CITY BEAT: ‘THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD NEWS HAPPENING AROUND HERE’

 

     Sometimes, after reading, listening to, or watching a day of news coverage about crime and disasters, it seems like only bad things are happening in our community and the world.
     Well, Ryan Baker of Decatur says that’s not true. The headline on this column was expressed to me by Ryan in a recent email: “There is a lot of good news happening around here”.
     I totally agree — and Ryan is a promoter of good news.
     Every year, Ryan organizes an Independence Day/4th of July parade in his neighborhood (Woodridge and Sims – off of Mound Road).

     He has patriotic trinkets (bracelets, sunglasses, necklaces etc.) for the kids, and kids at heart, to give out at the start of the parade much to the enjoyment of all.
     At the end of the parade “Kona Ice and Kona (hired by Ryan) await to hand out good ole snow cones to everyone!” The parade goes through Ryan’s neighborhood of Woodridge and ends in the Sims neighborhood (which is connected to Woodridge on the back side). They are led by a squad car with lights flashing. Sometimes they have an old tractor in the parade. There is always some golf carts – and bikes and strollers, wagons etc., that are decked out in red, white and blue. Those neighbors who don’t walk, watch from their yards on the parade route and wave flags.
     Ryan informed me that a neighbor told him “this is what we enjoy most about the neighborhood, and look forward to every year.”
     Ryan also said: “This year Julie (Kona) told me she handed out 161 snow cones – the parade is well attended!”
     By time time you read this column, Independence Day 2025 will be nearly two weeks ago, but community and neighborhood celebrations of that special day in our nation’s history will live on in the memories of so many.
     Thanks to people like Ryan Baker, there is a lot of “good news happening around here” and so many other places across America.

     • IT REALLY WAS THAT HOT! Gordon Schrishuhn wrote: “Hey Paul. I enjoyed the article about the heat wave in 1954. That summer I was detasseling corn for Bear Hybrid and I remember one day the temperature peaked at 113 degrees. People rarely believe me when I relate that story.
True! True! True!”

     • I USUALLY walk from the newspaper office to the downtown post office to pick up our mail each day. The walk is good exercise and I usually walk through Central Park either going to, or coming from, the post office.
The most dangerous part of the walk is at the intersections where the “Walk” signals, designed to inform pedestrians when it is safe to walk, mean nothing.
     I about got run over by a car on two consecutive days while walking back to the office.
     Both occurred at the intersection of Main and Franklin streets, where one driver decided to ignore the red light and I was crossing Franklin when I had to jump back to avoid getting run over!
     The following day, at the same intersection, I waited for the traffic light to be red on Franklin and started walking across the street when a guy making a left hand turn from Main onto Franklin nearly drove over me, apparently not looking to see if any pedestrians were crossing the street!
     One of the reasons I walk to the post office is for the exercise to stay healthy, but it doesn’t make much difference how healthy you are, if a car runs over you!
     These days, it’s a challenge to drive and walk safely with so many irrresponsible drivers.
     I guess the only option left is to have a helicopter pick me up and lower me in front of the post office!
Maybe I will start carrying my iphone in my hand when I’m walking downtown — and shoot a photo of any car running a red light or almost mowing down a pedestrian!
     Of course, the photos may show the undercarriage of a car passing over me!

     • THANK YOU!! The Decatur Police Department has announced it is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police and more than 200 local law enforcement agencies to step up traffic safety efforts across the state to reduce speeding. Throughout the month of July, motorists can expect increased patrols looking for speeding, as well as other traffic violations.

     “Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in careless and risky driving. No matter how safe of a driver you think you may be, speeding is dangerous,” said Sgt. Steve Hagemeyer. “Speed limits aren’t a suggestion – they are the law.”
Speeding creates unnecessary risks for all motorists, reducing the driver’s ability to steer safely around other vehicles, hazardous objects or unexpected curves.
     During the speed limit enforcement campaign, officers will intensify enforcement of posted speed limits. Offenders will be stopped and ticketed, especially on N. Water St., N. Oakland Ave, and N. 22nd St., where many speed-related crashes occur. The goal is to save lives.
     Drivers can expect a ticket from Decatur Police if they are spotted speeding. Stepped-up patrols will be seen throughout Decatur and the state July 8th-31st.
     The speed enforcement effort is part of the “Speeding Catches Up With You” campaignand is made possible by federal highway safety funds administered by IDOT. It also supports IDOT’s broader “It’s Not a Game” media campaign.

     • YIKES!!! Illinois lawmakers passed 416 bills this time around. If that seems like a lot, there were 7,000 bills proposed during this past legislative session. DOUBLE YIKES!
     Lawmakers also got a $6,000 raise for the outstanding job most are doing in spending more revenue than the state is taking in these days.
     TRIPLE YIKES!!!

     • ONE BILL that didn’t get approved was House Bill 1748 that would have forced lawmakers to follow the Illinois Constitution and would have required any bill introduced to remain in the Illinois House of Representatives or Senate for at least five calendar days before it could be passed out of the chamber. It would require an additional five calendar days after the bill was amended, preventing the practice of gut-and-replace that violates the state constitution’s three-day reading requirement.

     • STRUGGLING — Illinois is struggling with unemployment, with last week’s claims 8.58% higher than the week before and 15.54% higher than last year, according to WalletHub’s updated rankings.
Some local businesses are struggling to find people to work these days.
How do people pay their bills if they have no income?

     • USPS rates went up again this past Sunday. Those of us who depend on the mail to deliver our product (newspapers) got hit really hard. The amount it costs to mail this newspaper each week was already high — and now a lot higher and there is no way to combat it except for many publications to raise prices.
     It makes me wonder if the government is trying to get rid of newspapers with projected postage increases every six months for ten years!
     No wonder newspapers are either going out of business or becoming part of larger newspaper chains!

     • HOLIDAY? Was last Wednes-day a holiday of some kind that I didn’t know about?
I think it was the first weekday (except for holidays) that we didn’t receive any mail at our post office box, across our counter, or at home!
     For a business that receives as much mail as we do, that’s somewhat concerning.
     Of course, there is always a bright side: We also didn’t receive any bills to be paid! (smile)

     • I JOIN Brian Byers on Byers & Co. every Thursday morning at 7:00 for the “City Hall Insider”.

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