Archive for July, 2007

It’s that time of year when students start to think about going back to school. After paying for the steep cost of tuition at colleges and universities, many students and parents are often confronted with another high-priced expense: textbooks. The price of textbooks and other materials needed for courses is rising rapidly, and many...
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Have you seen the new signs yet? They’re bright blue and white with a big eye staring out at you with the word WARNING at the top. At the bottom, it promises to watch out for crime/criminals! Wow! What’s that about? Actually, they’re the new Neighborhood Watch signs. And, the reason for the change...
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Summer is the season for concerts. Whether it’s large touring festivals, big name acts, or reunited bands, tickets for these shows can become quite expensive. High ticket prices may cause some potential concert goers to opt out, but those who are willing to shell out the big bucks are in for a surprise when...
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Joan Hickman isn’t specifically asking people for their money or their time, although she’d welcome the opportunity to put both to good use, but she’d really like it if people would donate their used cell phones to Friendship House in Peoria. Joan, who also goes by Joanie, is a devoted, enthusiastic supporter of Friendship...
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By Jackie Nelson Chief Settingsgaard, Peoria’s newest police chief, has had a rough year. The wave of homicides in Peoria has left residents shaken. Early in the year, Peoria’s murder rate has swiftly climbed to eleven homicides already this year. Peoria Police Chief Steve Settingsgaard said Peorians should not fear what appears...
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PJS political gossips Jennifer Davis and Molly Parker apparently were ticked off because Congressman Ray LaHood was not available when they tried to contact him relative to his interest in replacing the departed Bradley University president David Broski. Media types love to report, “He was not available and did not return our phone calls.”...
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Even as President Bush in June vetoed Congress’ bill funding embryonic stem-cell research, a new study circulated showing that 61% of Americans support such research – just one of many positions that contradict the conventional wisdom that Americans are fundamentally conservative.
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A big black insect, two inches long, with intense red eyes, landed on my hand and brazenly buzzed as I was giving a customer her change. It was the “Return To Pimiteoui Pow-wow” and I was collecting admissions. This newly arrived critter made it appear that I was actually trying to hand him to...
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Bear with me. This is still a column about media and politics in the ol’ River City. I’ve been doing this for several years now, and I think I’ve earned the right to digress a bit and devote just a few paragraphs to the most media-saturated non-news story of this decade. And I promise,...
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