February may be a short month, but it’s a very transitional one. After the groundhog searches for his shadow, signs of spring start to show up… owls are nesting, American woodcock begin returning from their wintering grounds in the south,…
City Beat: Poor Aaron Schock
He seems to be doing a good job in Congress … as long as he is working behind the scenes with as little direct contact with the public — and the media — as possible. But as soon as he…
Some guest editorials
0213Bring This to the Forefront Dolores M. Klein, Peoria, IL Having followed all the widespread and intense discussions of the national Second Amendment/gun control follow-up to the Newtown tragedy, I keep hoping that Mayor Bloomberg’s argument would come to the…
Doors & Windows: Guns, Games & Cold Love
It was midnight and a mother and three of her children were sound asleep. They would never wake to greet the morning. By dawn, her husband, too, would be dead. The lights were off and people of all ages sat…
Serendipity: Love is not a feeling, but a decision!
When I was a child, I often asked my mother whom she loved most: my dad, my sister or me. I was hoping, and rather confident I would be high scorer in this category. It never happened. She always told…
News for February 2013
At the January 8, 2013 West Peoria City Council meeting, James (Jami ) E. Silver was appointed as Alderman for the 4th Ward until the April 9, 2013 election. There is an opening in each of the four wards: Candidates…
Five Technology Tips for the New Year
Now that we’ve gotten past the latest “apocalypse” and moved into a brand-new year, many of us are thinking of ways to improve ourselves (and our lives) over the coming months. With technology playing a bigger and bigger role in…
Musings for February 2013
Here it is January 25, and I still am thinking about the holidays. Not really thinking of them, but realizing that I still have holiday items to put away. I look at them, and wonder if I will ever get…
Insurance … WHY?
By Deb Williamson Welcome to my new column: Insurance … WHY? Filled with joy and blessed to be given this opportunity, my plan is to help clients understand insurance products and why they need them. In future articles, you can…
Happenings for February 2013
Feb 2 – Join the Peoria County Democratic Women for a candidate forum for all Peoria City Council candidates. It begins at noon at Childers Catering Center, 3113 Dries Lane. All candidates have been invited and accepted for both the…
Newsbriefs for February 2013
WINTER SKATE LESSONS AT OWENS CENTER Owens Center will begin their winter session skating lessons at Owens Center in Lakeview Park the week of February 4 and there’s still time to sign up. These winter session classes meet once a…
Locally Owned Ever Green Home Energy Consultants Offers Comprehensive Audit of your Energy System
With rising energy costs you might want to check into getting your home evaluated for energy efficient use. How about a comprehensive audit of your energy systems? Or, perhaps you just need certain areas of your energy system rather than…
A Visit with Local Historian/Writer Norm Kelly
Norm Kelly began his writing career at the age of 17, by writing “silly little things” at work. He became interested in the history of Peoria when someone from the military service said that Peoria was all about gangsters. This…
Early Signs Point Toward City Council Elections
Candidates are lining up to run for Peoria District seats. It’s only January, but candidates for some Peoria District City Council races are already looking toward the spring elections. Sandberg Not Running for 1st District Gary Sandburg, a current at-large…
Now is the Time to Quit Smoking
by Suzy Herrington B.S., Health Educator Hult Center for Health Education Almost everyone knows what a cigarette is. Basically, its dried tobacco rolled in white paper, with a cellulose acetate filter. However, what may surprise people is exactly what goes…
City of Peoria Refuse Collection Fee Billing
City of Peoria residents should have received their refuse collection bills by now. This bill covers the cost of household garbage collection throughout the City. Unfortunately, there was a printing error on the bill. The due date was incorrectly listed…
Much ado about … nothing
The office building of our main WiredTree support offices will be undergoing fire safety system upgrades and the main power to our building is going to be shut off to undergo this planned maintenance. As a result, our support offices…
Creve Coeur Club Genuflecting to Rove?
Complaints are building about the Creve Coeur Club bringing Karl Rove as its Washington Day banquet speaker, and the grumbling ranges from whines that the CCC “always brings in Republicans” to condemnation of Rove himself. Rove is scheduled to appear…
Science Highlights from 2012
From the “God particle” to Jurassic fleas, 2012 has been an incredible year for science. A lot happened while the myopic media remained preoccupied with an overload of election year political blather and smear, and superpac prevarication. Here’s a tiny…
Silly season on gun control
Imagine a United Stated where it is illegal to own or buy a gun. Paradise, right? Well, you would have to set aside the premise that one of the things that keep our government honest is that so many of…
Guest editorials
Out of the Mouths of Babes By Dolores M. Klein Peoria, IL A young actor created a furor recently by telling his young church-going friends not to watch “Two and a Half Men,” his TV show, calling it trash! By…
Future fears
I remember thinking when I was twelve that the year 2000 was fictional. I was convinced it was a year that belonged in a sci-fi movie and it was scary thinking of living in “the space age.” I remember hearing…