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…
Columns
West Peoria News | Township dissolution on the ballot
by Sharon McBride • • 0 Comments
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.…
The Lion’s Den | Voting Rights
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
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…
Straight Talk | No more Peoria history
by Roger Monroe • • 0 Comments
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…
Bill Knight | Columbus statue
by Community Word Staff • • 1 Comment
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…
Nature Rambles | Derecho
by Mike Miller • • 0 Comments
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…
Real Talk | When the message gets lost
by Kamara Taylor • • 0 Comments
There is no surprise that our country is in a state of unrest. From the pandemic to the riots, to questioning and challenging the mattering of Black lives to the rebuttal of all lives. From the challenge to mask or…
The Watch | Peoria council discusses cuts
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
“Normal” is not quite the right word. But a new reality is taking shape for local governments in 2020. On July 28, Peoria City Council mulled changes to the 2020-2021 budget in the wake of COVID-19. Staff was directed to…
Inland Art | Barbara Ciurej and Lindsay Lochman
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
Barbara Ciurej and Lindsay Lochman have been collaborating on and experimenting with visual culture for 40 years from their studios in Chicago and Milwaukee. While recognized originally for critiquing the artworld’s male-centric art institutions and subjects (a reality that still…
Art: What is it Good For? | Giving Voice
by Doug and Eileen Leunig • • 0 Comments
In May of 2018, we started our 501(c)(3) Big Picture Initiative with a 1,650 square foot portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the Peoria County Courthouse. We assumed the monumental task of creating something even bigger and more powerful would be…