From Racine County Eye:
By Heather Asiyanbi in Business, Government · September 18, 2015
"After Mayor John Dickert cast the tie-breaking vote rejecting the proposed CVS Pharmacy at Ohio Street and Washington Avenue, several readers contacted Racine County Eye asking why the store was turned away.
"The new store was planned at more than 13,000 square feet. A new CVS
would have replaced its current store a half-mile east at West and
Washington, and that store would close.
"CVS had an option to purchase the buildings housing Racine Cyclery,
American Coin, the vacant building in between and the empty cash store
next door to Racine Cyclery. The store also was going to buy at least
three homes and level it all to make way for the new pharmacy and
parking lot.
"In order to move forward with the project, the Common Council would
have had to approve rezoning the parcels to a commercial designation.
Several alderpersons opposed the change because the area is supposed to
be a buffer zone between the commercial corridor on the west side of the
intersection and the residential neighborhoods of Manree Park and West
Racine to the east.
"After an August 3 vote denying the necessary rezone request, Alderman
Henry Perez introduced a reconsideration measure, but it was defeated
Sept. 1 with the 8-7 vote in which Dickert cast the tie-breaker.
"When Racine County Eye reached out to the mayor to ask why he voted
against CVS at Ohio and Washington, he said it wasn’t to turn away a
business with which the city wants to partner. Instead, it was about
preserving the area as the buffer zone it was designed to be.
"'Look, I know people are disappointed, and I hope this isn’t the end
of our discussions with CVS,' he said. 'But I voted "no" because I think
we could have set ourselves up with a dangerous precedent that would
have worked against us in the future.'
"Dickert pointed to the gradual transition along Washington Avenue
from commercial to residential and how changing the rules for CVS could
open up the 4300 and 4400 hundred blocks to more commercial development
which would irreparably alter the neighborhood.
"Both of those blocks on the south side of the street each include one
business and a handful of homes. The north side of the street is
strictly residential.
"'What happens if we say "yes" to CVS and then other businesses want
to come in and point to what we did there to support their requests to
do the same on those other blocks?' Dickert added. 'The change to the
neighborhood would be irreversible, and then we’d face similar
situations in other areas of the city, and I don’t think, in the end,
that our residents want that.'
"Perez – who represents the district that includes the proposed CVS
site – disagrees with the mayor. He said he doesn’t see a dangerous
precedent and said that was actually discussed early in the process with
CVS, but didn’t see a problem because West Racine transitions into a
solid commercial district betwesn Blaine and West Blvds."
Read more: http://racinecountyeye.com/you-asked-cvs-rejected-to-avoid-dangerous-precedent/
Party on, lying John!
Saturday, September 19, 2015
If's official now, he's stuck with us for life :)
Our little Ms Froggy got hitched, he's officially stuck with us!
Friday, September 18, 2015
Grow up
Wow, what a "cool" statement he's making. I just don't know what the statement is. "I'm an idiot," perhaps?
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Dear Madame Zoltar
Hello, my Wednesday warriors! How are you?
The weather has been magnificent.
Too bad we can’t “lock on” to one day and repeat it over and over again,
weather-wise. Here and there I’ve
spotted commercial signs of Halloween and it’s depressing. How about we get through this month
first? I dislike the feeling that I’m
being pushed along. Mr. OrbsCorbs told
me that a tenant in his apartment building has a full size skeleton hanging
from the front door. That’s just
creepy. Halloween is a month and a half
away. Officially, it’s still
summer. And you know that as soon as
Halloween passes, the Christmas stuff will be out. It’s difficult to stay in the moment when
advertisements by the thousands urge you to think (and spend) ahead.
As I predicted, our glorious and mighty Green Bay Packers
made cubs of the Chicago Bears last Sunday. This Sunday, September 20, they
beat the Seattle Seahawks in a night game at home starting at 7:30 PM.
Injured or not, Green Bay is
a force to be reckoned with. Onward, Christian soldiers!
Amongst the many issues of the day, one sticks out: the
police shootings and shot. Most of the
nation seems to be in an uproar about this, one side or the other. We can’t have our police shooting at everything
that moves, but we must have our police shooting when called for. Although I distinctly denounce the assassination
of police officers, I think more needs to be done to improve community
policing. Everyone needs to holster his/her gun and take a step back. We already fought a Civil War. I don’t want to see another one.
