Newsies

Have you found yourself looking through many sources for news and thinking to yourself that there are too many hours in the day to continuously go looking through them?

Yes, that's my problem, too. In fact, in creating this blog, I arguably made this problem worse. As I look at the News St. Louis blog, inevitably I find myself looking at the numerous sources for news along the side, going to the Pentagraph (Bloomington IL), local newspapers in the metropolitan area, and several others which are initially RIGHT HERE.

Okay, there are reasons for my having done so, including the fact that if I read my own blog I will feel compelled to actually write something for whomever may be my audience - real or perceived. Lately, I've been keeping myself too distant --- in fact I have come to realize how many stories that I have not been following. Not just missing details of stories, but the story itself in many cases. If there is one thing that I have learned, it's that keeping informed makes me feel better connected to life. So, I will make a few more attempts (I write this as the Super Bowl is on TV...funny aside is that I am not watching it and STILL managed to put a sports metaphor into a sentence without knowing I was about to do so) at finding and writing some stories which may compel someone to do some reading of this site.



Upcoming articles include an interview with someone who was part of the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America, a look at some politically active situation, and music in the region.



If you pray, please pray that I can remember to do my blog some kind of proper justice.

Blagojevich's Words Strike Back

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested this morning at his Chicago home by Federal authorities in connection with an alleged scheme to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Law enforcement took Governor Blagojevich into custody just after 6 a.m. after a telephone call awakening the second successive sitting Illinois governor to be arrested on conspiracy charges. In an afternoon media conference, federal authorities stated that they took the governor away in handcuffs without waking his children, but that his wife, the daughter of Chicago alderman Richard Mell, was aware of the arrest. The governor's top aide, John Harris was also arrested in connection with the allegations that Blagojevich wanted to benefit from his ability to appoint the next Senator. The 76-page brief released showed that the two men engaged in conversations which led to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and solicitation of bribery.
The media release from the office of the U.S. Attorney - Northern District of Illinois outlines most of the charges: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/pr/chicago/2008/pr1209_01.pdf

This afternoon, Blagojevich appeared before U.S. District Judge Nan Nolan who released the Illinois governor on 45-hundred dollars cash bond.

The Governor's office issued a statement saying the "allegations do nothing to impact the services, duties or function of the state."

Governor Blagojevich predecessor, George Ryan, is serving a six-year ;prison sentence after being convicted on federal charges of racketeering and fraud.