Food insecurity affects many Peoria families. Local organizations are finding innovative solutions to combat this complicated issue. Peoria Grown was founded in 2018. Founder Julie Eliathamby and her team work not only on tackling food insecurity, but health issues related…
The Watch | Expect higher utility rates this summer
You aren’t the only one concerned about rising utility costs. Your local governments feel the heat, as well. Check the discussion. Peoria City Council On April 26 City Manager Patrick Urich provided information on predicted Ameren energy rate increases related…
Nature Rambles | Lines of our landscape laid out long ago
In the cold winter of 1819, a crew of surveyors was crisscrossing the hills along the bluffs of the Illinois River. They were part of the General Land Office’s new initiative to deploy a square-grid geographic identification system. This process…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | Forecast for rolling blackouts?
The ultimate just-in-time commodity, supply and demand for electricity must be immediately and precisely balanced. If a supply deficit can’t be closed rapidly, grid operators order round-robin shutoffs across all customers, i.e. “rolling blackouts” lasting hours to days depending on…
Environmental News & Notes | Dumping Fukushima water into the Pacific plan blasted
This month, a controversial plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean could be approved over the objections of Japan’s public, local leaders and environmental activists. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority in May…
Bill Knight | George Shaheen: A man before his time
Area native George Shaheen was enormously successful in business, leading Andersen Consulting from 1989-99, when its revenue grew from $1.1 billion to $8 billion. So it wouldn’t be surprising for him to sour some after a failure — especially one…
Serendipity | Who’s ready for a road trip?
Mornings are perfectly charming times if the sun is shining and there’s no rush to be somewhere within 45 minutes. I’m not one who opens my eyes, jumps out of bed, and is ready to begin the day. I have…
West Peoria News | Swords Hill still under construction
Swords Hill has been closed for repairs and will not be in service for multiple months. Much traffic has been diverted and cannot travel Swords and Farmington Roads. It will be taking much time on those streets. It also takes…
Labor Roundup | Another Starbucks voting to unionize, Teachers firing back at the far right
Second Peoria Starbucks voting on unionizing. The Starbucks at 707 W. Pioneer Parkway is now participating in a mail election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board on whether to unionize at that location. “Those eligible to vote are all…
Family matriarch finds final resting place of Airman who fathered her in Philippines
I met Corazon Weatherspoon in December of 2017 on a trip to California. She is my mother-in-law and among the rarest individuals I have had the honor of knowing in my life. Her easy smile radiates an inner beauty and…
Peorian Oliver Mack offers some insight into ‘Winning Time’
HBO wrapped up its controversial “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” on May 8. Basketball fanatic Oliver Mack has not seen the 10-part miniseries. He doesn’t have to, though. He was there. “Winning Time” takes some serious artistic…
Court case against GOP lost in hogwash
A legal case involving high-profile figures but receiving little coverage in six-plus years may have closed, depending on the outcome of a likely appeal. A motion for a summary judgment in the lawsuit alleging that the area’s current and former…
Straight Talk | Redneck radio? How? Peoria, then and now
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…