Bost Reply on Guns

 Emailed Rep. Bost about the recent shootings and legislation in Congress. Here is his response:

"Thank you for contacting me regarding your views on gun control in response to recent shootings. I appreciate hearing from you and learning your views. 

   The heartbreaking attack on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas has made clear that more can and should be done to prevent senseless acts of violence in communities across America. I was proud to introduce legislation in 2018 making grants available for emergency communication systems, security equipment, emergency training for teachers, and campus resource officers to make classrooms safer.  Since becoming law, the legislation has helped school districts in Southern Illinois secure nearly $3 million dollars in grant funding.

   More recently, I cosponsored a bill to increase funding for school resource officers and mental health guidance counselors. I also support legislation that would allow K-12 schools to better adapt their plans for federal funds for addressing immediate school safety needs. 

   As a father and a grandfather, I want to ensure that our communities have the resources to secure our schools and address the mental health issues that often are the starting point for atrocities like these. I believe we can address these serious challenges without infringing upon the rights of law-abiding American citizens. 

   I do not believe that creating more government regulation and new gun control laws will stop the criminal misuse of firearms. Criminals don’t intend to follow these laws regardless. Please know that I appreciate the deeply held beliefs on both sides of this issue. Regardless of where we stand, we all want what’s best for the safety of our communities and I am committed to doing my part to achieve common sense solutions. 

    Once again, thank you for contacting me. If I can be of further assistance to you on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me. I also invite you to visit my website at www.bost.house.gov  or follow me on Facebook (Facebook.com/RepBost) and Twitter (@RepBost). "

Advance Auto Parts

 Looks as if there is some work being done on the long empty Advance Auto Parts building on East Main. Lights were on inside and saw some construction vehicles parked outside.

Scam Alert

Carbondale City Police posted a scam alert on their FB page. I imagine it is on the police website as well. Someone is calling employees, claiming there is a deposit shortage and that the employee will be arrested unless they take money from the business and purchase pre-paid credit cards. I hope no-one will still fall for such a scam but I figure someone will. No reputable orgainzation is going to call and ask for pre-paid anything to deal with a legal situation. Body of the post is below:

Business Scam Investigation

Carbondale – On 03-15-23 City of Carbondale police officers responded to a business in Carbondale in reference to a theft by deception report.   Officers learned an unknown suspect called the business claiming to be a member of law enforcement investigating a deposit shortage.  The caller instructed the employee to pay for the shortage or face legal action.  The employee was instructed to take money owned by the business and use it to purchase pre-paid credit cards.  

The Police Department received similar reports from two other businesses since this initial investigation.   The police department encourages employers to educate their employees about scams of this nature.  Employees should never provide account information over the telephone.  Any businesses who may have become a victim of this scam or anyone with questions about scam prevention is encourage to call the police department at (618) 549-2121.  The investigation into the incident is active and ongoing.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the City of Carbondale Police Department at (618) 549-2121. You may also call the Carbondale/SIU Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (618) 549-COPS (2677) or the Murphysboro/Jackson County anonymous tip line at (618) 687-COPS (2677). Anonymous tips may also be made by selecting the “Crime Stoppers” tab located on the main page of this website. Please help yourself, along with your county, its communities and the university campus by using these numbers if you witness, or have any information pertaining to, a crime. Cash rewards for information which leads to an arrest are also made anonymously. Remember, crime doesn’t pay, but Crime Stoppers does!

The mission of the Carbondale Police Department is to work in partnership with our community to preserve life, protect human rights, protect property and improve quality of life by providing police service to all in a fair, sensitive, and professional manner.

COVID Numbers

 Jackson County COVID numbers are creeping back up to 97 per 100,000. Not as high as counties to the east of us but not nearly as low as those further south. 

Lewis Lane Roundabout 3

 Reading comments on the pop up for the intersection at Lewis Lane and Grand Avenue, it appears that it worked quite well. No stop and go waiting for people entering the intersection and apparently no fender benders.

Lewis Lane Roundabout 2

 From what I have read in other places, the city had planned to install a permanent roundabout at Lewis Lane but the design would require taking more ground space than is actulally available at the location, so the plans were shelved. The pop up roundabout is a test to see if a roundabout can be installed at the location that would take up a smaller footprint.

Sausea Open

 Appears Sausea's Seafood decided to go with a quiet launch. I drove by late this afternoon, around 4, and the OPEN sign was on in the window. I would imagine they are opeing quietly in order to make sure everything runs smoothly before a much larger grand opening.

Sausea Seafood

 Seeing some work on the Saucea Seafood restaurant location on South Illinois in the old Fat Patties location. Glad to see something happening with the business, though I certainly hope they plan to have a rear entrance for customers. There is plenty of parking behind the building but it is not visible from the street and customers are going to be unwilling to park there and walk any distance around to the front.

Lewis Lane Roundabout

 The city will install a temporary roundabout at the intersection of Lewis Lane and Grand Avenue this Saturday morning. For several years, the city has considered installing a roundabout at that location with the Chautaqua roundabout a trial to see if they are feasible in Carbondale. Recycling bins, cones and tires will serve as the barriers to construct the roundabout in order for the city to gather information  about how traffic flow would change at the location.

Babe's Fish Wagon

 Babe's Fish Wagon in East Cape has closed permanently. From what I heard, they lost one of their cooks a few months ago and could not find a replacement. Now the owner has decided that, due to health issues, he will put the business and lot up for sale.

