Back in the August issue of Community Word, this column mentioned the fact that the Chimney Swift Tower at the Peoria Park District’s Tawny Oaks Field Station had a pair of swifts take up residence and build a nest. I’m…
Chicago’s Hubbard Street district was a coalescent site of experimental art in the ’70s and ’80s. For artists and designers, the street had a radical presence that was distinctive, nurturing and pleasurable. Loft buildings and raw spaces hosted enormous crowds…
As a Secular Humanist, I don’t believe in Gods, Satan, heaven, hell, condemnation, salvation, souls, sin, karma, reincarnation, life after death, supernatural beings, inerrant scriptures, miracles, magical thinking or messages from Gods. The virtues of religious people are also found…
As climate wildfires rage and the world burns, we ask: who is rising to the challenges of the multiplying climate catastrophes? Illinois State University (ISU) has not. Instead, ISU has retreated from past climate commitments. The retreat begins in earnest…
Seldom does an event occur in the history of civilization that is the culmination of centuries of struggle and sacrifice by hundreds of thousands of people and perseverance in the belief in a system of law and order. Such an…
A referendum to dissolve West Peoria Township will be on the ballot Nov. 3. West Peoria Township Trustees voted unanimously at a special meeting Aug. 13 to place the item on the ballot. This meeting followed a public hearing Aug.…
All eyes are on the United States as we approach the next presidential election on Nov. 3. As we approach the election, now may be a good time to review the history of voting in this country. Initial voting rights…
Our good friend Norm Kelly is gone, another victim of cancer. A few months ago, I wrote about my high school friend and his special writing accomplishments. I did it then because he told me he was not long for…
People aren’t stupid. We learn. Sometimes lessons are fanciful fables that reassure us; sometimes they’re difficult realizations of our past, and ourselves. Columbus statues aren’t symbols of humanity’s progress, one man’s courage or Italians’ intelligence. However, they represent racism and…
Monday Aug. 10 started off as a sunny, clear day with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon in Central Illinois. I happened to be at our Tawny Oaks facility, when around 2:30 p.m. the sky to the west…
