"The Green Bay Packers are very pleased that Brett has come to this decision, and look forward to a successful 2006 season," general manager Ted Thompson said in a statement posted on the team's Web site.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Welcome Back # 4.....
"The Green Bay Packers are very pleased that Brett has come to this decision, and look forward to a successful 2006 season," general manager Ted Thompson said in a statement posted on the team's Web site.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
As Gas approches $3.00 a gallon.....
Who do you think is sticking it to us the most ???
National Gas Average
Illinois Highest and Lowest Prices
Quincy Gas Prices
Amazing how Quincy Gas Prices are closer to the Higher End of Illinois Prices ???
Pike Officials Want Pay Hike.....
From the QHW
Some Pike County elected officials are looking for a raise to bring their salaries in line with counties of similiar size. The officials surveyed 36 counties of similar size, but no formal recommendation has been made.
If teachers do this, it's robbing the taxpayers. If elected officials do it, it called salery adjustment.
Here a hint: Doesn't matter WHAT you call it or WHO does it, it the taxpayers who pay it EVERY TIME.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Quincy Schools....
By Holly Wagner
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
The Quincy School District has compiled a Community Accountability Report Card that will be mailed to 22,000 homes next week.
The Report Card includes information about the district and a survey asking for opinions about the quality of education the district provides and whether people would like to see changes.
One question asks if people are satisfied with the current configuration of educational centers, or if they would rather return fourth- or fifth-graders to neighborhood schools. It also asks if residents would support a tax referendum for "specific projects, improvements and/or reorganization."
"It's important to us to be able to convey things to the community in any way they are willing to receive it," School Board President Tom Dickerson said. "It seems the only time we communicate is when something is on the ballot.
"We're not asking for money," he said. "We're passing along information of value. We're doing what we can to communicate."
The Report Card details:
* The district's schools and programs and how many students are enrolled in each
* The number and positions of staff and administrators
* Demographics
* How the district stands on annual yearly progress under No Child Left Behind
* A summary of school improvement goals
* Finances — how much revenue comes from local, state and federal sources, and how it's spent. A graphic shows how the district's per pupil spending compares with the state average. Another details the district's financial bottom line for the past five years and five years into the future.
"It's really about what we look like right now," Superintendent Tom Leahy said.
The survey will tell the board "the community's preferences of how they think we should look," he said. "Then it's up to us to come up with a plan."
District administrators want to know if the community prefers the neighborhood school concept and would be willing to pay for it. The survey asks respondents to rank three options or suggest an alternative:
* Nine K-5 centers with grades 6-8 at the junior high and 9-12 at the high school
* Eight K-4 centers, and schools serving grades 5-6, grades 7-8 and grades 9-12, or
* The current configuration
"We really want a true picture of what the community wants us to look like," Leahy said.
Completed surveys are to be returned by April 28. The survey results will be reported at a School Board meeting and discussed at a board retreat in May.
The Report Card is the culmination of several months' work.
"I want to thank the Board of Education for allowing us to do this," Leahy said. "I truly believe they are looking to represent the community well ... by allowing for this to happen."
District staff involved in the project included Christie Dickens, Patricia Sullivan-Viniard, John Tignor, Rich Royalty, Jodie Cooper, Chris McLaughlin, Jackie Schlipmann, Phyllis Stewart and Jeanne O'Connell.
Printing was donated by The Herald-Whig. Postage costs also were covered by donations, and JK Creative Printers donated services to prepare the piece for mailing.
———
Where to go
* Hy-Vee
* K mart
* Wal-Mart
* County Market
* Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center
* Quincy Public Library
Surveys also may be mailed to the School Board office, 1444 Maine, or returned to any of the district's educational sites.
To obtain a copy of the Accountability Report Card and survey, or for more information, call the School Board office at 223-8700.
Comments Now accepted.....
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
The Quincy School District has compiled a Community Accountability Report Card that will be mailed to 22,000 homes next week.
The Report Card includes information about the district and a survey asking for opinions about the quality of education the district provides and whether people would like to see changes.
One question asks if people are satisfied with the current configuration of educational centers, or if they would rather return fourth- or fifth-graders to neighborhood schools. It also asks if residents would support a tax referendum for "specific projects, improvements and/or reorganization."
