Peoria Illinoisan

Area under storm warning; accumulation could reach 8 inches

Periods of snow will continue over north-central Illinois today through Monday morning. Areas near Peoria have already seen about 5 inches of snow so far today. Additional heavy snowfall will be likely, according to the National Weather Service.

An additional 1 to 2 inches of snow is likely this afternoon and another 1 to 2 inches tonight and Monday morning giving a storm total of 5 to 8 inches.

5+1+1= 7

5+2+2= 9

Update/Addendum (6:30pm, Sunday) – After some melting, I have an inch of snow, tops, on the ground.  I seriously doubt we’ll make 9, 7, or even 5 inches in the West Bluff.

Who: Bob Dylan

What: A song from The Bootleg Series, Vol 8, originally appearing on the soundtrack of the 2003 movie Gods and Generals.

Where: Soldiers Hill, Springdale Cemetery

Why: It’s my new favorite song, with vivid lyrical images of War and our own mortality. That, and I felt like making a video. Enjoy!

“It’s clear this structure meets the [city's historic preservation] criteria. If not this building, then throw away historic preservation.”

Once again, Gary Sandberg is right, and once again he was the lone decenter on Peoria’s City Council. I did not attend or watch the council debate, but from what I gather between the Journal Star’s article and CJ Summer’s recap, the decision was all about the process, not necessarily whether this building deserves to be saved.

CILF (Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation) was reactionary on this property, waiting until the 11th hour before requesting Landmark status, and that was not a good decision.  This process should have begun many moons ago, but lack of foresight should not mean a beautiful building should meet the wrecking ball.

I also believe in paybacks. Les Kenyon and CILF attempted to stifle Methodist’s expansion by designating Hamilton Boulevard as an historic landmark. The landmarking was eventually approved after some give and take from both sides, but the gauntlet had been thrown and many saw CILF as having too much power and standing in the way of progress.  It did nothing but minimize their effectiveness as a group.  The AMVET’s building decision was possibly and unfortunately the payback.

So many people don’t realize it, but Peoria is very rich in history. We just lost another small chapter that history. The more I learn about Peoria, the more I learn that most people around here don’t really care about its past. Ask yourself a question… when you go on vacation, do you like to visit towns with historic significance or towns with nondescript modern buildings?

I personally own about two dozen Peoria centric books; some old, some new, and they’re all chocked full of places that don’t exist anymore.

How much of our history must be lost before we finally say enough is enough?

Neil Young was just a few days shy of his 23rd birthday when he took the stage at the Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Mich., for what would become a legendary performance. It was 1968, and Young was about to release his self-titled debut solo album. His old band, Buffalo Springfield, had split up six months earlier, and few people even knew who Young was. But to his own surprise, and to the surprise of the Canterbury House, Young drew a sold-out audience.

This intimate, all acoustic performance has a scheduled release date of December 2, but you can listen to it streaming courtesy of NPR Music.

[Listen Now]

Dinner at Avanti’s: $22.00

Movie tickets for three: $28.00

Three bottles of water & popcorn at the theatre: $20.00

Priceless? Hardly.

Pedro lives out of the Wilshire Hotel
he looks out a window without glass
The walls are made of cardboard, newspapers on his feet
his father beats him ’cause he’s too tired to beg

He’s got 9 brothers and sisters
they’re brought up on their knees
it’s hard to run when a coat hanger beats you on the thighs
Pedro dreams of being older and killing the old man
but that’s a slim chance he’s going to the boulevard

He’s going to end up, on the dirty boulevard
he’s going out, to the dirty boulevard
He’s going down, to the dirty boulevard

This room cost 2,000 dollars a month
you can believe it man it’s true
somewhere a landlord’s laughing till he wets his pants
No one here dreams of being a doctor or a lawyer or anything
they dream of dealing on the dirty boulevard

Give me your hungry, your tired your poor I’ll piss on ‘em
that’s what the Statue of Bigotry says
Your poor huddled masses, let’s club ‘em to death
and get it over with and just dump ‘em on the boulevard

Get to end up, on the dirty boulevard
going out, to the dirty boulevard
He’s going down, on the dirty boulevard
going out

Outside it’s a bright night
there’s an opera at Lincoln Center
movie stars arrive by limousine
The klieg lights shoot up over the skyline of Manhattan
but the lights are out on the Mean Streets

A small kid stands by the Lincoln Tunnel
he’s selling plastic roses for a buck
The traffic’s backed up to 39th street
the TV whores are calling the cops out for a suck

And back at the Wilshire, Pedro sits there dreaming
he’s found a book on magic in a garbage can
He looks at the pictures and stares at the cracked ceiling
“At the count of 3″ he says, “I hope I can disappear”

And fly fly away, from this dirty boulevard

-Lou Reed

Museum Square finally got the bailout they needed, courtesy of Rod Blagojevich signing into law a special bill to allow a public vote on a sales tax increase in Peoria County.

This will pass. The grumbling in my gut tells me more people support this project than not, with most people being apathetic. The tax increase (unknown, but estimated to be .25%) is not enough to turn off the apathetic ones who will then vote for it. In addition, the vote will likely take place in April when voter turnout will be extremely low. The Museum folks will barrage us with commercials, rally their troops, and *poof* – we now have an Imax.

