Blame it on the hockey team again Kathy.  They are the reason the Coliseum losses money.  The team is the root of all evil concerning the Coliseum.  So, get rid of them.  But question is what do you replace them with?  I keep hearing how the PT is the problem.  So, after you rid the great City of Bloomington of the hockey team, what do you propose to use the open dates from the lack of hockey to be used for to create a profit?  Come on, pony up the ideas.  It’s easy to blog innuendos but having a comprehensive plan to fix is not ever stated.  Here's and idea, maybe an "investigative reporter" could look into how CIAM is running the place.  Or is Mr. Butler one of your lackeys and the great GOP.  Bet if Tim made a sizable contribution to the McLean County GOP then you would change your tune. 

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how is the hockey team causing a loss for the Colisuem?  Are they not paying their rent?  Have they not paid everything owed to the Colisuem?  Pretty sure that the lease agreement would have be broken by CIAM if that was the case. 

Is it that not enough fans are attending games and purchasing enough concessions?  Maybe lower the concession prices a bit and inprove service and taste.  Warm drinks and cold food are not appealing.  Cutting staff during events to help save money only worsens fan experiance.  I attend many other sporting events across the state and midwest.  The Cell has one of the worst food and beverage service by far of any arena I attend. 

But none of that matters.  It's the hockey teams fault because they pay their rent and fees. 

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Aren't you making a number of assumptions, blaming this all on the hockey team? Either you're sloppy or you're lazy or you have an ax to grind for motives of your own. That's the real story for an investigative reporter. If any of our local politicians are reading this blog, let me caution them now: Don't look for my vote come election time if you're guided by this woman on anything.

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Yes, everything is the PrairieThunder's fault! Get rid of them! What would you replace with them? Instead, the arena would just sit empty and lose even MORE money. What a great idea, Kathy! 

Time to go back to school and pick a new major. This whole "reporting" thing definitely does not fit you. 

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 You forgot to update this, even though you updated the other place you posted this.

"UPDATE:  Notice in this report that attendance was at it’s highest, yet higher than expected losses.  I don’t understand that.  If more people attended than ever, wouldn’t bottom-line be better?"

Please, quit while you're behind. Everyone sees your motives here.

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looking at her blog.  She probably gets an inflated head with the extra hits her blog is getting from hockey fans calling BS on her posts.  But I agree with the above posts...why do you not provide a solution to the woes of the Coliseum.  Because you are using it to further your real agenda of getting Republicans voted into office. 

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I'm really excited to see that even the "special needs" people have their own blogs now too!  Way to go Kathy!!!  Looking at the comments more people don't like you than hockey and the PT!  Maybe instead of writting a blog you should do something useful with your time and play on the 55-74 junction!  All the best to a start up!  GO PRAIRIETHUNDER!!!!!

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This is all she could contribute to the $440,000 loss that the coliseum posted. Actually Kathy, if you would do a little homework (which from reading your articles is obviously something you do not consider to be important and or necessary), the Prairie Thunder pay the coliseum rent. They have paid all the rent they owe meaning they have nothing to do with the coliseum loss. It is the other events that need to be addressed. The Extreme and the Thunder both pay a rent fee everytime they have an event at the coliseum. Maybe look into the concession prices or the cost of booking events, such as concerts. How much money do they lose when the book a big name concert and only 3,500 4,000 poeple show up? You are a joke for a reporter, and I can't believe you even call yourself one. Try this title, "Republican, uninformed, grudge holding, knowledge lacking blogger." I think that is about the only thing that really fits. I bet you even struggle with the math questions at the end of these things, that's why you never answer anyones questions.

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Kathy is not a reporter as some comments have stated.  She is a blogger in a blogger world with and agenda.  Big, big, BIG difference. HUGE difference.  Grand Canyon size difference.  Calling Kathy a reporter is an insult to reporters.  Reporters will at least background their stories so they have an understanding of what they are speaking of.  Kathy does not do this.  She makes assumptions with her limited knowledge of the hockey team and IHL.  As she has very limited knowledge, her assumptions are way off based.  She found a tidbit of information about ownership of the PT and now is twisting it to her slant of all is evil with the Coliseum.  Anyone with any insight to this (which many hockey fans have according to the comments posted here) can see the flaw in her ramblings.

