Peoria, Ill., April 16, 2014 — Junction City will once again host Walk MS Peoria on Sunday, Sept. 7, turning their parking lots at 5901 N. Prospect Road into an energetic festival site for hundreds of event participants. Walk MS Peoria, one of several Illinois Walk MS events to raise money for the Greater Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, is a chance for the community to rally together to bring an end to MS.

Junction City volunteered their site for Walk MS 2010, and they are proud to do so again for this year’s event.

 “Junction City is honored to host and support Walk MS 2014,” said Brittany Michael, Executive Assistant Manager at Junction Ventures. “We are excited that the event is returning to our location, and we feel it is the perfect environment for the community to raise funds for a great cause. We look forward to participating and assisting in the event. Be on the lookout for Team Junction City, who will be walking in honor of all those living with MS.”

Walk MS 2014 will take place at 11 locations across Illinois on May 4, and at two locations, including Peoria at Junction City, on Sept. 7. Last year, more than 12,000 people participated in Walk MS throughout Illinois, raising over $2.7 million to fund MS research, programs and services.

Participants will be teaming up to walk 1–3 miles on routes that will begin and end at Junction City, all of which are 100 percent accessible. Official times for the event will be determined at a later date.

 “We are very excited to once again partner with Junction City for Walk MS,” said John Blazek, Greater Illinois Chapter President. “This is an incredibly important event for those affected by MS, and the continued dedication and support of Junction City helps make it possible. Their commitment will bring us that much closer to a world free of MS.”

Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease that interrupts the flow of information in the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerve. The Greater Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of more than 20,000 individuals in Illinois and 2.3 million worldwide affected by MS.

To find out more or to register or donate online, contact Samantha Edidin at 312.423.1156 or at samantha.edidin@nmss.org, or visitwalkMSillinois.org.

On Friday April 18, 2014, all lanes of traffic on NE Jefferson from Hamilton Boulevard to Main Street will be closed to allow a crane to remove old equipment on top of a building. Closure is expected to begin around or before 6:00 AM and be closed until 6:00 PM. All traffic lanes will open soon after 6:00 PM.

For further information or questions please contact Jeff Frieden with Warner Plumbing, Inc. at (309) 335-6555.

The Kiwanis Club of East Peoria will host an Art Auction and Wine Pull to benefit the efforts of Fon du Lac Park District’s Helping Hands Foundation and Forever Friends Fundraising in construction of an all-play, all-inclusive playground. The event is scheduled for Thursday, May 8, 2014, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Quail Meadows Banquet Facility, 2215 Centennial Drive, Washington.

The evening fundraiser will feature an auction of artwork created by students from East Peoria and other local high schools. The artwork is juried by a panel of local art professionals. Most pieces will be offered via silent auction, with select award-winning pieces being offered in a live auction starting at 7:00 p.m.

Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase a chance(s) to pull numbers that correspond to a nice, very nice, or great bottle of wine.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to Fon du Lac Park District’s Helping Hands Foundation and Forever Friends Fundraising for the construction of an all-play playground for the children of East Peoria and all surrounding areas. Forever Friends Fundraising has partnered with Fon du Lac Park District to install an all-inclusive playground to be located at Neumann Park (adjacent to Fon du Lac Farm Park and Central Illinois Riding Therapy). The playground will be completely handicap accessible with ramped areas to allow for wheelchair traffic in the play structure. Play features that can be used by all abilities, as well as an accessible sidewalk from the parking lot to the playground, will be installed.

PEORIA – Grace Presbyterian Church will broadcast its Easter morning worship service live on WEEK-TV, channel 25, and WBNH Radio, 88.5 FM, at 9 a.m. April 20, 2014. The broadcast will include musical performances by Rachel West Kramer and Jairo Arvizu, and a message from Senior Pastor Dr. Bryan Chapell. This will be the first live broadcast from Grace Presbyterian since moving to their new facility on Route 91 in 2010.

