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…
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…