Judging the judges and finding the wanting

There is a school of thought that says we shouldn’t elect judges. The thinking is that when judges’ jobs depend on making the voters happy, you start getting decisions that are merely popular, and not necessarily founded in the law.…

God’s Political Candidate

With the November elections a few weeks away come thoughts of where all this is going. I mean, you’d have to be blind not to see that our beloved democracy is being unraveled right before our eyes. As the integrity,…

Serendipity: On the campaign trail

Politics was never a passion of mine. I remember my dad engaging my grandmother in lively, good-natured political discussions. Even as a child, I knew her party of choice, and I also knew my mother did not believe in asking…

West Peoria News for October 2010

The Annual West Peoria Firefighters Hog Roast and Raffle is scheduled for Sunday, October 17th from 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Crusen’s on Farmington Road. Tickets are $1/ea, $5/five tickets. Your sixth tickets will be your meal ticket and includes…

Extension News for October 2010

The University of Illinois Home Extension program of Peoria County is sponsoring an educational lesson on the history of the Underground Railroad in Illinois; the use of our waterways to move the slaves to safety and the history of the…

Musings for October 2010

I attended the Stop the Hate Vigil on Thursday night at First Baptist Church. One of the best things was that we sang “Let There be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin With Me.” It inspired me to get…

Happenings for October 2010

Oct. 1 – 30 – Spider Hill – Runs weekly on Friday and Saturday from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. at Three Sisters Park. Call 309-274-8837 with questions. Tickets are $8.00 per person. Oct. 1 – 2 – Peoria Fall Festival…

Proctor’s Annual Holiday Bazaar is Oct. 8

Don’t miss the Proctor Hospital Service Auxiliary’s annual Holiday Bazaar, Friday, October 8 in the Lobby at the Hospital, (5409 N. Knoxville). The Sale will be open from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. A variety of seasonal one-of-a-kind handmade items such as…

Homespun Patriotism

Patriotism swells in the hearts of Clare and Glenn Waibel, but it’s not a patriotism born of mere sentimentality. It’s a belief, a conviction that motivates them to share their principles with others. They do so with great enthusiasm, attention…

For Quinn & Brady Every Issue a Sticky Point

From capital punishment to education funding, gubernatorial candidates are running fast and hard with little agreement on the issues. Here we go  . . . Newspapers and televised ads are once again replete with mudslinging and pointed remarks on candidates’…

Freedom and Tolerance

September was the month in 1789 when the nation’s first Congress proposed to state legislatures the Bill of Rights, including the First Amendment, guaranteeing freedom of religion. September also marks the end of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, which on…

Peoria hospital for sale?

EXCLUSIVE For writing a column in a monthly newspaper I’m proud of the scoops I’ve had over the years. This column was the first to predict a federal judgeship for Judge Jim Shadid and the first to forecast that Chillicothe’s…