“The TV and radio broadcasts allow us to minister to people who cannot get out to attend services,” said C. J. Summers, Director of Media Ministry. “It reaches into homes, hospitals, prisons, etc., to touch people who otherwise would not get to participate in a local church service. The live broadcast allows us all to worship the Lord together at the same time on this special Sunday when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Dr. Chapell began as Senior Pastor of Grace one year ago on Easter 2013. Before coming to Grace, he was the Chancellor and former President of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Chapell’s Easter message will be titled, “I Am Ascending,” from John 20:17. Rachel West Kramer is a Christian Vocal Artist and Speaker with Hands of Love Ministry, and a member of Grace Presbyterian Church. Jairo Arvizu is also a member of Grace and a featured vocalist with Hands of Love Ministry.

Grace Presbyterian Church started as a Sunday School outreach in 1862, and was incorporated as a church in 1868. Its morning worship services have been broadcast on WEEK-TV since 1973, first as the “Grace Worship Hour,” and later as “Grace Alive!” Services have been broadcast on local radio since the 1950s. Stations that have carried Grace’s services include WIRL, WPEO, and currently WBNH. Normally, each Sunday service is recorded, edited, and broadcast the following Sunday on WEEK and WBNH at 9 a.m.

Peoria Players Theatre will hold a Craft & Vendor Fair on Saturday, May 10 from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm (rain or shine).  The Fair will be held on the lawn behind Peoria Players in Lakeview Park, corner of Lake and University.  Crafters and vendors from all over our local area will take part in this event.  Many items will be sold, including jewelry, apparel, Tupperware, garden art, blankets and pillows, bags and much more!

A portion of the Fair will benefit Central Illinois breast health programs and Peoria Players Theatre.

Peoria – Peoria County Sheriff Michael D. McCoy will be joining Hilltop Communications – Bradley public relations students who are partnering with the Sheriff’s Office to raise awareness of the cell phone law – at Northwoods Mall between 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. today outside Rogers & Hollands Jewelers, located on the upper level of the mall next to the food court. The Sheriff and students will be securing pledges from shoppers who agree not to use their cell phone while driving. The students will continue collecting electronic pledges until 6:30 p.m.

Hilltop Communications students are working on their senior project to raise awareness of the ban on hand-held cell phone usage while driving, a law that went into effect statewide on January 1, 2014. During their campaign, the students are collecting pledges at public venues such as the mall, via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hangupanddrive), and electronically at http://tinyurl.com/StayAliveHangUpAndDrivePledge. The campaign draws to a close this week.

For more information on the public safety campaign, please contact Jenny Fulton, Peoria County Director of Strategic Communications, at (309) 672-6918, or Shelby Duitsman with Hilltop Communications: (217) 649-4237.

John Hanlon, Executive Director and Legal Director of the Innocence Project at University of Illinois, Springfield will speak at the Greater Peoria League of Women Voter’s Annual Dinner Meeting April 29, 2014 at the Lariat Steakhouse, 2232 W. Glen, Peoria.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. for social time, with the dinner at 6:00 p.m. and the speaker at 7:00 p.m.

The Illinois Innocent Project goals are exoneration of innocent persons convicted of felony crimes in Illinois; and reform of the criminal justice system in Illinois and the nation through the education of students, citizens, and policy-makers about problems, causes, and possible reforms of a criminal justice system that results in conviction of the innocent. The Illinois Innocence Project has participated in four exonerations and two releases from 2003-2013.

Dinner reservations can be made by contacting LWV Peoria president Cheryl Budzinski, at 309/253-9594.  Deadline is April 24.

Be sure to register for the 2014 Heart of Illinois Senior Games and the Arts —coming Wednesday, May 21 through Sunday, May 25!  For anyone who did not receive a registration booklet in the mail, they are available online at www.hoiseniorgames.org . Registration booklets can also be picked up at Peoria Park District facilities; at Morton, Pekin and Fon du Lac Park Districts; and at many local businesses. The registration deadline is May 14.

The five-day festival for men and women age 50 plus will have nearly 100 events to choose from in several categories including athletic, “just for fun,” visual arts, literary arts and performing arts. The cost to participate in unlimited events is just $35. There are also several social events that are FREE with a paid registration, including the Opening Ceremony and “Senior Games Night” at Dozer Park, lunch on Friday and Saturday, Sommer Park Hiking Adventure and Last Day Luncheon and Pioneer Days at Sommer Park. There is something for everyone, so make plans now to participate or volunteer!

