For years, the E.D. Edwards coal-fired power plant in Bartonville was linked to high asthma rates in Peoria’s Southside neighborhoods, but equally liable could be poor indoor air quality polluted with nitrogen dioxide from gas stoves, water heaters and furnaces.…
News
Saved from the wrecking ball
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
Insect “apocalypse”?
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
An “insect apocalypse” could jeopardize plant life. Farming in the 1990s increased use of neonicotinoid insecticides, the neurotoxins that collect in pollen and nectar –– causing paralysis and death for bugs, including bees. However, there’s doubt about bees’ current state,…
New senior housing in rural areas
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
The Housing Authority of Champaign County is reaching out 100 miles to develop an affordable senior living facility in Henry, a small community just 34 miles north of Peoria. Called Oak Field Place, the new 30-unit, affordable senior housing facility…
When government aid falls short, mutual aid steps in
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
Despite the isolation needed in a pandemic, some are working for others, even if it’s at a safe distance. A garage outside Pekin is where Tazewell County Mutual Aid constantly fills and empties shelves of material for central Illinois neighbors.…
Peoria attorney wakes up each morning grateful to be alive
by Clare Howard • • 0 Comments
Peoria attorney Christopher McCall looks back and calculates he must have contracted COVID around Election Day even though he has always strictly adhered to CDC guidelines. He always wears a face mask, he practices social distancing (preferring 10 feet rather…
Inequality: An “apartheid” system of vaccine distribution
by Clare Howard • • 0 Comments
Israel is basking in positive international recognition for truly rapid and efficient COVID-19 vaccination rates among citizens. However, the Israeli militarily occupies the West Bank and Gaza and the under-reported story there is that the population has no or limited…
The end of a civic journey
by Clare Howard • • 0 Comments
Mary Harkrader taught her children they owed themselves and others their active participation in civic life –– both as a responsibility and a pleasure. She taught by example. Harkrader died Jan. 30 at age 86. Her husband Al, long-time photographer…
Peoria Area World Affairs Council: Upcoming schedule
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
The Peoria Area World Affairs Council, a not-for-profit affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America, hosts programming and educational outreach on global issues of national and international importance. Programs are open to the public. Upcoming presentations scheduled on Zoom…
Science Briefs | March 2021
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
Paper Coca-Cola Bottles: A Danish startup company is working on paper bottles to replace plastic bottles. The paper bottle will be completely recyclable and production avoids the carbon footprint of manufacturing plastic from fossil fuels. The company hopes its product…