In 2006, longtime congressional staffer Scott Lilly and I wrote an article about unethical behavior by then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert. No, not his child molestation, which only became public years later. This was about his outrageous abuse of a congressional earmark, a pot of money designated by a lawmaker for a project in his or her district.
Hastert had bullied through an earmark for a new highway that was supported neither by his constituents outside Chicago, nor by the Illinois Department of Transportation. But the highway was barely a mile from unimproved land owned by Hastert. And soon thereafter, Hastert, the former high school teacher and wrestling coach, parlayed that land into a multi-million dollar windfall.
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I just finished reading Neil Steinberg’s excellent column on the GOP turning their party into a “newt.” The column’s headline refers specifically to a scene in the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ in which a supposed witch is accused of turning a citizen into a newt who then “got better.”
In reality, the Republican Party has been a newt since the time of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, from 1995 t0 1999, who ushered in the current era of hyper-partisanship by repeatedly calling Democrats “corrupt” and “fascists.” Gingrich also accused the Democratic Party of wanting to “destroy the United States.”
Normal Town Council meets remotely Monday, March 1, 2021.
The Normal Town Council on Monday night adopted a $138.2 million budget for fiscal year 2021 that begins next month.
In a year of pandemic, the budget represents the town s strength, said Normal Mayor Chris Koos.
“The world has thrown us some curves, and some tough, tough issues,” said Koos. “Year in, year out, staff in the town of Normal figures out ways to do the best they possibly can, to have the least negative impact on our citizens.”
Also at the four-hour meeting, the council moved forward with several projects using state and federal funding, including a nearly $1 million Towanda Avenue bridge rehab project; using more than $1 million in federal funds to design a $10 million reimagined West College Avenue; and earmarking about $1.7 million in state funds to handle a variety of road resurfacing work throughout Normal.
From small annoyances to large kidney-rattlers, potholes making an appearance
Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree, Journal-Courier
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There are rough roads ahead, but highway and street departments are working to make them smooth again.
As winter ice and snow freeze on streets and then melt into cracks in the road surface, street foundations can be compromised and lead to potholes.
In Jacksonville, the work of combating holes in the road’s surface already has begun.
Les Ballenger, superintendent for Jacksonville Municipal Services, said they’ve already been addressing areas of concern after the recent large freeze thawed last week into more mild temperatures.