At every government level — from Washington D.C. to Springfield to Peoria — COVID-19 is changing the subject, the format and the outcome of public meetings. When the Peoria County Board held its March 12 meeting, for example, Chairman Andrew…
Author Archive for Terry Bibo
The Watch | Mailed ballots
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
Peoria County’s first vote of 2020 returned via Singapore, according to Local Government Observer (LOGO) reports from the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria. By the time Peoria County Board of Election Commissioners met on Feb. 11, about 150…
The Watch | Keeping an eye on housekeeping
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
Early spring cleaning and preparation for a long election season apparently dominated the agendas for several local governments recently. According to Local Government Observer (LOGO) reports from the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria, the Peoria County Election Commission…
The Watch | Cemetery and housing reports
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
There’s a bit of a winter lull for many governmental bodies. Budgets are finished or far off. Meetings are cancelled for holidays or bad weather. Key volunteers are down south for weeks or months at a time. But this is…
The Watch | Politics 2020
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
Despite a shiny new year — new decade even! — many of us despair at the prospect of Election Year 2020. Don’t give up just yet. Ask and you may receive, even from your elected officials. For example, Jim and…
The Watch | PHA meetings
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
Several months ago, attorney John T. Brady read the local government observer reports in his League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria monthly newsletter. It reported PHA meetings had been moved or cancelled, often without notice. Agendas and basic information…
The Watch | No news is bad news
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
Near tears, the mother of four said she was grateful to have shelter, but … She had no electricity or running water. She had trouble caring for her children. She hadn’t had a shower in weeks. She pleaded for help.…
Storms and “Killer Heat” loom, challenging globe
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
Schaer’s Country Market’s self-pick strawberries didn’t open its fields this summer. Too cold. Too wet. Planting was late. Bath’s 14th Annual Redneck Fishing Tournament was canceled. Too cold, too wet, too long. Even for people who think stalking slimy Asian…
The Watch | Observers of local government
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
At opposite ends of the room — and the issue — two county board members snorted like bulls prepared to charge. They yelled. They pounded their fists on the table. They locked horns verbally, if not physically. You think watching…
The Watch | Journalistic bloodbath
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
It doesn’t seem possible. Despite a hot job market elsewhere, news came mid-summer that even more journalists are unemployed. “The news business is on pace for its worst job losses in a decade as about 3,000 people have been laid…