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.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Crane Falls into the Riverside Drive Parking Deck
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
Ravenheart's Window to the World - 5/16/2012
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| 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.
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| The barricade approach into the parking area from the south. |
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| 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/ :
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/ )
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.
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.
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| Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda |
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| Flags lowered to half staff |
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| Elgin Mayor David Kaptain |
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| The wreath ready to be laid |
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| The laying of the wreath at the foot of the flagpoles |
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| Twenty-one gun salute |
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| The end of the ceremony |
(source: http://www.policeweek.org/ )
| Ackerman | Daniel | CA | 07/30/11 | Buena Park Police Department |
| Adams | Thomas | CA | 02/15/11 | California Highway Patrol |
| Aigner | Kevin | TX | 09/10/11 | Travis County Constable's Office - Precinct 2 |
| Alexander | Jeffery | NY | 0612/11 | Chemung County Sheriff's Department |
| Armour | Charles | MI | 06/11/11 | Detroit Police Department |
| Armstrong | Nick | SD | 08/06/11 | Rapid City Police Department |
| Baitinger | Tom | FL | 01/24/11 | St. Petersburg Police Department |
| Bastock | Jonathon | OH | 02/05/11 | Stow Police Department |
| Bellar | Keith | TN | 06/07/11 | Dickson County Sheriff's Department |
| Biendl | Jayme | WA | 01/29/11 | Washington State Department of Corrections |
| Birkholz | Craig | WI | 03/20/11 | Fond du Lac Police Department |
| Bishop | Tiffany | GA | 08/31/11 | Georgia Department of Corrections |
| Boehm | Michael | Fed | 12/16/11 | U.S. Dept. of the Interior - U.S. Park Police |
| Bowen | Adam | VA | 06/24/11 | Virginia State Police |
| Braden | Ralph | TN | 05/02/11 | Wartburg Police Department |
| Breitkopf | Geoffrey | NY | 03/12/11 | Nassau County Police Department |
| Briggs | Timothy | Fed | 05/31/11 | U.S. Dept. of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation |
| Britton | Robert | TX | 03/28/11 | Smith County Sheriff's Office |
| Brown | Stephanie | TX | 03/15/11 | San Antonio Police Department |
| Burns | Evans | MO | 08/16/11 | Caruthersville Police Department |
| Califano | Michael | NY | 02/05/11 | Nassau County Police Department |
| Cammon | Willie | GA | 03/03/11 | Heard County Sheriffs Office |
| Capano | John | Fed | 12/31/11 | U.S. Dept. of Justice - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives |
| Capoot | James | CA | 11/17/11 | Vallejo Police Department |
| Castillo | Roger | FL | 01/20/11 | Miami-Dade Police Department |
| Chapin | James | TN | 04/02/11 | Chattanooga Police Department |
| Christian III | Elmer (Buddy) | GA | 03/22/11 | Athens-Clarke County Police Department |
| Clark | Daniel | CA | 11/03/11 | San Bernardino Police Department |
| Clark | Hector | Fed | 05/12/11 | U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection |
| Collins | Debra | MO | 03/04/11 | Missouri Department of Corrections |
| Colonroche | Elieser | NC | 07/05/11 | Sanford Police Department |
| Cooper | Christopher | Fed | 04/07/11 | U.S. Dept. of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons |
| Crawford | David | FL | 02/21/11 | St. Petersburg Police Department |
| Crispin | Arnulfo | FL | 12/21/11 | Lakeland Police Department |
| Crouse | Deriek | VA | 12/08/11 | Virginia Tech Police Department |
| Curley | Darrell | Fed | 06/26/11 | Navajo Division of Public Safety Tribal Police |
| Daly | Richard | GA | 07/20/11 | Clayton County Sheriff's Office |
| Dawson III | David | NC | 08/01/11 | Greene County Sheriff's Office |
| Dobson | Kevin | NY | 03/26/11 | New York State Police |
