The Illinois legislature has seemingly tried to enact a narrow rule to limit some campaign contributions, but Kent Redfield, the University of Illinois/Springfield emeritus professor featured in Bill Knight’s column last month, doubts whether it’s much more than window-dressing. Democrats…
Probably no puppet shows at PPS in spring
The Peoria Symphony Puppet Troupe will have to wait until at least next school year before it’s able to perform at the Peoria Public schools. The Troupe, which has put on puppet shows for PPS K-3 classes for more than…
Nature Rambles | Bird counts can tally more than just what’s flying around
December and early January was Christmas Bird Count time in Central Illinois. The Peoria Audubon Society coordinates three counts in the region. One in Peoria, one near Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge, and another in Chillicothe. The Christmas Bird Count (CBC)…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | Can Illinois teach the Duck to fly?
Yes, and fast — but a reprise first. California’s “duck curve” in January’s column exposes the misfit between nukes and renewables. The duck curve shows how increasing solar output would replace midday fossil generation until solar output bumped into (in…
Inland Art | Picture a tropical paradox — South Beach style
Anastasia Samoylova has made quite a splash in the international photography scene since leaving Peoria and relocating to Miami Beach. A book of her eerily serene yet troubling photographs titled FloodZone (Steidl, 2019) depicts a beautiful but unsettling vision of…
Art Alerts
ART Distinctive creations by the late Brian Kjellenberg are on exhibit now through April 8 in the Hartmann Gallery at Bradley University. Titled “Playful Nostalgia,” the show by the award-winning area artist, who worked with students at BU’s Sculpture Lab,…
West Peoria News | Get excited, and ready to help, for Fourth of July
Plans, meetings and efforts are underway for West Peoria’s big 50th Fourth of July event. For you who have participated in the past and newcomers to our community, this is a large opportunity to show the many outsiders that West…
Serendipity | Reading, remembering greetings from past make memories last
Concerning behavioral response to cards and papers, genetics doesn’t necessarily determine whether someone is a saver, a read it and toss it, or creative blend of both. I don’t know if one inherits such traits, or if they just happen,…
Labor Roundup | Unions keep busy across state; Amazon under fire at the NLRB
Illinois unions active last month: The IBEW won a 25-7 vote to represent Intralot lottery-machine techs in Bolingbrook; Operating Engineers are organizing parts engineers at Alta construction equipment in Ottawa and Spring Grove; SAG-AFTRA is organizing journalists at Univision’s WGBO-TV…
Mastery of puppets: Peoria Symphony Puppet Troupe has captivated youngsters for generations
The young students sat mesmerized in the gymnasium of Peoria Academy as they watched puppets prance around a pop-up stage during a performance of “Peter and the Wolf” last November. Behind — and beneath — the scenes, six women of…
Symphony performs historical tribute to Betty Friedan
The Peoria Symphony Orchestra made history Nov. 20th with a world premier during “HerStory: A Musical Tribute to Betty Friedan” at the Civic Center Theater. Manhattan-based Composer-in-Residence Stephanie Ann Boyd composed the score in tribute to the feminist icon from…
Industrial ‘neighbors’ say pollutants are controlled
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new Toxic Release Inventory shows companies’ data on industrial waste last year, and of all of Peoria’s zip codes, four have businesses that say they released between 12.6 tons to six pounds. Metro Peoria has…
Theo leaves legacy of a (tough) love for journalism
Ninety-nine years means a lot of stories for a reporter. Officially, Theo Jean Kenyon’s career spanned World War II and the first Obama Administration. Elegantly dressed and coiffed, she covered Peoria — from advisory committees to zoning commissions — working…
The Lion’s Den | Gordon Parks provides perspective through a uniquely qualified lens
“I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social change wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera,” Gordon Parks. These are the words of Gordon Parks,…
Straight Talk | Strange announcement: Unity Point negotiating with Carle Health
In a letter to employees and a news release to the media, Unity Point Health CEO and President Clay Holderman, announced that the Iowa-based health system had entered into discussions with officials at Carle Health that could see Peoria’s Methodist…
Bill Knight | Future of campaign finance reform in Illinois as dark as money involved
In the spring of 1996 Kent Redfield was a 47-year-old political science professor at the University of Illinois Springfield, where he wrote a report for the Illinois Campaign Finance Project (ICPR) outlining dozens of ways to change how candidates raise…
Editorial | Plant a foundation of better nutrition to arm yourself with a healthier you
A new year presents us with many possibilities. And it’s a perfect time to turn over a new leaf, which is exactly what we’re doing at the Community Word. The esteemed Clare Howard has handed off her handle on the…
OpEd | Right to choose disappearing under authoritarian cloak of minority rule
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Dec. 1st in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, to decide whether Mississippi’s law making most abortions illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy constitutes an undue burden on the right to abortion established in…
The Watch | Peoria City Council review finds $4 million, County board mulling new election systems
Peoria City Council wrestled with its 2022-2023 biennial budget — and each other — during special meetings this fall. On Oct. 26: Peoria Township officials asked for a tax increase, but didn’t get it. City Manager Patrick Urich said recovery…
Area airports in line for nearly $7 million
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Rebuild Illinois will provide almost $7 million to airports in central Illinois. General Wayne A. Downing — Peoria International Airport will receive $2.8 million in federal money and another $900,000 from the state…
Lincoln Branch Library celebrates extension
The Lincoln Branch Library marked its 10th anniversary of its expansion and renovation. The addition in 2010 to Peoria’s only Andrew Carnegie library expanded the South Side space from 4,570 to 16,300 square feet with a modern extension to the…
Eureka College promising free tuition
Eureka College is expanding its tuition-free program to qualified students for four years. The Uniquely Eureka Promise Program, which was originally offered to transfer students, is now available to students from all over the state of Illinois, and gives them…