If Not Now, When?
It’s not uncommon for an attorney to ask for a delay in a trial. They do it all the time and often multiple times. People wiser than me say it’s done for a variety of reasons. A local attorney uses it in his TV commercial as a marketing strategy, accusing companies and corporations of “Delay. Delay. Delay.”
Apparently, that’s the approach recently used by new Bradley president, Gary Roberts, with former basketball coach Joe Stowell. When the legendary Stowell called on Roberts to discuss retiring the jersey of the equally legendary Gene “Squeaky” Melchiorre, he reportedly was told “Not now.” No discussion. Period. Interestingly, Stowell had previously been invited to visit with the new president as part of his effort to reach out to Peorians, especially those with close ties to the school. It appears Roberts thinks this isn’t the time to talk about “Squeaky,” who recently lost his wife.
Stowell was representing a committee of people in central Illinois who admire, respect, and honor Bradley and its rich academic and sports history, as they do “Squeaky.” As a member of that committee, I was surprised and saddened that Roberts had no time to meet with friends of the university.
For several years, a rumor has been circulating on and off the campus that a long-time member of the school’s administration is a fierce opponent of honoring Melchiorre. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, thus will not mention his name. I do know honorable people sometimes say dishonorable things. Meanwhile, please know Squeaky is not pushing the renewed effort. Others are. They are leading citizens as were those now gone like Mayor Jim Maloof and Pete Vonachen. It might be a good idea to at least listen.

Local Economy
He wouldn’t give details, but commercial Realtor Jim Grube did say downtown Peoria has a grocery store in its future. Grube, one of the city’s leading real estate executives, revealed the information during an interview on our FM 90.7 morning radio show, “Breakfast with Roger and Friends.” He talked about the rapid development of downtown condos and apartments that he believes will lead to expanded growth of retail businesses. He said many younger people are attracted to living close to their downtown jobs. Grube predicts more shuttered buildings will be converted to apartments. One of the frequent complaints heard from those who live downtown is the lack of a full service grocery store. Despite the “full court press” put on Grube, he wouldn’t reveal the name of the prospective store or location.

July Fourth Salute
This is the month to celebrate as citizens of the greatest country in the world. We’re able to salute the flag, worship our God, and live in freedom thanks to the founding fathers and to the men and women who’ve served and fought in the military, especially those who fell in battle. We thank the individuals who’ve been working hard and successfully building the wonderful memorials on the grounds of the Peoria County Courthouse. A recent event at Schooner’s  on War Memorial Drive collected over $22,000 toward the total necessary to establish the “Final Salute.” Among  those participating in the event was Viet Nam veteran, U.S. Army Captain Harold Fritz. If you don’t know Hal, let me tell you why he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was a 1st Lieutenant and a platoon leader with a seven vehicle armored column near Quan Loi when he and his men came under intense crossfire from a reinforced enemy company deployed in ambush positions. In the initial attack, Fritz’ vehicle was hit and he was seriously wounded. Realizing that his platoon was completely surrounded and outnumbered, the Peorian jumped on top of his burning vehicle and directed the positioning of his men and their vehicles. Disregarding his wounds and his own safety, the Army officer then ran from vehicle to vehicle repositioning his men, directing fire, assisting the wounded, distributing ammunition and shouting encouragement. When the enemy charged the platoon, Fritz manned a machine gun and helped break the assault and rout the attackers. A second enemy assault resulted in hand-to-hand combat.
“We met them face-to-face,” Fritz told our radio audience. “I used a bayonet and a pistol to defend and attack. It was a deadly battle.”
When he was asked what was running through his mind, he said, “You had no time to think of anything but survival.”
When a relief force arrived, Fritz ran under intense enemy fire to deploy tanks.
“While running toward our tanks, I did worry whether they knew I was on their side,” he said with a laugh.
The deployment sent the enemy in retreat. Captain Fritz then attended his wounded, helped in their evacuation, refused medical treatment for himself until all had received care. People like Captain Hal Fritz help make July Fourth special.

PJS Changes
The Peoria Journal has jumped the price for its daily newspaper, Monday through Friday, from $1 to $1.50. The Sunday “shopper” is a whopping $3. Readers will note a change in the paper’s format making it look more like the Bloomington Pantagraph.

Quote of the Month
“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” — Thomas Jefferson

Humor of the Month
Hillary Clinton is being investigated by 150 F.B.I. Agents.
Donald Trump is being investigated by 150 reporters.