Lester Mason is the victim of what many now consider an ill-conceived and racist “three strikes and you’re out law” that almost exclusively targets Black men. He was released from prison the day before Thanksgiving after an incarceration of nearly…
Trust is in short supply in America today. Our trust has been betrayed historically dating back to the founding of the country and betrayed recently by government policies that do not serve the best interest of all Americans. Now we…
Brooke Sommerville gave birth to three children in Peoria. Then her husband, professional basketball player Marcellus Sommerville, was recruited to play professionally in France. The family moved to France, and Brooke didn’t know what to expect when she became pregnant…
Now that we have entered into 2021, we know that there are vaccines available to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, there is skepticism surrounding the vaccines’ rollout, particularly among groups of color. This skepticism stems from a long history…
State Senator Chuck Weaver months ago announced he was not going to seek re-election. A regular guest on our morning show on FM 90.7, Weaver said he had other options to explore in which he could serve the public. Some…
Winter’s when farmers and farm communities think, plan and remember. In the cold of 2021, who’ll recall Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, in 2019 inadvertently conceding at a World Dairy Expo, “In America, the big get bigger, and the small will…
We now live in the era of “alternative facts,” a term coined by Trump supporter Kellyanne Conway to try to justify lies. Predictably, “alternative facts” invariably favor wealthy, secure, privileged people who fail to recognize the limits of their own…
Although the recent election and the growing COVID-19 pandemic are now uppermost in people’s minds, we should not lose sight of a couple of U.S. Supreme Court decisions last summer that together combine increasing amounts of public funds directed toward…
The dreadful 2020 is over. The dreadful pandemic is not. And the dreaded bills keep coming in. On Nov. 10, Peoria City Council members wrestled with some truly appalling numbers. In part, that’s because the 2021 budget anticipated passage of…
It can really be hard to be optimistic during a global pandemic that has stretched on for over nine months. However, as I’ve written in previous columns, we continue to see people taking the opportunity to take this time to…
Last month, I had the good fortune of surviving a stroke. Although it is devastating at any age, it was especially hard at the age of 50. After spending the first week in the hospital pondering “why me?” I came…
The minimum hourly pay rate at UnityPoint Health is increasing to $15 an hour in January in a move that will impact 33% of the health system’s 30,000 employees. “Our feet are firmly rooted in our mission — to improve…
Oscar Gillespie is the consummate picture maker. He’s recognized as one of the most inventive and technically fluent artists in academia, a leader in the discipline of engraving in which he’s exhibited and conducted workshops for over 30 years. One…
Challenging times require innovative solutions and the COVID-19 pandemic forced educators across the country to find new ways to be effective teachers. Art & Design Professor Heather Brammeier at Bradley University was one of those teachers. With students enrolled in…
Why a dividend-based carbon tax? Because of spectacular, fossil-fueled increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide spell great danger. CO2 emissions, Englander notes, are “increasing 55 times faster than anytime over the last 500 million years.” Fossil-fueled emissions exploded after World War…
What is justice in a country that considers its same justice to be blind? At 4 a.m., I lay awake thinking about the “20/20” episode I had viewed on television about Breonna Taylor who was shot to death by police…
The State of the City address, sponsored by the West Peoria Residents Association and featuring Mayor James Dillon and City Administrator Kinga Krider, will be 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21. It could be canceled due to COVID-19 mitigation rules. Check…
Children and teenagers love looking ahead and speculating about new freedoms awaiting them. They consider each different one a sign they’re growing up. But that doesn’t necessarily mean maturity and ability to make wise choices are imminent. It’s a gradual…
Illinois nursing-home workers settle strike. A tentative agreement between Infinity Healthcare Management and its nursing-home workers was reached Dec. 4 after about 700 employees went on strike for almost two weeks, according to Service Employees International Healthcare Illinois which represents…
Lucy, Susannah and Laura Poeppel picked this seasonal produce on their parents’ organic farm outside Chillicothe. Lucy said the beauty of the farm sometimes creates “a spiritual moment.” Visit their website at broadbranchfarm.com. Check this listing for other farms in…
BY ANGELA WECK As we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, school children are taught that the early settlers from England were welcomed by the native inhabitants they encountered in the New World. Students learn that the Indians, misidentified by…
A young, single mother who works at a local hospital was offered a total scholarship for CNA classes and a nursing job after graduation. She couldn’t accept the scholarship and start CNA classes because she doesn’t have a high school…
