Can Dawgs Survive a Bear Market?

If you're not already following it, there is quite a bit of talk around the local online forums and blogs about the upcoming SIU vs. Montana Grizzlies game on Saturday in Missoula. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm eagerly anticipating this contest. This game has all the makings of a classic gridiron battle. The Grizzlies venue is said to be one of the most impressive in all of college football, not just I-AA. Check out this pic. McAndrew it is not.

Our Salukis will be in for a real challenge on Saturday ...temperatures in the low 20's, crowd noise (from a throng of 24,000 screaming fans - and at least one transplanted Saluki Fan) reaching decibel-levels unknown, and a Grizzlies line they affectionately call the "ton of fun." This is a fitting contest to showcase one of the last collegiate battles for a true star in the making - Arkee Whitlock. Did I mention he's a Payton Award Finalist? If you haven't paid much attention to his exploits in the past at SIU (stranded on a deserted island somewhere), then you might want to watch this, and then check this young man out on Saturday. He's special.

On TheSouthern.com, there appears to me more Grizzly fans than Dawg fans weighing in, when you scan the comments. I'm impressed with the level of decorum the vast majority of Montana fans have displayed ...nice folks. None of them think we have a sliver of a chance to win, but they're nice about it. Deceived, but nice.

We'll be watching the game on our 52" at home, with family and friends, after having been mugged by Mediacom to the tune of $21.95 to get the game. Ouch. Talk about unnecessary roughness. Had I thought about it soon enough, I should have purchased some Moose Drool to commemorate the event.

Okay, I know that there are those who could care less about SIU football, or any football for that matter but man ... this is gonna be epic. The game is hard to come by on TV around Carbondale, from what I've been told, but I'd bet that there's a place or two in town with DirectTV or Dish Network that'll be showing it. BWW would be my guess, for one. Otherwise, we're starting the festivities at the house around noon ... :)

Go Dawgs and best of luck to the Grizzlies!

All I want for Christmas is a Bluetooth

I hate to be negative, but this photo is more appealing with inverted colors . . . finally getting my broken bicuspid tooth fixed.

I want to thank everyone who contributed to my "Tooth in Advertising" appeal in the old Carbondaley Dispatch.

Thanks to her, I raised enough money to buy a tube of toothpaste before my visit to the dentist yesterday in Murphysboro, Dr. Michael B. Clay -- a graduate of SIU Dental School.

He has a web site, and I told him I would give him a plug: Great job, Doc. . . . You got me good and numb, and I could watch CNN while you did your thing with the other patients. I will certainly be returning to S.I. Cosmetic Dentistry to have a permanent crown installed in a couple of weeks.

Mexican takeout

Two more Mexican restaurants have opened for business in recent months. . . . One over by Turley Park, and one across the street from Gatsby's.

Haven't tried either, but visited Adelitas yesterday, while waiting for my "Don Davo" burrito (bean, cheese, tomato, cilantro, onion) to be cooked across the street at Don Taco. . . . And I meet Maria who cooks at Adelitas. The menu looks authentic. I told her I would post it on the web in a few days. If this link is active, then the menu's up.

The restaurant near Turley has been "opening soon" for ages. . . . but I hear it finally did, so I will check that one out, next time I'm on a stroll on the West Side of town.

If you eat at Don Taco, be sure to try the "Horchata" or "Jamaica" beverages. Both are non-carbonated, and both delicious. Horchata is sweet rice drink, while Jamaica (pronounced "Ha-Mika") is obtained from the Hibiscus sabdariffa flower. (LaBamba serves horchata, too. In my opinion, if a restaurant doesn't serve Horchata, it isn't truly Mexican.)

So, what's your favorite Mexican restaurant, Bloggee? (Not counting Tres Hombres, which is in a class by itself).

What about the Varsity?

I ran into Bob Streit (the "Lawrence Olivier of Southern Illinois") at a First Friday event last month -- the guy who used to head up the "SAVE" organization, devoted to saving the Varsity, (a Hugh Muldoon production), and while he's gone on to fix up property in other places -- most notably a yoga studio on Graham Street -- the Varsity building is steadily deteriorating. Another winter will make it worse.

