Peoria, IL. – Congressman Aaron Schock will host the 32nd Annual Congressional Art Show and Competition in Peoria, this Saturday, April 13, 2013 from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. CT. Doors open at 10:00 a.m. CT and Congressman Schock will deliver remarks and announce this year’s winner at 11:00 a.m. CT.

WHO: Congressman Aaron Schock

WHAT: Congressman Aaron Schock will host the 32nd Annual Congressional Art Show and Competition in Peoria this Saturday, April 13, 2013 from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. CT. Doors open at 10:00 a.m. CT and Congressman Schock will deliver remarks and announce this year’s winner at 11:00 a.m. CT.

WHERE: Downtown Peoria Library
107 NE Monroe Street
Peoria, Illinois

NOTE: The award presentation at 11:00 a.m. will be held in the auditorium on LL2 and the reception beginning at 10:00 a.m. will be held in the gallery on LL1.

WHEN: Saturday, April 13, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CT

NOTE: Doors open at 10:00 am. CT and the awards presentation will commence at 11:00 a.m. CT

BACKGROUND: This year marks the 32nd Annual Congressional Art Show and Competition. Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students, and it serves as an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in each congressional district. The national theme for the competition is “An Artistic Discovery.”

The over-all winner of each participating district will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol, and the winners from each district will be invited to a reception in Washington DC to take place sometime this summer.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nation-wide competition. This year, over 150 pieces of art have been registered for Congressman Schock’s district competition, with participation from over 20 area high schools.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) has passed legislation out of the Illinois Senate that strongly encourages hunters to donate the meat from the game animals they kill if they aren’t going to eat it themselves.

“Our state has a very successful program to allow hunters to donate meat when they don’t want to eat it themselves,” Koehler said. “There’s no reason to leave perfectly good food to rot while there are families throughout the state going hungry.”

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.

RELEASED BY: Captain Lisa Snow
DATE: April 11, 2013
SUBJECT: Facebook Postings

The Peoria Police Department was notified of Facebook postings which alleged that gang members from Chicago were en route to Peoria to retaliate against gang members believed to be responsible for the most recent homicides. The Peoria Police Department has tracked these Facebook postings to the source. The rumors are completely unsubstantiated and were the result of embellishment on the part of a juvenile.

(April 10, 2013 / Peoria, IL) – Let the stethoscopes come off and the hockey gear come on! It’s time for the 6th annual charity hockey game to benefit Children’s Hospital of Illinois. This time the game pits the Mighty Docs against the Surgical Clinics.

WHEN: Friday, April 12, 2013 at 7:00 PM
WHERE: Owens Center, Peoria
COST: $5 Admission

Those in attendance will also get the chance to take the ice for fun with staff wheelchair races during the intermission breaks.

On-site game contact is Dr. John Farrell, Mighty Docs captain.

The Central Illinois Youth Symphony presents the Concert Orchestra and Preparatory Orchestra in concert on Sunday, April 21, 2013, 2 p.m., at Metamora Township High School Auditorium. Tickets are $10 Adult and $5 Student, and are available at the door.
The program also features the Small Ensembles of CIYS. Under the direction of professional musicians, these ensembles present an eclectic collection of music and showcase the talent of some of the area’s best young musicians.

Phillip Rudd conducts the Concert Orchestra, which offers area students their first opportunity to participate in a full symphony orchestra. They will perform works by Beethoven, Schubert, and selections from Les Miserables.

Rosemary Ardner conducts the Preparatory Orchestra, the all-string orchestra program that hones the skills of budding young artists. The Prep Orchestra will perform Brandenburg Concerto, Chaminade’s Scarf Dance and the Dance Suite by Glazunov.

DISCOUNT-REALTOR® Now Offering Discounted Listing Services and Buyer Rebates in the Peoria Area

Peoria, IL – April 11, 2013 – Peoria-area home sellers no longer need to choose between paying local, full-service real estate commissions that are oftentimes as high as 7.0% or trying to sell their homes themselves. Native Peorian, Jack Baugh, and his wife, Leslie, recently launched their Dallas/Ft. Worth-based real estate brokerage firm, DISCOUNT-REALTOR®, in the Peoria area, offering Peorians full-service real estate services with listing fees for sellers as low as 4% – and sometimes less – and rebates up to 1% of the sales price for buyers they represent. These offerings can enable many local area consumers to pocket thousands of dollars when they sell and/or buy a home.

With many consumers now using the Internet to research sales statistics and current homes for sale, the number of real estate agents nationwide who discount their listing commissions and/or share their buyer representation commissions with their clients is growing. According to MSN Real Estate, real estate commissions have fallen nationwide to an average of 5.1%. With many Peoria-area home owners and builders complaining about local real estate commissions that remain as high as 7.0%, the combination of full service, discounted commissions, and buyer rebates offered by DISCOUNT-REALTOR® is expected to change the local market by creating downward pressure on Peoria real estate commissions.

