QUID HAS HEARD that war has broken out in Aurora — Wiki wars. Seems an increasingly fun place to battle public officials is on Wikipedia, that bastion of free information that’s usually worth what you pay for it. It appears someone “hacked” into the wiki about Aurora’s Police Chief Dan Oates and editorialized about his role in a recent Aurora police flap. Scandal abounded early in June when Aurora police detained and handcuffed a horde of arbitrary citizens while trying to snag a bank robber. The incident put Aurora at the center of a Fourth Amendment controversy that drew international attention. Someone got into the wiki about Oates and pondered how someone with a law degree could make such a gaffe. No mention, however, about the time he had a fellow officer in Ann Arbor run emergency cop car lights to get Oates to the airport on time. Quid’s too stupid to understand how to do such things, so point your fingers elsewhere. On the other side of the ‘pedia, is Congressional hopeful Joe Miklosi, running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman. Miklosi’s staff sent out word this week it was shocked, shocked and dismayed that someone on Coffman’s staff would be doctoring Coffman’s wiki. Seems the recent flap about Coffman’s comments about Obama being un-American and from the moon have suddenly gone AWOL from that Wikipedia post. Also missing, according to Miklosi, are wiki-warblings about Coffman having called Social Security a Ponzi scheme and his previous support of anti-abortion legislation. Miklosi, the Democrat, comes right out and accuses Coffman, the Republican, of trying to look like a moderate by doctoring the dossier. Quid is happy to offer a non-hackable repository for this and other embarrassing or controversial matters. Send ‘em in, folks.
AND QUID HAS HEARD that Aurora Economic Development Council folks — those folks who are only too happy to brag about new Gaylord Hotels and GE solar panel plants they snagged for the city — have been so depressed about the loss of said Gaylord Hotels and GE solar panel plants that they’re going to start a new campaign to bolster city morale. The new campaign will hold exciting press conferences about existing Aurora businesses that have not gone bankrupt, been sold or decided to move to better digs in Arkansas. First up: The Aurora City Council isn’t going anywhere. It appears AEDC wants a sure thing.
AND QUID HAS OVERHEARD that you don’t have to go far from city hall to hear disparaging comments about city council. Seems citizen-folk gathered in council chambers last week to weigh in on a fracking water sale conundrum were not impressed with the city’s elevated eleven on the dais. One citizen type mumbling to another was dismayed at who was calling the shots in the matter. “This is the Aurora city council?” Mumbler No. 1 said as assorted council-types drew out knitting needles, stared at ceiling tiles, gave petit-mal seizure impressions or did odd hair maneuvers from the dais. “I hope they sound smarter than they look.”
AND THAT’S ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS.