Columns

The British stage and screen actor John Ronane (“Bridge on the River Kwai,” “Six Wives of Henry the VIII” (PBS), “Art” at the Apollo on Main Street) once remarked that people used to say they were going to “hear” a…

Arts Beat

MUSIC March 4: Lizzi Neal Band, “Live at the Five Spot.” 5:30 p.m. Contemporary Art Center. 674-6822. March 4: “Get the Led Out” – The American Led Zeppelin. 8 p.m. Peoria Civic Center Theater. 673-3200. March 4: Three and A…

Labor Roundup

Labor criticizes President Obama’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year for keeping the “Cadillac tax” on high-cost health insurance plans. The Cadillac tax is a 40-percent levy on health plans provided by employers to workers if the value is…

Susan B. Anthony, born 196 years ago this month, certainly didn’t need others to speak for her. But she had a knack for making allies from throughout the progressive movements of the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries. So when…

EXCITING NEWS It’s been vacant for a long time, but the former car dealer lot at University and War Memorial Drive will soon be alive with activity. Expect an announcement by a developer about some new businesses to be constructed…

Justice Is Required on the Path to Peace The police officers I know personally are all good people. They take their jobs seriously, genuinely care about the safety of the public they serve, and treat people fairly. And yet I…

Refuge under siege As I write this, a group of armed, anti-government, militants is thinking about leaving a National Wildlife Refuge they have occupied since Jan. 2. Not to give it back to the public, but rather, to go into…

February, you are a challenging, volatile month causing chaos overnight with your merciless winter weather surprises. Not sure why you insist on doing that. We know you possess some compassion tucked deep inside because for many successive days we’re freezing…