Peoria – Beginning April 15, the 28th Annual Arts in Education Spring Celebration will be held in the Peoria County Courthouse Plaza from 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. every weekday through May 24, 2013. Peoria County’s Regional Office of Education and Sue Kingery, Project Director, coordinate the annual event.

When the Spring Celebration began in 1986, 1,000 students from 12 Peoria County schools were showcased in one single week. This spring, more than 12,000 students from over 100 schools will perform, exhibit, and demonstrate their talents in the Fine Arts and Applied Arts. Students from public and private schools, grades preK-12, will participate, representing seven central Illinois counties: Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Marshall, Fulton, Henry, and McLean. For a complete schedule and/or additional information, visit www.springcelebration.org or call 672-6906.

This year’s spring event is sponsored by Caterpillar, Inc.; Peoria Tourism Reserve Fund, comprised of the Peoria City Council, Peoria Civic Center Authority, and Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau; Commerce Bank; Ameren Illinois; Associated Bank; South Side Bank; Busey Bank; Heritage Bank of Central Illinois; Heartland Bank and Trust Company; and the County of Peoria.

Peoria Players Theatre presents Fiddler on the Roof directed by Laura Garfinkel. Rich in historical and ethnic detail, this musical classic has touched audiences around the world with its humor, warmth and honesty. Performances are May 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11 at 7:30 pm, and May 4, 5 and 12 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for patrons 18 and younger, with a special $12 rate for all ages on Wednesday, May 8. Please call 688-4473, or visit us online at www.peoriaplayers.org.

Wanted for Homicide: Marquis D Costic MB 11-14-90 5’7 135 BLK/BRO hair in braids, LKA 1614 W Butler (picture is from 2010)

Incident: Costic is wanted for a shooting incident occurring at Warren and Butler on 4-7-13 where two subjects were shot with a .223 caliber semi-auto rifle. One of the victims was killed. A search warrant was executed at the suspect’s address and other firearms were recovered (Incident #13-7232). The weapon has not been recovered. He is to be considered armed and dangerous.

If you have any information regarding this investigation, call the Peoria Police Dept at 673-4521, or Crimestoppers at 673-9000.

April 20 – 21, 2013 at Three Sisters Folk Art School
17189 Illinois Rt. 29, Chillicothe, IL 61523

Announcing “The Fiber Arts Experience” for adults and children, the opportunity to observe and try – “hands on” – a variety of different crafts. Whether it is hand carving primitive benches and stools, hand spinning, knitting, crocheting, trying the Weave-it-All, drop spindle, comb loom, Viking Knitting, rug hooking or needle felting, our talented artisans will be on hand to demonstrate their craft, answer questions about their work, and provide the opportunity to sample different techniques. For pet owners, one of our hand spinners will demonstrate spinning pet hair into yarn.

Gain a new perspective of, and appreciation for, craft by watching our talented craft practitioners create original pieces at the Folk, Fiber & Friends Weekend 2013.

The “Fiber Arts Experience” is Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Pavilion at Three Sisters Park, 17189 Rt. 29, Chillicothe, IL 61523. The event is sponsored by the Fiber Universe. Free admission and parking!

In addition to “The Fiber Arts Experience”, Midwest vendors will offer a wide variety of fiber arts and folk art items for sale. Entertainment will be provided by the Folk Art School Dulcimer musicians and storytellers.

A special announcement – Prairie Fiber Arts Guild will hold a fund raiser for Paws Giving Independence during the event. Service dogs will be on site to demonstrate their skills with task assistance. Stay tuned for more information . . .

Businesses come together for activities fair at local middle school

PEORIA, IL— On Friday, April 12, 2013, Quest Charter Academy, a concept school of district 150, has partnered with Running Central to host the Gator Dash, an outdoor obstacle course and activities fair for students as a reward for putting down their technology devices.

The Gator Dash will take place from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. in the Quest Middle School gymnasium. City Dance, a non-profit organization committed to changing lives through dance, will kick-off the event with a live performance. During the function, students will have the chance to compete in a series of physical and cognitive challenges. In addition to the outdoor obstacle course, there will be an activities fair held in the gymnasium with booths from local sponsors.

The event is a part of the campaign Be Young. Be Wild. Be Free: Powering Off One Step at a Time. In conjunction with the campaign, students have been given a log sheet to record time away from electronic devices. A grand prize will be given at the Gator Dash to the student who charts the most hours. Additional prizes will be awarded to students who participate in the obstacle course.

Jim Ardis, mayor of Peoria, stated, “This is a wise campaign to decrease our children’s dependency on technology. We need to teach students to diversify their interests, learn other hobbies, EXERCISE and improve interpersonal communication skills. This program will help them be more physically and mentally healthy and thereby more successful.”

Local sponsors include Bradley University, City Dance, Fired Up Studios, Peoria Public Library, Monkey Joe’s, One World Cafe, The Peoria Rivermen, Jillian’s, and Running Central.

For more information, please contact Sara Olson at (815) 830-7986 or by email at solson@mail.bradley.edu.

Quest Charter Academy opened in August 2010 offering 5th-7th grades with 8th grade added in 2011, we will add a grade level each year until we are a 5th-12th grade school with a total population of 600 students. As a charter school, Quest is an independent public school open to all students in District #150 regardless of academic achievement, race, or economic background. There are no entrance exams or tuition. The school’s teachers and students have flexibility to create innovative ways of teaching and learning in order to meet the specific needs of the students allowing them to attain high standards of performance. The ultimate goal of Quest Charter Academy is to provide students with a curriculum rich in science, technology, engineering and math and prepare them to be skill-ready for post-secondary education, to become bold inquirers, problem solvers and ethical leaders enabling them to meet the challenges of a competitive global workforce.

