Haunted Carbondale

For those looking for something haunting to do this All Hallow's Eve, I have a short walking tour of haunted sites in Carbondale posted on the store website, taking 1 to 2 hours to complete. For those wanting something more detailed. at the bottom of the page are directions for contacting Big Muddy Tours to book a 2 hour walking tour. Big Muddy will also lead tours today at 8 p.m. and 11:30 pm, both leaving from Castle Perilous Games & Books. $15 per person. You will need to contact them to reserve a spot on the 11:30 tour but can just show up at the store for the 8 p.m. tour.

Bost & Bradshaw

I have noticed several yards with yard signs for both Mike Bost and Paula Bradshaw. Since the other signs in the yards all tout Republican candidates, I would assume promoting Bradshaw's candidacy along with Bost's is part of the Bost campaign's strategy to siphon off votes from the Enyart campaign. It would be nice to have some form of proportional voting but under our current system, any vote for a third party candidate equates to an eventual vote for the winning candidate.

Trick Or Treating

Official trick or treating hours for this Friday night are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to the press release below from the mayor. In addition, a number of downtown businesses (17 by my count), ranging from Longbranch and the Town Square Market on Jackson St. to Vintage Soul on S Illinois will hand out candy from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Also, Murdale Shopping Center will host Murdale Safe Halloween from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1

Acting Mayor Donald Monty has proclaimed Friday, October 31, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. as the official “Trick-or-Treat” hours for Carbondale children. 

Residents wishing to welcome “trick-or-treaters” should illuminate their porch and exterior lights. It is recommended that “trick-or-treaters” wear reflective tape or clothing and that parents check all treats for potentially harmful objects.

Banners

In yet another spate of pro-business activity, the Chamber of Commerce is asking the City Council to allow extensions of the time frame for hanging a banner during August and the holiday season:

Resolution:
We, the Government Affairs Committee and the Board of Directors of the Carbondale Chamber of
Commerce, representing more than 400 businesses and organizations in our community, urge the
Carbondale City Council to consider one or more revisions to the Carbondale revised city code which we
believe will increase the viability of the city’s business community.
Currently, business and organizations in the community are restricted in the usage and display of standalone
banners to 60 days per year with valid permit and adherence to other banner restrictions and
requirements.
Given that there are two “seasons” of intensive retail sales in our community (the weeks leading up to the
start of Southern Illinois University semesters and the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we
would like to encourage the City of Carbondale to allow business more freedom in the use of temporary
signage and banners to promote their restaurants, stores and services.
As such, we are requesting that the Carbondale City Council amend Section 15.4.10.8 of the Revised
City Code to allow businesses to display temporary signage or banners in the following periods of
time without permit and without counting toward the 60-day limit: November 20 through January
31 and the month of August, provided the signage or banners adhere to all other portions of the city
code.
We believe this will allow our businesses to better present themselves to residents, visitors and new
students and increase revenue both for the businesses themselves and for the City of Carbondale.
Additionally, December and August are the two highest sales-tax-producing months for the City.
Allowing businesses to further advertise their businesses, products and services will aid in generating
more sales and ultimately more revenue for the City.
We appreciate your consideration of this request.

Empty Bowls

While you are particpating in Safe Halloween at Murdale Shopping Center on Nov. 1:

The Neighborhood Co-op Grocery and the SIU Ceramics Program are joining to create an event to give back to the community. Empty Bowls are “art for your table” and “food for the community.”  The sales of the bowls will be donated to the Good Samaritan House of Carbondale.

Empty Bowls takes place on Saturday, November 1, 2014 at the Neighborhood Co-op Grocery. 

The hand made bowls are being crafted by students and faculty at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Pattie Chalmers, Associate Professor of Ceramics at the School of Art and Design states:

“My idea with this project is to combine a lesson in community participation with a lesson about the hand made objects and most importantly give a little assistance to individuals in need.”

The Co-op will fill the bowls with one of our delicious soups. The soup can be enjoyed on site in our community room.  A family friendly event, everyone is welcome!

Oakland Ave. House Damage

A photo of the house struck by the drunk driver who sped up North Oakland Avenue Friday afternoon to avoid police and failed to make the turn onto Willow. One occupant of the house was sleeping on a couch at the time just beyond where the car struck the house and was treated at Memorial Hospital for what apparently were comparatively minor injuries.

