Peoria Illinoisan

As a favor to a friend I put up a video feed from HOI19 news of George Bush’s visit to Peoria on my YouTube account. Based on previous comments to my videos, I figured I’d get a bunch of few Bush slams mixed in with some personal attacks, but my first comment was curveball, if not a wildpitch.

[aside - I don't mind putting up vidoes on YouTube under my name for others as long as it's not of Cousin Jeb shooting frogs at the lake house with his shotgun or the family reunion featuring a drunken Uncle Joe staring at his neice's cleavage.]

We are so happy to have Schock and Bush fighting those of us in the higher tax brackets. I’m so sick of paying taxes that get wasted by people on welfare. They don’t deserve a decent standard of living because they don’t even want to achieve. I lost the use of my legs, and I achieved anyway! It’s a shame I didn’t have time to attend. I would have loved to see Lee Greenwood. Wow — Lee Greenwood!!!

Are you kidding me?

“I would have loved to see Lee Greenwood”

I can’t imagine spending $500 to see President Bush, or anyone else for that matter with the possible exception of Pete Townshend solo in a small club and only then if the proceeds went to charity … but to be so excited to see Lee Greenwood!?

Wow — Lee Greenwood!!!

Can you say too much enthusiasm? Look, I’m proud to be an American too, but c’mon, this guy was the headliner at the Pekin Marigold Festival in 2000, and if you’ve ever been to the Pekin Marigold Festival, you know that’s not a great gig. Granted, it was prior to 9/11 and he didn’t bring the President with him, but the admission couldn’t have been more than $5 and I doubt he had 1,400 people there.

“I would have loved to see Lee Greenwood. Wow — Lee Greenwood!!!”

Good Grief.

From the Starbuck’s pressroom:

As we announced on July 1, 2008, Starbucks will close approximately 600 company-operated stores in the U.S. beginning this month and continuing through the first half of FY09. Partners in the stores listed below have been personally notified that their store has been slated to close during this timeframe.

In the spirit of transparency with our partners, customers and communities, we have provided the full list of stores below for general information purposes. Store partners will receive advance notice and more details from their leadership team once a specific closure date has been confirmed. After specific closure dates have been communicated to all affected partners, we will continue to update the confirmed store list.

On the list… Store #13375. 4221 N. Sterling Ave, aka Westlake Shopping Center.

I swear, I didn’t even know this location even existed until a few days ago when I just happened to be driving by. Not that I really care. I’ve never so much as stepped foot in a Starbucks parking lot. Wait… I take that back. I purchased a limited edition Bob Dylan CD once. But otherwise… Oh yea, there was that time I tried to pick up wifi from my car but they required me to register or download some software or something equally silly. But otherwise…

Employees of Bennigan’s Restaurants around the country showed up to work only to find “closed” signs and locked doors. Bennigan’s filed Chapter 7 Bankruptcy today, ungraciously shuttering all of their locations without notice.

Except Peoria’s.

A phone call confirms that we are among a small number of independently owned franchises that will remain open. Thankfully. Of all the Chili’s/Cheddars/TGI Friday type chain restaurants, Bennigans has always been my perennial favorite. Infact, this news makes me want to go down there for lunch this weekend. I might just have to do that.

I knew there had to be some major dysfunction going on for a 20 year old to murder his mother, but I never expected this.

During a five-minute bond hearing in Peoria County Circuit Court, Lyons said the situation had “peculiar” overtones. He cited a “consensual but inappropriate” sexual relationship that had existed between John and Mary Finnegan for about four years. John Finnegan said he and his mother had sex the day before he allegedly killed her.

They have been having sex since he was 16 years of age, and God only knows what was going on before that. I’m truly left speechless.

It’s at Cash Land on University!

Speak of scams, this comment was dropped on an old post of mine regarding the Iowa Steak Co. (text slightly reformatted for easier reading)

So here it is. I currently work for Iowa Steak. To be completely honest, I am fed up with the job. I work for the company in Tennessee and I have a real problem with the company and the product.

It says weekly fresh deliveries on the pamphlet, yeah that’s a lie. Last delivery we got was 144 cases of steak two weeks ago. We are told to take older meat out and sell as well as our “fresh” meat. Nothing is more embarrassing than opening a box of chopped sirloin burgers or the filets and noticing the meat is BROWN…now any warehouse manager or office manager will tell us delivery drivers that it is because we were showing the product outside too much, truth of the matter is it’s OLD.

We are told to go out everyday and do whatever it takes to move boxes of meat for the company. The motto is..if your not lying, you ain’t trying. I have a problem with the fact that I’m supposed to get into someone’s house, show them the meat, and then negotiate a deal to take their money.

