Monday, June 25, 2012

Crane Falls into the Riverside Drive Parking Deck

A crane being used for the demolition of the Riverside Drive Parking Deck apparently fell through the deck this morning. It looked like it was leaning against one of the ramps from the Chicago Street Bridge to the parking lot. Two heavy lift tow trucks were poised to lift it back out.


Overheard: Cop: "When they lift it, do you think the bridge will be okay?" Fireman: "I dunno."


State Rep. Keith Farnham showed up at the scene. No where to be seen was City Manager Sean Stegall.











Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Post Card


Elgin, Illinois

You have to love Elgin, Illinois (60120-60123-60124)

The Tower Building

Anywhere in Downtown Elgin, The Elgin Tower Building is watching you.

Ravenheart's Window to the World - 5/16/2012

Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 10:03 am, approximately 62 sunny degrees.
Straight shot downhill, south down Spring Street

Parking to Promenade

In 1975, a parking deck was built alongside Riverside Drive, jutting out into the Fox River, between Prairie Street and Chicago Street. A joint venture between Spiess Department Store and the City of Elgin, it was intended to improve the parking situation in Downtown Elgin and help the area compete with the burgeoning indoor malls springing up in the area. (Spiess was located where the condominium building currently stands.)


The shelf life of this structure was not very good. The running water, harsh weather, and neglect took its toll on the structure.


By the mid 2000s, portions of the pavement began to cave in to the water below, and for safety reasons, the deck had to be closed.

Riverside Drive was barricaded to southbound traffic in order to maintain a northbound flow along with a handful of parking spaces.




The barricade approach into the parking area from the south.
A once peaceful pocket of river viewing has fallen into disrepair.


A proposal was made to tear down the deck, which had become an eyesore, as part of a long range plan for a riverwalk through most of the city. A plan was drafted, architectural drawings were made, some state funding was secured, and the middle of June 2012 has been set to commence the razing of the old deck and construction of the new promenade.









It looks like it's going to be a great place to be once it's finished. It is schedule to be complete by the end of the year, which some finishing work to be done in 2013.

As construction proceeds, I'll document it.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Peace Officer Memorial Day in Elgin

From http://www.policeweek.org/ :


In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.


Locally, in honor of this memorial, on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, a short ceremony was held in front of the Elgin Police Department.


It is always important to remember, yes, there are some bad cops, just as there are other bad people in all walks of life, but by and large, they are generally there to protect us when we need them the most, and deserve our utmost respect. People tend to forget that sometimes.

Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda





Flags lowered to half staff
Elgin Mayor David Kaptain




The wreath ready to be laid













  
The laying of the wreath at the foot of the flagpoles

Twenty-one gun salute

The end of the ceremony


Flags were lowered to half staff as a wreath was laid. The ceremony included the playing of "Amazing Grace" and "Taps" on bagpipes.




