West Peoria News for January 2012

Kudos to our very brave Scouts who once again this year braved very frigid (single digit) temperatures to travel through our community to carol. It is always a very pleasant sound to hear their float escorted by the WPFD travel…

An Introduction to Peoria County

[Editor’s Note: The Community Word offers this column to various agencies and governmental organizations such as the City and County of Peoria, the Library, etc. in order to inform the public just what it is that they do for our Peoria-area…

Happenings for January 2012

January Happenings Jan 2 – May 21 – River Valley Cloggers – weekly at Lakeview YWCA. Clogging instructor is Margie Ashburn. Jan 5 – Proctor Hospital will be hosting the American Red Cross blood drive from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00…

Newsbriefs for January 2012

Methodist Provides Free Community Health Screenings The Methodist Wellmobile will be bringing free health screenings to the following community locations during January. Screenings include blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and lung functions. A 12-hour fast is required for cholesterol and…

Springfield State House Rescues Unemployment Fund

Illinois’s General Assembly takes swift action to mitigate the state’s loss of insurance to the unemployed. Illinois’ unemployment insurance fund has been on hiatus. Although the state added 30,000 jobs last month, officials say as more of Illinois’ jobless re-entered…

Remember Pearl Harbor 70th Anniversary Program

Peoria Public Library will offer two films with discussions on Saturday, December 3rd at Peoria Public Library Main Library Auditorium in honor of the 70th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. At 10:30 a.m. watch the new documentary L-Bird- The…

Pat Lewis in, Pat Lewis out

Pat Lewis, former administrator for Springdale Cemetery, was excited about his decision to run for a seat on the Peoria County Board. He told me he had been urged to run against fellow Republican Brian Elsasser by both Republicans and…

Fighting Attacks Social Security

As winter arrives this month, progressives are stepping up efforts to fight Capitol Hill’s chilling attack on Social Security, and areas such as Greater Peoria are especially vulnerable to a loss of government’s popular and successful program for older Americans,…

Bah … Humbug! Egoism or Altruism

My wife, Mary, and I were driving south of Peoria to visit the Emiquon Wetland Restoration and National Wildlife Refuge at Dickson Mounds near Lewistown. It was just before Thanksgiving, and I was looking forward to finding a bunch of…

Enjoy It While You Can

by Dolores M. Klein, Peoria, IL As we see the Holidays “coming at us” all around, we remember too well the hectic-ness, cleaning, cooking and baking, writing Christmas cards, inviting family and friends to celebrations, gathering the Christmas lists from…

First 100 Days

by Lori Curtis Luther, Peoria County Administrator Thanksgiving Day marks my 100th day as Peoria County’s Administrator. Reflecting on the past 100 days, I certainly have much to be thankful for since August 16, 2011. First, I would like to…

They Hated Roosevelt too. Remember?

by Ed Klein, Peoria, IL With more that 25 million unemployed, the poverty rate moving upward every month, corporations going overseas, and many small businesses turning belly up, I think it is appropriate to take a backward glance to the…

West Peoria News for December

You are invited to the annual Christmas Party given by the West Peoria Resident’s Association co-hosting with the Franciscan Center to start the Holiday Season, on Sunday, December 4th from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.  Santa will light the Christmas tree…

Musings for December

Here it is the last column of the year and it seems like I just wrote the first one last month. It has been an eventful, exhausting and draining spiritually in so many ways. Both Jason and I have been…