On Janesville residents feel city is adrift when it comes to snow policies
Posted on December 29 at 7:26 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The city crews do a pretty good job of clearing up after the mess, and county crews would too if their administration would let them (people suffer considerable property damage, injuries and some even die as a direct result of the incompetent county administration policies on snow removal; and emergency services workers are often left to their own devices to get to emergency calls on iced-over or drifted-shut country roads). One real issue in Janesville (Hedricksburg?) is the city policy of issuing warning letters on the first snowfall followed thereafter (time permitting) by $20 parking tickets for parking on the pavement during a snow emergency. Ticket and tow 'em! They won't forget next time, and therefore won't leave the frozen snow/ice mess on the roadway for the rest of us to deal with for weeks after they got plowed in and later cleaned their car off and drove away, likely before the city even had time to drop off a letter/ticket! The other issue is the sidewalks. I was just forced by the city to pay upwards of $4000 for sidewalks that my neighborhood did just fine without for 20 years (and the gangsta fashion wannabes are still walking in the street!). I didn't want the sidewalks, but now that I've got them I am obliged to keep them snow-free, unlike the mopes on both sides of the duplex down the street who have YET this season to make any attempt to clean their walks. Send them a letter? Right! Plow the walks and charge them? When -- spring? The city council needs to get moving on this (it happens every year, duh!) and give city workers some teeth and staffing to enforce the sidewalk snow-removal in this town. If not, lay off on forcing the nefarious "Sidewalks to Nowhere" 50-year (sure seems like it) plan (or lack thereof). The walks should have been put in shortly after the neighborhoods were built, or not at all. If people want sidewalks, there's plenty of neighborhoods that have them (and a bunch more with sidewalks that don't connect to much of anything, thanks to the "plan"!). Regardless, though, if they got 'em, they need to be held responsible for keeping the walks reasonably clean and passable in a timely manner. Why is it so hard for this city's administration to understand a timely issue and act upon it? (That's obviously a rhetorical question!)
On Hendricks remembered for his generosity
Posted on December 29 at 12:05 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Had Mr. Hendricks been drinking on the evening of his death? What was his blood alcohol found to be (I'm sure the hospital tested it)? Did he drink at the bank event prior to coming home? Was Mrs. Hendrick drinking? Did anyone in attendance notice? Which of them drove home that night? If they had been drinking, did anyone offer them a ride? Why would someone go up on an unfinished roof alone and in the dark on a cold winter night? What exactly could be seen from that vantage point that could not be seen from the ground? Aside from the all the treacle being thrown about, there are some very odd things about this event that are getting zero attention. Mr. Hendricks likely did much for the community and the area -- he also continued to push a half-baked proposal for housing inmates at the decrepit Caravilla site, fenced in a personal stock of game at his second little Xanadu, drove up farm land prices in the Afton area, and needlessly ate up a large tract of land west of Janesville with an elitist development, among other things. Citizens deserve the full story of the circumstances surrounding his demise -- the same investigation they would get in any other suspicious or unusual death situation. After all, Hendricks just didn't whisper "Rosebud" while quietly slipping the mortal coil on his deathbed! Where is Angela Lansbury when you need her?
On Hawkins declines interim chief job
Posted on December 29 at 11:36 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Illegal, closed-door council meetings, premature announcements, rejection (sounds like co-dependency to me!). More curious and erratic behavior by the "City" of Milton administration regarding the position of chief of police! Last time they spent $10k of taxpayer money to have an "independent" consultant involved in the selection process, inappropriately announced their selection publicly before the (surprise - another local!) person had accepted (ultimately he declined) the position, then finally hired ... (surprise again!) an under-experienced bookmark from within the department, who recently resigned with far insufficient notice for a professional position in regards to a spat about his annual raise percentage and insurance (why didn't you just hire him in the first place and give him the $10k you paid the consultant? -- at least the money would have stayed in the local economy!). Shame on Milton, which more and more deserves the title of "village" rather than "city" for its obviously insular, under-the-table, small-town deal-making and control tactics. You're fooling no one, and in the process making fools of yourselves and your city. Time to grow up, do a real search for qualified candidates, and hire a REAL candidate (likely from outside) who can run a REAL police department. Don't put in another low-key, local lackey to tow the small-town, who's-who enforcement line!. Given some time (a lot) and proof (a bunch), it's possible that area citizens might just begin to take you seriously (notice that I didn't say "again"?...hmmmm?). Oh yeah, and reference another person's comment...Gazette reporters...dig for a story? Zzzzzzzz...