| Dryer | John | PA | 12/19/11 | East Washington Borough Police Department |
| Dulle | Brian | OH | 05/10/11 | Warren County Sheriff's Office |
| Dunn | Andrew | OH | 03/19/11 | Sandusky Police Department |
| Engelhardt | Ellen | MA | 06/01/11 | Massachusetts State Police |
| Enzbrenner | David | KS | 12/09/11 | Atchison Police Department |
| Falcone | John | NY | 02/18/11 | Poughkeepsie City Police Department |
| Figoski | Peter | NY | 12/12/11 | New York City Police Department |
| Fontes | Eric | HI | 09/13/11 | Honolulu Police Department |
| Garton | Andrew | CA | 05/26/11 | Hawthorne Police Department |
| George | Russell | LA | 06/26/11 | Ball Police Department |
| Gibson | JerME | CA | 03/19/11 | Cathedral City Police Department |
| Giniewicz | Anthony | CA | 12/07/11 | Signal Hill Police Department |
| Gomez-Crespo | Luis | PR | 07/15/11 | Puerto Rico Police Department |
| Gordon | Daryl | ME | 03/25/11 | Maine Department of Inland Fisheries And Wildlife - Warden Service |
| Gross | Bryan | WY | 07/28/11 | Converse County Sheriff's Office |
| Guthrie Jr | Frederick | MO | 08/01/11 | Missouri State Highway Patrol |
| Haddock | John | MS | 10/07/11 | Grenada Police Department |
| Hall | Daryl | MO | 04/24/11 | St. Louis Police Department |
| Haworth | Amanda | FL | 01/20/11 | Miami-Dade Police Department |
| Hayes | Tom | OH | 01/20/11 | Columbus Division of Police |
| Hebert | Bryan | TX | 07/08/11 | Beaumont Police Department |
| Henwood | Jeremy | CA | 08/07/11 | San Diego Police Department |
| Herron | Buddy | OR | 11/29/11 | Oregon Department of Corrections |
| Hicks Sr | Jerry | MO | 12/04/11 | Leadwood Police Department |
| Hopper | Suzanne | OH | 01/01/11 | Clark County Sheriff's Office |
| Hotsinpiller | Derek | Fed | 02/16/11 | U.S. Dept. of Justice - U.S. Marshals Service |
| Hunter | Shaft | MD | 05/21/11 | MD State Police |
| Johnson | Ronald | SD | 04/12/11 | SD Department of Corrections |
| Jones | Bradley | AZ | 10/29/11 | Glendale Police Department |
| Jones | Sherri | TX | 04/18/11 | Bowie County Sheriff's Department |
| Justus | Cameron | VA | 03/13/11 | Buchanan County Sheriff's Office |
| Kendall | John | LA | 08/09/11 | LA Department of Public Safety Police |
| Kenner | Steven | ND | 07/08/11 | Bismarck Police Department |
| Kilcullen | John | OR | 04/22/11 | Eugene Police Department |
| Knapp | Daniel | Fed | 12/29/11 | United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigations |
| Kotecki | Derek | PA | 10/12/11 | Lower Burrell Police Department |
| Lasso | Robert | PA | 08/11/11 | Freemansburg Borough Police Department |
| Lewis | Clifton | IL | 12/29/11 | Chicago Police Department |
| Lewis III | Warren | NC | 06/09/11 | Nash County Sheriff's Office |
| Long | Brent | IN | 07/11/11 | Terre Haute Police Department |
| Lowry | Timothy | OK | 09/30/11 | Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office |
| Malloy | Gregory | FL | 02/02/11 | FL Department of Corrections |
| Marceau | Kevin | TX | 01/14/11 | Dallas Police Department |
| Matlosz | Christopher | NJ | 01/14/11 | Lakewood Police Department |
| McCandless | James | SD | 08/02/11 | Rapid City Police Department |
| McDonough | John | FL | 02/16/11 | Volusia County Beach Patrol |
| Mecklenburg | John | FL | 07/03/11 | Hernando County Sheriff's Office |
| Miller | Matthew | FL | 12/26/11 | Seminole County Sheriff's Office |
| Moore | David | IN | 01/26/11 | Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept |
| Morales | Rogerio (Roger) | FL | 01/13/11 | Davie Police Department |
| Nauden | Paul | IL | 05/20/11 | Chicago Police Department |
| Nehasil | Larry | MI | 01/17/11 | Livonia Police Department |
| Nesbitt Jr | Charles (Chuck) | SC | 01/21/11 | Sumter Police Department |
| Newman | Donald | AL | 03/05/11 | Jemison Police Department |
| Nickel | Chris | Fed | 01/29/11 | U.S. Dept. of the Interior - National Park Service |
| Norsworthy Jr | John | TX | 01/04/11 | Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office |
| Orrell | Craig | TX | 05/12/11 | TX Department of Criminal Justice |
| Pagerly | Kyle | PA | 06/29/11 | Berks County Sheriff's Department |
| Painter | Ralph | OR | 01/05/11 | Rainer Police Department |
| Paugh | James | GA | 10/23/11 | Richmond County Sheriff's Office |
| Perry | John | Fed | 03/08/11 | U.S. Dept. of Justice - U.S. Marshal Service |