Just for a little insider info…a steak case cost’s the drivers $120. Individual boxes cost $20. Oh, theres NO difference in driver cost for Chicken Seafood or Pork. It’s all $120 for the case or $20 for an individual box. If you guys REALLY want to get under their skin, let them show you the product, negotiate a deal, then tell them your not interested. We call that getting stroked.

I do hate to admit it, but every IA Steak salesman is a hustler. Even myself. One of my close friends told me I don’t have enough Evil in my body to sell meat door-to-door.

Needless to say…this will be my last week employed as an Independent Contractor with IA Steaks.

Her most recent column includes this line- “Holling, on the other hand, had himself just been unloaded from Caterpillar Inc.”

Unloaded? As in forced out? He retired. That was the company line at the time and the Journal Star wrote a nice puff piece about him. If you’ll recall, just under the surface, there was some controversy surrounding him that no-one wanted to publicly broach. I’m not here to cast stones or drum up an old and tired subject, but Terry Bibo’s comment struck me as funny. Unloaded. I wonder what she meant by that?

via the Peoria Journal Star-

Police have arrested the son of a woman who was found strangled to death in her Rolling Acres home Friday morning.

Stark County deputies found John W. Finnegan, 20, sleeping in his mother’s car at a rest stop in Toulon early Sunday. He was detained in Stark County until Peoria police picked him up for questioning.

He was later booked into the Peoria County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his mother, Mary T. Finnegan, 43, with whom he lived at 5513 Merrimac Ave.

Police said he admitted to killing his mother but when asked why, he wouldn’t reply. He was described to police as being depressed, authorities said.

Mary Finnegan’s body was found by her other son, David, in a bedroom about 11 a.m. Friday. She was pronounced dead about a half-hour later. An autopsy performed Saturday showed she died of strangulation, Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll said.

Finnegan’s neighbor Jennifer Lowe was one of the few on the block who knew the woman personally.

“She was a quiet woman,” Lowe said Saturday afternoon. “But she was the most wonderful person you would ever meet.”

Lowe met her neighbor when she moved in five years ago and said Finnegan would always check up on her and see if she needed help around the house.

Lowe returned the favor, recently watering the woman’s flowers while she was out of town. She said she’d planned to have dinner with Finnegan the night she was found dead.

“When I found out she was killed, I was so confused,” she said. “I can’t understand, why would someone kill her?”

Mary T. Finnegan, 43, of Peoria died on Friday, July 25, 2008, at 11:37 a.m. at her residence.

Mary was born July 16, 1965, in Peoria to Donald and June (Thompson) Finnegan. They survive along with two sons, David and John Finnegan, both of Peoria; three brothers, Pat (Jennifer) Finnegan of Rockton, Ill., Jim (Meg) Finnegan of Crofton, Md., and Tom (Regan) Finnegan of Queen Creek, Ariz.; and one sister, Margaret (Arlan) Forsch of Dodgeville, Wis.

She was preceded in death by one brother, John.

Mary worked as an analyst in Information Services at CAT Logistics in Morton.

She traveled the world with her family. They lived in Europe for four years. She was an avid reader and a gourmet cook. Her family enjoyed many meals she prepared for them. Mary was a sweet and caring daughter and loving mother.

She was a graduate of Illinois State University in Normal.

She was a member of the Universalist Unitarian Church in Peoria and a former member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.

A funeral Mass will be on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent with the Rev. Jason Gray officiating.

Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery in West Peoria. Visitation will be Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Wright & Salmon Mortuary, with a prayer service at 8 p.m. Further visitation will be a half-hour prior to the Mass on Wednesday at the church.

Memorials may be made to a trust for her children through CEFCU.

Has anyone else notice how quickly Chicago can turn an otherwise laid back and courteous driver into a ruthless, gun it at the lights, cut off or be cut off ass of a driver? I noticed that yesterday.

After hitting the publish button I was reminded of a time when my brother came home to visit after moving to Boston. We were a few cars back at the University/Glen light when he starting cursing and laying into his horn. I asked what his problem was.

“The light is f*cking green!”

Obviously, he didn’t know how to adapt.

If you haven’t heard the story yet, in a nutshell (because I like nutshells) several tit for tat events between the Peoria Chiefs and the Dayton Dragons quickly escalated and boiled over when Cheif’s starting pitcher Julio Castillo threw a ball towards the Dayton Dragon’s dugout. His fastball missed (explainging why he is in single A ball) and hit a female fan in the face, sending her to the hospital. Benches cleared and a total of 15 players were ejected. Julio Castillo was arrested and charged with felony assault.

