Some sixty years ago, I remember walking home from grade school with friends, which was a daily adventure. My memory of anything that happened so long ago could not be used as evidence in a court of law, but I…
Columns
West Peoria News | Remember our veterans, celebrate our nation
by Sharon McBride • • 0 Comments
This June issue of The Community Word will be available yet in May and will share information of our ongoing Memorial Day celebration that is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, May 28th at Franciscan Park. This time slot allows those…
Bill Knight | AM-1290 regrettably WIRLs over to the right
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
When I turned on the kitchen radio, I was startled: Opposite Day? Bizarro world? A Russian hack? Expecting reliable WIRL-AM 1290’s enjoyable, pleasantly distracting classic tunes, I heard Sean Hannity. Days before, the oldies station had quietly become another conservative…
The Lion’s Den | Look where he brought me from: A musical journey
by Daniel McCloud • • 0 Comments
When seeking to discuss and describe the developments of Black music during slavery and the subsequent Civil War, one must first trace the origins of Black music before it arrived in America. To do that, one must examine the history…
Straight Talk | These tragic child deaths need more investigating
by Roger Monroe • • 0 Comments
For the second time, the Peoria area lost another child to physical and mental abuse. For the second time, I fear the deaths will die from lack of attention and meaningful response. While 35-year-old Leslie Jett will die as an…
Nature Rambles | How to tame Garlic Mustard invasion?
by Mike Miller • • 0 Comments
From beneath the melting snow, it can be seen. Shriveled, green rosettes of leaves, awaiting the warmth of spring. Each of these rosettes represents a plant that has found a toe-hold along our wooded paths in central Illinois. Each is…
The Watch | Three cheers to the county for streamlining collection of our real estate taxes
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
When public officials collaborate to make government more effective, flag it. Hence, three cheers for a new method of collecting real estate taxes prompted by the Peoria County Treasurer and Peoria Township Collector. Stephen Morris, Township Collector, recommended all in-person…
Inland Art | Endless possibilities
by Nichole Gronvold-Roller • • 2 Comments
Turn on photocopy machine, open lid, select copy on the home screen, scan with nothing on the glass plate and accumulate sheets of grainy black paper with heavy toner. Cut, tape, tear and glue paper. Repeat or mix up the…
Arts Beat | May 2022
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
ART Peorian Steve Spain presents highlights from his collection of original animation cels from Disney at the Riverfront Museum through May 8. THEATER Peoria Players Theatre is bringing back “Mamma Mia!” May 13-15 and 18-22 featuring Dedra Kaiser, Celeste Matheson,…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | Illinois unprepared for killer heat
by William Rau • • 2 Comments
Deadly heat gets no respect. Natural hazards that count — tornadoes, floods, etc. — are property-destroying traumas. Homeowners, public infrastructure, and insurance companies all take big hits. The Great Flood of 1993, for example, destroyed 24,000 Illinois homes and 884,000…