A preliminary list of police officers around the country who gave their lives in 2011:
(source:  http://www.policeweek.org/ )
AckermanDanielCA07/30/11Buena Park Police Department
AdamsThomasCA02/15/11California Highway Patrol
AignerKevinTX09/10/11Travis County Constable's Office - Precinct 2
AlexanderJefferyNY0612/11Chemung County Sheriff's Department
ArmourCharlesMI06/11/11Detroit Police Department
ArmstrongNickSD08/06/11Rapid City Police Department
BaitingerTomFL01/24/11St. Petersburg Police Department
BastockJonathonOH02/05/11Stow Police Department
BellarKeithTN06/07/11Dickson County Sheriff's Department
BiendlJaymeWA01/29/11Washington State Department of Corrections
BirkholzCraigWI03/20/11Fond du Lac Police Department
BishopTiffanyGA08/31/11Georgia Department of Corrections
BoehmMichaelFed12/16/11U.S. Dept. of the Interior - U.S. Park Police
BowenAdamVA06/24/11Virginia State Police
BradenRalphTN05/02/11Wartburg Police Department
BreitkopfGeoffreyNY03/12/11Nassau County Police Department
BriggsTimothyFed05/31/11U.S. Dept. of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation
BrittonRobertTX03/28/11Smith County Sheriff's Office
BrownStephanieTX03/15/11San Antonio Police Department
BurnsEvansMO08/16/11Caruthersville Police Department
CalifanoMichaelNY02/05/11Nassau County Police Department
CammonWillieGA03/03/11Heard County Sheriffs Office
CapanoJohnFed12/31/11U.S. Dept. of Justice - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
CapootJamesCA11/17/11Vallejo Police Department
CastilloRogerFL01/20/11Miami-Dade Police Department
ChapinJamesTN04/02/11Chattanooga Police Department
Christian IIIElmer (Buddy)GA03/22/11Athens-Clarke County Police Department
ClarkDanielCA11/03/11San Bernardino Police Department
ClarkHectorFed05/12/11U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection
CollinsDebraMO03/04/11Missouri Department of Corrections
ColonrocheElieserNC07/05/11Sanford Police Department
CooperChristopherFed04/07/11U.S. Dept. of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons
CrawfordDavidFL02/21/11St. Petersburg Police Department
CrispinArnulfoFL12/21/11Lakeland Police Department
CrouseDeriekVA12/08/11Virginia Tech Police Department
CurleyDarrellFed06/26/11Navajo Division of Public Safety Tribal Police
DalyRichardGA07/20/11Clayton County Sheriff's Office
Dawson IIIDavidNC08/01/11Greene County Sheriff's Office
DobsonKevinNY03/26/11New York State Police
DryerJohnPA12/19/11East Washington Borough Police Department
DulleBrianOH05/10/11Warren County Sheriff's Office
DunnAndrewOH03/19/11Sandusky Police Department
EngelhardtEllenMA06/01/11Massachusetts State Police
EnzbrennerDavidKS12/09/11Atchison Police Department
FalconeJohnNY02/18/11Poughkeepsie City Police Department
FigoskiPeterNY12/12/11New York City Police Department
FontesEricHI09/13/11Honolulu Police Department
GartonAndrewCA05/26/11Hawthorne Police Department
GeorgeRussellLA06/26/11Ball Police Department
GibsonJerMECA03/19/11Cathedral City Police Department
GiniewiczAnthonyCA12/07/11Signal Hill Police Department
Gomez-CrespoLuisPR07/15/11Puerto Rico Police Department
GordonDarylME03/25/11Maine Department of Inland Fisheries And Wildlife - Warden Service
GrossBryanWY07/28/11Converse County Sheriff's Office
Guthrie JrFrederickMO08/01/11Missouri State Highway Patrol
HaddockJohnMS10/07/11Grenada Police Department
HallDarylMO04/24/11St. Louis Police Department
HaworthAmandaFL01/20/11Miami-Dade Police Department
HayesTomOH01/20/11Columbus Division of Police
HebertBryanTX07/08/11Beaumont Police Department
HenwoodJeremyCA08/07/11San Diego Police Department
HerronBuddyOR11/29/11Oregon Department of Corrections
Hicks SrJerryMO12/04/11Leadwood Police Department
HopperSuzanneOH01/01/11Clark County Sheriff's Office
HotsinpillerDerekFed02/16/11U.S. Dept. of Justice - U.S. Marshals Service
HunterShaftMD05/21/11MD State Police
JohnsonRonaldSD04/12/11SD Department of Corrections
JonesBradleyAZ10/29/11Glendale Police Department
JonesSherriTX04/18/11Bowie County Sheriff's Department
JustusCameronVA03/13/11Buchanan County Sheriff's Office
KendallJohnLA08/09/11LA Department of Public Safety Police
KennerStevenND07/08/11Bismarck Police Department
KilcullenJohnOR04/22/11Eugene Police Department
KnappDanielFed12/29/11United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigations
KoteckiDerekPA10/12/11Lower Burrell Police Department
LassoRobertPA08/11/11Freemansburg Borough Police Department
LewisCliftonIL12/29/11Chicago Police Department
Lewis IIIWarrenNC06/09/11Nash County Sheriff's Office
LongBrentIN07/11/11Terre Haute Police Department
