Bradley University senior Samantha Lechowicz researched the correlation between news coverage in the Peoria Journal Star and the repeated decades-long failure of the Illinois Legislature to pass the Equal Rights Amendment up until its recent passage in May 2018. Some…
Ernestine Jackson has worked for more than four decades in equal employment opportunity; today she is frustrated, even heartbroken, when she looks at the racial composition of Peoria and the racial composition of the city hall workforce and contractors with…
The Trump administration continues to lift restrictions on toxic pesticides despite years of research by independent scientists. The fallout in Central Illinois is especially acute. With a location in the middle of the farm belt, Central Illinois is the bull’s…
January is National Radon Action Month designated to increase awareness of the dangers of radon, which is especially relevant to Central Illinois where residents live with high levels of the carcinogenic gas, according to the U.S. Surgeon General and Environmental…
Another year has come and gone. Unfortunately, end of the year means the end of Sterling Family Restaurant. Owner Louie Trilikas announced he was going out of business effective Dec. 30, after more than 30 years serving breakfast, lunch and…
If still waters run deep, the late Bob Liter’s quiet, pensive demeanor smoking a pipe while editing news stories for the Peoria Journal Star for decades hid a mind roaring with adventure, violence, fun and sex. Liter, who lived in…
The most effective way to slow global climate change is with dietary changes, according to Dr. John McDougall. Changes in our diet can be more effective immediately than driving a Prius, turning off the lights, lowering the thermostat and viable…
The United States Supreme Court in October heard oral arguments in three cases concerning employment discrimination against gay or transgender workers. In one, a county employee in Georgia was fired after joining a gay recreational softball league for “conduct unbecoming…
As 2019 draws to a close, folks who are birdwatchers tend to avoid cabin fever by getting out and conducting the annual Christmas Bird Counts. This year marks the 120th year of National Audubon’s CBC. As I was preparing information…
In the fall of 1983, I co-organized a summer program at the Oxbow Artists Residency in Saugatuck, Mich., a historic center with old ties to the Chicago art community. My partner was Ken Isaacs, an architect and professor at the…
A walk in the park is going to get more interesting this spring. On Nov. 20, by a unanimous vote, the Peoria Park Board accepted the executive staff recommendation to allow a three-year outdoor sculpture walk development in Donovan Park.…
Jan. 1 and each Tuesday: John Miller and Preston Jackson. 7 p.m. Broken Tree Coffee. 648-1439. Jan. 4: Jeremy David Baker and Nick Sizemore Take Over Sullivan’s. 8:30 p.m. W. E. Sullivan’s. 839-8097. Jan. 10: Daniel Watkins and Brett Conlin…
Community Word asked Jodi Hoos (pictured on right) and Christopher McCall (pictured on left) for a brief statement on their positions regarding establishment of a conviction integrity unit within the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s office. CIUs are set up to…
Black and white women have always held different perspectives around the right to vote. For white women, it was a symbol of parity with their husbands and brothers. For Black women, the ballot box was a means of empowering Black…
Despite a shiny new year — new decade even! — many of us despair at the prospect of Election Year 2020. Don’t give up just yet. Ask and you may receive, even from your elected officials. For example, Jim and…
Peoria’s only literary magazine for fiction, Downstate Story, just released its 2019 edition. It is now published only on the web at www.downstatestory.com. Writers in this issue include: Loren Logsdon of Eureka, IL; Marie Anderson of Western Springs, IL; Duke…
Following the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery, America faced many challenges, including the significant loss of free labor and a social stratification system thrown into turmoil. Primary among these challenges was how to address the…
My new year’s resolution for 2020 is to internalize the principle of detachment. Over the years, as we meander along the path of self-realization, attachment to people, material things, achievements and identity have been a heavy ball and chain around…
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948, was motivated by the horrors of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United…
Longtime West Peoria Township Trustee James Flynn resigned from the town board recently due to poor health. He served his constituents well and with great concern. In December, Sue Roos was chosen to replace Mr. Flynn. Sue has been an…
So-called “new NAFTA” moves closer to passage. The controversial U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in Mid-December gained enough support from House Democrats and organized labor to set it up for ratification in coming weeks. The trade pact would replace the 25-year-old North…
