Straight Talk

Stop the presses!

The sleuths at the Peoria Journal have uncovered another major crime! While there are murders on the streets and alleys of the city, drug deals almost in the open, fights among teens at Peoria High, and muggings of shoppers, the…

Bad news for Bradley fans

The popular and legendary Bradley basketball coach, Joe Stowell, has been fired by WMBD’s general manager, Mike Wild. Stowell will no longer be heard doing games with Dave Snell. Wild, who has a history of firing people, dumped Stowell in…

Peoria hospital for sale?

EXCLUSIVE For writing a column in a monthly newspaper I’m proud of the scoops I’ve had over the years. This column was the first to predict a federal judgeship for Judge Jim Shadid and the first to forecast that Chillicothe’s…

RIP Woodruff High School 1937-2010

Woodruff High School is dead.  Its execution was ordered by District 150 board members David Gorenz, Laura Petelle, Debbie Wolfmeyer and Linda Butler. As a physician, Gorenz lost “the patient;” Petelle, the attorney, pulled the plug; Wolfmeyer, a school secretary,…

Mad Dog returns

Greg Maddox, one of the greatest pitchers of modern day baseball, got his professional start playing for the Peoria Chiefs at the old Vonachen Stadium on Nebraska Avenue. And thanks to that Vonachen, as in Pete, the “Mad Dog” is…

Happy birthday

On numerous occasions I’m reminded by other people what a great man my father was. Recently, I received an invitation to appear as a guest on the cable program, “Neighborhood Views,” from the host, Lorraine Carter. Lorraine said she not…