Me thinks we've been had...

I'm back from the beach and looking through old newspapers. Looks like you all had fun while I was away... not.

I do not understand why someone taking over a troubled hotel merits front page news. Even in Peoria and even if Chase Ingersoll is doing the taking. I especially enjoyed PJ Star's "Grandiose Plans for Hotel" headline. WTF? A slight at Ingersoll's grandiose personality, me thinks. Very professional. The whole Grandview mess also merited an editorial from the brains at the PJ Star, the Times Observer, and smaller articles here and there in both papers. I checked web sites for local TV news stations and found a plethora of coverage there as well. Activism or a slow news week? You decide.

The waste of grey matter (aka editorial staff) at PJ Star points out that the Grandview Hotel isn't the only chronic aggravated nuisance in town. Really!? I thought for sure once the 100 room flea bag/crack house/meth lab/hotel vaporized, Peoria at last would be rightfully crowned Utopia. Got to start somewhere. I think the action taken by City Hall might well be due to Third District City Councilman Bob Manning more than well to do residents. I vaguely remember Thetford, Manning, and Anderson using the hotel as a campaign issue. The Hotel sits in one of the highest voter turn out precincts in town (43 or 45). There are well to do folk living on Moss Avenue and I'm still not taking a stroll there after dark.

I discovered today that the Grandview Hotel has changed its name. It is listed under "Prospect Inn" in the yellow pages. The new name is more fitting, as the hotel was neither Grand nor does it have a view - unless Knoxville Drive counts. The hotel is also not particularly close to Grandview Drive.

Question. Has anyone actually seen a contract signed by current hotel owner Kris Jain and wanna be hotel owner Ingersoll? I can't imagine either of these guys playing the whole town - giving nearby residents and City Hall chest pains just for kicks, can you?

Better hush now, or I might get sued!

Schock vs. Spears. Oh yeah, Baby!

Now we have a race!!! I expect fun will be had by all, assuming Bill Spears accepts his party's nod to take on Boy Wonder.

Spears may deserve the post, but he will have to earn it all over again. Schock loves to campaign. LOVES it. Campaigning door to door? Most candidates hate it. Schock is better at it than a team of Fuller Brush Salesmen, a hoard of preaching Mormons, and a clique of dancing Avon Ladies combined. It's hard to imagine Bill Spears lowering himself to sucking up on Schock's level.

I've also noticed that Schock keeps sending out invitations to kids. "Read eight books and come to my ice cream party at the Aquaplex." Later this month he is having a kid's fair. If you ask me, it's creepy. However, I bet the soccer moms eat it up.

Remember the very ugly/entertaining Ricca Sloan v Aaron Schock campaign? I don't see Spears fighting dirty, which might be to his benefit. Voters say they don't like campaign mud slinging, but frankly, other than a beautiful spring day, nothing gets voter turn out higher. Schock is an easy target, after serving years as president on a school board that was clueless that the system was $8, $9, or $18 million in debt.

If Spears can drive up enough energy for campaign combat, I think he is Springfield bound. I'll miss him on the City Council, though. I think he is the one who keeps Sandberg on his meds.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!!!

A buddy of mine informed me that my favorite lobbying lawyer turned 40 last weekend. I've given Mr. Jones a lot of grief in the past, so I thought the least I could do was wish him a belated happy birthday sans any of the typical undeserved vitriol I usually toss his way.

The forties aren't so bad, Matt. We are allowed to make real money now, and occasionally people take us seriously. Suckers.

Hope it was happy, Matt.

Can Tanner's

Took the munchkins to Tanner's Orchard yesterday. District 150 celebrated a half day. The District called it "Student Improvement Day." Improving students apparently requires sending them home three hours early. Hey, I respect teachers. I think they work hard. Damn hard. If they need extra time to prepare, or relax, or whatever, I say give it to them. Just call it what it is. "Teacher Union Day" rings right. Before I get a bunch of comments ripping me a new one, let me just state, I drove by the kid's school yesterday at 1:00 p.m. There were four cars in the lot. Anyone else notice that Student Improvement Day (Columbus Day) and Institute Day (Thanksgiving) always coincide with what otherwise would be "just" three/four day weekends?

Anyway, Tanner's Orchard used to be a quaint way to celebrate Autumn. Pick some apples, bring home a box of cider donuts, a gallon of cider, eat some kettle korn, go Mach five down the huge slide...

Them there days are gone kids. If you pick a half a peck (smaller than a plastic grocery sack) of apples it will cost you $15.00. Wanna take the kids to the playground? Six bucks. Per kid. The big, honking, huge slide... gone. Too much liability apparently. So the six buck covers equipment that you would easily find for free at any public park, or most back yards. Six donuts? Five bucks. A gallon of cider? Five bucks. A box of four caramel apples? Eight bucks. A freaking mum? $25.00. I understand that overhead can be costly, but the prices -as compared to last year- far exceed any imaginable rate of inflation. Maybe Tanner's is now trying attract ignorant city slickers/suckers from Chicago?

There were hardly any apples left to pick and I simply could not bring myself to pay the $6.00 playground extortion fee. So we bought a box of overpriced donuts and a gallon of excellent cider and left. After all, if I want to be thoroughly ripped off I'll go to Chuckie Cheese.

Next stop, Chuckie Cheese.

How can they charge so much for a place that smells like feet?!