On City denies claim from car crash
Posted on December 27 at 9:08 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
"$2,500 for Anthony Castiglioni’s loss of companionship"? What's the street price in Janesville nowadays for one session of "companionship"? I don't think that Lil' Lorillee should get any more than reasonable and customary charges!
On Woman's 'winnings' turn out to be bogus
Posted on December 27 at 8:35 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Dear sir,
Private and Confidential. It is with heart of hope that I write to seek your help in the context below. I am Deji Abiola, the first son of the late Mko Abiola, A political philantropist and the alleged winner of the June 12 1993 Presidential election, Who died in custody of the Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar the former military president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I know you will be surprise on how i got your contact, but it was after a careful search in my late father achives that i saw your contact, in which my father identified you as "an idiot". I have no doubt on your good will and limited intellect to assist me in receiving into your custody (For Safety) the sum of Forty Eight Million, Five hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$48.5M) willed and deposited in my favour by my Late father.
Please, all contacts must be made through my Lawyer Barrister MUSTAPH JUBRILL of MUSTAPH & Associates (perhaps you have seen their commercials on NBC -- Nigerian Broadcast Company -- TV?). I look forward to your quick response. May Allah bless your dumb ass!
Regards and Merry Kwanzaa,
Mr.Deji Abiola
On Echoing good cheer this holiday season
Posted on December 26 at 5:12 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Interestingly enough, I don't see a true "hungry" face in the crowd (and most attendees look as though they would have benefited from a lighter fare,or perhaps taking a walk!). Echo is well-meaning charitable community group that unfortunately, in many (i.e. "most") cases and on the whole, persists in perpetuating dependence and entitlement. Bring on the clowns...
On State DOJ disciplines agents, analysts
Posted on December 26 at 5:01 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The existing open records laws provide a lot of fodder for private news services to investigate and report on public organizations actions and employees. With an eye toward improving (and proving) your own organization's credibility, in fairness and in the interest of parity, I challenge the Gazette, Inc to report the complaint/discipline/termination statistics for Gazette and parent company employees over that same 2002-2006 period.
Posted on December 25 at 5:08 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Tim Harrington was ultimately the author of his own fate, period, and he paid the price for his out-of-control actions. While I'm sure that those who knew him well could point to the many good qualities he might have displayed (as we all likely have) over his lifetime, his track of late was obviously a widening gyre that set him on a collision course for personal and family disaster. Unfortunately, the long-term effects of the choices that HE MADE will be felt by all involved, and that is the real tragedy of this event. "The System" cannot, will not, and should not be expected to identify and "fix" every flawed individual, nor will it ultimately save most of us from ourselves. All it can do is provide opportunities for structure, assistance and personal change. It's up to the individual to put forth the effort -- in many cases considerable effort -- and to not lapse into lashing out with pathetic, self-centered and maladaptive "coping" mechanisms. The police regularly use an extreme amount of patience, tolerance, and restraint in dealing with such individuals and circumstances -- more than most of these immature, selfish individuals deserve. My hat is off to all officers during this unnecessarily difficult holiday season, but especially to the officers who were involved in this pointless incident and who were forced to make a difficult and instantaneous decision that very likely resulted in several other lives being spared.
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On Family: Police let down victims
Posted on August 21 at 5:28 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
"Ellingson's not angry at Shaun, she said. He was a wonderful person, and the system let him down." The system? Come on! The poor "wonderful" victim of the system Shaun ("allegedly", of course) harassed, stalked and eventually killed his wife and then himself! (But he's not a bad guy - "he's just drawn bad" - nor did he really have any issues to speak of!)
"The family" might just take some (read "a lot of") responsibility themselves, and not blame everyone else first (I'm betting Shaun blamed others too - wonder where that might have came from?) Face it, his aberrant, destructive behavior didn't spring out of nowhere, and if y'all were so worried about him or the gun or about Jennifer's safety, why didn't you pitch in to help? It's always got to be someone else, or "the system", or "the man", doesn't it? It can't be bad genetics, bad parenting, bad environment, bad choices, or center around any sort of personal responsibility...or can it?
And hey, "SNARLY"...Dude, pick up a dictionary or use the spell check generously provided free-of-charge with this blog function for your insightful comments. Then you "wow'nt sownd liec sutch a reeterd!"...UNLESS, of course, you're really quite intelligent, perhaps even a "subgenius", and you're just trying to appear incredibly stupid as a guise, maybe to put us off your trail. Clever, very clever! I think we're on to you now, Snarles, my man! You won't "foule" us any longer!