By BILL KNIGHT Many Peorians may have only a vague idea of the difference between a slap shot and a chip shot, or think a hat trick needs a bunny, or a power play involves the Koch brothers. But the…
Outreach connects Rivermen to community
Treat the patient, not the cancer: Injecting compassion into med school
BY CLARE HOWARD Dr. Bento Soares knows cancer too intimately from both a personal and academic perspective. He moved here 11 months ago for his position as senior associate dean for research in cancer biology and pharmacology at the University…
REOPEN WOODRUFF? At the December meeting of the board of Peoria School District 150, members discussed a variety of subjects including poor test scores with only 2 percent passing at Peoria High and 5 percent at Manual. Former Woodruff High…
The steel bins are innocuously, innocently tucked into corners of parking lots, silently pleading for donations slipped into flip-down doors. But contributions to these bins may not help the needy as much as people assume. In fact, the donations are…
More jobs in clean energy than in fossil fuels
Aaron Mair, national president of the Sierra Club, spoke in Peoria at the state NAACP conference and said it’s a “false trick” to protect the coal industry because it provides jobs. Now Robert Pollin, distinguished professor of economics at…
JUSTICE reform can be inspired by JUST US
Corrections officials will tell you that most inmates regret they did something stupid; they want to do their prison time; and, most importantly, they have a sincere desire to change. Yet, correctional officials will also tell you that those who…
Documentary shows how science gets excluded from public policy
By Jeffrey Kosiorek If the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change is as overwhelming as some claim, a rational person might be excused for asking why politicians have not acted, debates are still featured in the media and a growing…
Choice Makes Moral Sense
Life is full of difficult choices. Everyone agrees on that. Should I enlist in the military? Should I get a divorce? Should I have surgery? No one can make these difficult choices go away. They are part of life.…
Land and Water Conservation Fund Survives
Late in the day on Dec. 16, a 50-year-old conservation program survived to see another day (we hope). The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was passed and signed into law on Sept. 3, 1964. Since that date, over $3.6…
By our own admission, we are a family of planners. Mother, father, one son, two daughters who enjoy involvement in the many excellent, fun-filled, necessary, enjoyable, and “helping us become better people” activities life offers. Sometimes we’re participants, other times observers. We’re extroverts…
West Peoria dedicated signs on both ends of Park Road to local musician Jimmy Binkley on Dec. 11. Park Road was chosen because of Binkley’s 12 years entertaining at Sky Harbor. Mr. Binkley died recently; his life was celebrated at…
Have you heard of the “Streisand Effect?” The website Informy.com provides a brief description of it: “We know now that the more fuss somebody makes about something on the internet, attempting to get it removed, the greater awareness people have…
I attended two productions in December: one for the acting, one for the writing; one was worthwhile, one was not. Bradley’s “Fall Forward, a Festival of Student Directed Plays” was a tedious evening that eventually found me making a quick…
Arts Beat
MUSIC Jan 2: Rooster Alley “Live at the Five Spot.” 5:30 p.m. Contemporary Art Center. 674-6822. Jan. 2: Three and a Half Men. 8 p.m. Rhythm Kitchen. 676-9668. Jan. 8: Moon Taxi, with Maia Sharp. 7 p.m. Limelight…
Art Still Lives in Central Illinois
Why do all the great artists live in big cities? Trick question. They don’t. The reality is creativity exists globally in humans regardless of location. From high-ceiling, red-bricked warehouses to garage studios to small spaces in homes, artists in central…
Labor Roundup
The year has had some labor victories. There were several big wins for the labor movement in 2015: the UAW (representing 142,000 workers) ratifying contracts at General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler; Fueling Agents at Phoenix’ Airport unionizing with the…
Ignorance and Profit: Margarine and the Heart “Avoid butter, use margarine” was standard medical advice in the 1970s to reduce the risk of heart attack. This advice was based on ignorance of the dangers from margarine made from hydrogenated vegetable…
Elder Care Concerns
BY DAVE WEIMAN An Assisted Living Home might be the ideal solution for an elder who can’t manage well at home, but doesn’t have severe medical problems. The very fact that the elder isn’t very ill, sometimes makes choosing…
Family-owned store subject of sexual discrimination lawsuit
Citing a longstanding culture of sexual discrimination, a lawsuit filed in November in U.S. District Court in Peoria is seeking damages from Sherman’s Place appliance and furniture store in excess of $2 million plus legal fees on behalf of…
National Sierra Club president: Conflating coal industry with jobs is a “false trick”
The national president of the Sierra Club said at the annual meeting of the state conference of the NAACP held in Peoria that attempting to protect the coal industry because it provides jobs is a shortsighted argument based on a…
Rents could further burden tenants in coming years
Many young adults piled up huge student debt to get college degrees enabling them to pay off loans but face a slowly recovering job market. On the other side of the career spectrum, retirees worry that fixed incomes won’t be…