I went to the “debate” between Esther Joy King and Eric Sorenson at Bradley on October 3. I regret doing that. I could have stayed home and watched mindless drivel on TV without wasting gas to attend a live event…
Columns
The Lion’s Den: Sweet sounds of Jazz stir heart, mind, soul
by Daniel McCloud • • 0 Comments
“Jazz is the big brother of Revolution. Revolution follows it around,” — Miles Davis Following the end of the Civil War, as Black music continued to evolve, transitioning from the spirituals, blues, and gospel music, a new, freer, unencumbered…
The Watch: Social equity pot dispensaries under review; rail line gets funds; booths, ballots ready for big day
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
Cannabis, trains and upcoming budgets dominate government agendas this fall. Peoria City Council On Aug. 23, councilors reviewed an ordinance about recreational cannabis businesses. Changes relate to social equity applicants, meaning those who have convictions for cannabis possession and…
West Peoria News: Fall back, look forward to November events
by Sharon McBride • • 0 Comments
It is time to change your clocks to regular time on Nov. 7 from Daylight Savings time to regular time. Set your clocks back one hour. The consolidated elections for the City of West Peoria fall on April 4, 2023.…
Straight Talk: School/Teacher negotiations are on a need-to-know basis
by Roger Monroe • • 0 Comments
The good news is the Peoria Federation of Teachers reached agreement on a new three-year contract with the Peoria School District. Unfortunately, it took months of negotiations, a federal mediator, and the threat of a strike. Once again both sides…
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…
Op-Ed | Meritocracy: Smug up top with demoralizing bottom
by contributor • • 0 Comments
By EMILY GILL Social mobility has long been the United States’s answer to inequality. Equality of opportunity should allow individuals to rise as far as their abilities and hard work can take them. In the twenty-first century, however, the promise…
Op-Ed | Ten years of reflection at Jon Buckley Memorial Garden
by contributor • • 1 Comment
By YOLANDA WALLACE Have you ever been down to the Marina far east along the walking trail near the Illinois River? Sometimes I’d go walking along the trail and see the Constitution Park. That’s where people go to discuss…
Op-Ed | Protect our Constitution, prosecute insurrectionists
by Community Word Staff • • 1 Comment
By JAMES WILHELM Every member of Congress of the United States of America, specifically the Senate and House of Representatives, takes a solemn oath to “… support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and…
Inland Arts | Raising Helvetica: Travis Janssen creating cyanotypes with one of the ‘finest’ fonts in the world
by Nichole Gronvold-Roller • • 1 Comment
Helvetica: Uppercase, currently on display at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria until Oct 22, is an exhibition of an ongoing series by the artist Travis Janssen, Associate Professor and Head of the Printmaking Program at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.…