Columns

After the Sept. 18 “summit” meeting of the Peoria School District 150 board and the Peoria City Council, I spent a few minutes chatting with board members Mary Spangler and Debbie Wolfmeyer. I’m glad I did. Spangler brought up one of the issues that makes her and other board members and school administrators so...
Read more »

The Set-up Crew arrived at 4 a.m. Their energy alone could power the sound system that was to accompany the host that would arrive at ten. For hours they labored laying cable, setting up speakers, cameras and mikes. But this team is not the typical ‘roadie crew.’ They relish the relationships they’ve built...
Read more »

Dear Allison, When you called to announce your engagement, the excitement in your voice was wonderfully contagious! How great hearing your good news! As your “beloved aunt,” your name for me, I’m permitted a certain nostalgia about this life-changing event for you. I can vividly remember when your mother called telling us of your...
Read more »

It is going to be several years before this author reaches retirement age. Yet, the gathering of information is necessary to assist me with proper planning. One of those subjects which needs to be considered is that of Social Security. Karen Chan CFP, Consumer and Family Economics Educator with University of Illinois...
Read more »

Another month, another hospital stay, but this time it was not me but my son Jason. He gave me quite a scare. On the fifteenth of September, on a Saturday night about ten, he called and told me he was having chest pains and thought he might have to go in to the hospital....
Read more »

When Frankie was five years old, she was the perfect picture of a pregnant potato bug. I was just beginning to know her at the time and she was always underfoot. By the time she turned six, I came to my senses and started using her to my advantage. Among other things, I’d have...
Read more »

Don’t be surprised if Peoria County officials soon announce plans to construct a new Bel-Wood Nursing Home. A recent study of the existing facility revealed the need for an estimated $12 million in updates. Rather than spend that kind of money on changes and renovations, some in the County believe it would be fiscally wiser...
Read more »

When U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood announced that he wouldn’t seek re-election, some progressives wondered: Did his decision stem from the difficulty of once more legislating by collaboration and compromise without the dominance of controlling both houses of Congress (indeed, all three branches of the federal government), or the difficulty of trying to be a...
Read more »

Let’s just take a moment and talk about the birds and the bees. After all, these critters can teach us a good deal about the world. Remember, they share our need for clean air and water. You may have heard about the canary in the coal mine. Miners kept a caged bird nearby, the...
Read more »

John Morris spent a day enjoying the news media reporting on the results of a campaign poll “as if it were gospel.” Actually, I suspect that the habitually upbeat former Peoria City Council member wasn’t really all that much amused as he was annoyed. Not that he would ever admit it. For those who missed...
Read more »