Kira Santiago could have relocated from central Illinois to work in the Chicago area, but the soil lured her back home. “Farming near Chicago was something to consider, but people need to come back to this soil. Someone has to…
Lead water pipes are a major public health risk, especially in Peoria that has among the highest rates of childhood lead poisoning in the country. Illinois recently passed legislation calling for replacement of lead service lines carrying water from the…
U.S. Federal Judge Joe Billy McDade spoke at the graduation of the Peoria Park District’s Elite program recently and called for establishment of a student CCC program like one implemented as part of the New Deal during the administration of…
BY DAVID ZALAZNIK Ben Dwyer died May 26, 2021 of ALS. I don’t remember exactly when Ben and I met. He was a photographer at WMBD-TV for almost 40 years here in Peoria and I started in late November 1989…
GALESBURG — Started in 2014 as a student initiative, the one-acre Knox College Farm has blossomed into a chemical-free operation that produced more than 2,300 pounds of food last year used in the school cafeteria and shared with the community.…
BY GARRY MOORE In many cities throughout the country, African Americans will observe Juneteenth–the name given to a unique American occurrence that marked the end of slavery in Texas. It’s also referred to as Black Independence Day (an alternative to…
Renée Mullen is science savvy, and she was totally caught off guard by some totally unscientific public policy. Mullen has a PhD and taught in the science department at Eureka College for years. She has conducted scientific research around the…
Maybe you’ve realized: You’re being robbed. But it’s no burglar; it’s not at gunpoint. Your tips are stolen by your boss, or you regularly work 50 hours a week with no overtime pay, or you’re handed cash at the job…
Environmental Racism: “Toward the Fossil-Free Future: Food, Farming, Fracking, Climate & Justice” was the topic of a recent zoom lecture by scientist and writer Sandra Steingraber. Fossil fuel extraction is a form of environmental racism, Steingraber said. Factories, refineries and…
To know the Chinquapin Oak is to know something about our region’s ecological history and our own ecological geneology. Chinquapins are hallmark trees of the Central Illinois River Bluff. Slow growing with dense wood and a gray-brown bark, the tree…
