ART Peorian Steve Spain presents highlights from his collection of original animation cels from Disney at the Riverfront Museum through May 8. THEATER Peoria Players Theatre is bringing back “Mamma Mia!” May 13-15 and 18-22 featuring Dedra Kaiser, Celeste Matheson,…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | Illinois unprepared for killer heat
Deadly heat gets no respect. Natural hazards that count — tornadoes, floods, etc. — are property-destroying traumas. Homeowners, public infrastructure, and insurance companies all take big hits. The Great Flood of 1993, for example, destroyed 24,000 Illinois homes and 884,000…
Environmental News and Notes | May 2022
ISU student recovers usable nutrients from wastewater Senior Illinois State University environmental health and sustainability major Rowan Carroll is addressing the widespread issue of nutrient pollution harming public health and aquatic life through a process she’s developed that not only…
West Peoria News | Memorial Day celebration, big yard sale on calendar
The West Peoria Resident’s Association (WPRA) has activities planned for May to involve residents. May 14 is scheduled for a community-wide yard sale. Sale hours are planned for 7 a.m.-3 p.m. WPRA will post signage and also run ads in…
Serendipity | Old-school Momming, modern-day executive?
My Mother was an interesting blend of strictness, kindness, compassion, tolerance, and don’t be fooled by her smiling face. She was strict, but not mean spirited. Her goals were not always mine, which caused some friction when I was a…
Labor Roundup | Peoria Starbucks involved in case that the coffee stores broke law; Amazon wrangling with workers
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that Starbucks broke the law in resisting workers’ campaigns to unionize — the first time in the national organizing drive. The company retaliated against the workers “to discourage employees from engaging in…
Village people
It takes a village, so it’s been said, to help a community succeed, and Bernice Gordon-Young is literally using that philosophy to help meet her city’s needs. Gordon-Young started It Takes a Village of Peoria, Inc. six years ago and…
Students say ‘Yes’ to a free prom dress and so much more at ITAV giveaway
It Takes a Village held its fourth FREE Prom Dress Giveaway on March 19. But that doesn’t come close to describing the atmosphere that president Bernice Gordon-Young and her village people provided for the hundreds of high school students who…
Lawmakers working to improve school lunches
An effort to improve the quality of school meals for lower-income and minority students is making its way through the Illinois General Assembly. The Better School Lunches Act has moved on to the Senate after passing unanimously through the Statehouse…
Bill Knight | Persistence can pay off with Peoria rail service
Hooray! Hold on … Don’t plan to ride the rails to Chicago to see an exhibit, ballgame or concert yet. Amtrak’s 50th anniversary was in 2021, but it’s been years that Amtrak fans like me have driven to Galesburg or…
Straight Talk | Primarily, interesting manuevering; but school names?
With the filing for the June primary completed by the 5 pm Monday, March 14, deadline, political observers noted some surprises. The biggest was news that Andrew Rand did not seek re-election to the Peoria County Board. Rand represents District…
Real Talk | Learning more about race, racism and discrimination is critical … lest we forget
Recently while watching a podcast that DL Hughley was on as a guest, he made a very interesting statement. Hughley said, “the most dangerous place for Black people to live is in White people’s imagination.” That statement illustrates how successfully…
The Lion’s Den | Wonder drug: Empathy-1619
They had finally done it. The smart kids at Florida A&M University had created the drug that would wipe out racism and injustice in all of its forms. But, of course, none of this would have happened if not for…
OpEd | ‘Freedom for the wolves often means death to sheep’
Freedom” is a word much bandied-about these days. Those disliking masks in schools want freedom from mask mandates. Those who fear the teaching of critical race theory in public schools — never mind the fact that it only appears in…
OpEd | The Divine needs more of our time
One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I forget those words were written to describe what America aspires to achieve. I think we sometimes forget. “Under God” is rightly listed first among these American ideals most…
Ray Long to appear at Bradley to promote book on Michael Madigan
Chicago Tribune reporter Ray Long — whose new book, The House That Madigan Built: The Record Run of Illinois’ Velvet Hammer, was excerpted in last month’s Community Word — is set to appear at Bradley University on Monday, April 18…
The Watch | Watch for more: Park District kicking back into action; Springdale reevaluating
Fans of democracy, rejoice! League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria has expanded its coverage of local government in the wake of journalistic cutbacks. First: thanks to the dedicated Observers. Second: there is such a wealth of information we can…
ACLU active at Illinois Statehouse
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois on March 8 announced lobbying efforts during the General Assembly’s current session. The ACLU is focusing on passing two measures and defeating two others. The statewide group supports HB2452, which would reduce barriers…
Chiefs locked in on playing in Peoria
Despite the 99-day lockout in Major League Baseball, more than 150 minor leaguers worked out at the St. Louis Cardinals’ Spring Training facilities in Jupiter, Fla. And the Peoria Chiefs expect their Class A squad to arrive in town April…
Nature Rambles | Be on the lookout for first signs of spring
Each year, as March moves into April, spring tempts us with its erratic presence. One day is 70 degrees and the Cardinals and Song Sparrows are busy singing in the brush. The next day is blanketed with snow and the…
Ag lab providing tons of fresh produce for local food pantries since 2010
Since the holidays, catalogs for gardening tools and seeds might have piled up like paper compost, but spring is here, and a group of volunteer gardeners at Peoria’s Ag Lab is preparing this season. “We’re planning and will be getting…