on Monday!

I will be there to greet her, with a welcoming sign.

https://www.shawlocal.com/sauk-valley/news/breaking/2021/04/14/first-lady-jill-biden-to-visit-sauk-valley-community-college/

Moline, Illinois - A Black football player at an Illinois high school captured on video sitting in a locker littered with banana peels after a teammate threatened to break his knees if he didn't comply, says he's "fine" and wants people to "stop talking about the incident."

The Moline High School student, who was not identified because he's a juvenile, also said in a statement released through the Rock Island County State's Attorney's Office that those football team members involved in the incident have apologized, Davenport Iowa TV station KWQC-TV reported.

An 11-second video that's been shared widely on social media shows another football player, whose hand can be seen but face doesn't appear, threatening the Black player to sit in the locker "or I'll break both your knees." When the player sits down, others can be heard shouting, "Yeah!"

Moline Police Chief Darren Gault called the incident a "disturbing racist scene." He said the department's investigation determined that the people involved were teammates "of both different and similar races to the victim."

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-04-13/black-prep-player-told-to-sit-near-banana-peels-im-fine

With a high-stakes head fake, Rep. Robin Kelly won the 10-day campaign to replace scandalized Mike Madigan as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois, the first new leader in 23 years.

Kelly beat Ald. Michelle Harris (8th) 51.7% to 48.3% in the Wednesday night balloting among the 36 members of the party's state central committee. This first in generations power change in the party turned into a proxy battle between Sen. Dick Durbin, with Kelly, and Sen Tammy Duckworth and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, up for reelection in 2022, supporting Harris.

snip

Kelly also told me that for the first time in decades, Illinois Democrats with participate fully in Democratic National Committee activities.

Madigan famously wanted nothing to do with the DNC - to the point of not attending the 2018 national DNC meeting in Chicago.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2021/3/4/22314537/how-rep-robin-kelly-won-the-democratic-party-of-illinois-chair-pritzker-durbin-duckworth

My son and I have been checking every pharmacy website in the area. I signed us up with the county health department. I signed us up with the senior center.

We have appointments Friday, Feb. 19 for the first dose, and March 19th for the second dose. We are going to a Hy-Vee pharmacy about 48 miles away. In Illinois, one can go anywhere in the state for the shots, as long as you have proof of residence.

I am so relieved.

Source: LA Times

Eric Jerome Dickey, bestselling author of "Milk in My Coffee," "Friends and Lovers," has died at age 59.

The celebrated author died Jan. 3 in Los Angeles.

snip

After his short story "Thirteen" was published in the 1994 collection "River Crossings: voices of the Diaspora: An Anthology on the International Black Experience," Dickey went on to write a host of works centering on the experiences of contemporary Black characters. His 29 novels entertained millions of readers with quick pacing a conversation style and fluency in genres ranging from crime to romance.

Read more: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-01-05/eric-jerome-dickey-death-milk-in-my-coffee

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Dickey had a strong following among black women. He portrayed strong, black women and wrote about American life from a black perspective.

He developed classic symptoms. He went to the immediate care nearby and tested positive. He is quarantining in the upstairs of their house. She and her daughter are downstairs.

I have known her since she was in high school. She used the library all the years I worked there. She is past forty-five these days, and a lifelong resident of our small town.

She is a hairdresser. I always thought it would be awkward to go to her. I used the only other beautician in town, who became a friend. That lady has since lost her business. My husband and I were supposed to get haircuts tomorrow. We have not had haircuts since March. That is no big deal. We can wear ponytails. I just hope my friend's husband will be okay.

If he gets worse, I don't know where he will go. Our rural hospitals are very full.

I am the precinct committee person in my neighborhood. As such, I am always looking for Democratic voters and volunteers. Since I live in a red area, we are always short on Democratic election judges. I have recruited quite a few.

Our election judges deserve a lot of respect and credit. They put in long days and work hard. They get paid, but it is a pittance.

Several years ago, I recruited one of my neighbors to be an election judge. She is the mother of twins. Her twins are eighteen now, and they have started to work as election judges, too. Their mother recruited them! I am so happy!!

The DuPage County Board will have a 10-8 Dem majority starting next month. All three board members from my son's district are Dems, and all ten Dems are women.

This is the first time for a Democratic majority since the Depression.

When I lived in DuPage County, we considered ourselves lucky to have one Democrat on the board.

The link I found would not load. I will look for something else later.

Go, Democratic women!

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20201106/light-blue-democrats-make-historic-gains-in-dupage-county

Many of us have seen and heard about the Trump Train parades going on all over the country. There was one here in my county. I commented on it. There was one in the county south of me. They were all over Illinois and the rest of the country.

There is a big difference between the Trump Trains and the people who show up to cheer Biden.

We offer a show of support. They offer a show of force.

This country is so divided.

Yesterday, I spent my time cleaning bathrooms and doing laundry. By the end of the afternoon, I wanted to watch the World Series. I did not want to cook. My husband went into town to a local restaurant to pick up some takeout. We would like to keep this restaurant in business, and they have good tacos.

Little did he know that there was a trumper parade going on. There were about a dozen of those fools, flying their trump flags and their confederate flags from their pickups and honking up a storm. He could not tell if they were local or imported assholes.

He went inside and picked up the tacos. I hope he was not in contact with any of the maskless morons. I worry about him.

On the way back to his truck, he noticed that one of the morons had an especially stupid vanity plate. It said, "IM ARMD."

Get it? I'm Armed.

What in the everlasting flaming hell? Every farmer up and down my road is armed. Some of us are good shots, too. Don't they realize that? We have critters who damage our yards, crops and buildings. They kill our barn cats, scatter garbage and eat all the sweet corn out of the garden. Of course we are armed! We don't have to brag about it.

Also, when we have time, some of us like to hunt. A little extra meat in the freezer is very helpful in the winter. This might be just the year to have something put away.

Don't they realize that a good many Democrats, like my husband, are veterans? You would not believe what a good shot he is! He doesn't find it necessary to brag about it. He doesn't need to imply that he is willing to shoot people who oppose him politically.

I am a 72 year old farmer's wife. I am five foot nothing, and I am armed, too, you dickless wonders.

I feel no need to be afraid of these noisy nobodies. November 3 will be here soon.

Even though I am far more likely to shoot you with the garden hose, I'm armed. Go home to mamma, little boys. You are a joke.