Due to the upcoming holiday, there will be no waste collection on Monday, December 26. All collections during the week of December 26 will be delayed by one day. If your normal waste collection day is on Monday, PDC will collect on Tuesday and so on for the rest of the week. There will be no recycling collected the week of December 26.

Additionally, there will be no waste collection on Monday, January 2. All waste collections during this week will be delayed by one day. Recycling collection for Friday, January 6 will be collected on Saturday, January 7.

PDC will be collecting waste on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Monday, January 16. Therefore, waste will be collected on your regular collection day.

Red Kettle Campaign Looking for Strong Finish

The Salvation Army is looking for a strong finish for the red kettle portion of its Tree of Lights Campaign. The campaign currently stands at $ 840,172 or about 53% of its $1,575,000 campaign goal. The bells will stop ringing on Saturday, December 24th, but the remainder of a $20,000 kettle match, courtesy of The Salvation Army Advisory Board, will continue today. The last few days are typically among the largest giving days for kettles as shoppers are out in full force making last minute purchases. “We had a good day on Thursday, with almost double the usual kettle income, so thanks to the Advisory Board for the match and the public for responding,” said Major Tom McDowell, who oversees the kettles in the tri-county area. The Advisory Board is also taking up the challenge, manning the kettle at the Bass Pro Shop in East Peoria today.

Gold coin auction – The gold coin auction wraps up today at noon, so get your bids in this morning! Visit www.usc.salvationarmy.org/heartland and bid online or by calling Susan Moore at 655-1341. Proceeds benefit the Tree of Lights Campaign.

Other Ways to Give – While kettles wrap up on Saturday, gifts can be made through the end of January toward the overall Tree of Lights Campaign goal. Donations can be made by 1)delivering to The Salvation Army, 401 N.E. Adams, Peoria, 2)mailing to The Salvation Army, PO Box 1468, Peoria,IL 61655, or by 3)calling (309) 655-7220 to charge on American Express, Visa, MasterCard or Discover Card. It is also still possible to make gifts of stock to The Salvation Army as well by calling (309) 655-7220.

According to the officials at Peoria Comcast office, the computer server that malfunctioned in Mid-November is back in Peoria, so local programming for Comcast Cable 22, Faith Alive 20, and Pekin’s Cable 5 is resuming. The disruption only affected Comcast Cable subscribers in Peoria County.

PCCEO, the producers of CAPtions and JT’s Bourbon Street LIVE will air a combined edition of these 2 shows, to get viewers ready and keep them in the holiday mood.

“Happy Holidays from PCCEO” features holiday & other music from the ELITE Youth Holiday Singers; Judy Page; Jimmy Binkley; Foster Grandparents, and more. CAPtions host Andre Bohannon and Bourbon St. LIVE host Steve Graves, co-host this special and talk about Christmas and New Year’s traditions in their homes while growing up.

This combined edition of CAPtions and JT’s Bourbon St. LIVE will air on the following dates/times, all on Comcast Cable 22:

Saturday, Dec. 24th 12:30 am
Sunday, Dec. 25th 5:00 pm
Sunday, Dec. 25th 8:30 pm
Wednesday, Dec. 28th 7:00 pm
Thursday, Dec. 29th 12:00 am

CAPtions and JT’s Bourbon St. LIVE are produced by the Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunities, Inc. Media Services Department, and is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

According to the officials at Peoria Comcast office, the computer server that malfunctioned in Mid-November is back in Peoria, so local programming for Comcast Cable 22, Faith Alive 20, and Pekin’s Cable 5 is resuming. The disruption only affected Comcast Cable subscribers in Peoria County.

PCCEO, the producers of CAPtions and JT’s Bourbon Street LIVE will air a combined edition of these 2 shows, to get viewers ready and keep them in the holiday mood.

“Happy Holidays from PCCEO” features holiday & other music from the ELITE Youth Holiday Singers; Judy Page; Jimmy Binkley; Foster Grandparents, and more. CAPtions host Andre Bohannon and Bourbon
St. LIVE host Steve Graves, co-host this special and talk about Christmas and New Year’s traditions in their homes while growing up.