REACH618 Ribbon Cutting

This Monday .  Hopefully the press release is in error an the ribbon cutting is at 4:30 PM:

The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce will hold a Ribbon Cutting at 4:30 a.m., Monday at REACH618. The organization operates out of the former Bowen Gym on North Oakland Avenue.

REACH618 is a basketball-based outreach for Southern Illinois high school students. The organization strives to provide a safe place for teens to meet, interact and learn through conversations, activities and character-development activities.

Representatives of the Chamber, City and organization will participate in the ceremony. The event is open to the public.

Popeye's Returning

The headline on this story in the Southern should read "Popeye's Returning to Carbondale". Long time residents will remember a Popeye's used to occupy a space nearby on the other side of East Walnut. The building houses a payday loan operation now. Of course, back then it was called Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits, rather than Popeye's Louisiana Chicken.

Chamber Getting Testy About Panhandlers

The Chamber of Commerce wants the city to start cracking down on the 'passive' panhandlers that operate on the east side of town, notably those that trade shifts near the intersection of 13 and Giant City Road and hold signs asking for help (I am always amused by the "Help Wanted" sign on the Burger King less than 50 yards away. I have heard that the Burger King manager has offered assorted panhandlers work and gotten turned down). Here's the press release the Chamber sent out yesterday:

The Chamber’s Board of Directors last week approved a resolution calling on the council to control or restrict panhandling and similar activities, especially on the community’s east side. The resolution has been sent individually to each member of the Council, Chamber Executive Director Les O’Dell said. The Chamber resolution includes nine suggested actions.

                “These bullet points are simple changes to the code or examples of steps other communities have taken to combat this problem,” O’Dell said. “Our goal is not to infringe on anyone’s personal rights, but it is to improve the appeal of Carbondale as a great place to shop, dine, attend school and live.”

                In presenting the resolution, the Chamber said the presence of individuals holding signs which state a need for help is a safety concern, especially in high traffic areas.

                The Chamber was partially responsible for a change in city ordinance several years ago dealing with aggressive panhandling. The new resolution looks to further regulate both aggressive and passive panhandling. Suggestions from the resolution include requiring panhandlers to obtain a free, city-issued license; treat panhandlers as solicitors; requiring them to wear reflective vests; increasing the minimum distance a panhandler can be from an automated teller machine and prohibiting panhandlers from making fraudulent statements.

                The full resolution:

We, the Government Affairs Committee and the Board of Directors of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, representing more than 400 businesses and organizations in our community, urge the Carbondale City Council to consider one or more revisions to the Carbondale revised city code to address the growing and on-going problem with panhandlers, particularly those frequenting the retail sector of the city’s east side.

We feel that the presence of these “sign-holders,” while currently legal, is a source of an unnecessary blight to our community, especially the restaurants, retailers and other businesses in this area. The presence of these individuals--many of whom have unpaid citations with the City and lengthy criminal histories--is distracting to motorists (a very serious safety concern at extremely busy intersections). Additionally, their presence negatively impacts the appeal of businesses in this area, potentially reducing customer visits, revenue for these business and ultimately revenue to the City of Carbondale in the form of city sales tax. Furthermore, the presence of these individuals may cause prospective Southern Illinois University students and their families to view our community as unsafe, leading them to enroll in other institutions.

We urge the Carbondale City Council to take action to control or restrict these panhandling activities. Our research has led us to several options worthy of consideration:

·         Amend Section 14-4-10 of the Carbondale City Code to change the definition of panhandling to include both “passive” and “active” (or “aggressive”) panhandling.

·         Creation of “Demonstration-Free Zones” in the business-oriented parts of the community.

·         Treatment of panhandlers as solicitors, requiring a city permit. Such a permit could be free of cost, requiring only registration with the city. Permits could be pending a criminal background check and would not be issued if the requestor has any outstanding financial balances with the city. Fingerprinting also may be a requirement.

·         Make licenses/permits expire within 90 days and/or make such permits revocable.

·         Make panhandlers subject to Section 5-5B of the city code pertaining to solicitors.