Mayor Cole has tried to find a buyer, without success. Seems like no one is interested the "venerable venue" (quoting myself here). ;-) It can't be used as a first-run theater (by terms of the sale agreement with Kerasotes Theaters, which is too cheap to put a marquee of movies showing at the new "Showplace Theaters" behind the mall.)

So what can be done about the Varsity? Any suggestions? Can this blog spark some renewed activity? "V is for Varsity" is one of the chapters in my 'blook'-in-progress. Hate to end on a down note. Could saving the Varsity become an "issue" in the upcoming election?

Any (realistic) suggestions? I think the sale price was half a million dollars.

Went to the Southern Glass Works sale yesterday

Nice stuff, but smaller then previous years. I'm guessing they put a lot of effort into making pumpkins for their earlier sale. Best Christmas ornaments going though, if you want something original.

Tonight they are running the glass sale again (808 S. Forest, first house South of Mill on Forest) and the pottery sale is in the breezeway of Wham too. The big craft sale is coming up at the Student Center, but it looks like we are going to be having some cold weather by them.

Cole brings Dick's to 'Dale

Large Sporting Goods franchise moving into old K-Mart building (photo?). It'll be in The Southern tomorrow, but you heard it here first (unless you heard it somewhere else), courtesy of a press release sent out from the Mayor's office to all the media. (Yes, Bloggy. This is media.)

The new business sounds like a good fit for Carbondale. To my knowledge there isn't another sporting goods place in town. Maybe in the mall, but the mall doesn't count. ;-)

Dick's Sporting Goods, the leading online sporting goods retailer.

Fred's is dead

Reported in The Southern Illinoisan: Fred's Dance Barn closing, Dec. 9: Owner Barrett Rochman said "negative media attention following a highly publicized shooting near Fred's Dance Barn property in January was a major factor in a steep attendance decline that ultimately led to the decision to close," reports Ashley Wiehle.

As many know, Barrett is a prominent figure in the Carbondale community. Some might say "legendary." Back in the 60's he was known as "Mr Sandwich." He was reported to be the "Mr. X" who was going to save the Varsity Theater a few years ago. He's also a major benefactor of amateur softball. But his biggest contribution to the region is probably the Blue Sky Vineyard, the crowning jewel in the string of fine Southern Illinois wineries.

My guess is that if Barrett didn't have his hands full with this venture, he might have found a way to capitalize of the shooting in Fred's parking lot. . . . 300 yards from the building, he points out. Er rather, to minimize the damage through positive PR, and not lose any business.

But Fred's is not dead yet, not for two more weeks. Until then, the club will be open every night, and "there will be special events and giveaways," Rochman said.

Dosey dough, Bloggee.

Halloween? What 'Strip'?

Reports Jason Lee in The Southern Ilinoisan: Illinois Ave. Bars forced to close over Halloween: "Carbondale should continue forcing bars on 'the Strip' to close during Halloween because it's 'in the interest of public safety' to prevent street parties during the holiday, a report by City Staff suggests."

Strip? What "Strip"? That was decimated years ago. And finished off with the intersection from hell at "Mi'llinois Aves."

The original Halloween party was (i think) 1977, after a Bob Dylan concert. I was there. Spontaneous, peaceful and fun. Not a bunch of itinerant, vandalizing drunks. It did get pretty destructive though, and the City was wise to curb it when they did. Now, however, things have changed. I think the city could safely open the street again. It might be interesting to read the audio recording of the City Council discussion. The City has done a good job of making these available. For instance, you can download and listen to the Council discussion of the Clean Air ordinance and the Report and Recommendations on "Holloween." I wonder if Doherty reads all 27 pages. I'll let you know.

The good annual art sales are coming up.

On November 28th, the student glass and pottery students will do holding their annual art sale. Generally, the quality if very high and prices are low.

I don't have a postcard for the pottery, but I think the sale is in the Wham Hall breezeway and starts at 5 pm or 6 pm (I'll come and fix this later) on the 29th.

