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Chris Britt delivers another classic cartoon.
Great point! If you have to squint for this version, check it out here.
And yes, I'm purposely not linking to it at the SJ-R because their comment section is still completely out of control.
If you want to know what's really going on in Springfield you have to read the Business Journal. Business and political leaders are a little more clear about their plans for the future in the Business Journal than they are in other media outlets. One example is an editorial by Mayor Mike Houston titled "Retail Revolution good for Springfield" in their July 2011 issue.
He begins by referencing White Oaks Mall, which had opened shortly before Houston's first term as mayor in 1979, and how the resulting development on the southwest end moved the city's retail center away from downtown. He states that "a similar sort of retail revolution is about to take place" around Scheels along the MacArthur Extension.
Houston argues that this will benefit the entire city, and not just one geographic area, because "a rising tide floats all ships. This larger economic base will be a great asset as we continue to market our community to other potential retailers."
This claim, that sprawl on the edge of town won't detract from the city center, is an article of faith among Springfield's business and political establishment. Everyone is expected to believe that new development on the MacArthur extension won't detract from downtown, won't create vacant stores on the Southwest end, and will even bring new businesses to older sections of MacArthur Blvd.
Since Houston is making the comparison to White Oaks Mall, it's fair to reflect on what happened during that phrase of sprawl.
Did sprawl on the southwest end lift downtown or did it help empty out downtown retail activity? Did central neighborhoods deteriorate as newer houses were built on the southwest end? Did the city center suffer from neglect as limited resources were spent to build new infrastructure on the edge of town?
Any fair minded observer would have to admit that the last hiccup of commercial sprawl most certainly did not lift all ships. What we have on the southwest end is ugly, poorly planned sprawl with the city's most accident-prone intersections and stores that are inaccessible to pedestrians and bicyclists. At the same time, downtown and central neighborhoods suffered as businesses abandoned a sinking ship. Most other cities have had the same experience.
So, will Springfield do anything differently this time? Can we keep doing the same thing and expect a different result?
Groups like the central neighborhood associations, the MacArthur Blvd Association, and Downtown Springfield Inc should reexamine the "rising tide floats all boats" theory. The sprawl agenda being pushed by the Chamber and Q5 may not be in their best interests.
I checked out classic cars at the Route 66 Mother Road Festival in Springfield today. I caught the one I was most hoping to see. A 1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88.
Sam Phillips makes a good case that in 1951 Rocket 88 by Ike Turner became the first recorded rock 'n roll song. That would make this vehicle the rocket that launched rock.
So that made my day. This customized Abe Lincoln bike was right up there. Check out the rail-splitting axe.
The tomb.
Many excellent cars on display. I found out how cars with familiar names got their reputation early on before auto-makers decided to make them all ugly in the 80's.
And here's the song.
According to NRDC's blog Illinois Congressman John Shimkus is the second most lethal legislator in Congress. They created the list based on "how much they’ve taken from polluters during their congressional careers."
John Shimkus (IL-19) has taken over $939,000 from polluters and supports Lethal Legislation that could put as many as 56,200 lives at risk.
Anyone who follows John Shimkus' facebook page will notice that I occasionally respond to his misleading anti-environmental posts. His pro-pollution posts have become more frequent lately. Shimkus has always been a coal industry stooge but I'm going to guess his uptick in attacking human health has something to do with the millions of dollars the coal industry is dumping in the laps of House Republican leaders. Shimkus is being a good soldier in the House Republican war against EPA.
At least Shimkus and John Boehner can take pride in knowing that they don't come cheap. They're classy, high priced hookers for polluting special interests.
The Obama administration created a new petition tool at the White House website. I don't know whether it will have much impact but it looks interesting enough that I'll give it a try. It encourages people to pester their friends about signing a petition. Most of my friends should be used to that by now anyway.
If 5,000 people sign the petition in 30 days then it will be reviewed and receive a response from White House officials. It will surprise no one that I created a petition about clean energy and coal.
Create clean energy jobs in coal mining communitiesEvery region that bases its economy on coal mining is poor. Many clean energy jobs are being created nationally, but most of them are not in coal mining regions. Instead, coal communities are sold on unproven "clean coal" pipe dreams backed by federal subsidies and Department of Energy loan guarantees. How can real clean energy jobs be directed to coalfield communities so that unemployed miners will have an economic future beyond coal?
If you like it then click the link to sign and we'll see how this petition thing works.
Sierra Club Sangamon Valley Group is hosting three energy movie screenings this month!
First, a campus screening of The Last Mountain, Wednesday, September 21, 7:00, at Lincoln Land Community College, Stephens Room.
The fight for the last great mountain in America's Appalachian heartland pits the mining giant that wants to explode it to extract the coal within, against the community fighting to preserve the mountain and build a wind farm on its ridges instead. With Bobby Kennedy Jr. enlisted as a passionate force for preserving Coal River Mountain and the economic power of the fossil fuel industry twisting democracy to its advantage THE LAST MOUNTAIN highlights a battle for the future of energy that affects us all.
"Dirty Business: Clean Coal and the Battle for our Energy Future" will be shown in both Taylorville and Springfield.
In Taylorville Thursday, September 22, 6:00 at the Taylorville Public Library, 121 W. Vine St.
Then in Springfield Tuesday, September 27, 6:00 at Lincoln Library, Carnegie Room.
Half our electricity comes from coal, the largest single source of greenhouse gases. But it doesn't have to be that way. Featuring stories from China to West Virginia, Dirty Business reveals the true social and environmental costs of coal power and explores the murky realities of "clean coal" technology. Guided by Rolling Stone reporter Jeff Goodell, the film highlights the work of energy innovators and the viable, renewable alternatives they offer in an age of rapid climate change.
