By Nancy Long To hear Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposal to allow local governments to establish “employee empowerment” zones where employees could get all the benefits of union membership without paying union dues, one would think he is acknowledging the benefits…
Communications beyond our silos
We developed silos to effectively store items, like harvested crops, in bulk supply. Here in the Midwest they are easily identified, as we drive through our states labeled as the “breadbasket” that feeds the world. In doing so, we cross…
Serendipity for March 2015
In 1966 when I was 18, I traveled on a cruise ship to visit my sister and her family living in the Philippines. It was a marvelous adventure after the seasickness subsided. An infirmary visit and medicine helped tremendously. The ship I was…
A society blossoms in Peoria
Aged hands clasped the black leather-bound book as a thin-framed man walked along the bustling streets of downtown Peoria. His destination was the great archives at the Public Library. His mission was to preserve over 40 years of memories for…
West Peoria News for March
View the cityofwestpeoria.com for all information on snow issues. It has been listed here several times and also in the West Peoria News. You can reference whatever you need at the city website which is likely easier to locate than…
Theater roundup
Peoria Players has given us the yin and yang of Weimar Germany with its recent offerings of “The Sound of Music” and “Cabaret.” TSOM is all country, set in the Alps of Salzburg with singing nuns, children, true love…
Arts Beat for March
MUSIC March 1: Bradley Symphony Orchestra’s Music Scholarship Concert Series – Concerto Aria Competition Concert. 3 p.m. Bradley University’s Dingeldine Music Center. 677-2595. March 6: The Smokers. 8 p.m. Rhythm Kitchen Music Café. 676-9668. March 7: Cousin Eddie. 8 p.m.…
Innovation inspiration
Imagination creates possibilities. As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world.” Sadly much of our educational system was designed around a process…
Canadian Tar Sands Pipeline A Threat to Mahomet Aquifer, Scientist Contends
Central Illinois is now a major transportation route for Canadian Tar Sands crude oil, with Enbridge Inc. sending up to 880,000 barrels a day through pipeline constructed above the Mahomet Aquifer. The Mahomet supplies ground water for residents in 14…
Labor notes for March
Asbestos manufacturers try to evade liability. Taking advantage of the new Republican rule over Congress, the remaining firms that manufactured items containing asbestos – the cancer-causing substance that sickened thousands of shipyard workers, factory workers, construction workers and others, and…
Neighborhood Notes for March
‘Tireless’ cleanup launching. Peoria’s Tireless Committee, established with a $5,000 grant from Leaders Change Peoria to address tire abandonment in Peoria’s neighborhoods, is finalizing plans to recycle up to 22,000 tires per year and hopes to hold events on the…
UNDER THE RADAR: Tar Sands Oil Pipeline Here; Central Illinois Volume Greater Than Keystone XL
While debate over Keystone XL engulfs Congress and the White House, farmers in the Congerville-Goodfield area find themselves sitting atop a river of Canadian Crude Tar Sands oil that eclipses the volume projected for the controversial proposed pipeline to the…
Country music trend sparks pushback
Counting on Miranda Lambert’s Feb. 21 concert at the Civic Center Arena to feature some version of “Somethin’ Bad,” her hit duet with Carrie Underwood, is like hoping for comic Rodney Carrington to stroll over from his performance in the…
Still popular, Bro Country sparks pushback
Many Country music promoters and programmers may have noticed some reaction to bro country, but the pendulum isn’t yet swinging away from the popular style. “Swinging away from ‘bro country’? Highly doubtable – not yet anyway,” says Chris Michaels, program…
A historic District 150 event
Ejecting a coach or player from a basketball game rarely happens. But, it does happen. When a player is removed it’s because of a flagrant foul or unacceptable behavior. A coach is gone when he receives a second technical foul.…
Help the homeless
“… bring the homeless poor into your house.” – Isaiah 58: 7 February is Black History Month, so it’s tempting to see emotional objections to the Peoria Housing Authority’s investigation into relocating Taft Homes as racism. However, if giving the…