Posts filed under 'Uncategorized'
October 7th, 2008
One of the signs that the financial crisis is hitting home is the number of shoppers in local stores. It seems most folks are nervous and are staying home rather than going to the mall or even to the grocery.
I get groceries at odd hours so I never notice a lack of a crowd. During yesterday’s edit board meeting, a couple of board members said they’d been the the mall and “you could have shot a cannon off in there and not hit anybody.” Another remarked that he had a similar experience at the grocery.
Have you noticed a lack of shoppers and diners? I haven’t gone out to eat in a while, but it seems there are still a lot of cars in the lots I pass.
So what’s your observation? Are people staying home to save gas and money?
October 6th, 2008
Comptroller Dan Hynes recently reported that the state is getting even further behind in paying its bills. The payment delay is 42 days, up eight days since I wrote about the topic in January. I’ve sent e-mail to local agencies that receive state money. The delays are longer for some than others. In January, I wrote that the delays cost Stepping Stones $30,000 in interest as the agency tried to meet its obligations while waiting for the state to come through.
That’s just one of the items on today’s editorial board agenda. We’ll also talk about Ted Biondo, who will be off the Winnebago County Board unless he wins a court challenge. He can’t run as a write-in because you need to file to be a write-in candidate and the filing period has passed.
I know write-in rules were changed in part to keep Mickey Mouse from getting votes, but I think it limits voters’ options. It’s hard enough for a write-in to win; why make it so hard for him/her to be an option for voters?
October 3rd, 2008
The ratings are in and the Palin-Biden debate drew45 percent of all viewers in the nation’s 55 largest markets, according to Nielsen. In Baltimore it was nearly 60 percent, but in LA it was only about 35 percent. Probably a lot of LA folks were watching the Dodgers pound the Cubs.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard as many people ask “Did you watch the debate” as I did after last night’s event. I’m sure curiosity about Sarah Palin played a huge role in the number of viewers, but you have to be pleased, no matter who you support, that so many people are interested in this year’s election.
My hope is that interest turns into votes Nov. 4. Interest needs to be turned into action.
October 2nd, 2008
At today’s edit board meeting we’ll discuss endorsements for Winnebago County Board chairman and Winnebago County state’s attorney. We decided on our presidential endorsement Monday and plan to run that edit on Sunday.
In the chairman’s race and in the state’s attorney race we held debates here at the News Tower. You can see edited versions at rrstar.com. Videos are about half way down the home page on the right side.
This is the first year we’ve used a debate format to determine endorsements in what we consider key races. We thought it would be better to see side-by-side comparisons rather than bring the candidates in one at a time. We think the process will help us make better decisions.
Other endorsements will be based on candidate forums, questionnaires and news stories. There are a lot of local races this year for us to study. I think it’s good to have competition on the ballot. It keeps incumbents on their toes and makes challengers do a lot of homework to sharpen their message.
October 1st, 2008
I read a story about a painted bike lane in Peoria that was being paid for from IDOT money. I wondered whether anything like that was considered in Rockford. Gary McIntyre, avid bicyclist and RMAP planner responded.
“The project that Peoria is doing is probably a demo project, hence the amount of funds coming from IDOT (and probably the Federal Highway Administration). About 10 years ago, the City of Portland, Oregon tired on-street painting of some of their bike lanes. But this application is still in the “experimental stage” according to John LaPlante (from T Y LIN International). Mr. LaPlante was the chief consultant for the RATS/RMAP study. He also is involved at the national level in drafting and preparing the Federal guidelines for all of the geometrics and pavement markings and signs for highways, bikeways and pedestrian facilities.
“From the Portland experiment and from the national guide manuals (Manuel on Uniform Traffic Control Devices MUTCD) and the Bike Guide, the only time that colored bike lanes should be considered is where there are complicated weaving movements of a bike lane across a right hand turn lane. Here is the web link for a report on this topic from the City of Portland: http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=58842 . Note that this report is 9 years old.
“One of the negatives of this type of on-street paint application is that in wet conditions, the painted surface is very, very slippery. The wet painted surface makes the light-weight bicycle unstable as the bicycle tires going over wet painted surface, especially when turning. There is less resistance / traction between the tires and the wet surface. Last fall I slipped on the Rock River Path at the Auburn Street Bridge on the damp/wet surface. I had to get a new helmet since the one I was wearing was damaged.
“I have heard that several private companies no longer apply this type of paint coverage in their parking lots for pedestrians to cross between the front-doors and driveways because customers have sued them from falling on these wet painted areas.”
September 30th, 2008
Last night the Editorial Board did something a bit different in its endorsement interview process. We hosted a debate between Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen and his challenger, Paul Gorski. An edited video of the debate is available on rrstar.com. Follow this link. Videos are about half way down on the right side of the page.
We have interviewed Christiansen and Gorski a few times over the past year. We thought we could learn more about the candidates if we saw them interact with each other. Members of our Community Viewpoints Board and a member of our Voters Panel also were on hand.