·         Require panhandlers to wear a photo ID (or permit) at all times. The reverse of the permit could include a list of charitable services available to those truly in need.

·         Because these individuals are standing along busy roadways and at busy intersections, require them to wear fluorescent safety vests.

·         Prohibit these individuals from knowingly making any fraudulent or misleading representations (by any means) including, but not limited to falsely stating that the solicitor is from out of town and stranded, falsely that he or she is or was a member of the armed forces; stating falsely that the solicitor is homeless or falsely stating that they are seeking money for charitable purposes.

·         Prohibiting solicitation within 1,000 feet of a bank, financial institution, ATM, playground, school, retail shopping facility or restaurant.

On behalf of our member-businesses and their customers we encourage you to address this issue and look forward to working with you to make Carbondale a more attractive community for business.

Unoffical Halloween Police Report

Here is the report from the C'dale Police on the  South Ash Street disturbances. Glad to hear no force used in disbursing the crowd. As far as anyone who complained about getting gassed or sprayed, get out of the area if you don't want to get sprayed. Once gas gets loose, it is pretty hard to control:

Updated Release 10-21-14: 

 

Following the removal of the vehicle, officers in standard police uniform attire worked together to disperse the crowd and no force was used to disperse the crowd, however there was one instance in which pepper spray was deployed in the direction of a group of approximately five individuals who failed to comply with verbal commands to disperse.  Weekend arrest totals have been revised to include one additional arrest for public possession of alcohol and one additional arrest for possession of cannabis.  One of the persons arrested was an SIU student and the other was not. 

 

Previous Release on 10-20-14: 

 

On 10-18-14 at about 11:14 p.m. an officer with the City of Carbondale Police Department observed a large group of people in the 400 block of South Ash Street.  The officer further observed the large group of people physically overturn a vehicle parked on the street, which caused extensive damage to the vehicle.  Officers with the City of Carbondale Police Department, and other police agencies who were in Carbondale at the time, responded to the incident to monitor a large crowd which had gathered after the vehicle had been overturned.  Officers estimated the size of the crowd to be around 200 people.  While officers were monitoring the large crowd, there were a few members of the crowd who began throwing rocks, bottles and full cans of beer in the direction of the officers.  One officer was struck by a bottle, but was not injured.  Some officers retrieved and wore protective helmets because of the objects being thrown from the crowd.  A vast majority of the crowd stood by peaceably and simply watched as the tow agency retrieved the overturned vehicle.  During the retrieval process, the vehicle inadvertently became disengaged from the tow truck cable and damaged a second, parked vehicle, which prolonged the removal process and extended the overall time this incident took to resolve.  Following the removal of the vehicle, officers in standard police uniform attire worked together to disperse the crowd and no force or pepper spray was used to disperse the crowd. 

 

The Carbondale Police Department arrested three individuals for separate offenses during this incident.  Gerald Welch, age 30 out of Chicago, Illinois, was arrested for Criminal Damage to State Supported Property and he was incarcerated at the Jackson County Jail.  Corey Albrecht, age 18,  was  arrested for underage possession/consumption of alcohol, aggravated assault, and reckless conduct and he was released after posting bond.  Zachary Justus, age 19, was arrested for disorderly conduct and was released.  Albrecht and Justus reported they are SIU students.  None of the individuals who overturned the vehicle have been identified at this time.   

 

The City of Carbondale Police Department was assisted by the Illinois State Police, SIU Department of Public Safety and the Jackson County Sherriff’s Office. 

 

Weekend preliminary arrest totals include 60 arrests and/or citations, most of which were alcohol related, as 39 citations were for public possession or underage possession of alcohol.  There were 7 arrests for Littering and 2 persons arrested for each of the following violations of Fighting, Obstructing a Peace Officer and Possession of Cannabis.  There was 1 person arrested for each of the following violations of Resisting Arrest, Responsibility of Persons in Control of Premise, Amplified Sound, Public Urination, Criminal Damage to Property, Disorderly Conduct, Aggravated Assault and Reckless Conduct.  Of the 60 arrests, 31 were SIU students and 29 were not.  Of those 29, one person arrested attends John A. Logan College, one attends Southeast Missouri State and another attends Rend Lake College.  The remaining 26 persons arrested did not divulge what school they are attending, if any.   