LowryTimothyOK09/30/11Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office
MalloyGregoryFL02/02/11FL Department of Corrections
MarceauKevinTX01/14/11Dallas Police Department
MatloszChristopherNJ01/14/11Lakewood Police Department
McCandlessJamesSD08/02/11Rapid City Police Department
McDonoughJohnFL02/16/11Volusia County Beach Patrol
MecklenburgJohnFL07/03/11Hernando County Sheriff's Office
MillerMatthewFL12/26/11Seminole County Sheriff's Office
MooreDavidIN01/26/11Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept
MoralesRogerio (Roger)FL01/13/11Davie Police Department
NaudenPaulIL05/20/11Chicago Police Department
NehasilLarryMI01/17/11Livonia Police Department
Nesbitt JrCharles (Chuck)SC01/21/11Sumter Police Department
NewmanDonaldAL03/05/11Jemison Police Department
NickelChrisFed01/29/11U.S. Dept. of the Interior - National Park Service
Norsworthy JrJohnTX01/04/11Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office
OrrellCraigTX05/12/11TX Department of Criminal Justice
PagerlyKylePA06/29/11Berks County Sheriff's Department
PainterRalphOR01/05/11Rainer Police Department
PaughJamesGA10/23/11Richmond County Sheriff's Office
PerryJohnFed03/08/11U.S. Dept. of Justice - U.S. Marshal Service
PhillipsTrevorAL05/21/11Tuscaloosa Police Department
PollitzMichaelMN11/30/11St. Louis Park Police Department
PomalesCasimiroNY01/28/11NY State Department of Correctional Services
PyettePatrickMT12/14/11Blaine County Sheriff's Office
RamboTinaNJ08/01/11Ocean County Prosecutor's Office
RhyneRichardNC12/08/11Moore County Sheriff's Office
Rice JrRogerSC07/14/11Laurens County Sheriff's Office
RichardsonEdwardSC12/21/11Aiken Department of Public Safety
RobertsDavidCO05/29/11Denver Police Department
RobertsMichaelOK09/30/11Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office
Rodríguez-MaldonadoMarianoPR11/21/11Puerto Rico Police Department
Rojas JrEduardoFed05/12/11U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection
RosenthalAdamFL02/17/11Delray Beach Police Department
RottlerCharleneCA01/3/10Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office
SandovalKevinCA06/14/11South Pasadena Police Department
SchabergerAlainNY03/13/11NY City Police Department
SchmidtJonathanAR04/12/11Trumann Police Department
SchneiderShawnMN12/30/11Lake City Police Department
SciannaMarkTX08/27/11Bexar County Constable's Office
SettleJeffreyNC08/04/11NC Department of Correction
Division of Community Corrections
SheridanJayCO03/09/11Limon Police Department
SleeperBryanND09/28/11Burleigh County Sheriff's Department
SlotTrevorMI10/13/11Walker Police Department
SmithRonnieGA12/17/11Butts County Sheriff's Office
SmithChristopherFed12/27/07U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - U.S. Secret Service
SollohubJustinAL08/25/11Anniston Police Department
SteinEricIA04/04/11Keokuk County Sheriff's Office
StewartJamesGA07/03/11Spalding County Sheriff's Department
SticklenJamesKY03/04/11Alexandria Police Department
StilesDanielOH02/15/11Uniontown Police Department
StiltnerWilliamVA03/13/11Buchanan County Sheriff's Office
StringerRyanCA07/10/11Alhambra Police Department
StuckeyPaulLA09/30/11LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
SzczerbaJosephDE09/16/11New Castle County Police Department
TaylorJeffersonMO06/03/11Riverside Police Division
TaylorCliftonTX04/23/11Johnson County Sheriff's Office
ThorntonFredNC02/25/11Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
ToneyMarkIA09/2011Iowa State Patrol
Torbit JrWilliamMD01/09/11Baltimore City Police Department
Torres-SotoEmilianoPR08/28/11Puerto Rico Police Department
VanMeterCharlesTX06/26/11Brazoria County Sheriff's Office
VannKennethTX05/28/11Bexar County Sheriff's Office
Vazquez-TiradoRolandoAZ05/01/11Buckeye Police Department
WallAndrewTN05/07/11Tennessee Highway Patrol
Wannamaker JrCapersSC03/19/11Saint Matthews Police Department
Wargo JrJosephNJ10/16/11Mount Arlington Police Department
WarrenTimothyTN07/03/11Memphis Police Department
WeirJulieFed02/24/11U.S. Dept. of the Interior - National Park Service
WerdaJeffreyMI04/06/11Michigan State Police
WhittleDerrickGA09/18/11Union County Sheriff's Office
WillKevinTN05/29/11Houston Police Department
Willingham JrRussellNC07/30/11Winston-Salem Police Department
WilsonRobertGA11/14/11Doraville Police Department
WrightShandonWA03/03/11Pierce County Sheriff's Department
WymanKurtNY06/07/11Oneida County Sheriff's Office
YaslowitzJefferyFL01/24/11St. Petersburg Police Department
ZapataEricMI04/16/11Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety
ZapataJaimeFed02/15/11U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement