SIUC Drop in Enrollment

As the Southern reported, SIUC enrollment dropped about 4%, continuing a decline the university has seen since the early 90s, when it peaked at just over 24,000 students. Attendance is now about 30% off that point, but each year's drop has only been about 3-4%, not enough to cause concern on their own. It's only when you look at the cumulative total that the number becomes worrying.

A chunk of the problem is the lack of what George H. W. Bush called the "vision thing". With the possible exception of Walter Wendler, none of the chancellors at the university since Delyte Morris, has had a strong vision for where the university should go

Aban Kitchen

Aban Kitchen, located in the old Mary Lou's location and serving Mediterranean cooking, had a soft opening on Labor Day. The OPEN sign has been on the last couple of days and at least a few diners have eaten there.  Still has a "Help Wanted" sign in the front door though.

Highway Funding

Received Rep. Mike Bost's regular email regarding his work for the district and one point caught my attention. He asked in a past email what should be done to fund the county's below average transportation infrastructure and 70% of respondents voted against the most obvious option, raising the gas tax, which from a rational view makes sense, no one ever wants to raise taxes on themselves, we want to raise taxes on the other fellow.I don't think the most popular option, cutting funding for highway beautification and bike paths, will bring in anywhere near the billions needed to repair roads and bridges.  From the email:

When Congress returns after the holiday, one of the many issues we will be taking up will be the Transportation Bill and the Highway Trust Fund.  
Recently, I asked you to give me your feedback on this issue.  When asked if you would be in favor of raising the gas tax to help pay for our nation’s roads and infrastructure projects, almost 70 percent of you said ‘no.’ The second question I asked you is what other methods you would support to shore up the Highway Trust Fund, and about 30 percent of you said we should eliminate funding for highway beautification projects and bike trails. Thank you for participating!

Fire Chief Retires

From the city:

After more than 35 years of service to the City of Carbondale, Fire Chief John Michalesko has announced his retirement effective September 11, 2015. "It has been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Carbondale from the beginning as a fire fighter up through the ranks to that of Fire Chief," Michalesko states.

Carbondale City Manager Kevin Baity has named Assistant Fire Chief Steve McBride to serve as the Interim Fire Chief. He will continue his current command staff duties and attend to the immediate needs of the role of Interim Fire Chief until the vacancy can be permanently filled.  

City Manager Baity announced that the new Fire Chief will be promoted from within and there are two well qualified Assistant Fire Chiefs who have indicated a desire to seek the position, Assistant Chiefs Ted Lomax and Doug Biggs. Between them they have a combined 50 plus years of firefighting experience and 24 years of command staff experience. He further stated, “ Last week I met with Chief Michalesko and the three Assistant Chiefs and discussed the selection process. Due to this being an in-house selection, the process and timeline for announcement should be rather quick. I anticipate naming a new Fire Chief in October. " 

Parking Inspector

Heard a rumor that the city has hired another parking meter inspector to handle meter reading late afternoon and early evening. Currently, though posted otherwise, the city stops checking meters about 4:30 during the week and not at all on Saturday. Haring another meter reader would allow the city to capture those extra hours, though I don't know if the amount collected would cover the cost of the additional reader's wages.

C'dale Vaping

Vaping has hit Carbondale big time, at least judging by the number of shops that have opened int he past year catering to users of e-cigarettes. We have 618 Vape on East Grand, Vape INC opening soon in the Eastgate Plaza, and The Vape Shop (oldest of the four) and Whisper Vape on the west side of town. From what I hear, all are doing quite well. Though cigarette usage is down nationwide, vaping is enjoying double digit growth.

Liquor Advisory Board Meeting

The LAB has a meeting this Thursday next week. A pretty light agenda though, mainly a Fair Days request for the upcoming Carbondale Music Coalition's downtown concert. Also, John Alexander who owns Sidetracks will speak to the LAB. From what I understand, the 99 year lease the owner of the building has on the railroad property on which the Sidetracks building stands will not be renewed when it expires next year, as the railroad wishes to demolish the building since it sits too close to the tracks for today's safety standards, meaning Sidetracks will need to relocate:

Application for a Class F1 liquor license (temporary sales of beer and wine only) for Carbondale Tourism and the Live on Main Concert on Friday, October 9, 2015 to be held on South Illinois Avenue between Elm and College Streets


 Discussion with Mr. John Alexander of Sidetracks

. Liquor Advisory Board Comments


. Citizens’ Comments