| Phillips | Trevor | AL | 05/21/11 | Tuscaloosa Police Department |
| Pollitz | Michael | MN | 11/30/11 | St. Louis Park Police Department |
| Pomales | Casimiro | NY | 01/28/11 | NY State Department of Correctional Services |
| Pyette | Patrick | MT | 12/14/11 | Blaine County Sheriff's Office |
| Rambo | Tina | NJ | 08/01/11 | Ocean County Prosecutor's Office |
| Rhyne | Richard | NC | 12/08/11 | Moore County Sheriff's Office |
| Rice Jr | Roger | SC | 07/14/11 | Laurens County Sheriff's Office |
| Richardson | Edward | SC | 12/21/11 | Aiken Department of Public Safety |
| Roberts | David | CO | 05/29/11 | Denver Police Department |
| Roberts | Michael | OK | 09/30/11 | Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office |
| RodrÃguez-Maldonado | Mariano | PR | 11/21/11 | Puerto Rico Police Department |
| Rojas Jr | Eduardo | Fed | 05/12/11 | U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection |
| Rosenthal | Adam | FL | 02/17/11 | Delray Beach Police Department |
| Rottler | Charlene | CA | 01/3/10 | Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office |
| Sandoval | Kevin | CA | 06/14/11 | South Pasadena Police Department |
| Schaberger | Alain | NY | 03/13/11 | NY City Police Department |
| Schmidt | Jonathan | AR | 04/12/11 | Trumann Police Department |
| Schneider | Shawn | MN | 12/30/11 | Lake City Police Department |
| Scianna | Mark | TX | 08/27/11 | Bexar County Constable's Office |
| Settle | Jeffrey | NC | 08/04/11 | NC Department of Correction Division of Community Corrections |
| Sheridan | Jay | CO | 03/09/11 | Limon Police Department |
| Sleeper | Bryan | ND | 09/28/11 | Burleigh County Sheriff's Department |
| Slot | Trevor | MI | 10/13/11 | Walker Police Department |
| Smith | Ronnie | GA | 12/17/11 | Butts County Sheriff's Office |
| Smith | Christopher | Fed | 12/27/07 | U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - U.S. Secret Service |
| Sollohub | Justin | AL | 08/25/11 | Anniston Police Department |
| Stein | Eric | IA | 04/04/11 | Keokuk County Sheriff's Office |
| Stewart | James | GA | 07/03/11 | Spalding County Sheriff's Department |
| Sticklen | James | KY | 03/04/11 | Alexandria Police Department |
| Stiles | Daniel | OH | 02/15/11 | Uniontown Police Department |
| Stiltner | William | VA | 03/13/11 | Buchanan County Sheriff's Office |
| Stringer | Ryan | CA | 07/10/11 | Alhambra Police Department |
| Stuckey | Paul | LA | 09/30/11 | LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries |
| Szczerba | Joseph | DE | 09/16/11 | New Castle County Police Department |
| Taylor | Jefferson | MO | 06/03/11 | Riverside Police Division |
| Taylor | Clifton | TX | 04/23/11 | Johnson County Sheriff's Office |
| Thornton | Fred | NC | 02/25/11 | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department |
| Toney | Mark | IA | 09/2011 | Iowa State Patrol |
| Torbit Jr | William | MD | 01/09/11 | Baltimore City Police Department |
| Torres-Soto | Emiliano | PR | 08/28/11 | Puerto Rico Police Department |
| VanMeter | Charles | TX | 06/26/11 | Brazoria County Sheriff's Office |
| Vann | Kenneth | TX | 05/28/11 | Bexar County Sheriff's Office |
| Vazquez-Tirado | Rolando | AZ | 05/01/11 | Buckeye Police Department |
| Wall | Andrew | TN | 05/07/11 | Tennessee Highway Patrol |
| Wannamaker Jr | Capers | SC | 03/19/11 | Saint Matthews Police Department |
| Wargo Jr | Joseph | NJ | 10/16/11 | Mount Arlington Police Department |
| Warren | Timothy | TN | 07/03/11 | Memphis Police Department |
| Weir | Julie | Fed | 02/24/11 | U.S. Dept. of the Interior - National Park Service |
| Werda | Jeffrey | MI | 04/06/11 | Michigan State Police |
| Whittle | Derrick | GA | 09/18/11 | Union County Sheriff's Office |
| Will | Kevin | TN | 05/29/11 | Houston Police Department |
| Willingham Jr | Russell | NC | 07/30/11 | Winston-Salem Police Department |
| Wilson | Robert | GA | 11/14/11 | Doraville Police Department |
| Wright | Shandon | WA | 03/03/11 | Pierce County Sheriff's Department |
| Wyman | Kurt | NY | 06/07/11 | Oneida County Sheriff's Office |
| Yaslowitz | Jeffery | FL | 01/24/11 | St. Petersburg Police Department |
| Zapata | Eric | MI | 04/16/11 | Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety |
| Zapata | Jaime | Fed | 02/15/11 | U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement |
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