For more information: Cheryl Budzinski 309/253-9594; c_budzinski@hotmail.com

League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria Event: Sustainability Why Should We Care About Water?

Sustainability: Why Should We Care About Water? will be the focus of the discussion at the November 18^th Drinks & Dialogue program hosted by the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria. The meeting will be held from 5:30p-6:30p at the Hearth Restaurant, 4604 N. Prospect Avenue, Peoria Heights.

The importance of water is a global issue, and now the significance of water shortages hits close to home in the United States as droughts and water shortages impact many areas of the country.  The League has long been engaged in activities to protect groundwater sources to ensure the safety of drinking water.

The dialogue about  Sustainability: Why Should We Care About Water? will be facilitated by League members and led by Robert Fuessle of Bradley University.  Dr. Fuessle earned his Masters and PhD degrees in environmental engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana. He is a specialist in the area of hazardous waste treatment and management modeling for environmental systems,  stabilizing hazardous wastes, environmental management and policy analysis and environmental risk assessment.

Drinks& Dialogue provides an opportunity for people to share opinions and ideas, ask questions and become more aware of local, state and national issues and the options for making change. There’s no cost to participate, and refreshments are available to buy

League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria Co-sponsored Event: Storm Water/Combined Sewer Overflow &Possible New Utility Tax

The League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria, with the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club and the Peoria NAACP will host a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9 at the Advanced Medical Transport auditorium, 1718 N. Sterling, Peoria, IL. on the topic of Storm Water and the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) and possible new utility tax.

The event is sponsored at the request of the City of Peoria’s Public Works Department. City staff will make a presentation and answer questions.

Peoria’s storm water issues and CSO problem should have been addressed before 2015, and is the subject of a lawsuit by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The 100% Green Solution to the CSO that the city has proposed to settle the EPA lawsuit against the city is cheaper initially, employs local businesses and labor, but has higher operating costs. And it depends on citizen acceptance.  (The alternative to the ‘green solution’ is an initially more expensive pipe solution.)                                                                                  

• The proposal is strictly based on square footage of impervious surface of each parcel – so residential and commercial (including non-profits and schools) would have the same rate. (Some other nearby communities use a flat residential rate.)
• The average residential figure of $20 a month for a storm water utility fee starting in July 2016 was suggested at committee meetings.
• Credits and/or incentives may be used and should be asked about at the Nov 9 meeting. Credits and incentives would possibly be offered because a homeowner or business changes something to significantly lower the amount of storm water going to the city’s system.
• Information and videos of what other communities have done to solve their CSO problems are at: http://www.peoriagov.org/wetweather/

The city’s staff will be at the meeting to discuss the problem and possible solutions, and answer questions.

Peoria Historical Society Announces 4^th Annual Splendor of Christmas Past Holiday Home Tour

Peoria, IL— Ring in the holidays with the Peoria Historical Society’s annual historic home tour. Enjoy the craftsmanship and ambiance of six historic homes while seeing them magically decorated for the holidays.  New this year are three homes in the Randolph-Roanoke Historic District.

Our two museum homes — the John C. Flanagan House Museum and the Pettengill-Morron House Museum — will be decked out in all their Christmas finery. Santa Claus will make an appearance at the Flanagan House, so bring your cameras! Pettengill-Morron will feature Victorian décor as well as a lovely gift shop.  The four private residences will be exquisitely decorated and open for viewing.  Don’t miss this rare opportunity to tour these beautiful homes and learn about their unique history and architectural significance.

The homes will be open Saturday, December 5 from 5:00-9:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 6 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale November 1^st.  Adult tickets are $15.00 each until December 3^rd and $20.00 after.  Children 12 and under are free with the purchase of an adult ticket.

To purchase tickets, please contact the PHS office at (309) 674-1921. Tickets may also be purchased at Kelleher’s, Harp & Thistle and Gregg Florist. Check the PHS website for additional information:  www.PeoriaHistoricalSociety.org.

