Area News
CITY BEAT: DECATUR AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS HAVE MUCH FOR WHICH TO GIVE THANKS
The “State of the City” speech that I gave during the years I served as mayor was one of my favorites because it gave me an opportunity to point out the positives in Decatur including the projects planned and completed. The speech was delivered annually at the Chamber’s Business Expo at the Decatur Civic…
Read MoreCITY BEAT: FEAR OF BEING SHOT ON CITY STREETS HAS GONE MAINSTREAM
Although being infected with COVID-19 remains a concern on the part of many area residents, I’m hearing more talk about a fear of being a victim of gun violence on Decatur’s streets. There was a time in the not too distant past when gun violence was confined to a few areas of town in…
Read MoreCITY BEAT: VETERANS DAY IS ABOUT HONORING ALL OUR NATION’S VETERANS
I cringe a little when I sometimes hear or read comments about Veterans Day existing for those who have been killed in the service of our nation. Those heroes should always be remembered, but that’s the focus of Memorial Day. Veterans Day honors all of our veterans. It is a United States legal holiday…
Read MoreEDITOR’S VIEWPOINT: MOVE TO NEW WSOY STUDIO GENERATES MEMORIES OF BUILDINGS AND PEOPLE
WHEN I started appearing with Brian Byers on WSOY’s Byers & Co. at 7:00 every Thursday morning nearly 20 years ago, the studio was located on East Pershing Road where it had been for many years. There were no windows in the studio but that’s the way radio studios were constructed many years ago.…
Read MoreCITY BEAT: PEOPLE. PLACES AND INTERESTING SPACES IN DECATUR
• I MADE my last visit to the Farmers’ Market in Central Park on Saturday. That was the final day of its season of selling vegetables and other items and it seems to me that it has been a successful season as I’ve always seen customers at the various stands anytime that I was…
Read MoreCITY BEAT: REMEMBER WHEN OUTHOUSES WERE TARGETS ON HALLOWEEN?
It doesn’t seem possible that Halloween is coming up on Sunday (Oct. 31). Halloween has a long, and somewhat destructive, history in Decatur and Central Illinois. Tom Emery writes about some prank-filled Hallo-weens from many years ago on page 5 of this week’s print and online editions of the Decatur Tribune. I remember, when…
Read MoreCITY BEAT: ‘INFORMAL ATMOSPHERE’ OFTEN LEADS TO BETTER DISCUSSIONS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL, STAFF
Recently, the Decatur City Council met in open session in the conference room of the Decatur Club, primarily to discuss some goals. I had a few people complain to me that the city council members should not be meeting away from the city council chambers because it made them look “suspicious” and “sneaky”. It…
Read MoreCITY BEAT: RESULTS OF THIS YEAR’S WSOY COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE HARD TO COMPREHEND
It’s been almost a week since it happened but many of us are still trying to wrap our minds around the result of the 20th annual WSOY Community Food Drive. It was held last Friday and collected money for over 8 million pounds of food, blowing by last year’s total of 2.2 million pounds!…
Read MoreCITY BEAT: 20TH ANNUAL WSOY COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE IS FRIDAY
The 20th Annual WSOY Community Food Drive will be held Friday (Oct. 8) and will continue to collect monetary donations only in response to growing need and COVID-19. This is one of my favorite events of the year and I have been to each one of them over the years before, during and after…
Read MoreCITY BEAT: BRIAN BYERS HAS BEEN ON WSOY EACH WEEKDAY MORNING FOR 25 YEARS
IT DOESN’T seem possible that Brian Byers of WSOY’s Byers & Co. has been on the air for 25 years! That’s really quite an accomplishment, considering that he is live on the air three hours a day, 5 days a week, and he does a great job of holding the interest of listeners. It…
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