Another year-end look at the news …
By Roger Monroe | 1st January 2008
It was another wonderful Christmas. So much happening in the community and on television and radio. Special thanks to East Peoria for the splendid Festival of Lights including another spectacular parade and for returning the beautiful lighted wreath to the hillside for all to enjoy. Peoria’s longest consecutive running Santa parade was a big hit as well, although I don’t understand how a red pickup truck with an American flag qualified to be in the parade. Ugh! Whoever approved that entry ought to be horse-whipped with a real horse, as Royce would say. There were a lot of terrific Christmas music and drama programs on television. The best shows were on the Hallmark channel. The happy, positive and inspiring themes made the shows most enjoyable. And the same might be said for those radio stations programming all of the Christmas music. Special accolades to WOAM-AM, 1350. Kelly Communications featured Christmas music 24 hours a day seven days a week, with the exception of Saturday mornings.
Congratulations to the Peoria Journal for its sponsorship again of the 60th annual Christmas Sing at the Peoria Courthouse Plaza. It marked the return of song leader and former mayor Jim Maloof. Sir James missed last year while recovering from injuries he suffered in an automobile accident. He was in his usual fine voice. Due to the cold temperatures, attendance was around 150.
Politics was the only disappointment during the Christmas season. The constant political news, the debates, the stories, and the presidential candidates were boring. It supports the argument against those who moved up the primary dates in Iowa and New Hampshire. They shortened the campaign season by moving the primaries to April and the general election to November. Spare us all of the campaign news in December. We have better things to think about and enjoy. Hopefully.
GOOFS & GOOF-OFFS IN 2007
As we look forward to the News Year, permit me to review the year that just ended with some special awards.
FIBBER OF THE YEAR
No contest here. Democrat Senator Harry Reid. He wins for stating, “The surge isn’t working.” It was and is. Britain just turned over a province to the Iraqi government.
Virtually every one, including another anti-surge spokesman, Colonel Klink, I mean John Murtha, has acknowledged that the surge was working. Another Reid fib was obvious when he announced that global warming had caused the California fires. Later, a teenager admitted he started the fires. Reid should submit to a urine test.
ELECTIVE OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR
A number of people qualified for the award. My choice is Peoria County Board chairman, Bill Prather. Despite an overwhelming Democratic majority on the board, Prather divided board chairmanships evenly. The result has been virtual elimination of the backroom wheeling and dealing that took place for too many years by former board chairpersons Dave Williams and Sharon Kennedy. County government is much healthier and cooperative.
2007 LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR
The winner is Patrick Ulrich, Peoria County administrator. Ulrich has done an outstanding job attacking county problems from Bel-Wood to finances. This year’s budget, guided by Ulrich, his staff and department heads, was approved in record time, primarily because it was reviewed and discussed in a professional and bipartisan way by all parties concerned. Ulrich deserves much of the credit. Runner-up is Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgard. Steve has established an excellent working relationship with just about everyone including Peoria County Sheriff Mike McCoy. He has an open mind and makes himself available to the community.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Peoria and Central Illinois are fortunate to have so many fine people coaching in our schools. Bradley University soccer coach Jim DeRose wins this award and will also probably win the Tri-County Coach of the Year award from the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame. He took his unranked Braves team to the Final 8 of the NCAA. Though shutout in their loss to Ohio State, DeRose and his players can be proud of their record setting season.
SCAM OF THE YEAR
Thanks to the left-wing national media, the Scam of the Year featured Republican Senator Larry Craig. Poor guy got caught playing “footsie” in a men’s restroom stall with an undercover detective who apparently thought the accused gay was more important than a potential airport hijacker. Craig first resigned and then changed his mind … perhaps after talking to Barney Frank, admitted gay, who was accused of once having a gay prostitute ring operating out of the house he owned.
Tied for first place with the Larry Craig media scam is the ongoing effort to convince the American people the economy is terrible, or as the Associated Press said, “a bleak economy.” But, here are the facts to counter that media scam:
*4.7% unemployment one of the lowest ever
*productivity up nearly 5%, fastest in 4 years
*more jobs have been created by President Bush than any other President in the country’s history - 8.4 million jobs since the 2003 tax cuts
*GDP up 18.5% since Bush was elected
*deficit reduced from $401 million to $163 million
*discretionary income for U.S. consumers grew to a record high $1.7 trillion.