"It's important to us to be able to convey things to the community in any way they are willing to receive it," School Board President Tom Dickerson said. "It seems the only time we communicate is when something is on the ballot.
"We're not asking for money," he said. "We're passing along information of value. We're doing what we can to communicate."
The Report Card details:
* The district's schools and programs and how many students are enrolled in each
* The number and positions of staff and administrators
* Demographics
* How the district stands on annual yearly progress under No Child Left Behind
* A summary of school improvement goals
* Finances — how much revenue comes from local, state and federal sources, and how it's spent. A graphic shows how the district's per pupil spending compares with the state average. Another details the district's financial bottom line for the past five years and five years into the future.
"It's really about what we look like right now," Superintendent Tom Leahy said.
The survey will tell the board "the community's preferences of how they think we should look," he said. "Then it's up to us to come up with a plan."
District administrators want to know if the community prefers the neighborhood school concept and would be willing to pay for it. The survey asks respondents to rank three options or suggest an alternative:
* Nine K-5 centers with grades 6-8 at the junior high and 9-12 at the high school
* Eight K-4 centers, and schools serving grades 5-6, grades 7-8 and grades 9-12, or
* The current configuration
"We really want a true picture of what the community wants us to look like," Leahy said.
Completed surveys are to be returned by April 28. The survey results will be reported at a School Board meeting and discussed at a board retreat in May.
The Report Card is the culmination of several months' work.
"I want to thank the Board of Education for allowing us to do this," Leahy said. "I truly believe they are looking to represent the community well ... by allowing for this to happen."
District staff involved in the project included Christie Dickens, Patricia Sullivan-Viniard, John Tignor, Rich Royalty, Jodie Cooper, Chris McLaughlin, Jackie Schlipmann, Phyllis Stewart and Jeanne O'Connell.
Printing was donated by The Herald-Whig. Postage costs also were covered by donations, and JK Creative Printers donated services to prepare the piece for mailing.
———
Where to go
* Hy-Vee
* K mart
* Wal-Mart
* County Market
* Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center
* Quincy Public Library
Surveys also may be mailed to the School Board office, 1444 Maine, or returned to any of the district's educational sites.
To obtain a copy of the Accountability Report Card and survey, or for more information, call the School Board office at 223-8700.
Comments Now accepted.....
Guns
By Marcus Kabel
AP Business Writer
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has decided to stop selling guns in about a third of its U.S. stores in what it calls a marketing decision based on lack of demand in some places, a company spokeswoman said Friday.
The world's largest retailer decided last month to remove firearms from about 1,000 stores in favor of stocking other sporting goods, in line with a "Store of the Community" strategy for boosting sales by paying closer attention to local differences in demand.
"This decision is based on diminished customer relevancy and demand in these markets," said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jolanda Stewart.
Don Lipsey, manager of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Quincy, declined to comment Friday. He said he might have more information next week.
A spokesman for the Wal-Mart SuperCenter in Hannibal, Mo., referred all questions to the company's corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark.
A spokesman for Wal-Mart in Bentonville told The Herald-Whig neither the Quincy nor Hannibal store would be affected, although a complete nationwide list of the stores to have guns removed would not be completed until sometime in the next few months.
Thank You Wal Mart, Now the QPD won't have to re-submit the bids
Thursday, April 13, 2006
9-1-1 again asking for $$$$....
Steve Rowlands, director of the Quincy/Adams County 911, said the new "enhanced" 911 system is expected to boost operating costs by about 20 percent because of greater technology demands.
New Gun Too ????
The Police Department plans to replace at least six vehicles this year. Police Chief Rob Copley said the department also needs to replace all of its handguns, which are 11 years old. "They're literally falling apart," he said. Replacing half the guns this year will cost $22,820. The remainder will be replaced next year.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Quincy Police Cars
By Sara Anderson
Posted: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 4:56 PM
QUINCY, IL -- Many of the cars have more than 100-thousand miles on them and Quincy's Police Chief says it's time for a change.
Chief Rob Copely says this year's city council budget includes enough money for the department to purchase new cars.
He says once all the cars are replaced, the department has a plan in mind to make sure they stay up to date.
