When I started in radio as a part-time announcer, there were only a handful of stations in Peoria. They included WMBD, 1470, the first to go on the air; the “Mighty 1290, WIRL; WAAP, 1350, which later became WXCL; Clear…
The Lion’s Den | Juneteenth, but one step on lonely road to freedom
June 19, 1865 — now commonly known as Juneteenth — is when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were made aware that the Civil War was over and that they were free, a full two months following the surrender of…
Bill Knight | Is there an elephant in the room for GOP?
Many Illinoisans aren’t that aware of the positions of most of the Republicans competing in the June 28 primary to unseat Gov. JB Pritzker in November’s general election. There seem to be few public appearances, much less press conferences, and…
OpEd | What do Peorians learn by excluding iconic Betty Friedan?
Jefferson, Washington, Hoover, Roosevelt, Wilson and Lindbergh — slaveholders, racists, white supremacists, anti-semites are part of their legacies that led to their removal from our school names. And I get it. Recognizing that Peoria has changed over the past 100…
Sec. of State candidate Valencia campaigns at Labor Temple
Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia brought her campaign for Illinois Secretary of State in Illinois’ June 28 Democratic primary to Peoria’s Labor Temple in April, when she was introduced and endorsed by retiring secretary Jesse White. If elected, Valencia will…
Congressional candidate Wallace makes stop at Labor Council
Ensuring workers rights was a key topic April 25, when Litesa Wallace, Democratic candidate for the 17th Congressional District, visited the West Central Illinois Labor Council. In particular, it’s vital that Congress passes the PRO Act — the Protecting the…
Nature Rambles | Live rust: Folk song of Cedar Waxwing
The high-pitched whistle-trill of the Cedar Waxwing comes from the top branches of a tall Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana). The blue-colored berries of the Red Cedar are what the namesake bird is after. A plentiful food that can easily…
Real Talk | All-American sweat is the new cotton
Just the other day, I was watching ESPN when a sports news story came on about one of the most prominent NCAA football coaches in NCAA history, Nick Saban, who had accused another high-profile coach, Jimbo Fisher, of “buying every…
Moving parts for more diverse arts
Peoria is buzzing with an expansive arts community. However, many are questioning if the art that is being widely displayed, performed, published, and viewed is representative of the city’s rich diversity — or if barriers have been preventing those artists…
Art Alerts | June 2022
The title of the history of a generation of creators subverting comic books says it all: “Dirty Pictures: How an Underground Network of Nerds, Feminists, Misfits, Geniuses, Bikers, Potheads, Printers, Intellectuals, and Art School Rebels Revolutionized Art and Invented Comix,”…
The Watch | Politicians can run, but they can’t hide from the League of Women Voters
Summer kicks off with classic good news/bad news. The good news is the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria was able to add coverage to include Peoria Public Schools District 150. With professional reporters ever-scarcer, volunteers who attend government…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | Emergency Management hiding behind wall of voodoo statistics
My last column finds the Illinois Emergency Management Agency whitewashing heatwave risk by aggregating a misleading measure into just one score for a county. Thus, Cook County’s 136 diverse municipalities, and strikingly diverse 1,332 census tracts, are all labeled as…
Serendipity | Thanks, Dad, for making me, and everyone, smile
Some sixty years ago, I remember walking home from grade school with friends, which was a daily adventure. My memory of anything that happened so long ago could not be used as evidence in a court of law, but I…
Labor Roundup | Peoria Campustown location becomes one of Illinois’ first unionized Starbucks
The National Labor Relations Board on April 26 announced the results of Peoria’s Campustown Starbucks workers’ vote to unionize, and the results were 9-2 in favor of the union, with 1 voided ballot and no challenged ballots – one of…
West Peoria News | Remember our veterans, celebrate our nation
This June issue of The Community Word will be available yet in May and will share information of our ongoing Memorial Day celebration that is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, May 28th at Franciscan Park. This time slot allows those…
Recycling 101: Make sure you are not ‘wish-cycling’ and putting proper recyclables in bins
Recycling is a great — and easy — way to help improve our planet. It feels good to “Go Green,” knowing that separating stuff from our garbage and throwing it into a bin so it can be used again instead…
Rural Prosperity Act may provide farm communities with cheaper trash collection with option to recycle
Tens of thousands of rural residents could benefit from new initiatives in Washington and Peoria, and improvements may start small, such as a proposal to offer waste and recycling pickup to areas not served by curbside programs. • The White…
Local cyclist gearing up to Bike for MS
Alex Lamprecht feels the need for speed with the wind in her hair. The financial advisor at Thrivent is gearing up for her seventh Bike MS ride this summer. “The gameplan is I’m going to try to do 100 miles…
Bill Knight | AM-1290 regrettably WIRLs over to the right
When I turned on the kitchen radio, I was startled: Opposite Day? Bizarro world? A Russian hack? Expecting reliable WIRL-AM 1290’s enjoyable, pleasantly distracting classic tunes, I heard Sean Hannity. Days before, the oldies station had quietly become another conservative…
The Lion’s Den | Look where he brought me from: A musical journey
When seeking to discuss and describe the developments of Black music during slavery and the subsequent Civil War, one must first trace the origins of Black music before it arrived in America. To do that, one must examine the history…
Straight Talk | These tragic child deaths need more investigating
For the second time, the Peoria area lost another child to physical and mental abuse. For the second time, I fear the deaths will die from lack of attention and meaningful response. While 35-year-old Leslie Jett will die as an…