GORDON HONORED FOR WORK TO IMPROVE EDUCATION

Representative Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) last week received the Illinois Downstate Caucus Education Advocate Award for the 96th General Assembly for her work in improving schools in the area. “I am honored and humbled to receive this award. Ensuring that our…

Library Construction Update

The public is already enjoying new sidewalks next to and in front of the Main Library. The drive along Route 6 shows passers-by a North Branch building that is quickly being finished on the outside. At Lincoln Branch, utilities lines…

November at Proctor Hospital

FAMILY MATERNITY CENTER CLASSES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY The Family Maternity Center at Proctor Hospital offers an array of classes for everyone in the family including moms, dads, siblings and grandparents. Most classes are free. Here’s what’s coming up for…

Congressional Candidates Hold Banners High

Eighteenth-district candidates make the 2010 campaign an interesting ride. Getting Comfortable in Congress Born and raised in Morris, Minnesota, until he moved to Peoria in middle school, United States Congressman Aaron Schock has given the Central Illinois community plenty of…

Bartonville biz lets them eat cake

By Marie Blood “Bake it good and they will come” could have been the slogan for Dorothy Pitcher, owner of The Cake Shoppe in Bartonville all these years. She and her sister, Merijo Carnell, opened this business in 1977 at…

St. Jude rides

Two years ago our friends Liz and Eric Wilson sent letters requesting donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Their request was part of St. Jude Rides, founded in 2007 by Brad Wiebler and Mike McCoy.  The group is comprised…

October is Adopt-a-Dog Month

October is Adopt-A-Dog month at the American Humane Society. The organization is encouraging you to think about getting a new pet and wants you to adopt from a local shelter. The Humane Society statistics show that approximately 8 million unwanted…

Bad news for Bradley fans

The popular and legendary Bradley basketball coach, Joe Stowell, has been fired by WMBD’s general manager, Mike Wild. Stowell will no longer be heard doing games with Dave Snell. Wild, who has a history of firing people, dumped Stowell in…

Caring for ‘the least of these’

Midway between the Census Bureau’s Sept. 16 release of poverty data and the Nov. 2 midterm elections, the Catholic Diocese of Peoria on Saturday, Oct. 9 is sponsoring a day-long institute on social justice open to all. One wonders whether…

Down on the farm

Babysitting… done that. House-sitting… been there. But it’s not every day you get to farm sit. This September, my wife, Mary, and I stayed at the farm of some friends, and took care of the critters and plants while they…

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…