For Henry Brockman, farming is hard manual labor, rigorous scholarship, original research, ethics, poetry and a clarion call that climate change is crashing into our world. For more than a quarter of a century, there was a rhythmic progression of…
Six environmental organizations reviewed an agricultural pollution report issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and sounded an alarm. Illinois is more than “200 years from reaching nutrient pollution reduction goals,” the group’s report stated. The report “confirms long-held concerns…
The Journal Star will not enhance coverage of the Peoria City Council, Dunlap schools, East Peoria police or the Illinois Legislature in Springfield following the merger of Gannett and PJS owner GateHouse Media. In fact, it has been widely reported…
Robin Nolting felt a jumble of emotions when U.S. Federal Judge Joe Billy McDade announced in court that he will accept a compromise agreement in a lawsuit filed by environmental groups against Vistra Energy calling for the closure of the…
Nearly 950 toxic Superfund sites, many lining Lake Michigan near Chicago, are in danger of inundation by rising sea levels and storm surges due to climate change, according to a recent report issued by the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan…
Prof. Anthony White teaches criminal justice at Illinois Central College; he invited several of his students to write brief statements about their reaction to the documentary “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality.” A free public screening in November was…
As I write my last column for 2019, I am grateful to Clare Howard and the entire team at COMMUNITY WORD for the opportunity to sound off on issues of importance to me and I hope from time to time…
On Thursday, Nov. 7, 23-year-old Tyshan Gayton exchanged gunfire with law enforcement officials not far from the Glen Oak Learning Center and then fled to a house on Briarwood. Police rushed to the area of 2300 North Knoxville followed by…
Decades ago, I edited a weekly newspaper owned by a record chain whose owner was mulling over providing health-insurance coverage to full-time workers when in a matter of weeks I had to go to emergency rooms. I’d seriously injured my…
In the din and clamor over the 2020 presidential election, it’s easy to feel adrift and unable to influence the direction of our country. Maybe it’s even easy to feel a little apathetic, a little despair. But Bryan Stevenson and…
BY TORI WHIDDEN Throughout the United States, government agencies are unconstitutionally enforcing restrictive policies that are negatively affecting the public’s access to information. First Amendment rights allow public employees to speak about work-related matters without the permission of their superiors.…
As the leaves fall and the forest takes on a slumbering personality, we often don’t think much about the trees until they start leafing out again in the spring. However, winter is a great time to take a new look…
One of the great achievements of the twentieth century was the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the U.N. General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948. The Universal Declaration affirms in its preamble that it is intended to…
Several months ago, attorney John T. Brady read the local government observer reports in his League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria monthly newsletter. It reported PHA meetings had been moved or cancelled, often without notice. Agendas and basic information…
This article is the first in a series that exams the African American experience with America’s education system. Part one will examine the education of Blacks during the times of slavery. Education for African Americans during slavery was mainly illegal.…
The catalog essays that support the exhibition “What Came After: Figurative Painting in Chicago 1978 – 1998” at the Elmhurst Art Museum, question whether the term “Imagism” is fitting for art predominately recognized as Chicago-born. They also question whether Imagism…
Dec. 6: “A Merry Little Christmas,” featuring the Peoria Pops Orchestra. 7 p.m. Five Points Washington. 444-8222. Dec. 6: Dexter O’Neal + Funk Yard 5:30 p.m. “Live at the Five Spot,” Contemporary Arts Center, 674-6822. Dec. 7: Bradley Chorale, Women’s…
Implicit biases that still exist with marijuana stem from “refer madness” from the early 1950s. Those biases were geared toward individuals living in poverty and the escape provided by marijuana. The mythology of marijuana is that it causes aggression; it…
As our next presidential election looms closer, the sheer barbarism of the public arena vocalization filled me with great anguish. On the current political debate stages, behavior like blatant lying, interrupting the opponents, childish insults have become a norm for…
Music, memories, scents, sounds and other reminders help make Christmas the extravaganza it is today. We don’t all agree on how much of the details are charming because we view it from personal preferences. For some, it’s too much of…
Township Supervisor Sharon Kennedy is looking for people interested in sharing what they know about the history of West Peoria. Kennedy can be reached at the township building, 2516 W. Rohmann, 9 a.m. until noon Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Call…