The Southern Glass Works sale is on Nov. 28th and 29th, 5:00 to 9:00 pm. Location is 808 S. Forest Ave.

The Student Center Craft Sale is on the 30th, 1st and 2nd. There is a picture of the poster here.

See you there.

Cull de Sack

One for the journalists: Is there Life after Carbondale for former Southern Illinoisan Carbondale-beat reporter Nicole Sack, who recently moved West? Writing for The Californian/North County Times, her recent by-lines show she's still got it. Those breezy leads, those shapely, informative paragraphs.:

• A world record 'shoe-in' -- a barefoot woman's shoe collection makes the Guinness Book of World Records. "It has been said that you can never have too many shoes. You can, however, have more shoes than anyone else in the world. . . . "
  
• $150 million business park in the pipeline - "Developments come in all sizes. This one could be called super-sized. . . "
• Two named to city management: "It will be musical chairs in the Temecula City manager's office during the coming weeks . . . ."

Her replacement on the Carbondale beat, Jason Lee (not that Jason Lee), is more straightforward in his leads. No cutesy stuff, but he gets his facts straight.

Scouting for Food: "Food pantries in Southern Illinois will be well stocked for the winter thanks to the efforts of thousands of area scouts during Saturday's Scouting for Food drive."

Endorsement Boosts Whitney's Campaign: "Green Party candidate Rich Whitney received his first major newspaper endorsement Tuesday morning in his run for governor, a sign that his third-party campaign has built momentum outside Southern Illinois."

Compare their Veterans Day stories:

Jason's:

"Communities throughout Southern Illinois saluted veterans Saturday for their service and sacrifice to the country.

In Murphysboro, American Legion Post 127 hosted a ceremony to rededicate the city's recently restored Veterans Monument in Riverside Park."

Nicole's:

"Charles Anderson of Murrieta doesn't like to tell the grizzly stories from his service in the Marines during World War II.

He doesn't like the tales of death, the burning hillsides and crushing military force. Anderson, 82, will tell you the thing he remembers most about his three-year tour in the South Pacific from 1943-46 was that he was always wet."

Maybe the question should not be "is there life for Nicole after the Carbondale beat," but rather, "Is there life on the Carbondale beat after Nicole?"

Whassup with the Faculty Union?

I got a tip to go to http://www.thesouthern.com/ and vote on the question of whether it was right to reassign Walter Wendler. I voted and it's 50/50 right now.

It was also requested that I "pass this along," so I went to http://www.siucfa.org and was redirected to http://www.ieanea.org/local/siucfa/.

Does this mean the SIUCFA no longer has the wherewithall to support its own domain? Does it mean it has surrendered editorial control of the site to IEA/NEA?

Altgeld Hall renovation

I’ve been reading about whether SIU should build or improve existing classrooms and facilities. I’m not a financial or business person so I don’t know how much it would cost either way or where the money comes from. I’m relating what I experienced during my student years compared to what I’m experiencing right now in Altgeld Hall.

I was a music ed. student at SIU from fall 1966 until I finished on campus winter quarter of 1970 and spent nearly 5 days a week in Altgeld Hall during most of that period. The place was dismal, cramped, had no storage, sound blasted through the walls of neighboring practice rooms, etc. I sang in Choral Union about 5 or so years ago and sat in what looked like the same folding chairs in the choir room that looked exactly the same as it had in 1970. This semester I’ve been singing in the Choral Union in the newly renovated Altgeld. I recently sang in a choir which recorded a CD with SIU orchestra personnel and faculty in the huge, state of the art recording studio. Every time I walk through the halls and sit in the new acoustically correct choir room I just shake my head in awe. Dr. Bob Weiss, director of the School of Music, gave me a tour of the facility after my recent move to Carbondale. The comparison of the building before and after the renovation is like night and day. I’m sure that in its current state it would tip the scale in favor of SIU for potential music students. Pre-renovation, the building would have been a good reason to go elsewhere.

I found a site about the Altgeld reno that has a video of the dedication ceremony and a video of Dr. Wendler using the renovation to plug his Southern 150 plan at the time. If money can be found for such a huge improvement of ancient Altgeld Hall, can’t it be found to improve many existing campus buildings and classrooms as well? Would it be more cost effective than building new places?

