Columns

Monroe

Bob Michel was a hero  Bob Michel is gone. At the age of 93, the Peoria native slipped from this world to the next leaving a history of accomplishments and service unmatched by anyone from this city or this state.…

A warm day in February Today as I write it is 71 degrees in Peoria. I cannot remember any time in my life when it was this warm in February in Illinois. People are sitting in cafes drinking their coffee…

Nature Rambles

Spring cleaning Who would have thought that we would be seeing February days with sustained 60+ degree temperatures! While spring seems to want to make an early start, I have a feeling that we will still see more of old-man…

Serendipity

Even with limited technology skills, I often use and greatly appreciate the wonders of Google. Entering only part of a quote I remembered, Google responded instantly with missing words and the author’s name. Amazing! That technological capability alone is worth…

West Peoria News

Upcoming City Council meetings:  7 p.m. March 14 and 28 in City Hall. The following names will appear on the April 4 consolidated general election ballot for the position of alderman: Ward 1, Leroy Dohm Jr.; Ward 2, Jerry Meismer;…

Bricks & Mortar

Peoria City Hall total cost with furnishings in 1899: $271,500 Public buildings are by their intrinsic nature a reflection of the community that they serve and the time in which they are built. So it is with Peoria City Hall,…

Arts Beat

MUSIC March 3: Preston Jackson & Friends “Live at the Five Spot.” 5:30 p.m. Contemporary Art Center. 674-6877. March 3: Nathan Taylor & Friends. 8 p.m. Rhythm Kitchen. 676-9668. March 3: “Get the Led Out” Led Zeppelin tribute. 8 p.m.…

The Art of Channy Lyons Chandler Lyons Wildemuth was every bit as formidable as her name. Like Walt Whitman, she contained contradictory multitudes. She was a writer, an historian, an arts and animal lover. She was both warm and stern,…

LaHood

Time is now for a bold vision for infrastructure plus bold funding  To compete on a global scale and provide our citizens with the quality of life we have come to expect, the United States must have first-rate infrastructure. This…