By Michael Brown It would be hard to be alive in America right now and not know something about what has happened in Ferguson, Missouri. A young man has been shot and killed. I have had the surrealistic experience of…
Frank Sinatra released the album, “September of my years” in 1965. I was 17, and he was turning 50 that December. The album, still in my possession, included the Grammy Award winning “It Was a Very Good Year” and other…
By Mike Miller For a country about a third the size of Illinois, they sure managed to pack a lot into Costa Rica. Active volcanoes, mountains, cloud forests, Pacific and Caribbean mangrove, and several flavors of rainforest are home to…
Saturday, September 6th is planned for the 14th Annual Night Against Crime from 3:00 until 5:30 p.m. at Franciscan Park. West Peoria Neighborhood Watch, Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, City and Township of West Peoria, West Peoria Fire Department are all…
This new column starts next month written by Dr. David E. Trachtenbarg, M.D., a family physician at UnityPoint Health Methodist-Proctor, clinical professor at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and medical director for the Diabetes Care Center in…
MUSIC Sept. 11: Limelight Eventplex presents “redneck rock band” Blackjack Billy, known for their 2013 hit “The Booze Cruise,” with opening act the Joe Stamm Band. (309) 693-1234. Sept. 20: Peoria Symphony Orchestra presents guest violinist Sarah Chang at a…
Last month, a progressive actor equally at ease playing a ne’er-do-well gambler, private eye or astronaut died: James Garner. He was the best among favorite actors – and still lives on old black-and-white western reruns. As he recounted in his…
James Surowiecki wrote a book a few years ago that began with an anecdote about a crowd that guessed the weight of an ox. When their individual guesses were averaged, they were spot on. The title sums it up: “The…
Boy Scout Troop 11’s annual ice cream social is scheduled for Thursday, August 23rd from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the West Peoria Fire House. Tickets are $2.50 and can be purchased in advance from Troop 11 scouts or at…
If I were JS reporter Nick Vlahos, I would be royally PISSED at the morons who run the newspaper’s Website. First, go to the front page of the PJStar.com and try to find ANY reporting on last night’s Peoria City…