But here’s where it gets interesting. The tax is for “public facility purposes,” not specifically Museum Square. Already there is talk about who else will get a slice of the pie, with Bellwood Nursing Home apparently a top contender. Who else will get their hands on some cash? Time will tell, but I can feel groups all across town salivating at the thought. Considering temporary taxes are never temporary, my advice to others looking for cash, and there are many – take a number.

Each student will be given the opportunity to acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become positive, productive members of society.

Students are given the opportunity to be productive members of society?  Wow.  Don’t set the bar too high. How about we expect our students to excel and achieve in all things they do? Why not raise the bar? To me, this ‘missions statement’ says mediocrity is ok, but we hope you turn out better.

The ‘missions statement’ is a minor detail in the big scheme of things, but it seems to express an attitude of defeatism that is so pervasive in so many inner cities. A school, in whatever neighborhood it lies, should strive to bring out the best in every student. If one of your basic missions, as posted on the school gym wall, is to graduate grade schoolers  with the hope that they become productive members of society, then I think we have a problem.

We should be inspiring our children to be dreamers, achievers and leaders of society, not settling for mediocrity.

Lately I’ve been getting into the habit of listening to WBCU in the kitchen while I do the dishes, make dinner or whatever.  I don’t have a program listing, but I enjoy listening to Ahl All Thing Considered, Prairie Home Companion, Whad ‘Ya Know and classical music. I didn’t think I’d ever forgive them for giving up on late night Jazz & Blues on the weekends, but I am starting to get over it.

My beef is the book reader guy. I don’t want to listen to books on tapes, I don’t rent them from the Cracker Barrel, and I don’t want to listen to a guy reading a book on the radio. I know he’s been around forever – I used to change the channel in my car 15 years ago when he came on while picking up fast food for lunch during the week. Having lasted this long, I guess there’s an audience, or its just cheap filler…

So, if you’re into books on tape but are too cheap to buy them, listen to WCBU on the weekends at noon (lunch cooking time), weekdays around 6:30 (dinner & dish cleaning time), or check your program guide.

Mother, mother
There’s too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There’s far too many of you dying
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today

Father, father
We don’t need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some lovin’ here today

Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what’s going on
What’s going on
What’s going on
What’s going on

Mother, mother, everybody thinks we’re wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
You know we’ve got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today

Picket lines and picket signs
Don’t punish me with brutality
Come on, talk to me
So you can see
What’s going on
What’s going on
Tell me what’s going on
I’ll tell you what’s going on

-Marvin Gaye

Since I was accused, I might as well take a moment to explain for anyone else who has this problem. I use a popular spam filter called Akismet. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn good. I receive a couple hundred spam comments a day. Without a filter I would either have to spend all of my time deleting comments about Viagra, or manually approve or deny each comment. I have better things to do with my time.

If one of your comments was caught by my spam filter, shoot me an email and I’ll retrieve it. PeoriaIllinoisan@Yahoo.com

No, I haven’t gone completely bonkers – I’m not talking about the Kellar Rail which actually has current and potential future customers, I’m talking about what the Journal Star calls the “Hanna City rail line.” This is a stretch of unused rail which runs from Bartonville, through Hanna City and Farmington, and ends 25 miles later at the small town of Middle Grove.

There were not one, but two articles in Satuday’s paper relating to this. First, the Peoria Park District, which is a large supporter of Rails to Trails concerning the Kellar, is beginning to feel the effects of the national financial crisis. That means the supposed out of reach dollar amount to put a trail next to the rail is even less likely. As per a recent ruling of the  STB (Federal Surface Transportation Board,) ripping up the tracks is not an option.

Second is the actual article on the “Hanna City rail line,” as previously linked to.  My suggestion to the hardcore trail advocates, as it appears there needs to be some major money raised in the next six months to make the Hanna City trail actually become a reality, is to rally around this and make it happen.

My wife taught me something many years ago … pick your battles. The RTA (Recreational Trail Advocates) needs to learn this lesson. Give up on the futile battle against a rail line which is being used for commerce and use your resources to build a trail on a track which is actively trying to be abandoned by the owner, Union Pacific.

If this opportunity for a rail to trail conversion slips by because not enough funds were raised, I never again want to hear anyone crying about the Kellar Branch, which has real trains tooting their horns.

High tide, mid afternoon
People fly by, in the traffics boom
Knowing, just where you are blowing
Getting to where you should be going

Don’t let them get you down
Making you feel guilty about
golden rain, will bring you riches
All the good things you deserve and now

Climbing, forever trying
Find your way out of the wild, wild wood
Now there’s no justice
Only yourself that you can trust in

And I said high tide, mid afternoon
People fly by, in the traffics boom
Knowing, just where you are blowing
Getting to where you should be going

Day by day your world fades away
Waiting to feel all the dreams that say
Golden rain will bring you riches
All the good things you deserve now

And I say, climbing, forever trying
find you way out of the wild, wild wood
Said you are gonna find you way out of the wild, wild wood
Wild wild wood

-Paul Weller

That’s right. I have nothing to really say. Nothing especially interesting to share. No clever stories. No insight on the news or the crumbling economy of which the pain we haven’t even begun to see. No restaurant reviews. No bitches about traffic or the Journal Star or the Chicago Cubs releasing Kerry Wood. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. For better or worse, there just hasn’t been much going on up there in that little brain of mine. Well, I could bitch about the dreary weather but that would just depress me.

Whatever the reason, and I really think I’m just burned out, to keep this blog from going completely dark, I think I’ll share more of my favorite music with you all until I get out of my funk.

Until next time…