Peoria County voters on Nov. 8 overwhelmingly approved eliminating the County Auditor’s Office, but related court actions remain active: a renewed claim to stay all proceedings and restore the authority of the office, a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to maintain…
Author Archive for Bill Knight
Election Commission staking out nuisances like voter intimidators, Big Liars
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
Local and federal law enforcement are on alert for disruptions in the Nov. 8 election in Peoria, where threats have included possible attempts to intimidate voters, plus a campaign of correspondence apparently intended to disrupt the election’s preparations and execution.…
Two Auditor requests for ballot injunction denied by judge; Referendum on whether to keep office left up to voters
by Bill Knight • • 1 Comment
Two attempts to block the Nov. 8 referendum on whether or not to keep the Peoria County Auditor office failed in the last month as Judge James Mack denied requests by Peoria County Auditor Jessica Thomas and community advocate Karrie…
Arts Alerts: Mars, Keith Urban, Oak Ridge Boys, Bill Burr, Holiday Inn, Regifters
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
ART The 10-foot artwork “Mars,” by U.K. artist Luke Jerram, is a highlight of “Mars: The Exhibition,” continuing in November at the Riverfront Museum. The interative display will be here through Spring. MUSIC Keith Urban is set to play…
Who’s dissing you? Be sure you’re not missing out because lawmakers are lying about the SAFE-T Act
by Bill Knight • • 2 Comments
Information is power, it’s said, but increasingly — especially with today’s sophisticated, speedy technology — so is disinformation. In elections, maybe such fearmongering was always powerful. Commentator H.L. Mencken in 1918 wrote, “Democracy tends to degenerate into a mere combat…
SAFE SPACE: Jim and Laura Sniff provide special kind of fun on their farm
by Bill Knight • • 5 Comments
At press time, a few shows remain in the Blue Ridge Community Farm’s fall concert series, but there’s no end in sight for Jim and Laura Sniff’s activities — or the love behind it in Chillicothe. A self-described “farm kid”…
New wedge issue from Darren Bailey a non-issue wedgie
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
Campaigning for Illinois governor, Republican State Sen. Darren Bailey has core issues: For education, agriculture, lower taxes and term limits; against crime, abortion, gun restrictions and pandemic mandates. Now he wants his own mandate: University enrollments. “Bailey’s recent ‘kitchen table’…
City of Peoria launches program focused on housing rehab
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
Applications are now available for the 2022 Housing Rehabilitation Program, which provides a 50/50 matching grant of up to $15,000 of assistance to property owners of single-family residential properties within Qualified Census Tracts (QCT). Developed by the Community Development Department…
Time to act: Newspapers are under attack
by Bill Knight • • 3 Comments
In news, it’s said, “if it bleeds, it leads.” That means the hemorrhaging of daily newspaper circulation should be uppermost in people’s minds — to stay informed, if not remain in a democratic society. The U.S. daily newspaper circulation is…
What are the odds this is COVID-iocy? New BA.5 variant may be most contagious as diligence in fight wanes
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
What’s worse than being sick and tired is being dead. It’s OK to be curious or concerned about monkeypox, an emergency. But it’s far less contagious than COVID-19 (only about 12,000 monkeypox cases have been reported, and no deaths). And…