This combined edition of CAPtions and JT’s Bourbon St. LIVE will air on the following dates/times, all on Comcast Cable 22:

Saturday, Dec. 24th 12:30 am
Sunday, Dec. 25th 5:00 pm
Sunday, Dec. 25th 8:30 pm
Wednesday, Dec. 28th 7:00 pm
Thursday, Dec. 29th 12:00 am

CAPtions and JT’s Bourbon St. LIVE are produced by the Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunities, Inc. Media Services Department, and is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Please put your Christmas trees out on your regular garbage collection day. PDC will collect Christmas trees through January 13, 2012.

Lance Zedric, local author and historian, will present a program on the heroic Alamo Scouts who served during WWII on Saturday, January 28 at 1:00 p.m. at Peoria Public Library North Branch in the McKenzie Room.

Zedric, who appeared on The History Channel with “History’s Mysteries, the Alamo Scouts,” brings the stories of the men who served as Alamo Scouts to life. This free program explores the work of the top secret group which was formed in November 1943 to conduct raider and reconnaissance work in the Southwest Pacific. They performed 108 missions behind enemy lines without losing a single man. Of 700 chosen to train for the group, only 138 were selected as Alamo Scouts and operated as six or seven man teams.

A native of Canton, Illinois, Lance Zedric has authored or co-authored eight books and hundreds of articles ranging from biography to military history to self-help.

Zedric has taught special education in Peoria for fifteen years, and specializes in high school students with severe conduct disorders. He is a two-time recipient of the Children’s Home Educator of the Year Award and the former Director of Public Information and Sports Information at Monmouth College.

A Chicago Tribune story this week shows Illinois leads the Midwest in research and development expenditures at universities and colleges. According to the Illinois Innovation Index created by Illinois Innovation Council, Illinois colleges and universities spent $2.1 billion in 2009 on research and development. The report shows the top two spenders were the University of Illinois at $564 million and Northwestern at $515 million. Illinois outranks all of the states in Midwest and ranks #8 nationally.

Vickie Clark, President of Economic Development Council for Central Illinois, says this good news has quite an impact on the average consumer because it shows that people are investing in research and development which means we are continuing to solve problems. She says investors are also getting smarter with where they put their dollars and we are seeing more money and more targeted investments. “Investors want to put their money into something that is going to produce positive outcomes. Those positive outcomes are beneficial to the consumer and tax payers.”

Jim McConoughey, President & CEO of The Heartland Partnership, used the example of ZuChem to show how R&D investment can lead to real world application and economic development for the entire region. “This company is taking an agricultural application that we have done for generations…growing corn; and using another application that we have done for generations…fermentation; to develop new substances to help with existing issues…finding a sugar substitute suitable for diabetics. Thanks to investment in their R&D process they were able to move forward with this project and begin the steps towards solving a problem that affects millions of people.”

When this product, and others that are researched, developed and invented right here in our region, are put into production it will mean even more investment to the region via economic development. Both McConoughey and Clark agree, that focusing on research and development today is an investment into our region’s future.

The Christian Center Hosts its 3rd Annual Play with the Pro’s youth baseball clinic to be held at the Pekin Avanti’s Dome from 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on December 23rd. Contact: Chad Bailey by phone: 309-208-9614 or email: cbailey@thechristiancenter.cc

Featured guests will be:
Tampa Bay Rays Ben Zobrist – A native of Eureka IL, Ben has developed into one of the most versatile and dependable utility players in the Major Leagues. In the big leagues, Ben has played every position in the field except pitcher and catcher. In 2009, Ben was selected as an All-Star and participated in the MLB All-Star game in St. Louis. As an outstanding defensive player, he has played over 250 MLB games as an outfielder, and has committed no errors. In 2011, Ben helped lead the Rays to the postseason, hitting 20 home runs, 91 RBI’s, and 46 doubles.

Brian ShouseBrian grew up in Effingham IL, and attended Bradley University in Peoria. Brian made a name for himself in Major League Baseball as a left-handed relief specialist. In his big league career, Brian faced 1,508 big league hitters and appeared in 467 MLB games. He did all this while maintaining a career ERA of 3.72. Brian spent 20 years in professional baseball. This past summer Brian coached a Central Illinois high school select all star team.

Zach McAllister – A product of IVC High School in Chillicothe IL, Zach was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2006 MBL draft by the New York Yankees. Since then, he has made a steady and consistent rise through the minor leagues. In 2010, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians where he immediately joined their AAA Columbus Clippers. Zach had phenomenal success in Columbus in 2011, posting a dominant 12 – 3 record with an ERA of 3.32 and striking out a career high 128 hitters. His success did not go unnoticed, and on July 7 he made his Major League debut as the Indians’ starter. He made a total of four starts for Cleveland in 2011, striking out 14 and posting a 6.11 ERA.