After the debate members of the Editorial Board (Chuck Sweeny, Mary Kaull, Excell Lewis and I) discussed the debate with the community members.
The debate and the reaction from community members will be a part of the endorsement process. The Edit Board will have a full discussion of this race and others later this week.
We’re hosting another debate tomorrow. State’s attorney candidates Chuck Prorok and Joe Bruscato will be here.
We’re trying to set up a few more of these type of forums. Other endorsements will be based on one-on-one interviews, community forums like the one at 6 tonight at Emmanuel Episcopal Church and other information, including news stories about the candidates.
September 29th, 2008
As you might have guessed by the lack of posts, I’ve been gone for a few days. If you sent me an e-mail last week and haven’t received a response yet, I’m sorry. I’ll get to it as soon as humanly and electronically possible.
I was in Texas visiting my 1-month-old grandson. It didn’t sink in that I was gramps until I held him for the first time. It’s awesome to see the next generation come in to this world.
My electronic mailbox has almost twice the allotted stuff in it. It will take me most of the day to whittle it down. My snail mail is not as bad.
Lots of catching up to do. What’s the most important local news that I missed last week?
September 22nd, 2008
Just about every day I cross paths with someone who is riding his/her bicycle the wrong way, i.e., against traffic instead of with traffic.
Perhaps they don’t know that under the Illinois Rules of the Road, a bicycle has the same rights and responsibilities as a motor vehicle. Or perhaps they think it’s safer to see what’s in front of them rather than worrying about what comes from behind. There are many safety reasons to ride with traffic. I looked up a couple of online sources for info.
Here’s what http://bicyclesafe.com/ says:
# Cars which pull out of driveways, parking lots, and cross streets (ahead of you and to the left), which are making a right onto your street, aren’t expecting traffic to be coming at them from the wrong way. They won’t see you, and they’ll plow right into you.
# How the heck are you going to make a right turn?
# Cars will approach you at a much higher relative speed. If you’re going 15mph, then a car passing you from behind doing 35 approaches you at a speed of only 20 (35-15). But if you’re on the wrong side of the road, then the car approaches you at 50 (35+15), which is 250% faster! Since they’re approaching you faster, both you and the driver have lots less time to react. And if a collision does occur, it’s going to be ten times worse.
# Riding the wrong way is illegal and you can get ticketed for it. Bruce Mackey says that 25% of cycling collisions are the result of the cyclist riding the wrong way
From KenKifer./com bike pages
So, when cycling on the wrong side, the chances of not being seen by motorists who are turning or pulling out increases, the number of passing vehicles increases, the time needed to avoid an on-coming vehicle decreases, the chance of finding a safe place to pull off the road decreases, the speed of impact increases, the braking distance decreases, and the liability lies with the cyclist.
If riding with the traffic is like playing Russian roulette (quite an exaggeration), then riding against traffic is like playing Russian roulette with five bullets in the chambers.
Why bicycle riders should not ride on the wrong side of the road:
# Hazardous encounters with other vehicles entering the legal counterflow: Another traveller turning right from a side street or driveway onto the road might not look for traffic on the wrong side of the road. The legal traveller may meet the unnoticed oncoming wrong-side rider where there is not enough lane width or reaction time to avoid a head-on collision.
# Hazardous encounters with other vehicles legally turning left from the parallel flow: Other travellers turning left at an intersection or into a driveway do not look for traffic overtaking them on their left. The wrong-side cyclist, fearfully watching for oncoming traffic, may never notice the intersecting left turner.
# Hazardous encounters with pedestrians at crossings: As they step from the curb, pedestrians may not look for traffic approaching from the wrong direction.
# Narrow road problems and head-ons with right-side cyclists. Wrong-way cyclists cause unexpected flow constrictions that move against the flow of traffic and may require evasive maneuvers. Right-side cycling only requires overtaking traffic to slow to the cyclist speed when there is no room to pass. When a wrong-way cyclist encounters a right-way cyclist, one of them may be forced into passing traffic.
# Ambiguity of intentions and right-of-way: When noticed by right-way travellers, the wrong-way cyclist cannot be expected to interact with the rest of traffic according to any mutually recognized rules of the road. To retain any safety against the hazards listed above, the wrong-way cyclist must yield to all other traffic at every intersection rather than taking the right-of-way when entitled to it on the right side of the road.
# Legal consequences:
Travelling on the wrong side of the road is illegal for cyclists as well as for motorists. The wrong-way traveller has diminished legal claim in case of damage or injury when an accident is attributed to wrong-side travelling. (I am not a lawyer. This is not legal advice; but the interpretation of a cycling citizen.)
September 18th, 2008
This is the real-time Dec. 18 1996 story about the library situation reprinted Sunday in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman, Wasilla’s daily paper.
FROM THE ARCHIVE: Palin: Library censorship inquiries ‘Rhetorical’
By PAUL STUART
Published on Sunday, September 14, 2008 4:17 PM AKDT Editor’s note: This story first ran in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman Dec. 18, 1996. It has been typeset and posted here to accommodate numerous requests for the story from media worldwide and curious individuals. Please note that not at any time were any books ever banned from the Wasilla city library.
