Letters

10 corporations own 94 percent of global seed market The Illinois General Assembly has the opportunity to stand up for the seeds this spring. SB3130, sponsored by Sen. Sam McCann and co-sponsored by Sen. Dave Koehler, would exempt noncommercial interpersonal…

OP-ED

Goat Milk Soaps Good for you and for your invisible friends BY JILL BROCKMAN-CUMMINGS Most of us bathe daily using soap and water because, well, germs are bad, right? Wrong! According to recent research into the microbiome—the micro-organisms that call…

Ethics of Stewardship

Places of worship tend to center use on their holy day. We as a United Methodist Church have space designed for our heaviest use on Sundays. The church was designed with a sanctuary for worship, rooms for Sunday school classes…

Spring on the Wing

May has finally arrived! The overwintering patience of the many a “cabin fever” shut-in has paid off with an April full of bluebells, birdfoot-violets and hoary puccoon flowers. Now May is upon us and new flowers will soon greet those…

Articles and advice about downsizing abound. Becoming a minimalist, reducing clutter, seeking simplicity all are aimed at attracting interest in what is fast becoming a lifestyle. It’s very engaging, and some would insist necessary, particularly when certain details and difficulties…

West Peoria News

The annual West Peoria Memorial Day Celebration in honor of those who have served and are serving our country in the military is Saturday May 28. A memorial was built to replace one that had been at the firehouse and…

Being Thankful

On April 11, I was pallbearer for my first and only God daughter Artiana Faith Parker. I was the last person to carry her. It was an honor, and it was a great sadness. Artiana was just 1½ pounds and…

Heights News

The anticipation is multiplying for connoisseurs of the sights, sounds and smells which has become synonymous with Trefzger’s Bakery. Speak with businesses in Peoria Heights and many are drawing attention to the outside transformation of the old Rouse-Hazard bicycle factory.…

Political writers are fond of using “Kabuki dance” to refer to various tactics and machinations during political battles. We have unfortunately had too many examples of this during the past several years with government shutdowns, bailouts, failed grand bargains and…

Arts Beat

May 1:  Music Scholarship Concert Series. Bradley Women’s Choir. 3 p.m. Dingeldine Music Center. Tickets: $10/general; free/students. May 1: Philharmonic Chorale in concert. 3 p.m. ICC Performing Arts Center, East Peoria. Cost: $12/public, $10/students and seniors. May 1: “The Road…

Art in Peoria is looking up, figuratively and literally. The past few years have seen an increasing amount of public art after decades of art drought. Thankfully Preston Jackson’s islands of aesthetics around the city brought new life to our…

Hypertension Part 2: Sodium and Hypertension

Many of the 70 million adults with hypertension would like to avoid taking medication. One common recommendation to lower blood pressure without medication is to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet. Most of the sodium in the American…

Labor Roundup

Low-paid workers stage another mass 1-day walkout April 14. Low-paid workers, fast-food workers, retail workers, adjunct professors, health-care workers and others from coast to coast staged another one-day walkout on April 14, again demanding “$15 and a union.” The protests…

Peace for Peoria counters Islamophobia

Community leaders including Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman, UnityPoint-Methodist president Debbie Simon, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center president Michael Cruz and Bradley University president Gary Roberts will make opening remarks at a Peace for Peoria town hall event 7 p.m. to…

Elder Care Concerns

BY DAVE WEIMAN Everyone needs a break. If you are living with a senior and are the primary caregiver, remember to take care of yourself. It’s wonderful that you are providing the means for your loved one to stay at…

Renaissance along the river

A few breweries and eateries may have gotten attention for recently opening within sight of the Illinois River, but a few joints have been persevering here for years. Compared to Peoria’s past – from the heydays of Harold’s Club on…