STUNNING!

The recent announcement that Proctor Hospital had sold all of its Prompt Care offices to OSF St. Francis Medical Center was a stunning surprise, especially to officials at Methodist Medical Center, past and present. Truth is, historically, Methodist and Proctor have had a close and cooperative relationship dating back to the days when Norm LaConte was CEO at Proctor and people like Jim Knoble and Pat Hayes were top administrators at Methodist. Apparently, all of that has changed over the years including when Michael Bryant was CEO at Methodist. Interestingly, the sale of the Proctor “Doc in the Box” facilities included all of the physician contracts, at least those who have agreed to terms. It was a win-win arrangement for both Proctor and OSF according to those who know health care. Proctor gets needed cash and St. Francis expands its ever growing share of the health market. Methodist and its partner, the Iowa Health Care System, could be licking their legal chops over the St. Francis acquisitions since they filed suit over alleged “restraint of trade” and “unfair practices” by the Catholic health system.

Meanwhile, Methodist has quietly announced a change. The hospital is switching ownership of its pharmacy, Heartland, to Walgreen’s. The national chain will now operate the hospital’s lobby pharmacy. The other pharmacy at its outpatient facility on Allen Road is closing. No reasons for the changes were announced by CEO Debbie Simon. As part of the deal, Methodist employees will receive discounts on prescriptions purchased at any Walgreen’s pharmacy.

SENIORS ON THE GO

Thanks to the folks at the Hult Center for Healthy Living and Proctor Hospital for inviting me to be a guest speaker at their “Seniors on the Go” event at the Hult Center Thursday morning, March 21. I spoke about Peoria radio and TV, past and present. I met a lot of wonderful seniors many of them listeners to our morning radio show. We had a great time and my part of the program ended far too soon.

GETTING CLOSE

Peoria County Board chairman Tom O’Neill and Jimmy Dillon, board member from District 7, were guests on WOAM’s “Breakfast with Royce and Roger,” Friday morning, March 22. Highlight of their appearance was a discussion of the opening of the new Bel-Wood Nursing Home, re-named Heddington Oaks on Heading Avenue in West Peoria. Both county officials were excited about the 200 bed facility. 80 of those beds will be dedicated for Alzheimer patients. Dillon said the Illinois Department of Public Health will have to inspect the new facility and give its approval before it will be able to open. The opening is set for June 1.

ST. PADDY’S

CELEBRATION

Here’s another cheap plug for our morning radio show on WOAM. St. Patrick’s Day fell on Sunday, March 17 this year. That didn’t stop us from celebrating on Friday, March 15 with our sister city, Clonmel, Ireland. This has been an annual event on our program for close to ten years excluding those years we were off the air. Thanks to Tommy Kahn, one of our sports guys, and West Peoria Mayor Jim Dillon, we hooked up by phone with Michael Carey, owner of Carey’s Bar in Clonmel. With a heavy Irish accent, Michael talked about his bar, the city and people of Clonmel. When I asked him about the bar’s menu he quickly said, “We don’t serve food; just drinks.” That’s why Jimmy’s Bar in West Peoria claims Carey’s Bar in Clonmel as its sister bar. The word spread quickly in Clonmel, a city with a population of close to 18,000 that Carey was speaking with people on Peoria’s WOAM morning radio show. Among those reacting was Clonmel’s mayor, who extended greetings. A few days after our show, Dillon and others left for a visit to Clonmel while Leo Jordon and his wife were returning. Unfortunately, we were unable to contact the former mayor of Clonmel, Vera Hewitt, who was our usual St. Patrick’s Day hostess.

Some of our other special guests in March were former Bradley baseball coach, Dewey Kalmer; Eddie Mathews, coach of the Limestone Rockets; East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus and Rick Swan of their Chamber of Commerce; former East Peorian, Ray Giacoletti, now assistant basketball coach with Gonzaga; Norm Kelly, noted historian; former Peoria Journal sports columnist, Phil Theobald; WEEK sports director, Lee Hall; Matt George of the Hult Center; Lesley Matusek of the Boys and Girls Club; Dick Marsho of the Central Illinois Jazz Society; and many others. That’s why we call WOAM, Peoria’s hometown radio station……and it is. It’s a radio station where you hear more conversation, news, weather, sports and music than commercials…..unfortunately.

NAMES IN THE NEWS

Shelley Epstein, the former Peoria Journal editorialist, has been serving in some public relations capacity at Bradley University after a short span in the same position at Ameren Illinois. Reportedly he’s departing but no details have been released. We wish him well.

Pat Brady, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, is resigning from his post in April.

A writer in the Journal Star, Richard Roeper, pans the movie “Admission,” which stars actress Tina Fey. Then he says, “Who doesn’t like Tina Fey?” I think I could name 50-75 starting with Sarah Palin and her family.