I'm excited that Lonnie Morris is being recognized for her work as Illinois Cool Cities Chair! Cool Cities gave a boost to environmental efforts across the state.
Cool Cities brought Springfield environmental leaders together to work on the goal of reducing local carbon emissions. Mayor Tim Davlin embraced the program by signing the Cool Cities pledge and appointing a Mayor's advisory council. Like many other cities, it helped strengthen Springfield's environmental movement while facilitating more action by the city.
Here's part of a press release about why she was recognized but be sure to read the whole thing here.
When environmental activist and long-time Lombard resident Lonnie Morris won the Sierra Club’s highly competitive Special Achievement Award, she could have accepted the Club’s offer of a free trip to San Francisco for herself and her husband Andrew Cohen with luxury accommodations and a glitzy awards ceremony. She could have worn her slinky red dress and silver shoes. But to minimize her carbon footprint, she opted instead to receive the award locally at Sierra Club’s Moving Planet Day which will take place on Sept. 24 at Rugaard Gazebo in Villa Park. She will ride her bicycle to it. No red dress.Morris said the local, less environmentally impactful presentation was fitting because she received the award for her work as chair of Illinois Sierra Club Cool Cities, a program that encourages towns and counties to reduce their carbon footprint.
“I am thrilled and honored to receive this award,” said Morris. “But it makes sense to receive the award in DuPage County at Moving Planet Day, which is all about getting beyond carbon-based fossil fuels.
The Daily Egyptian has an excellent article about Southern Illinois University at Carbondale student groups that are ready for their campus to move beyond coal. They're asking SIUC to shut down their aging coal plant and replace it with clean energy sources. This campus in the heart of Illinois coal country hosts a coal research center, but judging by the quotes in this article, many students aren't buying the myth of clean coal.
Ruby Roknic, President of Eco Dawgs, said the RSO’s primary focus is to educate students on the effects of dirty energy, such as coal, versus clean energy options, such as solar or wind power.Roknic, a sophomore from La Grange Park studying civil engineering, said this is important so the university can shift to a clean energy path.
Coal plants negatively affect the environment by causing effects such as increased mercury levels in lakes that prevent people from fishing or even swimming in them, said Cheyenne Adams, a member of Eco Dawgs.
Adams, a sophomore from Bloomington studying zoology, said the group will focus this semester on other impacts the coal plant has on the university besides providing power, such as the adverse health effects on students from having a coal plant on campus.
When I was a student there, I used to walk by the coal plant every day since it's located near several dorms at the center of campus. There's no doubt that the campus community is exposed to pollutants.
Southern is already behind Illinois' other public universities. Eastern replaced their coal unit with a biomass steam boiler. The University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana announced plans to retire their campus coal plant. Western switched to natural gas for financial reasons, explaining that “putting money into the existing coal boilers is putting money into a system that is becoming obsolete on many levels.”
Be sure to read the full article for comments from an Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesperson that are refreshingly honest compared to what I'm used to hearing the agency's mining office say about coal.
SIUC's campus plant and coal research center are popular with fossil fuel industry executives. But, I suspect they'll find their ties to coal will increasingly become a liability with student groups, prospective students, and others who realize that there's no future in a 19th century energy source.
I saw this sign at a Farmers Market during a recent trip to Chicago.
It's great to see healthy local food made available to more people regardless of their income. The sign reminded me that accepting LINK cards at Farmers Markets got a little easier after Governor Quinn signed the Farmers' Market Technology Improvement Act last year. It expands the use of LINK card terminals at farmers markets across the state allowing those who receive food stamps to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables and meats at farmers markets across Illinois.
It was one the bills advocated by the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, who were invited to the bill signing ceremony, along with the bill's sponsor Representative LaShawn Ford.
While in town I also took this picture of Wrigley Tower.
The new Marilyn Monroe statue got in the way. It was fun to watch tourists react and pose inappropriately for pictures.
The next free Liberty Brew & View screening is Sounds Like a Revolution.
Sounds Like a Revolution is a pro-active and energizing documentary about a new generation of activist musicians who are living proof that music is an important and powerful tool in the ongoing struggle for social change. From the Dixie Chicks to Michael Franti to the punk band Anti-Flag, artists across the musical spectrum recount their motivations and struggles in a post-9/11 environment where dissent was silenced and censorship was commonplace. With themes that explore the role of artists in society, freedom of expression and democratic participation Sounds Like a Revolution presents a unique historical perspective behind the new wave of protest music sweeping America and offers new hope for the future.
Sounds Like a Revolution - HD Trailer from Deltatime Productions on Vimeo.
Tuesday, September 20, 7:00
Capital City Bar & Grill
3149 S. Dirksen Pkwy, Springfield, IL
Illinois legislators should learn from the experience of other states as they consider Tenaska's coal gasification plant proposed in Taylorville. Duke Energy's coal gasification project in Edwardsport, Indiana reached $1 billion in cost overruns and they're asking state ratepayers to foot the bill. One regulator "noted that it is not uncommon for technologically sophisticated generating projects to involve a high degree of uncertainty."
When building an unproven technology, like Taylorville's coal gasification and carbon capture proposal, it's very likely that unexpected costs will occur. That's a big risk for Illinois ratepayers. Legislation to subsidize Tenaksa's plant would raise rates for everyone in Illinois initially, and in addition, over 1/3 of cost overruns could be passed on to ratepayers.
The reality is that a coal gasification plant has never been built on budget, and they produce some of the most expensive energy on the market. There are cleaner, cheaper alternatives that will produce just as many jobs.
