by Dolores M. Klein, Peoria, IL Feminist activism is bent on eroding cultural and legal obstacles to women’s equality, but we have always been aware that religious barriers are too often behind them. Will the new Pope continue the concentration…
Rape is Rape – Whether in Steubenville or Peoria
By Martha Herm, Executive Director of the Center for Prevention of Abuse Peoria, IL “The pictures from Steubenville don’t just show a girl being raped. They show rape being condoned, encouraged, and celebrated.” This quote from Laurie Penny, noted British…
Plans change
They walked with him for three years. Each had plans of where it was all going. His many references to a kingdom spurred thoughts of overthrowing the current regime and freeing their people from its terror. Such thoughts caused several…
Finding a Job Online in Central Illinois
I love my job! I have a great boss (me) and like helping my customers with their computer and internet questions. It is fun watching their companies grow and enjoying their success. How about you? Are you happy with your…
West Peoria News for April
For the April 9 th consolidated election, there is an opening in each of West Peoria’s four wards: Candidates for each ward are: Ward 1 Leroy C. Dohm Jr; Ward 2 Jerome (Jerry) Meismer; Ward 3 Brian K. Ganson; Ward…
Continual anger & disparaging comments rarely provide motivation or improvement
Perspective is difficult to explain to young ones, and apparently some adults, based on various crass comments on Facebook. The Presidential campaign and election are over, and results were a bitter disappointment to many, but continual negative remarks, unless tempered…
Happenings for April
thru April 11 – Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theatre will present “Unnecessary Farce” – recurring weekly on Thursday. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.; Buffet is 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. The show is at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $33 ($35 for…
Musings for April
Another month has passed, and I can hardly believe it. It has been a bad one again, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Jason is back in the hospital for the third time in that…
Newsbriefs for April
“FORE THE FUN OF IT” at PEORIA RIVERFRONT MUSEUM Tickets are now available for the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s “FORE the Fun of It,” an evening of miniature golf, unlimited culinary delights and drinks, plus live music. This fundraiser will take…
Yeah, right
Give it another few months, and we might be able to walk outside without a jacket.
Revamping Teacher Pensions, State Budget Problems, Coal, GM Labeling and the Affordable Care Act
Q: You favor shifting the cost of educator pensions from the state to the local school districts. Isn’t that going to result in huge increases in property taxes? A: Shifting local pension obligations back on local school districts is a…
Skill sprout
Skill Sprout is an agency serving children with developmental disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder. Their informational brochures say, “Exceptional Services for Extraordinary Children & Families.” Services include: diagnostic services; social skills training; outpatient therapy services and tutoring. The team of…
Volunteering Time & Labor with & for Others
Rebuilding Together-Peoria, a not-for-profit organization, is an all-volunteer group that partners with the community to rehabilitate homes of low-income homeowners, particularly the elderly and disabled. The efforts of the many volunteers make it possible for others to continue to live…
Straight Talk for March
Harry Caray was considered by many as the greatest play-by-play announcer in the history of baseball. Fans of Mel Allen of the Yankees and Vin Scully of the Dodgers would disagree, but to those of us in the mid-west, Caray…
Should society protect kids from football?
Society somehow thinks it’s sensible to check Halloween candy for drugs or poison despite overwhelming evidence that such incidents are an urban myth, but faced with real reports of serious injuries to kids playing football, people seem unperturbed. But high…
Mad as a March Hare
In the middle of the night I occasionally notice a dark figure in my yard, hunkered over as if in prayer, lurking just beneath the bird feeder… chewing. If it notices me, moving inside the house, it will quickly disappear…
City’s tepid response to Snowpocalypse light
I’ve spent most of the snowstorm in the city’s chronically neglected South Side, so maybe I don’t have a good grasp of the work done elsewhere in the city yet. I know that Western is pretty well covered in snow.…
Guest editorials for March
Will Women Be Drafted? Dolores M. Klein, Peoria, IL When women testified before 1920 on behalf of Suffrage, they were asked if they realized that men could vote because they were required to give their lives for their country. Invariably,…
Melancholy March
She doesn’t remember the last time we were together and swears she hasn’t seen me in years. We had lunch last Sunday. This is the month she gave birth to me, but she won’t remember that either. Mom is frail…
Serendipity for March
About 12 of us first met in the winter of 1967 in a training class at the Greater Peoria Airport as prospective employees of Ozark Airlines. Most of us were in our late teens or barely 20. This was many…
West Peoria News for March
Troop 11 is again selling trash bags with sales starting March 4th with delivery in April. A box of 100 bags is $16.00. If you do not hear from a boy scout and want a box of bags please call…
Can the Web Help You Reach Your New Year’s Resolutions?
Things always pick up at the gym at the beginning of the year and every year with people starting their New Year’s resolutions. I’m happy for them. It’s a fresh start with a fresh year. However, the chaos starts to…