We would also like to thank the many, many volunteers who make this tour possible, and our sponsors — Good Earth Landscaping DCM, Inc., Medi-Weightloss Clinic, Maloof Realty and K & S RV Consulting — for each sponsoring a home.

This tour would not be possible without the willingness of the following homeowners to share their magnificent homes with the community:

 Dr. George & Colleen Johnson 1609 West Moss Avenue

David Stotz & George Traylor   201 W Columbia Terrace

Todd & Karla Dennhardt  311 W Armstrong

Ballance-Herschel Home (Home of the Junior League of Peoria) 256 NE Randolph

DIG IN FUNDRAISER

Plan to join us Saturday, Nov. 7 from 4-10 pm at Peoria Brewing Company, 8012, N Hale Ave, Peoria.  Entertainment will include live music featuring New Cats on the Block and The Brazilionaires.  Available for purchase are tasty foods featuring produce from our growers prepared by the fabulous Master Chef Golda Ewalt and of course, local brew from Peoria Brewing Company.  Come hungry, thirsty and ready to hear some fantastic music.  Admission is FREE.

Peoria rates as one of the county’s lowest in consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in Illinois. Diets poor in produce have been linked to increased risk in diabetes, heart disease and cancers.

The Wholesome Food Fund along with the gitm Foundation’s Fresh Mobile Food Van want to change this trend, especially among our city’s most vulnerable. Both of these projects aim to increase fresh food access for families living in regions with no full grocery or have limited means to purchase locally grown foods. Far too often, these families must purchase grocery items from convenient stores that feature no produce or overpriced and of poor quality produce.

Raffle tickets are available for purchase and prizes include dinners at local Peoria restaurants.  Raffle restaurants to date include:  Harvest Cafe, Noir, Sugar, Publik House, Olivers, Hofbrau, Paparazzi, dinner & wine for a party of 10 at Peoria Country Club.  Tickets are available online now www.believegitm.com or you can purchase at:

• Bushbaby – 1125 W Glen Ave, Peoria, Il 61614
• Peoria Brewing Company – 8012 N Hale Ave, Peoria, IL 61615

Proceeds raised will be distributed evenly between Wholesome Food Fund and gitm Foundation’s Fresh Mobile Food Van. All donations are tax deductible.

NAACP & SIERRA CLUB PRESIDENTS SPEAK IN PEORIA

ANNUAL ILLINOIS NAACP CONFERENCE

President  & CEO Cornell  Brooks of the civil rights activist group NAACP and President Aaron Mair of the  environmental group Sierra Club will speak together at the Marriot Pere Marquette Ballroom, beginning  at 7 pm on Friday, Oct. 30, as part of the annual Illinois  NAACP conference.  Together the two organizations represent nearly 1.5 million members organized within 2,500 community organizations in all fifty states.

Both President Brooks and President Mair recently participated in Justice Summer, a march from Selma, Alabama to Washington D.C in support of a focused national advocacy agenda that protects the right of every American to a fair criminal justice system, uncorrupted and unfettered access to the ballot box, sustainable jobs with a living wage, and equitable public education.

The Peoria NAACP is hosting the State Conference as part of its 100^th year of existence in Peoria, where the struggle for social justice is far from over.

The two day Conference will offer 16 workshops to nearly 300 participants and at the Saturday Evening Freedom Fund Banquet feature US Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, 5^th District Missouri. Congressman Cleaver is past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and a long time advocate for equal employment opportunities for all people of color.

Social justice and environmental justice are linked in many ways. Everyone has a right to clean air and water and everyone deserves to have a chance to obtain a quality education. People of all colors and backgrounds deserve a safe community with energy efficient housing, access to good health care and a chance to earn a decent living wage. The NAACP and Sierra Club share an activist commitment to work for voter registration, advocating for clean air and clean water,  promote quality job opportunities for minorities and to educate about state and federal legislation that promotes equality and sustainability.

