Over the Christmas holiday, my family and I had the chance to visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo. It was an incredible experience. The museum contained photos, memorabilia, and newspaper clippings that highlighted the talent of…
Citizenship never stops, really. It didn’t end with voting in November, and it requires participation between now and April 4. That’s when the consolidated local election — held in the spring of odd-numbered years — will pick local representatives to…
ART • On Feb. 9 the Fine Arts Society of Peoria will present Chicago artist Juarez Hawkins at the Peoria Riverfront Museum to lecture on David C. Driskell, who’s credited with using his work, writing and teaching to promote the…
Peoria County has more than 9,000 military veterans, according to the Census, and hundreds seek help with issues ranging from disability benefits to housing. The county’s Veterans Assistance Commission advocates for them while maneuvering a new federal law providing…
By JESSICA JOHNSON Illinois Tobacco-Free Communities Coordinator for Hult Center for Healthy Living Have you ever been constantly bothered by the smoke from a neighbor’s cigarette? Chances are most people have experienced the uncomfortable effect of breathing in somebody else’s…
A barren wasteland lay in between the way I see myself and the way I am seen by others. The perception and programming of people further clouds the actual reality of that distance. I am 55 years old and at…
Upon entering the 22 VA Art Exhibit last November in the Downtown Branch of the Peoria Public Library, I immediately felt connected to a wide range of creative works. Walls were lined with paintings, photos, recycled art, quilts, writing, carvings,…
BOOKS • Writer (and Community Word co-owner) Burt Raabe will be signing his poetry collection “Zen and the Art of Underground Sprinkler Maintenance” and reading selections at I Know You Like A Book on Jan. 11. • Former U.S. Attorney…
If you’re reading this, then you made it to the year of our Lord, 2023. Perhaps there is light snow on the ground and a solitary robin sitting on a frosty tree limb just outside your window. If you’re lucky,…
At 123 years old, the National Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the longest running citizen science project in existence. Its roots date back to 1900, when ornithologist Frank Chapman suggested that people should go out at Christmas and count…