Have to wonder what the SIU students are smoking?

Letter: Thanks for the insight - Letter to the Editor

It is amazing that there are students at SIUC who think it is going the right way. I have to wonder that "move toward excellence" this student is talking about? New football stadium? Little brick wall signs outside of campus? He can't be talking about academic standards can he?

Why doesn't CVS build on one of the 4 TIF corners?

Commission votes 'no' to Arbor District rezoning:

"The Carbondale Planning Commission unanimously decided not to recommend to the City Council the proposed rezoning of 2.44 acres in the Arbor District from a residential to a planned business district at its Wednesday meeting. The rezoning was proposed to accommodate a new CVS/pharmacy on the corner of Oakland and Main streets.

After the meeting, Sandy Litecky, president of the Arbor District Board, said she was very pleased with the commission's ruling.

'We've all worked very hard for this,' Litecky said."

The Arbor District site tells their story.

What's interesting is that Rolf Schilling the real estate agent is also selling the property at Walnut & Washington: The SE corner of the TIF District 'Four Corners'. CVS could locate on one of the corners.

Good, better, best?

After the first mud-rasslin' match that had people asking for their money back (aka, the gubernatorial race), the race for Carbondale strikes me as having one key quality that so many races lack anymore: The candidates are solid, qualified contenders.

Mayor Cole has done a pretty remarkable job running a city. He's made some tough decisions (razing American Tap comes to mind). He's showed he has the capability to listen to community input - anyone sitting through marathon council sessions that ultimately spared the Eurma C. Hayes Child Care Center can attest to that. He's also been progressive in his ideas, including encouraging smoke-free bars by providing a monetary incentive but not making a move to clear the smokers out. He's a Republican even we lefties can appreciate, and he's got what seems to be a pretty solid constituent base eager to see him back in the city hall.

Sheila Simon, on the other hand, has consistently been one of the most thoughtful members of the city council. She makes solid decisions, explains her rationale and is willing to ask city staff and community members for their input when presented with a problem. While Cole has the incumbent status rolling behind him, she's got the last name of a bow-tied legend and has done much to live up to it.

Although she's admittedly a newbie and not one of the race's heavy hitters, Jessica Davis seems to have some solid ideas on how to get things done. Anyone who's willing to tackle a book with a topic as sweeping as violence, war and death in the United States can't be too quick to shy away from a challenge, right?

I'm curious to see if the race turns ugly. With so many qualifications under their respective belts, it's going to be hard for Cole and Simon especially to push themselves much farther up.

Nominating petitions available

On April 17, 2007, the City of Carbondale will hold an election to select a Mayor and three City Council Members for four-year terms. Information and petition forms are now available in the City Clerk’s Office

This election is for the seats presently held by Mayor Brad Cole and City Council Members Sheila Simon, Steven Haynes and Lance Jack. (The City Council seats of Corene McDaniel, Chris Wissmann and Joel Fritzler expire in 2009.)

Signed nominating petitions must be submitted to the City Clerk's Office between December 11 and December 18. If three or more candidates file for the position of Mayor, and/or seven or more candidates file for the three City Council positions, a primary election will be held on Tuesday, February 27, 2007.

The City Clerk's Office is located in Room 165 of City Hall. Phone inquiries may be addressed to City Clerk Janet Vaught at 457-3280 or e-mail inquiries may be sent to jvaught@ci.carbondale.il.us.

Lodge reprieve & Pool reprise

Veteran reporter Linda Rush reports in The Southern Illinoisan: "The Carbondale Park District Board voted unanimously Monday night to dismiss its court petition to sell Hickory Lodge, a property that had been donated to the district years ago by the Martin family and had been the district's office until 2004, when park operations were moved to the LIFE Community Center.

It also heard and saw a presentation indicating public support for an outdoor swimming pool for the community."

