For those who missed the news, longtime WJBC broadcaster Art Kimball was named a recipient of the Illinois Broadcasters Association's brand new Pioneer Award. Here's the tribute video shown at last week's ceremony.
Step Out to Fight Diabetes Fundraising Luncheon/Walk Kickoff
The annual Step Out to Fight Diabetes Fundraising Luncheon/Walk Kickoff is coming Wednesday, July 9th from 12:00-1:00pm at Outback Steakhouse in Bloomington. For $15 (all of which goes to the American Diabetes Association for local outreach and projects) you get either chicken or roasted sirloin, choice of a side, and a drink. To sign up today, call the
ADA at 1-888-342-2383, extension 6546.
The walk itself is October 4 at White Oak Park. You can sign up today by clicking here.
My guess (and keep in mind that I don't really know that much) is it will be clear by Thursday at Obama is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party for President. Just how uphill is Hillary Clinton's climb? Check out CNN's delegate counter toy.
If you haven't yet, check out the new WJBC gas price monitor on WJBC.com; it's fueled by our friends as gasbuddy.com. Just for fun, I did a little research on the site and came up with the following gas price notes:
Today, most of us in Bloomington-Normal are paying $4.16 a gallon.
One month ago, we were paying $3.59 per gallon
In early March, gas was at $3.08. One week before Christmas, we were paying $2.91 and in October, the price was $2.72.
We've heard some analysts say the prices traditionally spike just before Memorial Day. Not true! Last summer, the highest prices were $3.40 in early May, and we gradually declined for several weeks before going back to $3.30 before Independence Day. In the summers of 2006, 2005 and 2003, gas peaked in August. Only in 2004 dig gas peak (at $2.10) just before Memorial Day.
In November of 2006, gas dipped to $2.00 a gallon. In December of 2004, we were at $1.71. For Memorial Day 2003, we were filling up at $1.50 a gallon. And remember, we thought that was expensive at the time.
The price of a barrel of oil is at about $130. One year ago, it was $65.
I talked with one of the founders of gasbuddy.com yesterday, and he had some good advice. If you see a station that regularly spikes before everyone else (or, for that matter, is slow to come down when the price falls) stop going there. If enough of us do, it should make a difference eventually.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend. Oh...in the past, I've heard people criticize auto racing for ripping through fuel at times like this, but you can't blame the Indianapolis 500 or Indy Car Racing. They're using 100% ethanol after switching from methanol last year. And Indy Cars haven't used gasoline for more than 40 years!
UPDATE: My clock has created some confusion, so I've decided to use this definition: the clock counts up from the point at which McLean County residents were able to feel an earthquake or aftershock.
For your convenience, I've created a clock so you can impress your friends by knowing EXACTLY how long it's been since our most recent earthquake.
