[Update 10/27: Somebody sent me an anonymous note — why anonymous? How odd for something like this — pointing out that some of these streets the mayor mentioned are in fact on the long range plan for property acquisition and suggesting I study the facts before blogging. Well, I did and I stand by my…
Lincoln on Wind
Abraham Lincoln on the possibilities of wind power: Of all the forces of nature, I should think the wind contains the largest amount of motive power—that is, power to move things. Take any given space of the earth’s surface—for instance, Illinois—; and all the power exerted by all the men, and beasts, and running-water, and…
Loss of Milan Krpan
Milan “Mile” Krpan, 76, of DeKalb, IL, died Friday October 9, 2009, at Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb. Milan was born June 21, 1933 in Sv Rok, Lovinac, Croatia, son to Ivan and Marija (Krpan) Krpan; he married Marija (Maria) Sulentic in Salzburg, Austria on December 7, 1958. Just weeks later Milan would leave Vienna,…
Flood-Prone Home Buyout Thread
Acceptance of a “pre-disaster mitigation grant” for buying more flood-prone homes is on the agenda for Monday (.pdf p. 33). Questions: 1) We’re broke, except for TIF. Where do we get the the $289,507.00 for our share? 2) What is the cutoff for number of years of home ownership required for a buyout? In other…
Grayson on the Job
U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) was elected to Congress after spending some years representing whistle blowers in cases involving military contract fraud. I’ve been enjoying YouTube videos of his grilling of Federal Reserve honchos and may nominate him for House Rookie of the Year.
River Pirates in Illinois
My experience with history courses in school was mostly about struggling to cram a bunch of dry facts into an already busy brain and readying them for regurgitation onto the next test. There was very little joy in it. How I learned to love history was by picking up the hobby of genealogy in my…
Castle Bank
One of many divisions of the US Department of the Treasury is the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). OCC is charged with ensuring a banking system that is competitive and sound, and this has been a busy year, especially in Illinois. The OCC website offers an Enforcement Action Search. Feeding in “DeKalb,…
“TIF = crack for politicians”
The above description came from blogger Christopher on the Chicago Tribune Web site on the 10/01/09 article entitled, “Copenhagen countdown: The latest from the IOC meeting.” This link works at least for today. Here is Christopher’s quote in context:
The Redevelopment Commission
TIF oversight in DeKalb is a joke. Recently I asked to see several years’ worth of minutes of Joint Review Board meetings, which apparently are as perfunctory as can be since there is no substance to the minutes, much less evidence of real oversight. How could there be? They only meet once a year. Then…
Your TIF Dollars at Work
Michael “Max” Maxwell sent CB a few snapshots of two of the new outdoor cafes. Thanks, Max!