"Once we get our fleet into good shape then we would rotate new cars in every budget year a few at a time. That way we can keep our fleet rotated because right now with all our old cars and the shape that they're in it is costing us a lot of money."
The new cars will have a different look.
The department decided to return to the traditional black and white cars.
It plans to reveal the new cars and their new look within the next couple of weeks.
Change of Tune....
This Week:
Copley argued that higher fines are warranted for all parking and vehicle equipment violations because those fines have not been increased for more than 20 years and are not providing much of a deterrent.
"It's the deterrence that I'm looking for," Copley said.
Last Week:
Police Chief Rob Copley said the increase in parking fines is needed to offset the cost of enforcing parking regulations in the downtown area. The Police Department has a full-time parking enforcement officer who writes tickets for timed parking violations in the downtown business district, but the revenue from $5 tickets is not enough to offset the cost of having an officer and paying for fuel and other expenses.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Reis'es gone to Pieces ???
By Edward Husar
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Parking violators, beware.
Aldermen are considering a proposal to double the fine for violating the "timed parking" regulations in Quincy's downtown area to $10 from the current $5 per ticket.
In fact, just about all of the city's "notice of violation" fees for vehicular tickets issued by police would rise by $5 under the proposal endorsed Monday by the council's Police Aldermanic Committee. The increases would include equipment violations for such things as turning signals, horns, mufflers, lights, tires along with various other parking-related violations.
Alderman Richard Reis, D-7, chairman of the Police Aldermanic Committee, said the fee increases are being considered as a way to keep pace with other Illinois cities that charge more for such violations.
So if crime goes up in other Illinois cities should our too ?? Didn't know Quincy Police Department had a "price match guarantee"
Police Chief Rob Copley said the increase in parking fines is needed to offset the cost of enforcing parking regulations in the downtown area. The Police Department has a full-time parking enforcement officer who writes tickets for timed parking violations in the downtown business district, but the revenue from $5 tickets is not enough to offset the cost of having an officer and paying for fuel and other expenses.
Let me see...so this means the parking enforcement officer must write his salery in tickets ...right ???
Copley said the city is "losing money right and left" under the current arrangement. He said raising the ticket fees to $10 would enable the parking enforcement program to break even financially.
Note to taxpayers: Police Department must make a profit !
According to Copley, the downtown parking enforcement program generated 3,418 tickets in 2005. At $5 per ticket, that amounts to $17,090 in revenue. In addition, police officers in 2005 issued another 190 "notice of violation" tickets, which are a mixture of parking and equipment violations. Some of those fees are now $5, while others are $10 or more.
The Police Aldermanic Committee wants to review language in the proposed ordinance before it presents the matter to the City Council for its consideration later this month. Copley said if the council approves the ordinance, the fee increases would probably take effect sometime around June.
Reis said the committee also has endorsed a proposal to increase fees charged to local businesses for false alarm calls that trigger a response from the Police Department. Businesses now are charged $15 for such a call, and some businesses trigger multiple false alarms each year.
Guess the Fire Department is not breaking even either....
Under the revised fee schedule, Reis said businesses would be charged $30 for each false alarm up to the first five calls. The fee would then jump to $60 each for six or more calls.
Hell, why not charge homeowners too. Something like $100 for a one bedroom fire and $50 for each bedroom after that. Kitchen fire with grease would be $250. Damn, you could also put a meter on the firetrucks and charge them for water too !!
Sunday, April 02, 2006
No News Is Good News ???.....
Need to travel over to the Quincy Dump and read the article of "Judgement Day" how our news media operates in Quincy. Link is in title or to the right on links.
Good Job here !!!
(Maybe someday We can have a link back ?? )
From the "ain't that a surprise" file.........
By David Adam
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Final ticket sales were unavailable at press time, but most of the ringside seats and tables were filled. Jeff Jansen, executive director of the Oakley-Lindsay Center, said a second show will likely be scheduled for early June.
"I'm very happy. The first time for us to have this is kind of cool," said Jansen, who was helping pour beers for the long lines of people during intermissions. "We'll try anything once."
Signs you live in the Midwest...........
Your Sunday morning paper has a lead story on a Hog Farm.....
feel free to add your own signs....
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