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…
OpEd | Case of county auditor needs serious auditing
Taxpayers, please take note of a unique court case, 21-MR-992. It is open to the public and the next Hearing is set for 1:30-2:30 p.m. June 16, in Peoria County Courtroom 203. The County Auditor is asking for relief (court…
OpEd | American genocide
My cousin, Loquacious “Lolo” Jackson, had borrowed my baseball glove. I am not sure exactly when, but Barack Obama was still president then. My son and I have never had a catch. It is entirely possible, given my current level…
Peoria up for Co-Responder Pilot Program
A new bill plans to change how Peoria Police respond to behavioral crisis calls by adding mental health care workers to their emergency team. If it succeeds in Peoria, it has the possibility of becoming the standard statewide. Peoria is…
Nature Rambles | How to tame Garlic Mustard invasion?
From beneath the melting snow, it can be seen. Shriveled, green rosettes of leaves, awaiting the warmth of spring. Each of these rosettes represents a plant that has found a toe-hold along our wooded paths in central Illinois. Each is…
The Watch | Three cheers to the county for streamlining collection of our real estate taxes
When public officials collaborate to make government more effective, flag it. Hence, three cheers for a new method of collecting real estate taxes prompted by the Peoria County Treasurer and Peoria Township Collector. Stephen Morris, Township Collector, recommended all in-person…
Inland Art | Endless possibilities
Turn on photocopy machine, open lid, select copy on the home screen, scan with nothing on the glass plate and accumulate sheets of grainy black paper with heavy toner. Cut, tape, tear and glue paper. Repeat or mix up the…
Arts Beat | May 2022
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…