February 2009 Archives

BY DAN CAMPANA

Only 17 days until early voting starts. I know, that's not really "sideshow" material, but it fits this week's theme: Numbers.

Let's count 'em up, count 'em down and, hopefully, count 'em correctly in this by-the-numbers look at the race.

BY DAN CAMPANA

It took Alderman Stephanie Kifowit less than a day to pounce on what she thinks is another example of improper use of riverboat gaming tax money. Long critical of using it to pay debt, especially given the revenue source's drop in 2008, Kifowit released this statement today to point out she thinks using $86,200 in gaming funds to pay a consultant is wrong.

Here's what she had to say:

BY DAN CAMPANA

Mayoral challengers Stephanie Kifowit and Richard Irvin fired off a couple of press releases today. Irvin announcing his plan to fight foreclosures, Kifowit to hype her Web site as a home for details of her platform.

Here comes the PR...

BY DAN CAMPANA

We told you there was a lot to bring up from a busy week in the mayoral campaign.

Here's a sampling of tidbits from Wednesday night's forum. Let's start with a few observations.

BY DAN CAMPANA

Beacon Election Central is bursting at the seams with stuff for this week's Sideshow. Wednesday night's mayoral forum helped a lot, but another round of campaign silliness also sprung up. There's so much, this is just the FIRST INSTALLMENT!

We can hardly contain ourselves, so here we go... .

BY DAN CAMPANA

Hey, look, news from an aldermanic race! They've been pretty quiet lately from Beacon Election Central's perspective, although it sounds like there's been lots of neighborhood work going on among certain candidates.

Nevertheless, this crossed the email inbox this morning:

BY DAN CAMPANA

Alderman Richard Irvin setting the tone for tonight's gathering with this bulletin-board material.

BY DAN CAMPANA

Join The Beacon News tonight for its live blog coverage of the first Aurora mayoral candidate forum. Beginning at 5:15 p.m., I will take questions and offer analysis as Mayor Tom Weisner, Alderman Richard Irvin and Alderman Stephanie Kifowit take the Copley Theater stage in an event sponsored by area chambers of commerce.

Visit beaconnewsonline.com and follow the links to join in the conversation.

BY DAN CAMPANA

Join The Beacon News Wednesday night for its live blog coverage of the first Aurora mayoral candidate forum. Beginning at 5:15 p.m., I will take questions and offer analysis as Mayor Tom Weisner, Alderman Richard Irvin and Alderman Stephanie Kifowit take the Copley Theater stage in an event sponsored by area chambers of commerce.

Visit beaconnewsonline.com and follow the links to join in the conversation.

BY ERIKA WURST AND STEVE LORD

On Feb. 14, 2008, a gunman entered Cole Hall on the campus of Northern Illinois University and opened fire, killing five students and injuring more than a dozen others before taking his own life.

Join us for live coverage as the campus remembers the lost on this one-year anniversary. Events are planned throughout the day.

BY DAN CAMPANA

A brief update from a relatively quiet week of ethics reform and debate over religion's role in local politics.

Folks around Beacon Election Central know things really ramp up in the next seven weeks.

BY DAN CAMPANA

As promised, Alderman Richard Irvin has released an ethics reform plan. Here it is:

BY DAN CAMPANA

Yesterday, we wrote about the first whiff of mayoral race silliness after a Stephanie Kifowit campaign email was touched up to proclaim her broke.

A little more trickled in from the trail today.

BY DAN CAMPANA

At least Alderman Stephanie Kifowit laughed a little about it.

"It" was an e-mail supposedly sent out by her mayoral campaign asking supporters if they "can spare a Nickle" this weekend because "we are out of money" and "our heat has been turned off" at the campaign office.

Crazy kids and their computer programs.

"It's not true at all. Our heat is on. We have money in the bank," Kifowit said Thursday. "And, I certainly know how to spell 'nickel.'"

BY DAN CAMPANA

If you see only one debate this mayoral campaign season ... well, then you'll just be shortchanging yourself as a voter.

In a joint effort to put the candidates -- Mayor Tom Weisner, Alderman Stephanie Kifowit and Alderman Richard Irvin -- in front of residents ahead of the April 7 election, The Beacon News and Aurora University announced plans for a March 12 forum at Crimi Auditorium.

The best part? You, kind reader and Aurora resident, get to submit the questions you'd like to hear answered.