Bad ink and quick news bites fuel fear and people end up labeling entire areas of a city as dangerous. An arbitrary boundary is created that people are afraid to cross. Because of that label, people see only streets of…
The verdict rendered regarding officer Darren Wilson is not only a sickening moral decision on behalf of the people of Ferguson and its citizens, but a fraudulent disgrace of injustice on American people, the Brown family, African American parents and…
‘Tis the season of the turkey, both theatrically and gastronomically. A theatrical turkey is a family-friendly show produced between Thanksgiving and the New Year and stuffed with spectacle, music, dance, comedy and sentimentality. One could say the turkey season kicks…
There are many ways for residents to work toward better neighborhoods, and the City of Peoria is encouraging two actions: organization and engagement. To be recognized as a neighborhood association by the City, organize thusly, according to Neighborhood Development Specialist…
If you are like me, you loathe the idea of spending money at chain stores. I figure, if you spend money at a locally owned spot, you are giving cash to a family that is going to shop and pay…
U.S. Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC) will be the featured speaker at NAACP’s 52nd Nov. 22 Freedom Fund Banquet at Par-A-Dice Hotel and Conference Center in East Peoria. The event – “All in for Justice and Equality” – will start…
TOO SOON! It was a shock, a disappointing shock, when the announcement came that well-known Manual High School and University of Illinois basketball coach, Wayne McClain had died at the young age of 60. While initial news reports said he…
“Get Out the Vote” is a national effort to register new voters and to push back against restrictions to voting imposed through new requirements for photo ID and birth certificates purportedly necessary to deal with the non-existing problem of voter…
Benito is a soft-spoken, muscular man who smiles warmly but has the tight expression of a chronic worrier. He lives and works in central Illinois, struggles with English, marches in anti-fracking rallies, has dreams for his children and pays his…
