Peoria Times Peoria’s Hometown Newspaper
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www.peoriatimes.com
Vol. 64 - No. 42
October 19, 2018
Scooters dropped in Peoria by Bird By DARRELL JACKSON Staff Writer Peoria has recently been inundated with Birds, but not the kind that are in the sky, and questions abound if Glendale could be next. Bird scooters started showing up on sidewalks throughout Peoria in early October, giving residents and visitors a new option to get around town. While it is unknown the exact number of scooters Bird dropped off in Peoria, the company allows visitors to rent electric
scooters anywhere using a smartphone. The scooters are dropped off around the city at 7 a.m. and are available until 8 p.m. when they are picked up and charged each night. Users must download the Bird app to their phone and use it to locate a scooter and rent it. When they’re done, they simply lock the scooter and leave it for the next rider wherever they end up. Riders are charged $1 initially, plus 14 cents per minute and the scooters can go up to 15 mph. A scooter goes for about 15
Photo by Darrell Jackson
Bird e-scooters, which arrived in Peoria in early October, are available for people to ride by purchasing time through the app on a smart phone.
miles on each charge, and is for short trips. They are dock-less, which means riders do not have to find a spot to park them, and riders are supposed to leave them along the sidewalks where their trips end. Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps said Bird has not inquired about going to Glendale, yet, but he would not be opposed to the scooters showing up within city limits. “I was in Baltimore recently and they were all over the place,” Phelps said. “We don’t have an ordinance on them and I
would have to see what they would propose, but I am the type of person that believes the more modes of travel, the better.” Across the country, various cities have adopted e-scooter regulations based on fleet restrictions, which have set caps on the number of e-scooters anywhere from 150 to 3,000 per company, per city. Peoria does not have an ordinance against the e-scooters and it was unknown if council would discuss one in the future, but, according to Glendale More SCooTerS on 2
Council renames Peoria’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial By CAROLYN DRYER editor
A Bell UH-1H Huey helicopter sits on a pedestal about 16 feet in the air, hovering over a concrete plaza, where two plaques are mounted below. One is a “Welcome Home” plaque, aimed at veterans, many who faced an unwelcoming homecoming in the 1960s.
The other plaque is a remembrance of the Huey helicopter, which is a symbol to many veterans, who were rescued by the aircraft in the jungles of Vietnam. The restored helicopter is the only one of its kind in the state. The plaza is on the southwestern side of Rio Vista Recreation Center, and about 50 feet away from the Vet-
erans Memorial Wall. Oct. 16, Peoria City Council voted unanimously to name the plaza John McCain Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza. A plaque will have the senator’s likeness and a quote attributed to him about his love of country. More MeMorIAL on 12
Photo courtesy city of Peoria
Council renames Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza to honor Sen. John McCain.
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Producer Mark Sayre touts ‘Point Defiance,’ premiering Oct. 21 at Peoria Film Festival — Page 2
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