Several recent reports on Journal Star corporate owner GateHouse Media (New Media Investment Group) explain the company’s aggressive newspaper acquisition strategy as a marketing plan to beef up revenues while cutting journalism. Ken Doctor writes in Nieman Lab, Nieman Foundation…
Articles
Schoolchildren Without Basics
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
Lisa Travis, bottom, a teacher’s aide at Glen Oak School, and Terri Berg, top, a sign language interpreter at Richwoods High School, volunteer with the Round Table Project helping students with needs ranging from a clean pair of socks to…
Congressman reflects on grandson’s gun death
by Clare Howard • • 0 Comments
BY CLARE HOWARD U.S. Rep. Danny Davis imagines his grandson saying, “But Granddad, you said if I’m home, I’m OK. I’m safe. You told me to be home when it’s dark.” Rep. Davis shook his head. “It never occurred to…
Student loans: immortal
by Terry Bibo • • 0 Comments
BY TERRY BIBO Instead of “Pomp and Circumstance,” the Class of 2017 probably should have graduated to the tune “Sixteen Tons.” Their grandparents may have been toddlers when Tennessee Ernie Ford’s cover of a coal miner’s debt struggles topped the…
Weed killer in pregnant women
by Clare Howard • • 0 Comments
BY CLARE HOWARD Glyphosate, the most heavily used weed killer in the United States, was found in 91 percent of pregnant women tested in a recent study conducted by Dr. Paul Winchester, medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit…
UN: Pesticide marketing “aggressive,” “unethical”
by Clare Howard • • 1 Comment
BY CLARE HOWARD It’s a “myth” that pesticides are needed to feed the world, a recent United Nations report concludes, calling for an international treaty to regulate and ultimately eliminate widespread pesticide use. The report states that elimination of pesticides…
Ridin’ the storm out?
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
BY BILL KNIGHT Flooding is more frequent and more costly, and destruction like what Peoria County endured four years ago this spring might be considered bad luck. Homeowners, developers and government couldn’t foresee such dangers. Except: Maybe they could. Storms…
Hate crime: Guilty
by Bill Knight • • 0 Comments
BY BILL KNIGHT The last of the three family members arrested in connection with a fight in Canton Memorial Day weekend last year pleaded guilty on March 13. In a complicated agreement with prosecutors, Shane Weller, 19, pleaded guilty: •…
Lawsuit Updates: GateHouse & Farm Bureau
by Community Word Staff • • 0 Comments
BY CLARE HOWARD A settlement was reached last week in a class action lawsuit against GateHouse Media by Massachusetts newspaper subscribers over special surcharges billed for “premium edition” sections inserted into the regular newspaper. Plaintiffs charged that GateHouse failed to…
Better care, lower costs abroad
by Clare Howard • • 0 Comments
BY CLARE HOWARD John Parks has no hesitancy labeling himself a conservative, but he’s adamant the current health care system in this country is broken, and the best solution is a single-payer plan providing universal coverage. Parks, 70, has the…