Dear Black or Brown Officer, When I was a little boy growing up in South Peoria, I spent a lot of my time dreaming and reading comic books. Being a thin and stout-statured young man, I was no stranger to…
The Watch | Onward
Peoria City Council met Sept. 14 with all members present. A $100,000 grant was approved to Peoria Opportunities Foundation to cover sewer expense overage, with additional funding from Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA). The grant was approved, with Councilor John…
Nature Rambles | Bell Bowl, a Prairie in Peril
In Illinois, the prairie state, finding prairies can be a real challenge. Over 99.99% of Illinois native prairie has been destroyed. Most prairie has been converted to agriculture. The areas that were too hilly to plough or too dry or…
Science Brief | Vaccine Hesitancy
The unvaccinated may not be who we think they are, according to The New York Times. In a recent analysis, The Times reported that the United States has among the world’s highest COVID-19 deaths per capita, but vaccinations are widely…
Inland Art | Jennifer Costa
The introduction of mass production and industrialization provided conveniences for modern society but at the cost of aesthetic negligence of manufactured objects. In the late 19th century, the Arts and Craft Movement sought design reform emphasizing knowledge of materials and…
Art: What is it Good For? | Gratitude
November is National Gratitude Month, and as we wind up our seven years of writing for the Community Word, we want to express our gratitude to Clare Howard. In 2014, Clare took a chance on us when she asked us…
Art Alerts | November 2021
“Sublime Idioms,” a Masters of Fine Art exhibit by Lisa Nelson Raabe, is on display at Heuser Art Gallery (1400 West Bradley Ave, Peoria, IL 61625) in Bradley University’s Heuser Art Gallery now through Dec. 10. CINEMA Will Smith, portrays…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | The Clean Energy Jobs Act: Will Illinois Achieve “40 by 30”?
The Illinois Clean Energy Jobs Act, or CEJA, passed by super majorities in the General Assembly and signed by Governor Pritzker in September, is a state-level, job-generating, carbon-killing Green New Deal. CEJA’s bold, equitable sweep could become a model for…
Serendipity | Season of thanks
Gratitude isn’t something we acquire on our own. It doesn’t happen at birth, but it’s likely to develop if, and it’s a huge if, adults teach children to say thank you and explain why it’s meaningful to others. Babies, toddlers,…
West Peoria News | Trunk ‘n Treat
Although this is the November issue of Community Word, it will be available in late October. Here is a reminder for the Trunk ‘n Treat planned from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31 in Heddington Oaks parking lot for…
Labor Roundup | November 2021
Bakery union follows Nabisco settlement with Kellogg strike. Almost 1,400 workers at four Kellogg Co. plants went on strike two weeks after settling a five-week work stoppage at Nabisco/Mondelez Members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers work…
The Black barber: he dispels vaccine myths as he cuts your hair
With COVID deaths and diagnoses hitting African American and minority populations hard, a new and trusted voice urging vaccinations is emerging: the Black barber. Nationwide, African American barbers are recognized as trusted counselors, friends and advocates for their community. Some…
Riverfront Museum photo exhibit shows 1940s unity, diversity
When “Railroaders: Jack Delano’s Homefront Photography” opens at Peoria Riverfront Museum on Oct. 9, it will be a return of sorts for Delano, who visited Bradley University in 1988 as the first guest in BU’s Bunn Lectureship in Photography. Delano…
Hunger: a growing global crisis with local seeds for solutions
Here’s the question: “Why has the industrial food system, after decades of producing massive quantities of food – 40% of which goes to waste – failed to eliminate hunger in the world? And not just in ‘poor countries,’ but in…
Former Congressman and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, speaking at Riverfront Museum on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, said he was on the U.S. House intelligence committee when terrorists struck America, but neither the House nor Senate intelligence committees had…
The Lion’s Den | Dystopian nightmare
Date: September 11, 2021. Location: Somewhere near Nowhere. Journal Entry: 9112001 It’s been 20 years since the attack that changed the world as we know it. At 8:46 am, the first tower was hit. At 10:28 am, it was down,…
Bill Knight | Bradley’s College Bowl championship
Fifty-two years ago this fall – weeks after anti-war protests roiled U.S. campuses and 18 years after a basketball scandal tarnished Bradley’s image – the university returned to the country’s spotlight by becoming the first undefeated school in the 1969…
Straight Talk | Honoring Tami Lane
Hollywood could not have created a better setting for the ceremony honoring Peoria’s Academy Award winner Tami Lane. City of Peoria and Peoria Public School officials, along with family and friends, gathered Thursday, Sept. 9, near the entrance to Hines…
Eviction moratorium: the other half of the story
It’s easy to understand workforce diversity helps with product development because it takes into account all demographic perspectives. Mazda neglected to take into account the Spanish population when it named a car model the Mazda Laputa. Laputa can be translated…
OpEd | Equity versus Merit
In a June column in the PJS, George Will objected to progressives’ goal of equity, which he interprets as governmental efforts to improve the conditions of favored groups. He argued that “merit” is the antonym of “equity.” He agreed when…
Peoria loses two Civil Rights icons
Sam Polk worked his way up the ranks of the City of Peoria’s Public Works Department. But he built his legacy in the Peoria branch of the NAACP. He was the sturdy and steadfast bridge between the NAACP of the…
Real Talk | Preserving the 15th Amendment
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, between Jan. 1 to July 14, 18 states enacted 30 laws that will make it harder for Americans to vote. In particular, Black and brown Americans will be disenfranchised, because many of these…