Kim Blickenstaff rode into Peoria like the proverbial knight on a white horse with wads of money and a load of ideas for improving life in central Illinois. The highly successful businessman, who made a fortune in the healthcare industry,…
Boy Scout Troop 11 held an Eagle Court of Honor for Ethan Edley on Jan. 8. Ethan is the troop’s Eagle Scout No. 75 since 1943. It is an impressive number of Eagles because of all the commitment, effort, hard…
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…
With one bellwether election barely behind us — ringing in five new Peoria County Board members — another will toll in the immediate future. Meanwhile, the nitty-gritty work of government grinds on. Peoria City Council On Nov. 8, Township Supervisor…
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…
Peoria taxpayers are paying outside attorneys to sue the county and also to defend the county in a 13-month-old lawsuit by County Auditor Jessica Thomas, whose office was changed by the County Board in 2021 and eliminated by voters in…
Planting new trees is a key part of investing in “public spaces,” according to Reimagining the Civic Commons, which for years advocated for reinvigorating public spaces such as parks in Chicago and other Midwest cities and also stressing how developing…
ART Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Peoria Riverfront Museum recently unveiled “The Amethyst,” one of the world’s tallest geodes, now on display as part of its permanent collection. Big Picture Peoria has eight “augmented-reality-enabled” murals of renowned native Peorians on…
Watching local government operate almost normally in 2022 is a Christmas gift in itself. Peoria City Council On Sept. 27, councilors approved $386,000 for a storm sewer contract with J.C. Dillon Inc. Maintenance Director Rick Powers said this includes 190…
Illinois’ Workers’ Rights Amendment to the state constitution passed, according to the Associated Press, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, and other outlets verifying data on Nov. 15. The measure received 58.4% of all votes cast in the Nov. 8 midterm election,…
