I had a little bit of a confrontation. Call it a discussion, if you like. For the past four weeks or so, I’ve been collecting information from daily police reports from the Peoria Police Department and including them in blotter…
Author Archive for Billy Dennis
What were you doing ten years ago today?
by Billy Dennis • • Comments Off on What were you doing ten years ago today?
On Sept. 11, 2001, I awoke at about 9:00 a.m. local time. I was living with my brother on Samuel Street in the Heights. I stretched, wandered over by my computer and went to a Usenet newsgroup I visited regularly.…
Kevin ‘Catch-and-Release’ Lyons isn’t our problem anymore
by Billy Dennis • • Comments Off on Kevin ‘Catch-and-Release’ Lyons isn’t our problem anymore
The Journal Star reports that newly-appointed circuit court judge, Kevin Lyons, has been appointed to a position in the Tazewell County Court House. So, it’s official. He’s Pekin’s problem now. The Peoria Journal Star announced he will be handling one…
OMG! Black teens! RUN!
by Billy Dennis • • Comments Off on OMG! Black teens! RUN!
What do you call it when black teenagers leave a party? A riot. I’m sure you’ve heard about it. At about 11:00 p.m. on June 24, a group of teenagers were vacating a house in the neighborhood of West Thrush…
Peoria won’t have Aaron Schock to kick around anymore — well, most of us
by Billy Dennis • • Comments Off on Peoria won’t have Aaron Schock to kick around anymore — well, most of us
Where do you live? If you live in the heart of Peoria, you’ve voting for someone new in 2012. The Democratic Party has released a map of the state’s U.S. Congressional Districts. The good news is that the districts are…
No crime happened in Peoria today … if you believe the Journal Star
by Billy Dennis • • Comments Off on No crime happened in Peoria today … if you believe the Journal Star
I did some scanner blogging (I listen to the scanner and post updates to my blog) earlier this month. There was a police chase in which some armed robbery suspects tossed a rifle out of their car. There was a…
New WCBU format is a fair and balanced alternative to WMBD’s right-wing nonsense
by Billy Dennis • • Comments Off on New WCBU format is a fair and balanced alternative to WMBD’s right-wing nonsense
Steve Tarter’s column in the Feb. 26 Journal Star was about a woman who was so upset that public radio station WBCU shifted from classical music with some news to all news all the time, she dashed to the phone…
City clerk caught using city email to pass along racist jokes
by Billy Dennis • • Comments Off on City clerk caught using city email to pass along racist jokes
Peoria City Clerk Mary Haynes used her official city email address to forward a racially insensitive email to a Florida official. The Coastal Star, a newspaper with an online community-based Web site, reported that a Highland Beach town clerk was…
The canonization of Saint Patrick Urich
by Billy Dennis • • Comments Off on The canonization of Saint Patrick Urich
By the time you read this, Patrick Urich will have been hired as the new city manager for the City of Peoria. It’s a done deal. You don’t think that when he announced he was leaving his post as Peoria…
Is there a City Manager Gary Sandberg in our future?
by Billy Dennis • • Comments Off on Is there a City Manager Gary Sandberg in our future?
There was an article in the Peoria Journal Star discussing the possibility that current at-large council member Gary Sandberg might be a candidate for city manager of the city of Peoria. It will never happen. Now don’t get me wrong.…