Peter the Great has some nasty things to say about this meeting in his newly revived and renamed blog, Gregorian Rants. At least I think they were nasty, 'cause he says he's gonna post the nasty stuff there and "Carbondale news" in this blog. Personally, I don't see a problem with this blog being nasty, as long as its truthful.

Congratulations to Ed VanAwken and the others who worked so hard to save the property from being sold. Some people have come up with ideas, but they aren't really market-driven, but grant-driven (correct me if I'm wrong someone. I plan to contact Kris Schachel and Michael Heck about the situation for a future post to this blog.)

Can anyone in reading distance of this blog come up with a feasible plan for Hickory Lodge? One that wouldn't be a financial drain on taxpayers?

Speaking of which, Peter is absolutely right about the Pool being a waste of time and energy... and money too. The problem is where they want to build it, and the scale. But we'll get into all that later.

See what Peter has to say.

Standing O

Mayor Brad Cole delivered his 4th Annual State of the City Speech yesterday, recounting the City's progress, and his ideas for the future. When he announced his intention to seek re-election most of the people in the room rose from their seats and applauded. The media table remained seated, as did about 20% of the room, including (I imagine) mayoral candidate Sheila Simon, sitting in back.

All the other Council members were present, too, except for Joel Fritzler and Lance Jack, the latter probably working at Harbaugh's which he helps run (arguably the best all-around independently owned breakfast-lunch restaurant in The 'Dale, although Mary Lou's restaurant has its own loyal fans-- especially among the bisquits and gravy crowd).

The crowd pictured here had dined on Great Boars of Fire barbecue with salad and sides, only minutes before the standing O which may have aided their digestion.

Unfortunately the anticipated "Bloggers Convention" failed to materialize. I found only Cindy (winner of the Name that Blog! contest) standing by the door. An avid music lover, and occasional amateur performer, whose MySpace blog recounts her life in retirement, and includes a photo. Shawn (the Beer Philos'pher) was there, too, but we didn't hook up. And Peter and the shadow man could not attend due to circumstances beyond their control.

The mayor spoke for about an hour . . . Besides his big announcement, the audience also applauded his intention to crack down on school truancy, and his statement that "it helps to have Faith on your side" (an allusion to his secretary, Faith Johnson). Also, the Mayor's promise to continue to waive the City's portion of the property tax had people putting their hands together counting their money, after the applause.

One of the things that hasn't been much noticed before, is how much the Mayor promotes art in our community. Each table had placed in the center three colorful artistic tiles, created by local school children. . . . In his speech, Cole told us that thousands of these will decorate the upstairs' hallway in City Hall

Since I've been helping out with the Mayor's web site, I won't say too much in favor of "Hizzoner" -- I'll let his accomplishments speak for themselves -- or rather the accomplishments of many people, including the City Council. But will the Mayor's 2007 Plan pass muster with Mister Peter Gregory? With candidate Ms. Sheila Simon? With Dr. Jessica Davis?

How about you, Bloggee? Will you give Mayor Cole's announcement a "standing O'" or a sitting 'no'?

Guest Column in today's DE - Here is the building message.

Column: Help, the university is crumbling - Columns This is good reading.

Here is the problem with Saluki Way when viewed from the outside. The University's buildings are crumbling and there doesn't appear that SIU's leadership cares. Maybe they know that eventually the state will cough up the money?

It is hard to believe that $100M or $250M is going to magically fall out of the sky for maintenance of SIUC's buildings without any planning, but what do I know?

A little news from my little world. The game is back on.

I missed the Mayor's speech because I was in Nashville, TN having my bad ear looked at, sounds (no pun intended) like I missed a good one. If you didn't already know it, ear infections stink.

The pamphlet Brad handed out is online, need to read it to see where he is going. Sheila should take note, a written plan is very helpful.

I have had many people asking me to continue posting my larger essays somewhere, so I'm going to fire up my old blog and do the big stuff there. I have renamed it to "Gregorian Rants" (thanks to Shawn for the name upgrade and to our host Dave for kicking off a contest). I'm planning on doing Carbondale News over here and the meaner stuff over there. I don't think the other bloggers here want to take the kind of heat that might come down from some of my finer posts? Most of you have jobs right?