(Peoria, IL) The City of Peoria is replacing a storm sewer pipe on Jefferson Avenue at Garden Street, beginning on Thursday August 8th, at 9:00 AM. In order to complete this work, Jefferson Street will be closed at Tyng Street. Traffic on Jefferson Street will be detoured a total distance of 800 feet from Tyng Street and Garden Street. Work is expected to be completed Tuesday morning August 13th by 11:00 AM, weather permitting.
For additional information regarding this detour please call 494-8850.

The Peoria Park District’s Franciscan Rec Complex (FRC) Drop-in Yoga classes are available at the following times:
Mondays: 6:30 p.m.
Tuesdays: 10:00 a.m.
Wednesdays: 6:30 p.m.
Fridays: 10:00 a.m.

Cost is $4.50/drop-in or $48 for a 12-visit punch card.

More complete descriptions and online registration can be found at www.peoriaparks.org/frc or by calling FRC at (309) 677-6705.

The Peoria Park District’s Franciscan Recreation Complex (FRC) has open gym volleyball on Monday evenings from 7:30-10 p.m. and on Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. Cost is $3 per visit or $20/10-visit punch card. This open gym is for ages 18 and over.

More information can be found at www.peoriaparks.org/frc or by calling FRC at (309) 677-6705.

Dr. Stacey Robertson, Oglesby Professor of American Heritage and interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Bradley University, appears in the August 13 episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?,” a series airing on cable channel TLC.

Actress and singer Zooey Deschanel, star of the Fox sitcom “New Girl,” will be the featured celebrity on the episode. Researchers traced Deschanel’s ancestry to a 19th century woman with abolitionist ties and Robertson will provide historical context about women in that time period based on her research and writing. Dr. Robertson has researched the abolitionist movement for 25 years, focusing for the past 15 years on women’s roles in the movement.

The Illinois Valley Wheelm’n are proud to present the 40th annual No Balone Bicycle Ride. This ride is a recreational and social tour through varied terrain of cental Illinois. This year’s ride will be held on Saturday, August 24, 2013 starting in Morton, Illinois at Idlewood Park, 450 E. Greenwood (located on corner of Greenwood, Idlewood, and Parkside St.) Take I-155 to Morton and Exit Birchwood Ave. going East, at Detroit, turn R., follow to lights & cross over Main St. and becomes Idlewood St. Keep going straight until you see the Park on left.

This is a great event for riders of all ages and abilities. The Illinois Valley Wheelm’n ask that all participants ride in a safe and intelligent manner. We have the best and most plentiful food of any ride in Central Illinois; each stop on the route is themed a different way, and has great food to match. We pride ourselves on excellent food and rider support before, during, and after the ride.

Distance choices on the ride are: 25, 50, 75, or 100 miles.
Register online at www.ivwnobaloney.com fee is $25 Aug. 1-24. Family fee is $55
Riders must register promptly between 5:30 and closes at 8:00 a.m.

Belleville, Ill. (Aug. 6, 2013) – Illinois American Water is accepting applications for its 2013 Firefighter Grant Program. Through this program, the company provides financial assistance to fire and emergency organizations serving communities in its service areas.

According to Karla Olson Teasley, president of Illinois American Water, the Firefighter Grant Program has been very successful in providing assistance to community fire protection efforts. She said, “This is the fourth year for this program, which has awarded in total over 148 grants and over $173,000 to Illinois firefighters.”

The maximum grant amount is $1,000. Fire departments-districts are eligible for one grant per calendar year. Only uniformed professional and volunteer fire departments serving Illinois American Water’s service territory are eligible to receive funding. Grants of up to $1,000 will be considered to cover the costs associated with the following:
• Personal protective gear
• Communications equipment
• Firefighting tools
• Water handling equipment
• Training and related activities/materials used to support community fire protection
• Reimbursement for specific fire training classes, including training manuals and workbooks

Fire departments should send a letter of application postmarked by Sept. 6, 2013 with the following information:
• Description of the organization(s) seeking support
• Overview of specific project to be funded and grant amount requested
• Community problem/challenges that the project will address
• Timeframe for implementation of project
• Summary of other sources being approached for support of project
• Project budget

Applications can be emailed to Karen Cotton, manager of external affairs, at karen.cotton@amwater.com. For questions concerning this program, please contact Cotton via email or by phone at 309-566-4126.

About Illinois American Water
Illinois American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.2 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 15 million people in more than 30 states, as well as parts of Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.

Brand new “Double Feature Friday” promotion to begin this week.

PEORIA, IL— Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Peoria Park District have teamed up this summer to create “Friday Double Feature at the Riverfront” starting August 9. On select Friday nights through September 20, tickets can be purchased at the museum. For the $10 ticket, a person will receive a wristband to visit the museum after 5:00 p.m. either to wander the galleries or enjoy live music and an adult beverage on the museum’s Sun Plaza. The person will also receive a ticket to attend the Peoria RiverFront event the same night.

