, you could argue that I should only link to posts that changed the world. I was simply highlighting some of the big news stories of the year as seen through blogger’s eyes. That’s the point. Don’t look into this too deeply.
Anon2008- The Journal Star has a staff of full-time paid employees. Most of the rest of us have regular jobs not related to blogging and do this as a hobby in our free time. That being said, I’ll make note to pass out a petition at the next blogger bash signed by the silent majority urging all of the Peoria bloggers to collectively break more stories than the newspaper.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Deeply? My dear sir, I want a subway. I dig deep. It’s part of having a subway. Without tunnels, they don’t work.
However, anyone who willing to not to take themselves too seriously get an “A,” in my book. As for the PJS breaking news, sure they do. Bloggers break news that is of importance to them, their cause celeb so to speak. The PJS covers the town. Different markets.
If you want news, go to the paper. If you want opinion, however informed, hit a blog
January 2nd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
PI,
Just be careful the petition doesn’t get delicious wing sauce all over it.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:27 am
I will have you know that your post provoked yet another nasty comment on my flight attendants post. (At least this one wasn’t about what I do with my breasts.) What is with these people?? Of all the controversial and semi-bitchy things I have posted on my blog, THESE people are the most angry?
Whatever.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:30 pm
PeoriaIllinoisan, I am part of the media and am now joining the blogging world! It is amazing how fast blogging is becoming mainstream. HOI 19 News is now doing an internet segment called Connected every day in our 5pm newscast.
My blog is focused on helping parents find the news that matters to them. I am compiling all the “kid” related news into one site. NewsAnchorMom.com
I would love to hear what you think!