I also wonder about the militarization of the police. More and more, the police look like an
occupying army. Less and less do the
citizens trust them.
When I wonder about such things, I also think of the bid and
vote rigging in City Hall. Although
lawsuit after lawsuit has been filed against the city, the corruption keeps
eating away at the heart of the city.
Our country needs some serious healing. Serious.
We have to cut out the cancer of corruption wherever we find it. When dealing with a dummy, don’t miss the
opportunity to teach him/her some new things.
It will take the best of us in the country to bow down and give aid to
our brothers and sisters. We must stress
the civility and the truths that we share. No one else is going to bend back 20 years and
help walk our neighbors into the 21st Century.
We need healing and we need time to heal, but the
hucksterism has already started for the Presidential Election of 2016. It will only ramp up more. These are troubled
times and I’m not especially fond of living through them. And the fact is that I don’t believe a word
from any of the candidates’ mouths. We
need someone to keep us together rather than driving us apart. If worse comes to worse, I’ll vote for Mr.
OrbsCorbs via his write-in campaign. He
spews foolishness like he is “a member of the absurdist party,” but the fact is
that he would do better than 99% of the scoundrels currently running. He’d actually be concerned about the country
and not the big payoffs from special interest groups.
“President OrbsCorbs” has a nice ring to it. And you, my readers, ring in my heart. I love visits to my blog. Thank you for taking the time out of your day
to read my blog. I love you all.
Who’s Mr. OrbsCorbs running mate? Ask: MadameZarolt@jtirregulars.com
Enjoy the weather while we have it, gang. Kids are back in school, so watch out for
school buses and little legs. Remember
to give thanks for what blessings you have.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Monday, September 14, 2015
"New study asks why birds fall in love"
 | ||
| Zebra finch females are finicky about men — and if they don't get their way, their offspring will suffer. (Maurice van Bruggen via Wikimedia Commons) |
"Humans are constantly trying to figure out what love is all about —
and not just for their own emotional wellbeing. The question of why monogamy exists
(and whether it should be humanity's default) is ongoing. In one new
study, researchers focused on a socially monogamous bird — the zebra
finch — to determine just how important monogamy was for the success of
the species.
"The study, published Monday in PLOS Biology, put male and female zebra finches into a room and let them pair up.
"Now let's pause for a second and point out some similarities between humans and zebra finches. Like many humans, zebra finches pair up socially for life. In other words, they form 'marriages' based on child rearing, and they'll stick to one of those forever.
"[Is cheating more ‘natural’ for humans than staying monogamous? It’s complicated.]
"The study, published Monday in PLOS Biology, put male and female zebra finches into a room and let them pair up.
"Now let's pause for a second and point out some similarities between humans and zebra finches. Like many humans, zebra finches pair up socially for life. In other words, they form 'marriages' based on child rearing, and they'll stick to one of those forever.
"[Is cheating more ‘natural’ for humans than staying monogamous? It’s complicated.]
"But
like humans, that doesn't necessarily mean they're sexually monogamous.
Both male and female zebra finches are known to seek out sex elsewhere,
to varying degrees."
Dirty birdy.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
"Last Known Living 9/11 Rescue Dog Turns 16, Returns To NYC"
From Break:
"Today the nation and the world remember the September 11th terrorist attacks on the 14th anniversary. While we honor the memory of the victims and the first responders who selflessly ran toward danger, one hero also being honored is of the four legged variety.
"A major part of the response in the aftermath of the attacks was the
search and rescue teams looking for survivors in the rubble of the
collapsed World Trade Center twin towers. Rescue dogs were a vital part
of this operation who were able to sniff for human life. A dog named
Bretagne and her owner, Denise Carliss were part of the first wave of
responders having been deployed from Texas as part of a national
disaster group, Texas Task Force 1. Bretagne will soon turn
16-years-old.
"Bretagne and Carliss in September, 2001"
Read more: http://www.break.com/article/last-known-living-911-rescue-dog-turns-16-returns-t-2888114
"Today the nation and the world remember the September 11th terrorist attacks on the 14th anniversary. While we honor the memory of the victims and the first responders who selflessly ran toward danger, one hero also being honored is of the four legged variety.
"Bretagne and Carliss in September, 2001"
Read more: http://www.break.com/article/last-known-living-911-rescue-dog-turns-16-returns-t-2888114