No comments of random thoughts allowed, no comments related to President Bush’s visit allowed, no comments regarding the diminishing amount of murders this year allowed, no comments about the weather allowed, no comments related to the Bob Michel, Ray LaHood, Rod Blagojevich or Barack Obama allowed, no comments related to Museum Square allowed, no comments regarding the Chicago Cubs allowed, no comments related to Bradley University allowed, no comments with references to pop culture allowed, no comments about the storm a few days ago which screwed up my gutters allowed, no comments about the Peoria Park District or the lack of State funding for Wildlife Prairie State Park allowed, no comments about the hoodlums at Heritage Days, Steamboat Days or the HOI Fair allowed, definitely no comments about snow removal allowed, no comments about Peoria in general allowed, and finally no comments suggesting that I’m a blogger slacker allowed.

Other than that, the podium is yours.

Pittsburgh’s Interstate system running through their downtown is so convoluted it makes St.Louis’s seem logical and free flowing.

To the old bitty seating tables at the Italian restaurant full of elders dining in a strip mall in Pittsburgh who stuck her nose up at me because I didn’t have a reservation… bite me… we tried to eat at a local establishment but against my wishes ended up thoroughly enjoying the Olive Garden. Thanks for the nice dinner.

I did not look this up, but I am convinced that North Carolina has the most smokers per capita in the United States.

I did not look this up either, but I am convinced that the little border town of Blue Field, West Virginia which is about 5 miles off of Interstate 77 not only holds the dubious distinction (in my mind) of being the most obese town per capita in the United States, but also the town with the least teeth. The old school K-Mart did have restrooms, which I am thankful for.

I have completely lost my faith in MapQuest as the 45 miles from the Interstate 81 to Boone, NC took nearly two hours. MapQuest didn’t take in to account that you can’t drive 55. You can barely drive 45, and mostly you are driving 35 with curvatures and switchbacks through the mountains with no shoulder and no guardrails to the steep dropoffs.

A view from the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of Boone:

Dear Gatlinburg, TN Police – be on the lookout for a silver SUV with a supersized cooler in the trunk filled with 4 cases of Bud cans and twelve pack of MGD. You will find their empty boxes in the shopping cart corral.

Speaking of Gatlinburg, if you’ve never been there, it’s the Lake of the Ozarks and Wisconsin Dells combined and on steroids, and they have a built in vacuum designed to suck money out of your wallet. The most amazing thing is when you cross over into the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. In the span of 30 seconds you leave a neon jungle and enter a forest canopy. I’ve never experience two places so diametrically opposed butting right up against each other. It’s quite an experience.

While taking a relatively short hike through the Great Smokey Mountains towards Laura Falls, I found this sign to be terrifyingly true:

Along that pathway we encountered a Mama & Baby Bear just about 100 feet away up the hillside, and later two deer with big racks only about 15 feet away hiding in the tall grass.

Another reason I love XM Satellite Radio – not only could I hear Pat & Ron broadcast a few Cub games, but I was able to hear the dramatic final two rounds of the 2008 (British) Open (Golf) Championship and Greg Norman’s near Cinderella story.

I didn’t expect much out of our last sleepover, but the Louisville Slugger Factory Tour is definitely worth a visit, as is nearby Louisville History Museum which specialized in weaponry from the medieval period through the early 1900’s and deserved much more time than the hour and a half that we had available.

I’ll never get tired of rounding the bend on I74 to see Peoria’s skyline. As Frank Sinatra sang, “It’s nice to go traveling, but it’s oh so nice to come home.”

As I walked through the front door of our hotel to check in there was a young man singing and playing a guitar in the lobby. I didn’t see a hat full of coins next to him for donations, so I simply figured that either the Comfort Suites near the Louisville Airport was a hipster hangout (unlikely) or this guy was staying for the night and liked attention. My 2nd guess wasn’t too far off.

A short time later my daughter and I were waiting to take the elevator to another floor to find a working ice machine. When the doors opened, a gruff motorcycle riding looking dude stepped out and a younger fellow wished him good luck. We then stepped in, as did a 20ish female with an American Idol wristband. I asked what the wristband was about and she said signups were today, judging was Monday. Hmm…

Walking up and down the hallway looking for the ice machine, not one, but two females were belting out songs from their rooms- one with the door open so all of the patrons could hear her more clearly.

Auditions were being held at the nearby fairgrounds and it quickly became apparent what we had walked into… American Idol Ground Zero.

Seeing these people, of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds saddened me a bit. Case in point – a car with Michigan plates with “Hollywood or Bust” written on their rear window.