Running Central Inc opened in 1977. Through the highest level of customer service and expertise, we strive to provide our customers with the proper footwear and apparel allowing each individual to experience the highest level of comfort and enjoyment in this journey called life. Our vision is to continue to provide the highest quality footwear, apparel, and accessories to meet the needs of runners and walkers and everyone in between. Whether you are a runner in quest of a state championship, a mother or father who just wants to get out and exercise, or someone who just wants to get from point A to point B, we want the community of Central Illinois to count on Running Central to fulfill your needs in this journey called life, one step at a time.

The Peoria ACLU Chapter’s annual meeting on Thursday, April 25, 2013 will feature Ms. Kyle E. Ciani, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of History and Core Faculty Member of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Illinois State University. She will speak on “Problematic Choices: A Short History of Reproductive Rights in the United States.”

The event takes place at the IVY Club, 1502 N. Galena Road, Peoria Heights, and begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. with the program, presentation of awards and election of officers to follow.

Professor Ciani specializes in the history of women and gender across the Americas, with a focus on social justice issues. As an Affiliated Faculty in Women and Gender Studies, her courses are part of the program’s core curriculum and she helps to mentor FLAME (Feminist Led Activist Movement to Empower). She has appeared on C-Span and other national media outlets on women’s issues. She formerly was Associate Director of the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation of San Diego (Calif.) County, and knowledgeable about the long-term effects of domestic violence.

Two Sam Belfer Awards will be presented this year, to Peoria Journal Star reporter Matt Buedel and to voter activist Helen King. Buedel’s reporting on the Peoria Police Department and the criminal justice system revealed possible violations of civil rights and civil liberties, and educated the public on what goes on behind the scenes. King worked tirelessly to register voters for the November, 2012 election, then helped lead a community movement to stop voter suppression before it began. As a result people voted without noticeable interference, unlike in some previous Peoria elections. .

Reservations for the dinner must be made by April 19. Contact Elaine Hopkins, 309-231-5758 for more information. The dinner costs $35. The public is invited, and welcome to attend the program free of charge.

The Peoria Park District’s Spring Classic 4-Player Scramble will be April 20 at Kellogg Golf Course. Entry deadline is Sunday, April 14. Cost is $60/team, plus green fees. Entry forms are available on-line at www.ppdgolf.org and at all PPD courses.

For more information on the Peoria Park District’s tournament program, call Golf Operations at (309) 689-3329.

Peoria – The Peoria County Board recently awarded a contract to the Division of Health Policy & Social Science Research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine – Rockford to conduct a community mental health needs assessment in Peoria County. The Peoria City/County Health Department will be facilitating the assessment process, which is expected to be completed by October 2013.

In December 2011, the County Board appointed seven members of the general public to serve on the new Mental Health Advisory Committee, created to assess mental health services and needs in Peoria County. Based on a proposal through a Request for Qualifications, the Committee recommended the County Board conduct a community mental health needs assessment that will include interviews with professional experts in the mental health field, focus groups with consumers of mental health services, and input from the community at large.

Acting Peoria County Administrator Scott Sorrel explains, “The purpose of the assessment is to involve the community in examining local mental health services to help us gain a better understanding of unmet mental health needs. The assessment, to include a review of current mental health issues in our community as well as recommendations for future planning and programming, will result in one comprehensive document to guide community partners in addressing mental health issues in Peoria County.”

The assessment is partially funded by the Care & Treatment Board and the Peoria City/County Health Department. For more information on the Mental Health Needs Assessment, please contact County Administration at (309) 672-6056.

Washington, DC–New research from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) finds that, at the current pace of progress, the wage gap between working men and women will not close until the year 2057. This updates previous research from IWPR showing that the wage gap would close in 2056 because slow progress in recent years moves the goal for equality one year further away.

“We might be living in space by the time women earn the same as men,” said Dr. Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D., President of IWPR. “With women now nearly half the labor force and breadwinners in a large number of families, the wage gap should already be a relic of the past.”

While the wage gap has been closing since the 1960s, progress slowed in the 1990s. The last decade has seen very little progress on closing the wage gap.
Among full-time, year round workers in the United States, women earned 77 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2011 (the most recently available data). IWPR research has also found that men earn more than women in the most common occupations.
According to IWPR’s analysis of weekly earnings for full-time workers, the wage gap actually widened last year. The ratio of women’s to men’s median weekly full-time earnings (not including self-employed) was 80.9 percent in 2012, a decline of more than one percentage point since 2011 when the ratio was 82.2 percent. The wage gap grew in all major race and ethnic groups. Growth in lower paying jobs and loss of public sector jobs for women may have contributed to the most recent shift.

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that conducts rigorous research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women and their families, promote public dialogue, and strengthen communities and societies.

WOODFORD AND MCLEAN COUNTIES (April 6, 2013) – Households in unincorporated Woodford, McLean and DeWitt counties and the municipalities of Bloomington, Clinton, Gridley, and Streator will have the opportunity to vote for lower electricity rates on Tuesday, April 9.

Municipal Electricity Opt-Out Aggregation allows villages, cities, counties, and townships to create a large buying group of residential and small commercial retail electricity accounts to seek bids for cheaper rates. Good Energy currently represents more than half a million households in the state.

It is expected residents could save between $120 and $150 annually through collective buying power of bundling residential and small business electric consumers. The purpose of deregulating electricity markets was to increase competition, lower costs and give residents the power to choose.
If the referenda are approved, there is no obligation to participate. Residents will have two opportunities to opt out and still can opt out – without penalty—once enrolled in the program. Residents already are being inundated with offers that provide fewer savings than what can be realized through bulk purchasing through municipal aggregation.

Good Energy is a national energy management consultant firm that prepares, negotiates and purchases utility supply contracts for consumers and businesses in deregulated markets.