It’s obvious and easy to criticize Wal-Mart for selling outsourced merchandise made overseas, some of it by virtual slaves or kids. But as Flag Day approaches, it’s worth noting that Caterpillar, Inc. and Peoria Flag & Decorating in Peoria Heights each in its…
Every day should be Earth Day
It boiled down to cleanliness. That was the consensus from a class of 4th graders, to the question, “What is Earth Day all about?” Their experience reflects a common impression that it’s about picking up litter; cleaning up our towns,…
Last call for the dead-tree media
I used to work at a newspaper called the Cape Girardeau News Guardian. It was a rare thing: a start-up newspaper. It began about six months before I joined up, and it ceased publication about a year after I left to…
Editorials
They Quote the Bible. So Can We. by Ed Klein, Peoria, IL The fundamentalists feel it gives them a rock-solid argument. To quote them, marriage is a contract between a man and a woman, period. Likewise, contraception is murder. Another period. Since…
Musings for June 2012
I am doing my column just every other month now, and even then it seems like it comes around too often. There are two reasons for cutting back, I seem to be tired a lot of the time and sometimes…
Doors & Windows: My Father’s Voice
Yesterday I had to remind myself that my father is no longer alive on this earth. I had an urge to pick up my phone and call him; to tell him I love him and ask his advice on something…
West Peoria News for June 2012
The West Peoria Jamboree Fun Run celebrates its 15th year for the four-mile run and one-mile walk this year. The event will be held on Saturday, June 2, with the starting line at the corner of Heading and Sterling; the race starts…
Serendipity: Congratulations Newlyweds!
Weddings are not exactly common events in our family. Not because we don’t believe in marriage because collectively we’ve accrued considerable time living “happily ever after.” It’s simply because our extended family is very small with few potential brides and…
Happenings for June 2012
June 1 –Circle Eight’s 7:30 – 10:00 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Pekin. Square Dance with Herb Edwards. Hawaiian Night. Finger food served. June 1 –Riverfront’s CEFCU Center Stage at the Landings features LoCas Cowboys with Special Guest Feudin’ Hillbillys. 7:30 p.m. Admission: $10 (in advance…
Newsbriefs
Helicopters, Fire Trucks, & Horses, Oh My! Peoria County’s Seventh Annual Emergency Expo will be on June 20 at the Shoppes at Grand Prairie from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Rain date is June 21. Over 20 local emergency response agencies will display their…
Peoria Park District news
RIVERPLEX HOSTS GIRL’S SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP & LEAGUE – The RiverPlex is hosting a Girl’s Summer Basketball Camp, for ages 8 to 12. The two-day camp will focus on dribbling, passing and shooting. Emphasis is placed on sports basics, team play…
Peoria Public Library news
Specialized E-Reader Classes Let You Go Deep with Your Kindle, Nook or iPad Whether you have just purchased a new e-reader device or would like to learn the finer points of using your Nook, Kindle or iPad, these Peoria Public…
Exploring Options and Transitions
Methodist Encore! programs are informative, entertaining, enlightening, and designed particularly with active seniors in mind. In their winter/spring booklet, the cover article refers to some of the inevitable changes in mind and body as years go by. “Although some of these…
Changes in Pension Benefits Not So Beneficial to Employees
Governor Quinn is defending his proposal to cut benefits for some public employees in an effort to boost Illinois business. In what he calls a “bold step” toward solving the problems created by the Illinois legislature, Governor Pat Quinn released a statement…
Peoria’s Grand Tour of Homes 2012
On Sunday, May 20th, from noon until 5:00 p.m., the public will be touring the beautiful properties and homes that have been chosen for this year’s 29th annual Grand Tour. The architectural offerings for the Grand Tour 2012 are: 1419 W. Moss…
Race for the Cure …
Good news!
I’m happy to report that Peoria’s “Mr. Baseball,” Pete Vonachen, is on the mend. Pete fell at home recently and broke his hip resulting in surgery at OSF St. Francis. Following recovery from the operation, the 86-year old Vonachen was transferred to Proctor Hospital to…
For Mothers’ Day: more progress, please
As Mothers’ Day approaches this month, I recall inadvertently insulting my Mom decades ago, trying to defend a girlfriend’s career goals by complaining about the lack of opportunities for women who stayed home. “I chose to be a housewife and raise you…
SuperPACs not so super
From my vantage point at the curb, in front of Green Bay West High School, I could see the approach of the police escort followed closely by a large black car. All of us students crowded to the road and started waving and…
Things that happened to the Jews that will not happen to Bishop Jenky
Bishop Daniel Jenky claims that Barack Obama is behaving like Hitler did. More precisely, he said that Obama is on the path that Hitler and Stalin took. He said this in a homily, given from the pulpit of the church.…
Guest editorials
Ready, Aim, Fire! by Ed Klein, Peoria, IL The history of the United States is, in one sense, a history of guns … from the matchlocks of the Pilgrims to the rapid firing heavy caliber assault rifles of today. And the right to bear…
Time in Stitches
The tick seems louder. The clock on the wall of my office once hung on the wall above the breakfast bar between the kitchen and dining room in my childhood home. It’s a wood-framed clock with a two-paned glass door…