Someone drove from Michigan to Louisville to audition for American Idol? And that girl I met in the elevator… she was sweet, cute and had a nice smile, but was a bit over-weight. I wished her luck, but I can’t imagine her chances are very good to be chosen to be on national television. This is all about ratings, you know. What about the Harley Davidson guy? I wonder if he sings like Barry White? I don’t see him moving on very far either. But as I heard the two young ladies practicing in their rooms, I knew this was serious, and moreover, they were singing their hearts out with the thought that they seriously had a chance against the thousands of other entrants.

As the night wore on I noticed barely a person walk by without an American Idol wristband on. I wish them all the best. I only hope that they came with no expectations and have the good sense to have some fun while they’re here.

I understand chasing your dreams, but seriously, to drive down from Michigan for this?  I suppose you could accuse me of being too much of a realist – I’m not a one in a million chances kind of guy and I don’t play the lotto.

Cleveland itself is quite nice. My first impression was that it’s a divided town, as most large cities are, with a nice downtown on Lake Erie complete with its own developing ‘warehouse district,’ a struggling lower class area kept just outside of the tourists view, and typical sprawling suburbs. On our first night heard fireworks after an Indians victory which seemed to rival this years Peoria fireworks display.

After the R&R HOF we went next door to the three floor Science Center, where we spent most of the afternoon, and justifiably so. Other than a few things that were out of order, most of it was quite impressive with almost all being hands-on exhibits with too many to even mention, but some of the memorable were the miniature high speed train, tornado machine, and an animated hang-glider that you lay on steer through the Grand Canyon. I asked my kids and they gave vague answers said best as “it was all cool.” The OmniMax theatre was a big hit too. If Lakeview ever builds their museum with a fake Imax, remind me not to sit in the first few rows. It really cranks your neck!

A hotel shuttle home, a short nap, a walk through the urban jungle to a strange, colorful and but fun local restaurant for dinner, a swim in the 7^th story pool and complimentary made to order omelettes for breakfast finished out our stay.

I’m sorry to report that I was somewhat disappointed with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. After getting past the anticipated excitement and the thrill of hearing David Bowie being blasted through loudspeakers inside and out, I plucked down $93 and we went in.

The main hall is in the basement with six floors above. As I walked through the main hall area, it was clear to me that this was a quick overview of R&R history to get people up to speed, with more in depth analysis to come. It consisted of 15ft spaces behind glass highlighting the likes of Detroit, Memphis Blues & Sun Records, San Francisco, L.A. Punk, and several others. Mostly it was album covers, 45 picture sleeves and some memorabilia sloshed all together with some video screens hanging from the ceiling playing documentaries. The Beatles, Stones, and Elvis exhibits were fairly interesting, as were Michael Jackson’s silly 80’s costumes and Madonna’s Bras, but bigger and better things awaited us!

(aside- The Beatles Butcher Cover was prominently displayed, but it was only a poster, not one of the originals)

As we ventured up the floors it became evident that the main hall was quite significant, as the other levels were small and relatively lame. They did not expand on the exhibits downstairs, or progress upwards through the years, as I thought they might. Infact, the upper floors had nothing to do with the main hall or build upon its foundation at all. We looked at a static exhibit of the Stax artists of which my beloved Otis Redding was only given a generous two square foot area area. Other exhibits were two large collages featuring mostly Rolling Stone Magazine, a nice Les Paul exhibit, and a Doors exhibit in the temporary section, along with less interesting things such as a circa late 60’s state of the art stereo/ tv/ reel to reel/ cassette/ turntable which took up most of an exhibit room.

Sadly, one of the highlights was watching 15 minutes worth of the Beatle’s movie HELP!

Maybe my expectations were set too high, but I found the entire experience to be cramped, with most artists lightly covered, if at all. B

On the bright side, it was fun to flip through their extensive CD store with Neil Young’s Cowboy in the Sand blasting out of the speakers, reminded me of my youth flipping through records at the Peoria Record Company… except the musty smell was replaced with spit-shined floors and the hippie behind the counter was replaced with 20 somethings who were instructed to help me.

“And in the end…” My kids had no expectations and quite enjoyed it, I’m glad I went, but it wasn’t near as cool as I thought it would be. I suppose I might feel differently if I didn’t have my family in tow, but I left with Public Enemy in my head… “Don’t Believe The Hype.”

PJStar:

President George Bush is coming to Peoria on July 25 for a fundraiser for state Rep. Aaron Schock, a candidate for the 18th Congressional District.

The $500-per-person event will be at a private residence. Couples will have the opportunity to take photos with the president for $4,600. No public appearance is planned.