River Rescue’s hula hoop-a-thon scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 2 has been postponed until a later date, but the Oct. 4 news conference and march will occur as previously announced.

The march and news conference will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 4, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the Liberty Park Pavilion on the Peoria riverfront. River Rescue activists will march to the Hotel Pere Marquette to present petitions with more than 1,600 signatures to Lt.Gov. Sheila Simon and the US Army Corps of Engineers asking them to stop the island building in Peoria Lake.

Simon and Corps officials are scheduled to attend a 6:30 p.m. public forum of the Illinois River Coordinating Council on Oct. 4, part of the 13th Biennial Governor’s Conference on the Management of the Illinois River System taking place Oct. 4-6 at the Pere Marquette, 501 Main, Peoria.

WHY? Almost $10 million in taxpayer funds have already been spent building one island north of the McClugage Bridge, at a cost of $1 million per job created. Many more, larger islands are being planned which will turn Peoria Lake into a wooded river barge channel, ruining the lake forever. This boondoggle must stop now.

All citizens interested in the future of Peoria Lake are invited to meet with River Rescue activists and march to present the petition.