The West Peoria Firefighters’ Association is having its annual hog roast & raffle fund-raising at Crusen’s on Sunday, October 19th from 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. West Peoria firefighters will be going door-to-door selling the fund-raiser tickets which are $1/ea or $5/5 tickets with the 6th ticket being the meal ticket. The meal includes a pork sandwich, side dishes and one beverage. Raffle prizes are:$500/first, $250/second and $100/third. You do not need to be present to win at the drawing which will be the following Wednesday at the fire house. Fund-raising is an important aspect of the department and allows the purchase of much needed equipment. Firefighters are always in uniform when selling raffle tickets; they do not solicit over the telephone.
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When it comes to the issues at hand, Congressional candidates believe they have the answers to help America thrive economically, educationally, and in the war on terror.

Autumn will be heralded with red, white, and blue this year as Election Day approaches and voters begin taking a close look at candidates’ platforms in contested races across the Peoria area. The race for the 18th District Congressional seat soon to be vacated by Republican Congressman Ray LaHood has drawn much voter attention since LaHood announced his retirement and three viable candidates stepped up to the plate. Read the rest of this entry »

One in four veterans in the United States are homeless; and, with the early presence of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans showing up at shelters, veteran’s affairs directors are expecting a “tsunami of homeless veterans” in the near future.

That’s why Bob Johnson is starting a shelter for veterans at 416 N.E. Jefferson Street which he hopes to have opened sometime in 2009. The new shelter is located next door to the current Salvation Army Shelter for homeless men at 414 N.E. Jefferson where Johnson works as the volunteer veteran’s coordinator. He has worked diligently towards getting this venture going for two years in partnership with the Salvation Army.

“All this is a trial run,” says Johnson, since the new facility will initially only house 12 – 15 veterans. He hopes to catapult it into something bigger later. Read the rest of this entry »

Domestic abuse is a significant national problem and is prevalent among American households. Abuse can happen to both men and women, but about 73 percent of family abuse victims are female. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, about one in every four women in the United States will experience some type of violence in her lifetime, and each year an estimated 1.3 million women nationwide receive physical abuse by an intimate partner.

Abuse is even scarier when it’s in your own backyard. In 2006 there were 114,921 reported cases of domestic violence in Illinois, and 44 percent of those cases were committed by a spouse, ex-spouse, or common-law spouse. In the same year, Illinois had 3,798 reported violations of court-ordered protection restrictions. Read the rest of this entry »

The West Peoria Neighborhood Watch will host National Night Out on Friday, September 5, 2008 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Franciscan Recreation Complex. Activities will include a dunk tank, canine demonstration, bicycle rodeo (kids bring your bikes), bicycle drawing, Kids I.D. Program, Eclectic LR Band, Flynn’s Irish Dancers, hot dogs, snow-cones and more. Read the rest of this entry »

Peoria, Illinois (August 22, 2008)—The following is the schedule for the Methodist Medical Center Mobile Mammography Van for the month of September 2008. Unless otherwise listed, the van will be in these locations from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Methodist now features all digital mammography equipment providing improved, faster and more comfortable exams.

• September 2 Goodwill Industries, 210 S. Main Street, East Peoria
• September 3 Methodist Medical Group at Chillicothe, 525 Sweetbriar, Chillicothe
• September 4 Dr. Philip H. Baer, Valley Forge Shopping Center, Washington
• September 9 Methodist at Morton, 1909 N. Morton Ave., Morton
• September 10 Methodist Medical Group at Farmington, 158 E. Fulton, Farmington
• September 13 Dunlap Days, Dunlap
• September 15 YWCA at Lakeview, 1013 W. Lake Ave., Peoria
  September 16 Heartland Clinic, 1701 w. Garden, Peoria
• September 17 Methodist at Mt. Hawley-Women’s Health, 7725 N. Knoxville, Peoria
• September 18 Goodwill Industries, 2319 E. War Memorial, Peoria
• September 20 Cub Foods, 5001 N. Big Hollow Rd., Peoria (Saturday)
• September 23 Methodist at Morton, 1909 N. Morton Ave., Morton
• September 24 Wal-Mart, 2071 N. Main Street, Canton
• September 26 Methodist at Pekin, 1800 Broadway, Pekin
• There is no need for a doctor?s order for a screening mammogram if you’re 40 or over.

Call for an appointment at 671-8282

Two years of planning, one year of programming, and six months of meetings and campaigning have boiled down to the Peoria City Council’s decision to keep moving forward and the Library Board’s settlement on a new North branch.

In April 2007, local citizens cast a 72 percent landslide vote on behalf of a $35 million bond referendum to upgrade and expand the Peoria Public Library system. The referendum passed in every one of the city’s 93 precincts and awaited Peoria City Council approval this spring. The Library Board appeared confident. Citizens day dreamed of spending lazy Sunday afternoons sipping mocha lattes and leafing through bookshelves while students received technology-based assistance with their homework. Read the rest of this entry »

From presidential endorsements to support from House majority leaders, candidates are campaigning hard to raise money—and votes—as the election draws near.

With kids out of school and families on vacation, the November election may be a mere spark in the minds of voters. But for State Representative Aaron Schock and former WMBD Agricultural Reporter Colleen Callahan, the campaign for retiring U.S. Representative Ray LaHood’s seat is already in full swing. Candidates in the 18th District congressional race have been working hard to turn public heads toward Decision 2008, gaining support from Washington political leaders and organizing rallies and fundraisers to jump-start their campaigns for the months ahead.

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With the rising cost of fuel and energy, many people are thinking about alternative ways to harness their energy, all while lessening their carbon footprint. One popular option is to use renewable energy to power their houses and cars. Renewable energy options all come from the sun, either directly or indirectly, and will be available to us for as long as the sun is shining. This is in direct contrast to fossil fuels, which are nonrenewable and will be depleted in a couple hundred years.

Even more important than the depletion of fossil fuels is the destruction they cause the planet and environment. The burning and use of fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, are pollutants and the leading cause of global warming. Read the rest of this entry »

There will be a Mass offered for the West Peoria Community on Sunday, August 10, 2008, 10:30 a.m. at the Immaculate Conception Convent, 2408 W. Heading Avenue.

The West Peoria Fire Department will begin charging for ambulance calls beginning October 1st pending completion of billing procedures. A combination of factors leads to the decision by the Fire Protection District Board of Trustees. The rising costs of medical equipment, supplies, and operating costs figured into the decision.

“In order to maintain the high quality of service to West Peorians, we unfortunately found it necessary to begin charging for ambulance calls,” stated Fire Chief Robert Stecher. “The ambulance service has dramatically changed over the last thirty plus years. There have been many life-saving medical and technological advances and we’ve been able to keep pace, but equipping and maintaining an ambulance today is far more costly.” Read the rest of this entry »