FOX NEWS & POOR TASTE
Fox News is the clear leader among cable networks, but they were scraping the bottom of the barrel Sunday, December 16. Appearing on the morning show was a female porn starlet, Mary Carey. She was being interviewed and praised for raffling off a bit of her anatomy for breast cancer research. It was poor taste and ill-timed during the time of the year we celebrate the birth of Christ. Shame on Fox News. And shame on the male and female Fox hosts for their jolly and tasteless interview.
WELCOME RYNE SANDBERG
Pete Vonachen had it right. He privately suggested that Ryne Sandberg just might be returning as manager of the Peoria Chiefs. Vonachen told this writer a couple of months ago that there had been no apparent managerial changes in the Cub farm system. This meant there was no place for Sandberg to move up.
So, that’s good news for local baseball fans. Sandberg’s presence last season helped the local ball club to set an attendance record. He’ll do the same in 2008.
Vonachen and Peoria Chief executive Ralph Converse were guests on WOAM’s “Breakfast with Royce and Roger” Wednesday, December 19.
ELECTION COMMISSION MAKES IT OFFICIAL
As exclusively reported in this column last month, the City Election Commission has new legal counsel. You’ll recall Mary Harkrader and Camille Gibson fired long-time commission counsel, Bob Day and then hired the county state’s attorney’s office. State’s attorney Kevin Lyons notified election officials his office was bowing out of those duties. The law firm of Howard and Howard has been hired. No surprise there.
INTELLIGENCE?
The CIA has been roundly criticized for allegedly misreading and misinterpreting intelligence in Iraq over weapons of mass destruction. However, three well-known liberal CIA officials have announced Iran doesn’t have the ability to manufacture nuclear weapons. That dangerous conclusion was rapidly accepted as “gospel truth” by the left-wing media and some Democrats. Meanwhile, Israeli intelligence has a different opinion. They’ve announced the American NIE report is flawed and inaccurate. So who do you believe? Senator Kit Bond, the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, says Iran is continuing to enrich uranium “which is a long pole in the tent of getting towards having a nuclear weapon, and they are continuing to work on a missile program which could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon by missile.” I ask again, “Who do you believe?” Which reports makes the U.S. safer?
A LOOK BACK
While Christmas shopping, I ran into former Manual athlete Gene Waller, one of the really nice guys in our community. An end on the 1951 Manual football team, Waller recounted a game with Kewanee. He said at half-time the Rams were trailing 12-0. Manual coach Bob Jauron told his players if they came back to beat the Boilermakers, he would name his soon-to-be-born son after Manual. Waller said Manual did come back and win and Jauron fulfilled his promise to the team. He and his wife named their son, Richard Manual Jauron. Dick Jauron was to coach the Chicago Bears and is now coach of the Buffalo Bills of the NFL.
GOOD LUCK CHANNEL 47
As everyone knows, local public broadcasting is in financial trouble. The station and its staff are rallying for support from central Illinois in the hopes of saving it from bankruptcy and acquisition by the bank. People want to know what happened and why? The short-term explanation failed to convince some people during the televised appeal. A fairly good sum of money has been pledged. It’ll be interesting to see whether the effort will impress bank officials. WTVP needs Jimmy Stewart to come running in from the snow and “It’s A Wonderful Life” to save the station.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
New Bradley University president Joanne K. Glasser has only been in Peoria and on the Hilltop for a short time, but has already won the hearts of many. Her unabashed enthusiasm for Bradley basketball and soccer and everything red and white has installed her as a winner. Word is she has moved the talented Dave Snell from Development, as in fund-raising, to kind of a special assistant to the president. I’ve also heard that former PJS editorialist Shelley Epstein, employed at Ameren CILCO, will be writing speeches for Glasser. If that rumor is true, that’s a surprise decision.
Mocha Joe’s in the Metro Center reportedly will close its door December 31. Apparently, the nearby Starbucks had a devastating influence on revenue. Too bad. Mocha Joe’s was a favorite stop for a lot of coffee and hot chocolate drinkers who enjoyed the brews at competitive prices.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way; if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”