The Social Life of a Corner
Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. The Great City Thinkers This article is part of Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. The Great City Thinkers, a continuing series in The Streator Standard
Section
Opinion
Commentary and editorials from The Streator Standard.
Option Value: Why Beck’s is a Bad Bet for a Prime Block
Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. The Great City Thinkers This article is part of Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. The Great City Thinkers, a continuing series in The Streator Standard
Building Small vs. Betting Big
Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. The Great City Thinkers This article is part of Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. The Great City Thinkers, a continuing series in The Streator Standard
Patterns Worth Keeping
Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. The Great City Thinkers This article is part of Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. The Great City Thinkers, a continuing series in The Streator Standard
The Illusion of the Big Check
Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. the Great City Thinkers This article is part of Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. the Great City Thinkers, a continuing series in The Streator Standard
Eyes on the Street, Not Pumps on the Corner
Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. the Great City Thinkers This article is part of Lessons Ignored: Streator vs. the Great City Thinkers, a continuing series in The Streator Standard
The Silent March Toward a Downtown Disaster
Somewhere between City Hall and the wrecking ball, the public got cut out of the conversation. Streator is on the verge of approving one of the most consequential
Locked Park Bathrooms: What Does It Say About Streator's Spirit?
There's something fundamentally welcoming about a park: children running freely, laughter at the splash pad, and families sharing picnics. Parks embody the openness of a community—
A Tale of Two TIFs: Morris Plans Menus, Streator Plans Pumps
When it comes to shaping a city’s future, not all Tax Increment Financing (TIF) plans are created equal. Take the City of Morris. Their latest initiative uses
AI Asks About Challenges—Streator Says “We Moved Away”
When escape becomes the solution, what happens to those still here? A pink-and-orange Facebook post popped up this week in the group Positive Streator Happenings—a
Let ’Em Ride: Brett Baumrucker's Off-Road Downtown Dream
There are two kinds of people in every town: those who complain about what can’t be done, and those who ask, “Why not?” Brett Baumrucker is clearly
What Galena Got Right—And What Streator Can Still Do
A roadmap for becoming a destination, even without an interstate It’s easy to look at Galena, Illinois—a postcard town tucked into hills along the Mississippi River—
What Did We Really Get for the Bill Walsh TIF?
And what didn’t we get because of it? From the Mailbag An anonymous reader asks: What was the sales tax revenue over the life of the TIF,
Bill Walsh Streator Closing After Millions in Taxpayer Support
Bill Walsh Streator closes after TIF deal expires, proving Ed Benner was right all along By The Streator Standard The Bill Walsh Chevrolet dealership on Bloomington and Oakley
What If Streator Still Had a Train to Chicago?
A town once connected, and the tracks we still dream about. There was a time—not long ago in the grand story of this town—when Streator’s