Many of the events in the 2014 Senior Games and the Arts will take place at the RiverPlex in Peoria, and there are several other venues involved. For more information, contact Mariah Schultz, HOISG Event Organizer, at (309) 681-2860, e-mail her at mschultz@peoriaparks.org , or visit the website, www.hoiseniorgames.org .

Peoria, IL – This week, most residents of the City of Peoria, as well as residents of many of the surrounding communities, will be receiving a mailing regarding Peoria’s municipal electric aggregation program.  In 2012, citizens in Peoria voted to allow the City to negotiate a price for the supply of residential electricity.  This contract with Homefield Energy saved Peorians hundreds of dollars over the past two years.

The current contract with Homefield Energy ends in May.  Last fall, the City of Peoria and governments in the surrounding communities negotiated a new contract with Homefield Energy that will start in June 2014 and extend through June 2016.  The fixed, two-year price is $0.04746 per kWh.  This rate will become effective on your June or July Ameren bill.  

Eligible residents and small businesses will receive an “opt-out” notice starting later this week.  A sample copy of this letter is attached. This is the exact same process as was used in May 2012 for the original program.  If you want to participate in this group rate, you do not need to do anything—you will be automatically enrolled.  There is no contract to sign and no enrollment fee. Residents have reported that electricity marketers have begun door-to-door and telephone campaigns.  The City’s negotiated rate is lower than prices currently being offered by these solicitors.  In Peoria’s aggregation program, residents are not required to sign a contract at all, and will not be called or visited by a salesperson.

Residents often confused by the actions of marketers, who typically present savings compared to the Ameren Illinois rates. Peoria’s electric contract price is already lower than Ameren’s standard rates.  It was locked in at a lower point in the market last fall.  Market prices have increased in the past several months, but Peoria’s program is protected from this market volatility and the price is guaranteed for 2 years.  Further, the Peoria program rates do not have variable, hidden or “pass through” charges.  If you are approached by an electric marketer, it is not part of Peoria’s aggregation program.  Be certain to review all contract terms, ask about additional charges and do not feel pressured to take action right away.  

If you are a new residential electric customer, or uncertain if you are enrolled in the community aggregation program, please contact the City’s supplier, Homefield Energy:

Homefield Energy: www.homefieldenergy.com

Call: 866-694-1262

Email: HomefieldCustCare@Dynegy.com

Former Caterpillar CEO & Chairman Don Fites to Headline Annual Luncheon

PEORIA – The Peoria Salvation Army is welcoming former Caterpillar CEO Don Fites back to Peoria “In Times of Crisis” will be the focus of  The Salvation Army Annual Community Luncheon to be held at the Pere Marquette on Wednesday, April 30.

Tickets are available now through April 23 by calling 655-1349. Tickets are $50 each or a table of 8 for $400

The Peoria Tri‑County Salvation Army will honor several individuals and companies during the event:

The Spirit of the Army Award will be given to Crossraods United Methodist Church, which served as the hub for Salvation Army disaster relief efforts after the November 2013 tornadoes.

The Pinnacle of Achievement Award is awarded to the Peoria Area Association of Realtors for their annual support of The Salvation Army through their  Turkey Drive and their support of disaster relief.

The Others Award will be presented to two folks- Stan Cohen & Nikki Hudson, for their leadership and work with The Salvation Army Disaster relief in Washington last year. They headed up feeding operations at the church and for The Salvation Army Emergency Services canteens.

Brooke Rennick of Toulon is winning the Young Leader s Award for her annual Koats for Kids efforts. Over the past 4 years, she has collected, purchased and donated over 750 coats, along with hats, mittens and scarves for The Salvation Army in Peoria.

Long-time Salvation Army Advisory Board member Chuck Staley is receiving the William Booth Award for his long service to the community and The Salvation Army. Staley has served over a dozen years on the local Salvation Army Advisory Board.

Former Advisory Board member Jim Baumgartner will receive the Certificate in Recognition of Exceptional Service from The Salvation Army, and two volunteers will also be recognized for their support of the Army.

The Women’s Auxiliary will also give out its Award of Excellence at the luncheon on April 30 at the Pere Marquette.  The luncheon event begins at 11:45 am.