Committee Openings

 Carbondale has several openings on various boards and commissions, including planning, preservation, Liquor Advisory Board , human relations, personel and Board of Fire and Police Commissioners. If you want a close view at the operations of city government, serving on one of these boards is a good way to do so. Not sure what is going to happing with the Tourism Board, now that Carbondale Tourism no longer handles tourism outreach for the city.

Planning Commission

 The Planning Commission will meet on April 5 to discuss the following

The City of Carbondale Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on

Wednesday, April 5th, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the following:

PC 23-07: The City Council of the City of Carbondale, Illinois has directed city staff to

initiate a text amendment to Title 15 of the City of Carbondale Revised Code (CCRC)

to define and allow for community gardens and their associated accessory uses.

PC 23-08: The City Council of the City of Carbondale, Illinois has directed city staff

to initiate a text amendment to the City of Carbondale Revised Code (CCRC) to define

and establish parameters for pollinator-supportive landscaping.

Geez, Carbondale has had two community gardens for a number of years now and the council is just getting around to define what they are? Similarly with pollinator landscaping.

The problem with regulations is that people will do something that is not covered by the regulation and then the political body will have to make additional regulations to deal with that situation not covered by the regulation. 

Hence our reall complicated federal tax code.

Community Survey

 The city of Carbondale reaaaaaaly wants you to complete this community survey.  Of course, You do have to create yet another account in order to do so.

Carbondale Tourism

 Looks as if Carbondale Tourism will lose its funding as the city voted to change its official tourism office to Southernmost Tourism, which operates out of Anna, Illinois.

Looking at the website for Carbondale Tourism, there are no active events listed on the events calendar and the shopping section of the website has at least 4 businesses listed that have either shuttered or moved to Murphysboro. 

Levels

 It appears that Levels, located back behind the now shuttered Pinch Penny Pub complex at 706 East Grand Ave, may reopen in the near future. The company that owns Levels has applied for a Beer Garden Liquor Licence Rider

Plaza Records

 Heard a rumor that Plaza Records is looking to move back into downtown Carbondale. Unfortunately, it is looking for a location with decent amounts of foot traffic and there is no location with much pedestrian traffic save down at the south end of Illinois Avenue or the strip where Quatro's and Shawnee Trails are located. Most of the rest of downtown either has too many empty storefronts or too much space between stores to generate much foot traffic.

Energy Grant

 City just got approved for an $80,000 grant to support those affected by fossil fuel or mine closures. Not sure how $80,000 will help as that sould like just enough to cover 1 year's salary for two laid off workers in the field. While I am glad Carbondale received the grant, who will it target? unlike areas to the north and east of the city, Carbondale has not depended on the energy field for employment for years.

Bargains and Bargains

 No idea what the business stocks but I would assume bargains from the name. Opened a couple of weeks ago and located on East Main in the strip with Mike's Music and Plaza Records

General Election

 Carbondale General Election coming up April 4th. Here are the candidates. You get to vote for one candidate for Mayor and 3 for city council. Candidates in bold are all seeking re-election

Mayoral Candidates: 

Harold J. Visser, 800 Charles Road, Carbondale IL 62901

Carolin Harvey, 109 South Tower Road, Carbondale IL 62901 

City Council Candidates: 

Adam Loos, 512 West Pecan Street, Carbondale IL 62901

Clare Killman, 900 South Skyline Drive, Carbondale IL 62901

Justin Zurlinden, 600 West Oak Street, Carbondale, IL 62901

Lee M. Fronabarger, 1140 South Morningside Drive, Carbondale IL 62901

Nancy Maxwell, 1408 Bobette Lane, Carbondale, IL 62901

Thomas Grant, 5370 Springer Ridge Road, Carbondale IL 62902 

Joshua Dalton Liechty, 933 West Walnut Street, Carbondale IL 62901

Planning Commission Meeting

 the city planning commission meets next Wednesday. This is the only item currently on the agenda:

: City of Carbondale staff is returning to the Planning Commission with

recommended changes to a proposed Text Amendment to Title 15 of the Carbondale

Revised Code to create a Retail Revitalization Overlay District. This Text Amendment

was originally initiated by the City of Carbondale.

Threat

 According to WSIU this morning, mayoral candidate Harold Visser filed a police report regarding an threat he received online. According to the story, Visser posted an online questionaire askign repsondents what they would like to change about Carbondale and one person posted "Kill you".

Who in the blazes thinks such a response is a good idea? do they think they are funny? Or that they cannot be tracked? 

City Council Forum

 If you want to listen to and question the candidates for city council, there is a forum via Zoom  tonight. You can register here.

Interview with Mayoral Candidates

 IPM 21st show recently interviewed both candidates for mayor of Carbondale. You can listen to the show here. The election is coming up in early April and, aside from a few yard signs, I have not seen  much visual promotion for any candidate.

Burger King

 West side Burger King has been reduced to a concrete slab. Looks as if there will be some drainage issues addressed as there are some pretty good sized pipes on site.

If I remember correctly, the new facility will only provide drive through and walk up service. No inside seating, although there may be some outside tables.

Gun Violence Study

 City council heard the results of the recent gun violence study at Tuesday's meeting. Not quite sure what good hiring someone to coordinate gun violence initiatives would do and most of the other proposed initiatives appear focused on reducing places where people using guns might hang out. Mental health advocates with the police department would certainly help, since most police are not trained to deal with mental health issues but, again, that is an after the fact activity as the police do not get called until there is a problem.

Carbondale Community Survey

If you would like to fill out the Carbondale Community Survey seeking feedback on " City services, community programs, employment opportunities, and activities that interest you and your family", here is the link . Sould take 15 to 20 minutes to complete and everyone likes giving city government their opinion. You can also take it in Spanish here.