West Peoria News for December 2014

West Peoria township trustee Marcia Miller resigned her position on the township board effective Nov. 17 after 16 years serving as trustee. Marcia left to take a position in Galena, an opportunity Marcia looks forward to with excitement. Her replacement…

Serendipity for December 2014

Tucked away with other keepsakes is a small, decorated gift box with a fancy handkerchief inside. The gift card remains intact and is for my Mother from Rachel, a woman who did cleaning in an apartment building my parents once owned. She…

Rocky Glen: A Geological Time Capsule

Would you believe that there is a place right here in Central Illinois where one could stand upon the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains? In this same place, you can also look down into the remains of an ancient swamp…

Neighborhood notes for December 2014

There are many ways for residents to work toward better neighborhoods, and the City of Peoria is encouraging two actions: organization and engagement. To be recognized as a neighborhood association by the City, organize thusly, according to Neighborhood Development Specialist…

Arts Beat for December 2014

MUSIC Dec. 3: Peoria Lunaire – New Music Ensemble. 7:30 p.m. Bradley University’s Dingeldine Music Center. 677-2650. Dec. 4: Central Illinois Youth Symphony. 7 p.m. Life Together Center. 685-5258. Dec. 4: Collegium Musicum. 7:30 p.m. Bradley University’s Dingeldine Music Center.…

The Magnificant Invalid

By Doug Day Three dramas were performed locally in November. I met with Charles Brown at the Broken Tree Cafe on Main Street to learn about his experience being a guest artist for Bradley in the student directed production of…

Think about Water

    By Doug and Eileen Leunig Most of us don’t. We take water for granted. Sure, drought in California, Colorado River drying up, headline-news thinking is everywhere and nonstop. But what do we really know about water? It is…

Labor Roundup for December 2014

Speakers advocate campaign about value of unions. Labor must launch a massive education campaign about unions’ value to counter Right-wing propaganda and to forestall cynicism that could lead people to turn to demagogues, said speakers at a recent Economic Policy…

Is skipping breakfast healthful or harmful?

  Always eat breakfast is common advice. A Google search on benefits of eating breakfast found 930,000 hits including 4 Reasons Why You Should Never Skip Breakfast.(1). On the other hand, a Google search on benefits of skipping breakfast found…

Congressional leader keynoting NAACP banquet

U.S. Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC) will be the featured speaker at NAACP’s 52nd Nov. 22 Freedom Fund Banquet at Par-A-Dice Hotel and Conference Center in East Peoria. The event – “All in for Justice and Equality” – will start…

What’s the Evidence for Medical Marijuana?

  Medical marijuana is coming to Illinois soon. The state has a long list of approved conditions for marijuana including cancer, glaucoma, HIV and multiple sclerosis.i If you have one of these conditions, you may be wondering if marijuana would…

Vote as if tomorrow matters

A couple weeks ago I was whining to friends about how I used to vote for candidates from both parties. In politics, talk is cheap, so I look for those who have a positive voting record in support of clean…

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Subscribe to Community Word Subscriptions to Community Word are available for $20 a year. Send check to: Community Word, 400 NE Jefferson St. #400, Peoria, IL 61603. Advertise In Community Word Community Word is published monthly and reaches about 17,000 readers…

Art Beat for November 2014

MUSIC Nov. 8: In This Moment, the “Black Widow Tour.” 7 p.m. Limelight Eventplex. 693-1234. Nov. 9: BU’s Saxophone Quartet and Quintet. 3 p.m. Bradley University’s Dingeldine Music Center. 677-2595. Nov. 9: Flatland Harmony Experiment Trillium. 2 p.m. Peoria Public…

FDIC data offers glimpse of Peoria commercial banks

Looking at hard numbers can be meaningless, like trying to connect the St. Louis Cardinals’ post-season performance with players’ weights or beard dimensions. Factual yet irrelevant. A better comparison might be the old yarn about several people trying to describe…

Learning to read the weeds

Super Weeds Tell Story of Soil Imbalance Central Illinois organic farmer Dave Bishop can stand at the edge of a chemically-treated soybean field, and giant “super weeds” tower over his 6-foot frame. Yet, his organic field nearby has no super…

Art: What is it good for?

This photo-mosaic of the downtown skyline of Peoria consists of 2,775 images by Central Illinois artists. Local professional photographer Doug Leunig contributed the master skyline image; Bradley University Professor George Brown designed the “Art Works in Peoria” graphic. The project…