* This is good news…
IMPORTANT NOTICE
STRATTON TUNNEL OPEN
TO: ALL USERS OF THE STRATTON TUNNEL
FROM: J. Richard Alsop, III, AIA
Architect of the Capitol
DATE: January 30, 2012
RE: Notice of Opening of Stratton Tunnel
Effective immediately, the Stratton tunnel to the Capitol is open to the public.
The weather is gonna be amazingly warm this week, but that blessing can’t last forever and the tunnel between the Stratton and the Statehouse is a must during winter.
Anyway, it’s not exactly the most important story in the world, but it is something that people like me need to know.
*** UPDATE *** Somewhat off-topic, but it wouldn’t qualify for its own post, so here’s the press release…
The Illinois House Republicans led by Leader Tom Cross (R- Oswego) are launching a new design of their website today at www.ilhousegop.org, which includes a platform driven by up to the minute House Republican news.
“Our caucus believes it is important to keep constituents informed and to keep the lines of communications open. We are making it a priority to provide constituents and the media with up-to-date information through the use of social media and websites. We are excited about this new format and hope you will visit our website often,” said Cross.
The new website is driven primarily by news releases, audio and video feeds. The House Republican Twitter and Facebook feeds are also present on the site. The website can be found at www.ilhousegop.org, the Twitter feed has the handle of @ilhousegop, and you can follow along on Facebook by hitting Like on the Illinois House Republicans page.
It actually looks pretty good.
LIVE session coverage...
- Pundeete - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:10 pm:
I disagree Rich. It is very important to many of your readers, so thank you!
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:18 pm:
Pundeete, I really like that screen name.
- Chicago Cynic - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:18 pm:
Halleleujah! And the press corps rejoices!
- Just a thought.... - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:19 pm:
Hoooorrrrraaayyyyy!!!!! So happy! Hope everyone laid off the twinkles this winter…it’s pretty tight where the new part is. Not complaining, just say’n….
- Chicago Cynic - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:19 pm:
Does this mean the Rat is reopened too?
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:34 pm:
===Does this mean the Rat is reopened too? ===
How about you take the tunnel today over to the Statehouse and report back? lol
- wordslinger - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:52 pm:
This is on the order of Urban Legend, but there was a story on the tunnel told in the Springfield bars back in the day….
At the end of one Spring session, a certain legislator parted in such sweet sorrow from his beloved apartment mate, who was not his legally betrothed, lifetime mate, AKA his wife.
Hastily grabbing luggage and rushing to the Capitol to make the roll call for the final per diem (and to meet his family who had come to pick him up) he soon discovered that he had grabbed the wrong luggage.
In a panic, he stashed the incriminating bag in a boiler room in the tunnel.
Later, after the GA had gone home and the building was virtually empty, the suspicious bag was discovered by SOS police who were concerned it might be a bomb.
Bravely if not recklessly taking matters into their own hands, the officers took the bag onto the Capitol lawn and shot it full of holes with rifles from a distance, thoroughly rendering some frilly night things, um, impotent.
It may never have happened, but it was a great story.
- Chicago Cynic - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:54 pm:
Well Rich, being in Chicago that’s going to be a problem.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:59 pm:
A problem, perhaps, but not impossible.
- buck - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 12:59 pm:
who needs a tunnel? buy a coat.
- TwoFeetThick - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 1:20 pm:
=== who needs a tunnel? buy a coat. ===
Spoken by someone who’s obviously never had to walk from the Stratton over to the Statehouse with a stack of bill files in the middle of a blizzard. It’s only a couple hundred feet but it might as well be a couple of miles.
- shore - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 1:35 pm:
I am old enough to remember andy mckenna’s big “new website” we are illinois or something which was supposed to “take the party to new heights using new media”-that cycle a guy from Illinois was elected president-just happened to be from the other team. I also recall a time for tom or draft cross movement. Still waiting for it to go through.
candidates and campaigns matter, not state house minority party governmental websites.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 1:40 pm:
Well, I will say this … it’s better than Madigan’s for the HDEMs …
- Colossus - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 3:16 pm:
I’m confused. The site is supposed to be driven by up to the minutes news about the actions of the IL GOP, yet when I opened it, I didn’t hear crickets chirping. Do I need to update a driver or something? Must be a Chrome incompatibility, yeah, that’s the ticket.
- CircularFiringSquad - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 4:11 pm:
The GOPie web site is the most groovy ever and certain to catapault them to their greatest triumphs ever.
It is groovier than other groovy websites.
If they had just launched a few months ago RxRon and RoseMary might still be with us
- Retired Non-Union Guy - Monday, Jan 30, 12 @ 6:23 pm:
Rich,
A friend’s dad was a stationary engineer in the Centennial Building when I was growing up. I remember playing in the basements, tunnels, and even the sub and sub-sub basements under the various buildings. Later, when I worked in the New State Office Building I often used the tunnels to get to both the Capital and SOS … brought back lots of memories plus I sometimes used “non-public” tunnels most people were unaware of to avoid the crowds.
Wordslinger,
After one evacuation from the Stratton Building in the mid-70’s due to a bomb scare, I stood across the street by the old St Agnes church and watched the bomb squad drag a piece of luggage out of the NSOB by a long rope and then perform a “shoot out” in the west side courtyard. Nothing happened except a lot of women’s clothing was destroyed.
Can’t vouch for the veracity of the rest of this, but later, I heard it was a bag left by a legislator’s mistress / secretary in a restroom. A bill was supposedly introduced to pay for the damage to personal property.