For more information please contact David Pittman, Peoria NAACP Planning Committee at 309-573-2354, dvdpttmn@aol.com.

 NAACP 2015 ANNUAL CONFERENCE, PEORIA, ILLINOIS

 FRIDAY OCTOBER 30, 2015

 9:00 am – 5:00 am…………………………………………………………………Registration – Ballroom

 10:00 am – 6:00pm……………………………………………………………….Vendors – Ballroom Area

 11:30 am – 12:00 pm…………………………………………………………….Opening

 Welcome Remarks………………………………………………………………..Pere Marquette Ballroom

Mayor James Ardis, Mayor, City of Peoria

Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth

96^th District Illinois

                   Senator David Koehler

                        46^th District Illinois

 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm……………………………………………………………..Luncheon

 Mistress of Ceremony

Lauren Lofton, UAW

 Invocation

Pastor Marvin Hightower

Liberty Church of Peoria

 Lunch Served

 Introduction of Speaker

Lauren Lofton, UAW

 Solo

Pamela Davidson, UAW, Local 865

 Speaker:

Mr. William McNary

Co-Director Citizen Action Illinois

Remarks

Mr. George Mitchell

Illinois State NAACP President

 Benediction

Pastor Marvin Hightower

 1:30 pm – 1:45 pm……………………………………………………………………………Break

 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm…………………………………………………………………………..Workshops

 The Middle Class: Minorities and the Union

 Moderator –  Sherry Allen President,  AFSCME Local 3464 – Peoria, Illinois

 Panelist

 Mr. Tony Garcia – UAW

Roberta Lynch –  Executive Director AFSCME

 Pamela Davidson – UAW Local 865, Civil & Human Rights Chair

 3:15 pm – 3:30 pm…………………………………………………………………………..Break

 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm………………………………………………………………………….Workshops

Educational Panel 

 Moderator:    Dr. Jeanelle Norman

                        1^st Vice Chair State NAACP

                        State Education Chair

                          President, Decatur Branch

 Recruitment of African American Faculty

Core Curriculum

 Environmental Panel Discussion: “Union and Minority Job Opportunities

 Moderator – George P. Mitchell, President, Illinois State Conference of Branches, 

                                    NAACP           

 Panelist

 Senator David Koehler, Chair, Majority Party Energy & Conservation              

                                                                    Committee

 Jacqui Patterson, National NAACP Director of Climate and Environmental                  

                              Justice

Aaron Mair, National President, Sierra Club

Tony O’Brian, Business Representative, AFL-CIO Local 649 Operating

                                                  Engineers                 

Rev. Tony Pierce, Chair Illinois Peoples Action

 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm………………………………Dinner  (On Your Own)

 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm………………………………………………………………………..Mass Meeting

 Music by Peoria Mass Choir

 MC

Illinois State President NAACP

George P. Mitchell

 Invocation

Rev. Elaine Gordon

Pastor

Ward Chapel AME Church

Welcome

Illinois State President

Mr. George Mitchell

Introduction of Speaker

Kady McFadden

National President Sierra Club

Aaron Mair

 Introduction of Speaker

George P. Mitchell

 Solo

Ms. Sherry Allen, AFSCME Local 3464, Peoria, IL

 Speaker:

 NAACP National President/CEO

Cornell William Brooks

 Closing Remarks

George P. Mitchell

State President NAACP

 Benediction

Rev. Elaine Gordon

Pastor Ward Chapel AME Church

Reception

Cotillion Room

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2015

Registration…………… 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

 State Conference Elections…………

 State Youth Workshops ………………

 9:00 am – 10:00 am……………………………………………………………..Open Plenary Session

 10:00 am – 10:15 am……………………………………………………………Break

 10:15 am – 11:45 am……………………………………………………………Workshops

Criminal Justice

Moderator George Mitchell – President Illinois State Conference

Panelist

            Representative Jehan Gordon Booth. 92^nd District

            Police Chief Jerry Mitchell, Peoria Police Department

            Police Chief Chet Epperson, Rockford Police Department

            Police Chief Gregory Baker, South Holland Police Department

            Police Chief Frank Kaminski, Park Ridge Police Department       

 Education – Safe Schools

Moderator –  Dr. Jeanelle Norman

 Recruitment of African American FacultyCore

Curriculum

Discipline

Panelist

Martha Ross – President, Peoria District 150 School Board

Marcus Fogliano – Peoria Proud

Judge Jimmy M. Edwards, St. Louis, Mo.

