Murder in Hyde Park

My first thoughts on seeing the "BREAKING NEWS" on the 11PM news showing on the TV screen at the Main Street bar I was at was slight shock. I have been to that bar, and parked in that parking lot. A friend standing next to me lamented a bit about it, because she lives a mile down the road.

After reading the articles this morning I can say that it has the same ear marks of most of the rest of murders in the city, which leads me to speculate that it was simply a drug deal gone bad. If not drugs, then it was a personal beef with a family member or friend. This is horrible for the man's family, but it goes to show that this can happen anywhere. This section from the story bothered me and I hope indicates an aberration, not a commonality.

Crime scene tape in Hyde Park doesn't happen everyday, making resident Megan Elkus quite uncomfortable.

"It just scares me, and I would like to find someplace else to live," said Elkus.

"I keep hearing different things that don't make me feel safe," said Elkus.

For the chicken littles, like Ms. Elkus, I really must just laugh at their extreme timidity. I can understand being freaked out a little, but to feel unsafe in Hyde Park is just not a rational or sane feeling to have. Hyde Park is likely safer than living in Mason or West Chester. At worst it is just as safe.

What I find most objectionable in the whole situation is that some people inside the bar were allegedly being uncooperative with the police, which is the main reason I am speculating it was drug related. A theory could be that the guy was out buying drugs for his friends and things went south. If people were just pissed that they could not leave until the police were finished investigating, then they are just arrogant assholes who deserved to be kept there all night. Will Peter Bronson write a column about the idiots in Hyde Park (logic indicates would be white) who could help solve the case, but were uncooperative?

More from the Enquirer.

Anti-School School Board Members

There is just no other way to say it, but these two new school board members are anti-school. They don't want people to learn, they want people to comply with their views on how to live. One is an anti-government anti-union extremist bent on destroying the public schools, while the other is a Christian extremist (ergo theocrat), bent on the destroying the public schools.

Now, sure, the conservatives are going to moan and cry that they do the same. Well, no, they don't. Being prevented from branding the school with ones religious dogma or having to pay taxes and fund schools to keep society growing is not a hardship and nothing hurting you. Religion is not banned from School, for example, and claims otherwise are myths. If your kid can't bring their bible to their school, then protest, I will join it. If you want your kid, or worse, use your kid to push religion on other kids, which includes doing religious presentations, then no, don't protest and either put your kid a religious school, or stop pushing religion on others.

Koppel to NPR

This is great. I am a huge NPR Fan and Koppel adds the right tone and presence to that organization. The more he is on the air, the better it will be and the more I will listen.

Growth In Downtown Jobs

Seventh Street lunch lines will get a bit longer as Federated Department Stores adds 200 positions to their downtown headquarters.

These news jobs are going to be salaried positions, not clerical, and will be a shot in the arm to the downtown economy.

Progress On the River

Joe Hansbaurer points to progress in development on the site of the Gregory Banquet Center, where 140 new condos and locations for two new restaurants will be built. This sounds like a great venture, but it appears to not be their first choice, mainly because the Gregory's wanted a new site for the Banquet Center. Joe makes a great point, why not put it at the Banks?

Blunt With an Edge?

The Enquirer's Malia Rulon blogs the Blunt states he has the support of 100 GOP members of the house, as opposed to Boehner's claim to only 86. 116 would make one a winner. I don't really care all that much, but having a home Republican to bash would be much more entertaining for me, so I am backing Boehner. Thus we may have his kiss of death!

Police Shooting

The third shooting of police officer in 6 weeks is raising the tension of the police. Are these incidents just aberrations, or are they a marked change in behavior among criminals in the city?