Neighborhood Notes
Benefit for East Bluff Community Center. The East Bluff Sunrise Run on Oct. 10 will be a 5K run described as traversing “the tree-lined streets in Peoria’s East Bluff neighborhood,” where it will benefit the East Bluff Community Center, 512…
Labor Roundup
Labor-backed Chicago bank using sale proceeds to expand services to workers. The Amalgamated Bank of Chicago, one of the few labor-backed U.S. financial institutions, will use the $35 million it just gained from the sale of its old headquarters to…
Doctor treats patients in office and kitchen
Artificial sweeteners are worse than sugar because of the way they affect the microbiome in the gut, Dr. John Principe told about 40 physicians and medical students recently during a day-long workshop at Spence Farm in Fairbury. Principe tells his…
Indoor Pesticides Linked to Childhood Cancers
Indoor exposure to household insecticides is linked to a significant increase in childhood leukemia and lymphoma, according to a new study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published in the October issue of Pediatrics, the journal of…
Counseling on elder care concerns
Dave Weiman, founder of Care Compass, will write a series of columns for people navigating through the difficult and emotional process of caring for an elder spouse, family member or friend. The columns will be posted on our website. (See…
Labor Day 2015
Critical “tipping point” between unions and so-called “right to work” BY CLARE HOWARD As the nation celebrates Labor Day with parades and picnics, an “apocalyptic” moment is brewing in the United States with Illinois widely viewed as a critical pivotal…
News Analysis Unions, the “Wealth Gap” and the Day of Jubilee
BY GEORGE HOPKINS The late Texas oil billionaire Sid Richardson (1891-1959) famously said: “Money is like manure—unless it’s spread around it stinks!” Which brings up the current hot topic in contemporary politics: the rich getting richer; the poor getting…
Does where you live determine where you’ll go?
By BILL KNIGHT As Peoria’s City-County Citizen Leadership Academy starts this month with help from neighborhood activists, two recent studies seem to indicate a struggling Peoria and the need for strong neighborhoods to be the backbones of cities. The new…
ROYCE ELLIOTT PLACE The sun was shining brightly, almost like God’s spotlight on America’s cleanest comedian, Royce Elliott, as people gathered to honor the man who made so many laugh and smile. The occasion was the unveiling of the honorary…
Billionaires discover inequality
Earth hasn’t become Bizarro World, DC Comics’ cubical planet where a flawed copy of Superman talks in twisted negatives. When that super-powered villain says, “I love you!” he means he hates you. If Bizarro says, “I’m sad you succeeded,” he…
Warning in Lincoln’s “house divided” speech resonates ominously with Rauner’s “right-to-work”
BY DOUG DAY Next month will mark the 161st anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Peoria speech that served to revive the political career of the country lawyer, former one-term Congressman and future President. The Peoria speech was part of the Lincoln-Douglas…
Medical marijuana works for me
The debate around medical marijuana should move away from the lack of scientific studies and focus on experience. I admit to formerly being a pot smoker. Some time back I quit smoking weed to focus on family and career. Unfortunately,…
A Roller-Coaster Year
By KYM LADD HARTZ Winter changing to spring was very smooth. Everything was perfect, unlike last spring when winter kept coming around when you least expected it and killing off new spring buds. No, this spring was as well as…
Over past 20 years, “Loaves and Fish” fed 300,000 Last year, I was talking with a couple about what went into their selection of whether and/or which church to call home. Their Christian faith is strong, so connecting with a…
A Legacy for Future Generations
A Legacy for Future Generations It was a summer day in 1990 that I piled into a car with several folks and drove up into Marshall County to explore some natural areas. We were off to meet someone who had…
On a typical frosty-cold January day, a friendly and enthusiastic group of loved ones gathered in anticipation of a wonderful event. Determined to stay for the long haul, while hoping for a short one, we were willing helpers extraordinaire. But…
Night Out Against Crime will be hosted by the West Peoria Neighborhood Watch, City of West Peoria, West Peoria Township, Peoria County Sheriff’s Department, Peoria Park District/Franciscan Complex and the Travelers Protective Association from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sept.…
The Great Work Begins Theatre Troupe moved to an intimate space downtown, Ear in the Envelope, 820 SW Adams St., to present Don Nigro’s ‘70s era play “Seascape with Sharks and Dancer.” It was well performed by Andrew Jon Rhodenbaugh…
ARTS BEAT
Stage highlights for the next few weeks: MUSIC Sept. 4-5: Budweiser Illinois Blues Festival featuring Jonny Lang, Taj Mahal, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Victor Wooten and the Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band and more. Gates open at 6…
Art As Experience Is there sound if there are no ears to hear it? Is there art if there are no eyes to see it? Art does not exist apart from human experience. It is not created in a vacuum.…
Labor Roundup
Labor groups endorse Iran deal. U.S. Labor Against War (USLAW), the grass-roots organization that led the organized labor to oppose George W. Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq, is campaigning for unionists and leaders to back the proposed agreement to curb…