WASILLA — In the wake of strong reactions from the city’s library director to inquiries about censorship, Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin on Monday was taking pains to explain her questions about censoring library material were “rhetorical.”
Library Director Mary Ellen Emmons last week said Palin broached the subject with her on two occasions in October - once Palin was elected mayor Oct. 1 but before she took office on Oct. 14, and again in more detail on Monday, Oct. 28. Besides heading the Wasilla City Library, Emmons is also president of the Alaska Library Association.
The issue became public last Wednesday, when Palin brought it up during an interview about the now-defunct Liquor Task Force. Palin used the library topic as an example of discussions with her department heads about understanding and following administration agendas. Palin said she asked Emmons how she would respond to censorship.
Emmons drew a clear distinction Saturday between the nature of Palin’s inquiries and an established book-challenge policy in place in Wasilla, and in most public libraries.
“I’m not trying to suppress anyone’s views,” Emmons said. “But I told her (Palin) clearly, I will fight anyone who tries to dictate what books can go on the library shelves.”
Palin said Monday she had no particular books or other material in mind when she posed the questions to Emmons.
Emmons said in the first conversation, before being sworn in as mayor, Palin briefly touched on the subject of censorship.
But on Monday, Oct. 28, Emmons said Palin asked her outright if she could live with censorship of library books. This was during a week when Palin was requesting resignations from all the city’s department heads as a way of expressing loyalty.
“This is different than a normal book-selection procedure or a book-challenge policy,” Emmons stressed Saturday. “She was asking me how I would deal with her saying a book can’t be in the library.”
Monday Palin said in a written statement she was only trying to get aquatinted with her staff at the time. “Many issues were discussed, both rhetorical and realistic in nature,” Palin added.
Emmons recalled that the Oct. 28 conversation she pulled no punches with her response to the mayor.
“She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied ‘Yup’,” Emmons recounted Saturday. “And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would get involved, too.”
Emmons said Palin asked her on Oct. 28 if she would object to censorship, even if people were circling the library in protest about a book. “I told her it would definitely be a problem the ACLU would take on then,” Emmons said.
Asked who she thought might picket the library, Palin said Monday, “Had no one in mind … again, the issue was discussed in the context of a professional question being asked in regards to library policy.”
“All questions posed to Wasilla’s library director were asked in the context of professionalism regarding the library policy that is in place in our city. Obviously the issue of censorship is a library question… you ask a library director that type of question,” Palin said
Palin also said Monday censorship issues would not involve any departments other than the library.
Emmons said she has been offered help if it is ever needed on censorship issues from the state library association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee and the National Freedom to Read Foundation.
Palin called Emmons into her office Monday to discuss the censorship questions again.
Palin also attended Friday’s staff meeting at the library, but without mentioning censorship , Emmons said.
“I’m hoping it was just a trial balloon,” Emmons said, “because the free exchange of information is my main job, and I’ll fight anyone who tries to interfere with that.”
The timing of the issue comes at a time when Emmons is trying to get the book-challenge policies of the Wasilla Library and of the Palmer City Library in line with the Mat-Su Borough policy, revised in December of last year.
Emmons described the new borough policy as “a very good one.”
It is a step-by-step blueprint of procedures for anyone wanting to challenge the selection and availability of library material, Emmons explained. “it is a good process, and almost all public libraries have one.”
The borough’s policy was revised mainly to replace the borough manager as the final decision maker with a formal Reconsideration Committee. Mat-Su Borough Manager Don Moore said Saturday that changes were made, with the blessings, after a dispute that was resolved about two years ago involving a challenged book at the Big Lake Library.
Emmons said the current Wasilla policy, which she described as written in more general terms than the borough’s, also worked procedurally in a book-challenge case last year. Emmons said then-council-woman Palin was distressed about the issue when it came up, indicating she was aware of the city’s book-challenge policy.
Emmons said in the conversations with now-Mayor Palin in October, she reminded her again that the city has a policy in place. “But it seamed clear to me that wasn’t really what she was talking about anyhow,” Emmons added. “I just hope it doesn’t come up again.”
Meanwhile, Emmons said she is working with borough libraries boss Bruce Urban and Palmer Library Director Janice Sanford, in the hope of getting the cities to adopt a book-challenge policy identical to the borough’s.
September 18th, 2008
I may have jumped to a conclusion in the previous post about the governor and state parks. As Paul rightly pointed out, the article said the governor has not visited the parks slated to be closed. It doesn’t mean he hasn’t visited ANY state parks.
I sent an e-mail to Lucio Guerrero asking him whether the gov had been to any. Here’s his response:
That may be a tough one since there are hundreds. He’s a runner, so he’s visited many of them - especially around springfield, chicago and duquoin.
He’s also had official events at some.
Let me see what I can do. It might take awhile.
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