The Lincoln Branch Library marked its 10th anniversary of its expansion and renovation. The addition in 2010 to Peoria’s only Andrew Carnegie library expanded the South Side space from 4,570 to 16,300 square feet with a modern extension to the…
News
Eureka College promising free tuition
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
Eureka College is expanding its tuition-free program to qualified students for four years. The Uniquely Eureka Promise Program, which was originally offered to transfer students, is now available to students from all over the state of Illinois, and gives them…
Purging contaminants from U.S. drinking water, including toxic PFAS chemicals
by Clare Howard • • 0 Comments
A growing sense of urgency nationwide is focused on a new category of “forever chemicals” called PFAS. Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances include a group of about 5,000 manmade chemicals used in a wide variety of products from fire fighters’ foam,…
America is back in the infrastructure business
by Ray LaHood • • 1 Comment
BY RAY LAHOOD Member of Congress, 18th Congressional District 1995-2009 Secretary of Transportation 2009-2013 I am writing my final column for Community Word after receiving an email from Clare Howard inviting me to comment on the passage of the much…
Chiefs get pay hike, housing
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
The absence or presence of justice can be found almost everywhere, from homeless shelters to legislatures to baseball diamonds. Baseball is probably far from your mind unless you’re a fan of Atlanta (whose World Series star was ex-Peoria Chiefs outfielder…
Inequalities in diabetes care
by Clare Howard • • 1 Comment
America is doing a “god-awful job managing diabetes,” a specialist said at a recent forum hosted by The Hill digital news company. Skyrocketing rates of diabetes in the United States are being met with “systemic inertia.” African Americans and Native…
Briefs on journalism
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
Pope Francis’ reflections on journalism Excerpt from an address to journalists delivered by Pope Francis on Nov. 11: “Journalism does not come about by choosing a profession, but by embarking on a mission, a little like a doctor who studies…
Forest Park Nature Center sold to Peoria Park District
by Clare Howard • • 0 Comments
One of the most cherished parks in central Illinois was owned for nearly 70 years by the private Forest Park Foundation under the leadership of three generations of the Rutherford family. As the foundation began to wind down operations, it…
Systemic change needed to curb nutrient runoff
by Clare Howard • • 0 Comments
Nitrogen and phosphorus are running off farm fields in Illinois at ever increasing rates despite millions of dollars spent on research and conservation practices designed to mitigate the problem, according to the state’s recently-released report on nutrient loss. Conventional farming…
Muralist rekindles towns’ past
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
Scott Lindley’s life work has been about forging relationships and building community. And painting. Lindley, 52, heads up “Walldogs,” a group of artists who’ve created murals throughout Illinois, from a standalone piece chronicling Elmwood’s abolitionist past to a series of…