Bryant vs. Kilquist

A day doesn't go by that I do not receive a postcard from the Democratic Part of Illinois bashing "insider politician" Terri Bryant for doing something or other. A friend has collected a stack of cards attacking her that tops two inches. The problem I have is that the mailings do not attack her on anything substantial, nor do the ones my neighbors have received attacking Bill Kilquist.

Looking at these, I have no idea where either candidate stands on school funding, the income tax extension, Tamms Correctional Facility, Illinois pensions or any other issue of import (I do know where they stand on these but it is not due to these mailings). However, I do know that each is a professional politician who took multiple pay raises and tax breaks while opposing policies that would benefit Illinois. At least that's what I know from reading their mailings.

Given the amount each side has spent on media, I think the post office and television stations will be sorry when the campaign ends. Me, I'll be quite happy with fewer items in the mailbox.

Candidate Meet & Greets

Meet and greets with the candidates for Mike Post's position.  Based on the post cards I have seen from both campaigns, I want to ask each candidate how they became so evil. Sheesh.  Bill Kilquist is at the Old Train Depot tomorrow and Terry Bryant on Thursday.

Busy Weekend For Unofficial Halloween

From what I have heard, "Unofficial Halloween" kicked off with a large number of students roaming around Carbondale, looking to "do stuff" and take the Strip. Police had to use tear gas disperse at least one crowd and a car got flipped near West Cherry. Student apartments were pretty loud with partying until about midnight, I was told, then it quieted down as the residents headed out to find something 'interesting' to do in town.

Update:  Just heard police received a report sometime after midnight about someone waving a gun around on West Oak. Lots of people out in that area as well.

Haunted Carbondale

Here is one man's list of the top ten most haunted places in southern Illinois. Disagree with a couple of choices on the list as I do not see passing over the Old Slave House and Hundley House in favor of Sunset Haven and DCI Biologicals

Pony Cabaret and Steakhouse

Opened yesterday at the rear of 213 East Main. From the name, I would guess some connection with the Pony Stripclubs in Memphis and East Cape Girardeau. Rules on the front door state the is is not an "adult cabaret" as defined by the city of Carbondale. Hours are 4 p.m to 2 a.m. if you want to take a look.

Update:  Apparently there are poles installed but the dancers do not appear topless and wear bikinis while working at the bar.

More on Pravin Vanughese

Dan DiMaria, mayor of Morton Grove, the home town of Pravin Vanughese, has called for a re-examination of the circumstances of Vanughese's death and will ask Carbondale authorities to push forward with further investigation at a press conference this weekend.

Buckminister Fuller Presentation

Coming this Sunday at Morris Library. Still see it as a shame that Carbondale, and the university, do do more to honor Fuller's legacy. I think the only memorial I see in Carbondale proper is a mosaic on S. Illinois put in as part of the aborted Stars on Main project of a decade ago :

“Our Sustainable Legacy & Future: Buckminster Fuller at SIU”
Sunday, October 19, 2014 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm
Guyon Auditorium, Morris Library (605 Agriculture Drive), SIU Carbondale
Featuring presentations/discussion by Allegra Fuller Snyder, D.W. Jacobs, Benjamin Lowder and Brent Ritzel. Hosted/emceed by Janet Elizabeth Donoghue.
FREE and open to the public.

As the father of the modern sustainability movement Buckminster Fuller has left an important legacy to Southern Illinois University. With that in mind, The Buckminster Fuller Future Organization welcomes a rare and distinguished guest to campus on Sunday, October 19th: Allegra Fuller Snyder is the daughter of Buckminster Fuller and Anne Hewlett Fuller, she is the founder of The Buckminster Fuller Institute in New York and a pioneer of the field of dance ethnology. Join us for this exciting opportunity to honor our legacy and design our future, sustainably. 

