Smoke from wildfires burning across 13 western states is blanketing the rest of the country in smoke and soot. In Peoria, the Air Quality Index hit 122, considered unhealthy for sensitive people. The threshold for safe air is 100. A…
The troubling trend of anti-protest legislation is growing, but its recent successes in Republican statehouses isn’t new. There were earlier attempts, including one in Democratic-majority Illinois that failed. Barely. It’s all to chill involvement – “part of a larger trend…
In May of 2019, author and environmentalist, Bill McKibben tweeted: “Thinking about Mother Nature today. As of this morning, her CO2 concentration topped 415 ppm (parts per million) for the first time in many many millions of years.” He was…
For artist Lisa Nelson Raabe, the process of making art is integral to how she experiences the world and navigates life’s rhythms. “I see the world differently when I am making art.” She says that making art has been a…
From 5-9 p.m. on Aug. 6, the Contemporary Art Center will host its First Friday Studio Tour of 3rd floor studios, where the work of about a dozen area artists are created, shown and sold. The facility also has three…
Of all the words, experiences and conversations of the past year, the word that resonates the most is depletion. Simply saying, “I feel depleted,” in a phone call or a video meeting results in nods and agreement from across the…
400 religious leaders urge passage of PRO Act. Saying that protecting and expanding workers’ right to organize is a moral imperative, and a boost to workers who most need it, more than 400 religious leaders signed an open letter to…
It is not antisemitic to advocate for Palestinian human rights and respect. It is not antisemitic to protest war against Gaza. It is not support of Hamas, a terrorist organization, to object to bombing Gaza. It is not antisemitic to…
I met Jan Brandt many years ago when her gallery and studio space was located at the historic Coca-Cola Bottling Plant on Bell Street in Bloomington. I was seeking a new gallery to visit beyond my typical stops in Peoria…
