May 2008 Archives

BY MIKE CETERA

Amen.

I've always found it strange and slightly irritating that every time I drive through an I-Pass lane, I have to read a sign with Gov. Rod Blagojevich congratulating himself. I cop the same slightly annoyed attitude whenever I travel to the airport and must be welcomed by Richard M. Daley.

So, I'm all for a law that would ban "state officeholders from having their names appear on tax-subsidized billboards and electronic signs promoting government programs." Unfortunately, I don't think this bill goes far enough.

BY MIKE CETERA

So, Joe Birkett's son got caught in a pot bust. So what? Now we have confirmation his family isn't infallible either.

The arrest of Nicholas T. Birkett would have been relegated to the police blotter -- at best -- if he wasn't the son of the DuPage County state's attorney.

Instead, Joe's son becomes just another statistic in this country's "war on drugs." We are left to either empathize or mock a politician and his son.

BY MIKE CETERA

Stephanie Kifowit correctly points out in a story last week that she wouldn't be an alderman without the benefit of a primary.

Kifowit finished second in a three-way primary in 2002. During that same primary, former Aurora Alderman Kenneth Hinterlong bested current 5th Ward Alderman John "Whitey" Peters by 49 votes. Peters went on to win in the general election. But he, too, would be out of a job if it weren't for Aurora's primary system.

Interesting trivia, but so what?

BY MIKE CETERA

Highlights from the legislative week that was:

* They wouldn't like us when we're angry -- House of Representatives votes against raises for lawmakers; Senate might have other plans.
* Lawmakers want dating services to tell customers if they conduct background checks.
* University police officers must be allowed to carry guns.

How did your lawmakers vote on these issues and more? Read all about it after the jump. Find previous votes here.

BY MIKE CETERA

In 2007, Gov. Rod Blagojevich killed funding -- about $6 million -- for the anti-violence group CeaseFire, which had a fledgling Aurora chapter. An administration official at the time said the state could not afford to spend money on the program.

Nine months later, the governor on Tuesday proposed a $150 million anti-violence plan that encourages funding of "community-based programs (to) keep our children safe."

You see, now the governor wants to find a way to Stop. Killing. People.

If only there were a such a program out there...

But, wait, it gets better. The governor, in proposing his new Community Investment Works program, which -- as of yet -- has no funding source, appears to have used a rather flattering news story about what CeaseFire has accomplished to advocate his own plan. If CeaseFire is so great, why did he block funding?

BY MIKE CETERA

Parents who preach traditional values should be apoplectic. But there has been virtually no backlash over two local high schools' selections for spring musicals that deal in very adult issues. Have we turned a tolerance corner, or have people just stopped paying attention?

West Aurora High School just wrapped up its performance of "Rent," a rock opera that centers around a cast of gay characters struggling to make a life "under the shadow of AIDS." Related story here.

And Oswego High School is set to perform "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" later this week. "Sweeney Todd," is a musical revenge story about a barber turned serial killer. Related story here.

BY MIKE CETERA

Highlights from the legislative week that was:

* Sorry, we're stuck with the flat tax; lawmakers reject calls to move to a graduated income tax.
* No more gerrymandering? How legislative districts are drawn could be changed.
* FOID cards could be revoked from some parents who can't keep their kids away from guns.
* Gov. Blagojevich will not face a recall.

How did your lawmakers vote on these issues and more? Read all about it after the jump. Find previous votes here.

BY DAVE PARRO

It's interesting that Mayor Tom Weisner's State of the City address this week contained no major announcements. Especially considering that we're heading into election season.

Last year during his address, Weisner announced the winning concept design for his proposed river park and committed $5 million toward its first phase. In his first address to local business leaders after he took office in 2005, he made optimistic promises about what his administration would accomplish.

But his address Wednesday really didn't tell us anything we don't already know. In this case, is no news good news?

BY MIKE CETERA

Here's something nobody is talking about: Shootings are down, way down, in Aurora this year.

Through Wednesday, shootings had dropped by more than 50 percent when compared to the same time period last year, according to Aurora Police Department statistics.

The numbers
25 shootings between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2008
53 shootings between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2007

Those figures put Aurora on pace to record 75 shootings this year. Wow.