Allegra Fuller Snyder (daughter of Buckminster Fuller and founder of the Buckminster Fuller Institute), D.W. Jacobs (playwright of R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE), Benjamin Lowder (SIUC alumnus, designer, curator and artist), and Brent Ritzel (former president of the Fuller Dome Non-Profit and the Buckminster Fuller Future Organization) will present and discuss the profound impact Buckminster Fuller had on humanity and how to honor the invaluable legacy of sustainability he left at SIU. The event will be hosted and emceed by Janet Elizabeth Donoghue (current president of the Buckminster Fuller Future Organization),

Buckminster Fuller is the father of the modern sustainability movement and as an SIU Carbondale professor from 1959 to 1971 he was SIUC’s number one ambassador to the world in the university’s history, traveling nearly 10 months a year and lecturing at more than 500 other universities throughout the world during his tenure at SIU. “Bucky” received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983, our nation’s highest civilian honor.

This event is FREE and open to the public. Reception to follow presentations and discussions in the Morris Library Rotunda catered by Cristaudo’s. “Our Sustainable Legacy & Future: Buckminster Fuller at SIU” has been made possible through the generous support of the SIUC Undergraduate Student Government (USG), the SIUC Graduate & Professional Student Council (GPSC), the SIUC Fine Arts Activity Fee and the Buckminster Fuller Future Organization. For more information contact Janet Elizabeth Donoghue at jdonoghue@siu.edu or 618.525.3099.

Koppers Update

Here's an update from Beazer on the company's activity cleaning up the former Kopper's site:

On September 5, 2014, USEPA provided preliminary comments on Attachments 1 and 2 of the Human Health Risk Assessment Work Plan (HHRA Work Plan).

 On September 11, 2014, Beazer submitted a letter to USEPA responding to USEPA’s August 19 and September 5, 2014 comments on the HHRA Work Plan.

 On September 19, 2014, USEPA submitted a follow-up letter to Dr. Brian Klubek (Concerned
Carbondale Citizens), providing a modified response regarding groundwater sampling for dioxins/furans.

 On September 26, 2014, USEPA approved Beazer’s September 11, 2014 responses to USEPA’s
comments on the HHRA Work Plan, and requested a revised/final HHRA Work Plan by October 17,
2014.

 Beazer, USEPA and others participated in corrective action coordination conference calls on September 4 and 18, 2014.

 Beazer continued post-construction OMM activities (e.g., DNAPL thickness measurements/removal, CAMU leachate monitoring/removal, Site inspections, etc.).

 Beazer collected approximately 86 gallons of DNAPL from the barrier trench and approximately 28 gallons of DNAPL from recovery well RW-23 during this reporting period. The approximate total
DNAPL volumes collected through September 2014 are 18,530 gallons from the barrier trench and
7,504 gallons from RW-23.

Hotel Rooms Filled

Not sure what is going on in town this weekend. No football game and the fall colors are nowhere near their peak, but, according to the Convention and Tourism Bureau, every hotel room in the three hotels out by Reed Station Road is booked for Saturday night and there are only a few remaining rooms to be had for Friday night. Halloween isn't for a couple of more weeks and I haven't heard anything about Unofficial Halloween this year so doubt that is it.

City Council Meeting

City Council has a special meeting scheduled for tonight, opening with citizen comments, then moving into closed session for a discussion regarding employees.  I would bet they will be discussing the termination of Chief Jody O'Guinn and hiring his replacement. I have heard third hand that council wants to bring in another outsider to head up the department in order to bring fresh eyes  and "shake things up".

I would much rather see acting chief Jeff Grubbs offered the position. The last outsider, O'Guinn, apparently didn't work out that well and we could expect someone unfamiliar with Carbondale to take at least a year to get familiar with the operation of the department as well as Carbondale itself.

Wednesday Night Debate

Finally getting a decent signal from WSIU for the debate. Talking about fracking now:

Paula Bradshaw is absolutely against it. Bost and Enyart support the regulations on fracking that Illinois has put into place. Bost just said that fracking is a very safe process.

Next question:  Illinois still behind on job growth. What can the federal government do to stimulate job growth?

Enyart says the economy is doing better than it feels like. The federal government could spend more on infrastructure development, especially trains, and training.

Bost is telling a story about making everything fairer in an Olympic race by putting more weight on the better racer. This leads into a call for fewer regulations, which would improve the economy.

Bradshaw argues that we had higher taxes and a devastated world decades ago, following by a discussion of the benefits of regulations, winding up with a Green New Deal.

Next question is about the ads featuring Bost in the state legislature.