Rick Short – An alumni of Western Illinois, Rick played 14 seasons in professional baseball while compiling an impressive .319 career batting average. Rick played with the Washington Nationals in 2005, and batted .400 during his short time with the team. Rick finished his career with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League where he was a top performer at the plate each of his three seasons with the team. Rick currently works as a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ryan Eigsti – A former Eureka High School and Bradley University standout, Ryan was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2007 MLB draft. As a catcher, Ryan has moved up the Minor League ladder, spending the majority of the 2011 season with the AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Ryan also made an appearance with AAA Omaha. In 2008, Ryan was the everyday catcher for the Burlington Bees, who are a Midwest League opponent of the Peoria Chiefs.

Jake Eigsti – An alumni of Eureka High School and former Indiana State University star, Jake was drafted in the 2006 MLB draft by the New York Mets. Since then, Jake has played in the Mets Minor League system as well as in the independent Northern League. At the plate in 2011, Jake torched Northern & Atlantic League pitchers, hitting for a .342 average while smashing 15 home runs. Jake is a utility infielder, playing all four infield positions during his time in professional baseball.

Kettle Challenge Match Grant Allows Others To Help The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is down to the last few days of its red kettles and continues to get help from area businesses and individuals. The Salvation Army Advisory Board has combined forces to create a challenge to the community to help fill kettles on Thursday, December 22 and Friday, December 23. The combined contributions will provide a dollar for dollar match on kettle donations up to $20,000. “The average kettle day this year to date is a little more than $6,700, so we are hoping this match will drive more traffic to the kettles these two days,” said Major Tom McDowell, who heads up the tri-county kettle campaign.

“We continue to see many people reaching out for assistance, and we rely on the generosity of the community to continue meeting people’s need for necessities like rent and food for their family,” said Major Evie Diaz, The Salvation Army Divisional Commander. “We appreciate the Advisory Board’s generosity in providing this challenge match.”

To date, $693,568 has been raised toward the $1,575,000 dollar goal for the Tree of Lights Campaign. Meeting the goal means that The Salvation Army will be able to continue providing for the many thousands of individuals who will rely on the Army to be their angels of mercy during 2012.The campaign runs through the end of January.

People can still sign up to ring this week by visiting www.ringbells.org and clicking on Peoria to see what shifts are available.

Donations to the Tree of Lights Campaign can be made by 1)delivering to The Salvation Army, 401 N.E. Adams, Peoria, 2)mailing to The Salvation Army, PO Box 1468, Peoria,IL 61655, or by 3)calling (309) 655-7220 to charge on American Express, Visa, MasterCard or Discover Card. It is also still possible to make gifts of stock to The Salvation Army as well by calling (309) 655-7220.

Director Chip Joyce will hold auditions for Big River on January 14 and 15 at 1:00 each day. Based on the Mark Twain novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Big River includes an unforgettable score from Roger Miller, the king of country music, and has won 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical. This show requires multicultural casting and features an abundance of performance opportunities for both Caucasian and African American performers. Roles are available for 15-18 men/boys and 7-10 women. Ages of characters are relatively open. Most actors will appear in multiple roles. All actors sing in group numbers, and many feature vocal solos. Auditions will be held at University United Methodist Church , 2818 N. University. For auditions, please prepare 32 bars of a musical theatre, folk or gospel song (not from the show) that shows range and personality. You might also be asked to read or sing materials from the show.

Director Charles Killen will hold auditions for Chicago on January 28 and 29 at 2:00 each day. This high-energy musical is set in Prohibition-era Chicago . The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the “celebrity criminal.” Bob Fosse choreographed the original production, and his style is strongly identified with the show. A Tony Award-winning production, the score features several show-stopping numbers, including “Razzle Dazzle,” “Nowadays,” “Cell Block Tango,” and “All That Jazz.” The cast includes 4 women and 2 men in leading roles, and Charles would like to cast an ensemble of at least six men and six women to particpate in all ensemble numbers and to flesh out the cast by playing supporting roles and in many cases, playing more than one character. Auditions will be held at Jump Start Gymnastics, 8820 N. Industrial Rd. in Peoria . For auditions, please prepare a song that best displays your range and bring your sheet music. Also dress appropriately for dance auditions.