“The Peoria Park District and the Peoria Riverfront Museum are both interested in creating opportunities for people to come and enjoy the riverfront,” said Interim President and CEO Debbie Ritschel. “The museum is very pleased to be joining with the very successful Friday night Peoria Park District RiverFront events from concerts to festivals. By discounting and combining tickets to visit the museum and Peoria Park District RiverFront events, everybody wins.”

The first Friday Double Feature at the Riverfront is August 9. All galleries will be open after 5:00 p.m. to ticket holders, including Ansel Adams: Western Exposure. The Peoria RiverFront concert featuring “Too White Crew” begins at 8:00 p.m. This promotion is one of many partnerships with other downtown area businesses collaborating with one another in hopes to continue revitalizing downtown Peoria.

Friday Double Feature at the Riverfront includes the following concerts and festivals:
• August 9– Too White Crew
• August 16 –Soul Fest
• August 23–Erin Feis

Residents Speak Out on Water Pollution from E.D. Edwards Coal Plant in Bartonville Before Water Permit Hearing for the Plant

WHAT: On Wednesday, Peoria metro area residents will gather on the waterfront in Peoria to call on Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to protect public health and local waterways from toxic water pollution discharged from the local E.D. Edwards coal-fired power plant. The event precedes that evening’s IEPA hearing at the Pekin Public Library on Ameren Illinois’ permit for water discharged from the E.D. Edwards coal-fired power plant.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), more than half of all toxic water pollution in the country comes from coal-fired power plants, making coal plants the number one source of toxic water pollution in the country. Toxic metals from the coal ash waste pond at the E.D. Edwards coal plant discharge into the Illinois River, which serves as a water supply for many river towns and is popular for fishing and swimming. The Illinois River is already designated as an impaired waterway because of mercury contamination and active coal-fired power plants are among the largest sources of these toxic pollutants.

The E.D. Edwards coal plant’s current water permit is expired, and the draft permit sets no limits on toxic metals discharged from the plant’s coal ash pond. The draft permit only requires twice yearly monitoring for pollutants including arsenic, boron, cadmium, lead, mercury and selenium.

In anticipation of the IEPA hearing, community members will call on the IEPA to strengthen the E.D. Edwards coal plant’s water discharge permit to set limits on the toxic metals that Ameren is permitted to discharge into the Illinois River in order to protect water quality and public health.

WHO:
Jacob Leibel, Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance
Traci Barkley, Prairie Rivers Network
Tessie Bucklar, Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste
Alyssa McMillian, ICC Students Advocating For the Environment (SAFE)

WHERE: Liberty Park in Downtown Peoria
Directions: At the end of Liberty Street, past SW Water Street, on the Riverfront

WHEN: Wednesday, August 7, 2013, 10:00 AM

Peoria, IL (August 5, 2013) Bradley University is once again featured in The Princeton Review’s annual guide of best colleges in the nation.

The 2014 edition of “The Best 378 Colleges” was released this week and highlights Bradley for providing students with a hands-on learning environment and preparing them for the world beyond college. It also ranks Bradley’s athletics and recreation facilities among the top 20 in the nation.

Bradley University President Joanne Glasser said, “We are thrilled to once again be recognized as one of the best institutions in the nation by such a highly respected publication as The Princeton Review. The faculty and administration continue to work diligently to further our vision of being a university of national distinction and this is proof that we are indeed reaching that goal.”

Only 15% of all four-year colleges receive this distinction each year, and Bradley has regularly been included on the list. The distinction is based on detailed profiles and opinions from independent college counselors, students, parents and campus visits.

National college guides rank Bradley among the top schools in the nation for academic quality and value. Guidebooks also note mentoring of students by faculty, access to quality facilities, and hand’s-on learning among Bradley’s greatest strengths. The Princeton Review rates Bradley’s entrepreneurship program and
video game design programs as among the top in the nation.

Bradley is a private, independent university in Peoria, Illinois, offering 6,000 students a world-class education linking academic excellence, experiential learning and leadership development with an entrepreneurial spirit in more than 100 academic programs.

PEORIA – A new law sponsored by State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) strongly encourages hunters to donate the meat from the game animals they kill if they aren’t going to eat it themselves.

“It’s very easy for hunters to donate meat to charity if they don’t want to eat it themselves or share it with friends and family,” Koehler said. “Most responsible hunters already make sure that the animals they kill don’t go to waste – we just want to encourage everyone to do the same.”

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources operates the highly successful Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger Program, which allows hunters to donate venison and other meat to food banks and other charities throughout Illinois. The program has provided 3.5 million meals to hungry families. To learn more about the program or to find a local participating meat processor, visit www.dnr.illinois.gov.

“I’ve seen hunters leave three or four partially butchered deer along the road, in view of everyone that drives by. We hope to encourage hunters to donate deer to the ‘Sportsmen against Hunger program,” said Sergeant Jamie Mauler, who works for the department.

Specifically, Koehler’s proposal:
• Prohibits throwing away edible, easily processed meat from game animals that hunters don’t want to keep for themselves. This specifically includes unspoiled breast meat of birds and front and back haunches of mammals.

• Prohibits dumping or abandoning the carcasses of animals killed by hunters on public property (or private property without the permission of the owner).

• Establishes that violators of this law can be charged with a Class B Misdemeanor.