Mr. Jerry Brady, Peoria County States Attorney

 11:45 am – 12:00 pm…………………………………………………………………Break

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm ………………………………………………………………….Youth Luncheon

 SPOKEN WORD

FEATURING MOEMENTUM

 I:30 pm – 3:00 pm……………………………………………………………………..Workshops

 How to develop the ACT-SO Program From A-Z

  Moderator – Larry Brown, Jr.  National NAACP Director of ACT-SO

  Panelist

                        Carol De La Cruz – ACT-SO Director, Bloomington, IL

                        Varetta Yancy – NAACP President,  DuPage County

    Environmental Justice

 Moderator – NAACP State Environmental Justice Chair……..Diane Lopez-Hughes

 Panelist

                        Jackie Patterson – Director Environmental and Climate Justice National NAACP

                        Ernestine Jackson – Peoria Branch Environmental Chair Peoria NAACP

                        Antonio Lopez – Executive Director of Little Village Environmental Justice

                                                       Organization (LVEJO)

Naomi Davis, JD, LEED GA, – President and CEO Blacks in Green

                        Kim Wasserman – Director of Organizing & Strategy for LVEJO

                        Tamika Gibson – University of Illinois Graduate Student, former Outreach &

                                                          Policy Coordinator for Illinois Environmental Council    

 lll. Political Action

Moderator – Teresa Haley, Springfield Branch President, State Political Action

                                                                         Chair, Former State NAACP Vice President & Health

                                                                      Chair

                        Panelist

                        Tim Bride – Director, Peoria County Election Commission

                        Jackie Petty – Political Action Chair, Peoria Branch NAACP

                        Helen King – Political Action & Membership Chair, NAACP

 3:00 pm – 3:15 pm………………………Break      

 3:15 pm – 4:45 pm

 Wealth Building

Moderator – Phyllis Logan, State NAACP Economic Development Chair

                                               State NAACP 2^nd Vice President

 Women & Men Health Care

 Moderator – Barbara Jones, Director of Nursing Services, Mercy Circle

                                               MSN/ED, BN, RN, RAC-CT

 Chris Wade

Diversity ………….What Makes Me Unique

 Moderator – Marcus Fogliano – Peoria Proud, Peoria Branch NAACP

 Presenter – Liz Sherwin – Rock Island Branch NAACP

FREEDOM FUND BANQUET

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm…………………………………………………………………………………..Social Hour

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm…………………………………………………………………………………..Program

Mistress of Ceremony

Dr. Rita Ali

Vice President of Diversity, International and Adult Education

Illinois Central College

Invocation

Pastor Marvin Hightower

Liberty Church of Peoria

Welcome

George P. Mitchell

State NAACP President

Introduction of the Dias

Dr. Rita Ali

Introduction of Dignitaries

Mrs. Jackie Petty

Peoria Branch NAACP Political Action Chair

Solo

Dinner Served

Solo

Introduction of Speaker

Speaker:

S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver

5^th Congressional District

Kansas City, Missouri

Membership Appeal

Ms. Helen King

Membership Chair Peoria Branch NAACP

Remarks

Mr. Donald R. Jackson, Sr.

President Peoria Branch NAACP

Remarks

George P. Mitchell

State NAACP President

“Lift Every Voice”

(All Stand)

Benediction

Pastor Marvin Hightower

Liberty Church of Peoria

 Music By

J. Petty