Dave Granlund is author of those disgusting cartoons readers see all too often on the Journal’s editorial page. The far left cartoonist must be sniffing his paint. With a history of absurdity, the guy went over the edge with the cartoon depicting people of the Bush administration cheering over the 10th anniversary of the Iraq invasion. How ironic that on that same day a letter written by Jack Cullen of Washington took Granlund to task for his obvious political bigotry.

DON’T MISS IT

What do the following have in common? Heather Cassady, Jenelle Deatherage, Frank Williams, 1990 Tremont High School boys cross country team, 1992 Limestone High School girls basketball team, 1985-86 Bradley basketball team, and 1973 through 1976 Richwoods High School boys basketball teams. The answer is they’re all being inducted into the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame during the annual banquet, Sunday, April 14, at the Civic Center. Tickets are $35.00 and may be purchased by calling 682-4255.

The late Dana Davis will be honored with the Neve Harms Award and the former athletic director of Pekin High School, Jim Lewis, will be recognized posthumously with the Old-Timer Award.

Other award winners are Mike Bolhuis of Deer Creek-Mackinaw, Male Coach of the Year; Taren Martin, Eureka College, Female Coach; Sam Durley, also of Eureka College, Male Athlete of the Year, and Brenna Detra, Richwoods High School, Female Athlete of the Year.

CHAOS IN BASKETBALL

Basketball is supposed to be a non-contact sport. It isn’t and hasn’t been for years, especially in the NBA which should be known as the NTA, the acronym for National Tattoo Association. After watching the IHSA state basketball tournament games and a ton at the college level, I’m convinced the competition has become so intense and filled so much unsportsmanlike conduct that’s it’s time for officials to take drastic action against players and coaches alike. And for good reasons. Here are a couple.

In the IHSA Class 2A championship game between Seton Academy and Harrisburg, the star player for Seton was ejected after receiving his second technical. The second technical was assessed after he touched one of the referees while complaining about a foul he received. All-state or not, that’s a no-no. The rule is clear. You don’t come into physical contact with an official. It’s an automatic technical. Later, the Seton basketball coach appeared to totally lose his composure when his team lost the game, pulling his team off the floor after receiving second place medals and allegedly throwing his medal to an assistant coach. For veteran state tournament observers, it was the worst display of sportsmanship or lack thereof, in the history of state basketball. Reportedly, two of the Seton players failed to participate in the medal ceremony. To the credit of Seton Academy, the coach has been placed on paid leave.

In a college game, a player deliberately decked an opposing player under the basket in an obvious display of frustration. Of course, the offending player’s coach claimed the blatant and flagrant foul was accidental. Doesn’t matter. The player was ejected.

I think it’s time to get serious about a growing problem. My suggestion is a flagrant foul of any degree should be immediate ejection from the game. Two technicals on a team, whether players or coach or combination thereof would mean ejection of the coach. Players love to play and coaches love to coach. Kick them out of the game a couple of times and they’ll get the message.

WHY IS IT……….

My wife asked me several weeks ago a very interesting question. She said, “Why is it women are always interviewing players and coaches before, during and after games?” She added, “You never see men asking the questions.” I have to admit I quietly wondered that for years. I remember when former players like Lynn Swan of the Steelers would have sideline questions, comments, analysis, and interviews at NFL games. Not anymore. Now the females, 90% of them have never played, have invaded college and pro basketball and other sports. That’s okay, but not to the virtual elimination of the guys. Gone are the experienced former players replaced by knock-out women who look terrific on camera and read their notes off-camera with style. Thank ESPN for the trend that other channels and networks have followed like the Pied Piper, including, sadly, the Big Ten Network.

And why is it the local newspaper loves to speculate? The latest speculation by the newspaper people involves the Chiefs and Rivermen. Several stories have been written that the teams could fold or leave. The newspaper first reported the Chiefs were in financial trouble. I’m told by a reliable source the Chiefs would like to improve its financial position, as many homeowners have done, by refinancing the loan on their ballpark. Does that effort mean the baseball organization is in trouble and could fold? The Journal seems to think so. Now the newspaper is speculating the Rivermen will be sold and the new owners will move the hockey franchise to Canada. Will that happen? I don’t know; neither does the newspaper, but that doesn’t stop them from speculating even though nothing has been said or done officially or unofficially.

Another furniture store is biting the dust. Melgreen’s in Farmington has announced it’s going out of business. I wonder if it will take years to close as it did Illinois Furniture. Over in Morton, Orendorf Furniture has also been going out of business for months and months. The real story, I’m told, is Orendorf is just moving to Washington. I wonder why they just can’t say that.

DID YOU KNOW?

Nationwide unions collect some $14 billion dollars a year in dues. That’s more revenue than 65% of Fortune 500 companies. Wow!

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” ——Thomas Jefferson