DISCOUNT-REALTOR® recently started offering its full-service listing services in the Peoria area for as low as 4% of a home’s sales price – and sometimes less – if the anticipated time on market, sales price, and market conditions appear to support a lower commission. In addition to helping Peoria-area home sellers retain more of their equity, DISCOUNT-REALTOR® also helps put more money in the pockets of home buyers they represent by rebating to them up to 1% of the sales price of the homes they buy. And, if Peorians combine the discounted listing services and buyer rebates offered by DISCOUNT-REALTOR®, the cost of switching homes within the Peoria area can be further reduced. More details are available online at www.discount-realtor.com/peoria.

Company founder, Jack Baugh, said, “As a Peoria native, I am proud to be living in the Peoria area again and to be able to bring to Peoria the popular, consumer-friendly, big-market real estate services that DISCOUNT-REALTOR® offers. The Peoria market seems to be long overdue for progressive real estate services that sellers and buyers want most – full service, low listing fees, and buyer rebates. I look forward to helping modernize the Peoria-area real estate market and putting more money in consumers’ pockets when they sell and/or buy a home.”

Baugh is a graduate of Morton High School and Illinois Central College. Prior to founding DISCOUNT-REALTOR® in 1999, Baugh pioneered discount real estate brokering while working at one of the top real estate firms in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Baugh’s wife, Leslie, is a Texas-licensed real estate agent and is the Illinois Managing Broker for DISCOUNT-REALTOR®. The Baughs currently reside in East Peoria.

About DISCOUNT-REALTOR®
Since 1999, DISCOUNT-REALTOR® has been providing discounted, full-service real estate listing services for home sellers and rebates up to 1% for home buyers. DISCOUNT-REALTOR® has agents and brokers across the country who are part of the DISCOUNT-REALTOR® network. More information is available at www.discount-realtor.com/peoria.

17189 Illinois Rt. 29, Chillicothe, IL 61523

Prairie Fiber Arts Guild is proud to announce that Guild member Tracy Grawey Purtscher was recently selected as one of 12 finalists to compete in the Fiber Factor™ national knitwear design competition being held to “find the next great knitwear designing superstar”). The finalists will complete a series of 6 challenges, ranging in length from 2 weeks to 4 weeks depending on the complexity of the challenge. The first 6 challenges will run from April 2013 through October 2013. A $500 cash prize will be awarded to the winner of each challenge, and the winner of The Fiber Factor™ will receive a 5 day, all-expense paid trip to Germany to tour yarn production facilities and the Addi needle factory.

Tracy’s competition progress can be followed on the Fiber Factor™ website: http://thefiberfactor.com. Each contestant will have their own section for photographs, videos and comments about the challenges.

A native Peorian, Tracy graduated from Bergan High School, attended Bradley University and now resides in Bradford, IL.
Tracy will be joining us on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Folk, Fiber & Friends Weekend 2013 at the Pavilion at Three Sisters Park, 17189 Rt. 29, Chillicothe, IL 61523. She will display several of her designs and be on hand to answer any questions.
The event is sponsored by the Fiber Universe. Free admission and parking!

The Peoria Park District’s Camp Wokanda will commemorate 75 years of Boy Scouting on Sunday, April 14, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the Camp Wokanda Dining Hall (located south of the valley parking lot).

To commemorate 75 years of camping at Camp Wokanda, and especially the period when it served as a Boy Scout summer camp, former staff and campers have created a large display of photos, signage, camp memorabilia and other items for viewing by scouts, former scouts and the public. A self-guided walking tour will be available for visitors to rediscover where campsites, buildings, shooting ranges, the swimming pool and other camp fixtures were once located (many are still here).

Visit Camp Wokanda with family or friends this Sunday to re-live or celebrate 75 years of camping and scouting at this beautiful facility. For more information or directions, please call (309) 579-2157.

Tuesday, April 16th is National Healthcare Decisions Day, a day to encourage adults to communicate their end-of-life decisions to family and healthcare providers. Accidents and illness can strike at any moment, and the best time to plan and document your care wishes is while you’re still healthy. Talk to your doctor and loved ones about advanced care planning!

The Peoria County Board announced plans for a community mental health needs assessment in Peoria County. The assessment will be conducted by the Division of Health Policy & Social Science Research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine – Rockford and is expected to be completed by October.

The study will include a review of current issues and recommendations for future planning and programming, and will ultimately produce a comprehensive document to guide community partners in addressing mental health issues in the county. For more information, call (309) 672-6056.