Bost argues that it shows he is willing to stand up for the people of southern Illinois and that he got support nationwide for his actions.

Bradshaw calls it a temper tantrum and says we shouldn't send someone who thinks that is appropriate behaviour to Congress.

Enyart calls previous representatives such as Jerry Costello and Paul Simon "Giants" and says he hopes to emulate them. Wants to work together with other members of the House to get the job done.

Wrapping up, Bradshaw wants to push more green energy and her Green New Deal and obey the law regarding declaring war.

Enyert, asked to comment on his opponents, says that no-one eclipses Bradshaw in her devotion to green and renewable energy. Compliments Bost on his courtesy when Enyert came back to testify in favor of a bill Bost supported.

Bost compliments Bradshaw on her running an uphill campaign and Enyert for coming back and testifying on the same bill.

Next question, who would each like to see run for president in 2016?

Enyert says Paula Bradshaw first, then doesn't really give a name.

Bost also doesn't give a name but criticizes the Obama administration for its handling of foreign policy.

Paula Bradshaw says Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate from 2012, then starts complaining about Ukraine.

Question for Bost, does he favor raising the minimum wage? He says he favors raising the number of jobs.

Bradshaw says the Green New Deal would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Enyert says raise it to $10.10 per hour because it has not kept pace with inflation.

Closing statements:

Bost said he worked hard as a state representative and that Enyert has not served them as well as Jerry Costello did.

Enyert touts all of the endorsements he has received from Illinois organizations.

Bradshaw calls her opponents "corporate politicians" and reasserts her call for a Green New Deal, saying we need a complete change, not just trading the Democrat for the Republican.

That wraps it up.

Bost Meet & Greet

Mike Bost will appear at the Old Train Depot, nee Downtown Design Center at 4 p.m today to talk with voters, then catch him debating tonight at 7 p.m. at the Marion Civic Center with Bill Enyart and Paula Bradshaw. Debate also broadcast on WSIU.

Carbondale Churches

Sent by a reader of the blog, here is a map showing the religious communities in Carbondale. Perhaps not surprisingly, of the approximately 70 churches, almost all of them are Protestant. Also notable, which a couple of exceptions, Sunday morning in Carbondale still remains highly segregated.

Meet Bill Enyart

If you have a desire to do you, meet and talk with incumbent Representative Bil Enyart at the Old Train Depot at 2 p.m. this afternoon. this is the second in a series of meetings the Chamber of Commerce has set up with local national and state candidates for office.

Since polls have indicated most Americans do not know their Representatives, either at the state or federal level, this is an opportunity to find out more about them. I have always felt I ought to at least have met the people who are spending my tax dollars.

Campus Assault

Attack by six by the Agriculture building on campus. 2 in custody already. Before people complain about how unsafe campus is, remember the thousands of people who did not get attacked on campus today.

Downtown Hotel

While a hotel, or even a motel, downtown would be quite nice, where would one go?

The original plan for the Student Center called for attaching a hotel, staffed by hospitality students, to the west side of the building. Doing that now, of course, would require bulldozing large sections of Thompson Woods, which I doubt the administration would approve.

A few years ago, a developer proposed putting a hotel on the empty space just south of PK's. Nothing ever happened with that which is just as well, since I cannot see people coming in visiting SIUC or Memorial Hospital particularly enjoying the view of the Strip from their hotel windows.

No Second Term for Don Monty

In case you missed it, Don Monty announced Tuesday he will not seek a full term as mayor. Not sure if this means he will seek re-election to city council as a regular councilman but I would bet against it, leaving both his seat and the mayor's office open. I know the Chamber of Commerce is looking for "business-friendly" candidates to run for council and I rather expect to see councilwoman Jane Adams throw her hat into the ring for mayor.

B & L Photo Closed?

It looks as if longtime downtown business B&L Photo is in the process of closing down. There is a large "For Lease" sign in the window, many of the fixtures and most of the stock are gone and a notice in the window directs customers to The Printing Plant for passport photos.

B & L took quite a hit, much as Kodak did, from the advent of digital photography and moved locations about a year ago. Apparently moving closer to Quatro's and Jerry's Flowers did not help kickstart sales enough in an era when every phone is a camera.