Irene Cull was a botanist, but her enthusiasm for all things natural was contagious. It was March, just over 30 years ago, and my wife, Mary, and I were on our way to a prairie conference in Chicago. Irene was scheduled…
Columns
Book burnings all around
by Billy Dennis • • 0 Comments
There’s a rumor we’ve burned some Korans in Afghanistan and some Muslims go on a murder spree. Oh, really not good. President Obama apologizes for the burnt Korans. And the religious right goes nuts. Also not good. Iran starts burning Bibles (or so…
Mr. Safety
by Cheryl Courtney Semick • • 0 Comments
If you’re a teenager, you probably think your Dad is a dork. His quirks, habits and rules seem so alien that you swear you’ll never be like your parents. Good luck with that. I used to call my Daddy “Mr.…
Grammie’s Words of Wisdom and Love
by Sandra Dempsey Post • • 0 Comments
Dear Jensen Reed, When you are old enough to understand, I will tell you of the absolute joy that greeted your early arrival January 27th. Literally hundreds of people have prayed for you, my dear grandson, even before you were…
West Peoria News for March 2011
by Sharon McBride • • 0 Comments
This year’s General Primary Election is: March 20, 2012. Early voting for West Peoria voters will be March 9, 2012 in City Hall from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. All registered voters have received new voter registration cards. The last day to…
Musings
by Joanne Fought • • 0 Comments
This is the beginning of the thirteenth year of writing this blog, as someone recently called it. I started it in 1998 right after Jack died on the eve of Thanksgiving that year. The person who called it my blog…
Shop Talk
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
By Greg Speck Do we even think about “wellness?” Should “wellness” mean using prescribed pharmaceutical drugs as main stay actions when other remedies might be available? Jeanne Garrett became involved in “wellness” when a family member developed strange physical and…
Happenings for March 2012
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
March 1 – 4 – Garish Garden Show – from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. @ Luthy Botanical Garden. This show reinvents the best of the worst of landscaping faux pas. The Conservatory is redecorated with pink flamingos, garden gnomes and…
A Mole by Any Other Name
by Dale Goodner • • 0 Comments
In the summer of 1988 there was a terrible drought in Peoria. That fall, I received an interesting phone call at the Nature Center. A nurse wanted to know if I could explain why there had been a 500 percent…
Do the numbers again and get back to us
by Roger Monroe • • 0 Comments
Remember when the District 150 school board voted to close Woodruff High School to save money? As I recall they said it would save the district a little over $1 million. Shortly after the vote “the Peoria establishment” started pushing…