  All of her posts about the hockey team and the Coliseum are about getting or keeping Republicans in office.  Hockey fans are hitting this site as her postings have made hockey message boards.  I highly doubt that the general public read this site, let alone her blog. Kathy doesn’t care if there is a hockey team or not.  She is using it to try and further her agenda...elect Republicans and keep current Republicans office holders in office. 

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So what was this whole article about? It was something that was already made clear to the public because the Pantagraph printed it. And you shoot your mouth of saying that this is all the hockey team's fault?

If you want to make the colliseum a better place than USE IT. you are paying with your taxes so you might as well go to a couple games.

you might be killed by the hockey fans who are annoyed that you post things & have no clue what you're talking about, but hey, at least you can see for yourself that your is doing nothing for anybody.

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A terrible blogger is at it again. Kathy stop bashing on the PT when it clearly is not the problem

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I contemplated ignoring the link from another site that directed me here; and now, I really wish I would have....  But, nonetheless, now that I'm here, and since my page hit probably just added to the bountiful cash coffers that this blog undoubtedly generates, I may as well weigh in.  Hmmm... where do I start? 

I guessing that this blog is for real; although based on its content, I'm still looking over my shoulder, anticipating that Ashton Kutcher may still, in fact, come out of the shadows, telling me that I've "just been Punk'd".  And frankly, that would be a best case scenario, but like a winning Powerball ticket, not likely to happen to me in this lifetime.  Ah... the crosses we're forced to bear.

In a effort to be original, what can I say about this that hasn't already been said ad nauseum?  Probably nothing, right?  Why even try, right?  You're all probably correct.  And yet, I'd like to... seriously. (Please understand that this may be motivated only by boredom and Sam Adams Boston Lager; but nonetheless, such minor details hardly seem important at this point.)  If Ms.Micheals can start her own blog, attempt to write about certain important community issues while actually saying absolutely nothing in the process, why shouldn't I give it a shot too? 

"Eventually, the financial losses of the anchor - the hockey team - will have to be confronted.  I wish I had the time..."  Yes, Kate, I wish you did too.  You leave me wanting more.  Frankly, I am left unsatisfied, yearning for more.  But at the same time, based on your history of "journalistic teasers", it's going to take a few Jello shots and a well-timed ruffie to get anymore out of you, I suspect. 

I'm not from Bloomington and I don't pretend to have all the answers to budgetary questions of the day, but let me ask you this: do you just write the first thing that comes into your head, and then worry about supporting it with research and facts later as public outrage may then demand of you?  Not that I don't sympathize with that approach; in college, I wrote at least three papers on books that I never read -- and never got less than a B.  When it comes to bullshit, I'm there; give me a minimum amount of time, some ambition, and a shovel, and I'll make the Sistine Chapel look like a Kindergarten, water color, paint by numbers project.

Let me digress here, though.  I don't know exactly what your beef with hockey is; I don't care.  But seriously, let's start by asking a very important question here.  Is a minor league hockey team supposed to generate the revenue to operate an entire arena for the fiscal year?  This is roughly 40 nights per year, you know.  You did know that, right?  That still leaves approximately 325 days left for something else -- minus holidays, of course.  I get it, Bloomington is a small city and may not be capable of drawing "big time" entertainment acts.  But still, there has to be something.  I mean, please, tell me this brand new arena wasn't sold solely on the promise of hockey.  There had to be at least one person that thought, "Hmm, maybe we'll need to think of some way to utilize all these empty dates on the schedule when the team isn't playing.  Are you calling out those people?  Are you questioning the qualifications of the people entrusted to run this facility?  Well, are you?

So, Ms Prairie Pundit, are you ready to take the time now?  Are you motivated yet?  Or, are you simply satisfied to casually scan to most current news of the day, cut and paste a few lines from a linked article, then write a couple less than poignant thoughts that, to the uninformed and uninitiated, appear to justify spending a few free moments a day reading what you churn out for them?  Although, I haven't discounted that possibility that the less you write, the more your page hits are maximized.  Am I getting warmer?  Well, am I?

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Thank you Kathy for giving me my comedy relief during the week.  You keep getting better and better at giving me my daily chuckle! 

Wait...do you need a investigative reporter to determine that I laugh or not?  lol.

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