Illinois American Water Co. is converting an agriculture field off Galena Road to a nearly-10-acre solar field at 6111 N. Galena Road along the Illinois River. Karen Cotton, company spokeswoman, said the company is excited about this project that furthers…
Serendipity | Dedicated Baseball Fans
Baseball was introduced to me when I was a child. Not a formal introduction but a presence in our home. My Dad was a devoted fan, and my Mom tolerated the radio “noise” as she called it, in the background…
West Peoria News | Clean-Up Day
Beginning decades ago, the West Peoria Township started hosting Clean-Up Day. It started in the parking lot at the corner of Sterling and West Barker avenues and was organized strictly by volunteers. Work included renting large dumpsters, publicity, recruiting volunteers…
Labor Roundup | September 2021
NLRB officer: Amazon union election should be rescheduled. Amazon improperly pressured workers to vote against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), and a new union election should be held, a National Labor Relations Board hearing officer recommended…
Kickapoo Creek Watershed: the untold story
Zombie Chlorpyrifos: Obama ban reversed by Trump; now in the courts
Vaccine hesitancy
As much of the world desperately struggles to access COVID-19 vaccines, the Unites States marinates in skepticism and misinformation. Despite the availability of safe, free and readily available vaccines, too many Americans are still unvaccinated and that weakens immunity for…
PCCHD: New home?
BY SHARON WILLIAMS Eighteen months ago, Peoria County residents couldn’t have foreseen the far-reaching effects of a pandemic. It has been more than a century since our country has had to deal with something so fierce and unforgiving. We have…
As fires burn in West, sooty air blankets Peoria
The Lion’s Den | Words of the Day
Does everything in today’s world revolve around the issue of race? If this is the case, dialogue is the first step in understanding other viewpoints and creating sustainable, positive change. It then stands to reason that when we engage in…
Straight Talk | Where are the people?
It appears the long-term effects of the pandemic are creating problems beyond the retail and hospitality industries. Much has been written and spoken about labor shortages in restaurants and stores. However, there are difficulties for other businesses and events. Fans…
Bill Knight | Anti-protest laws
The troubling trend of anti-protest legislation is growing, but its recent successes in Republican statehouses isn’t new. There were earlier attempts, including one in Democratic-majority Illinois that failed. Barely. It’s all to chill involvement – “part of a larger trend…
Editorial | Gannett blames Biden and Pritzker for newspaper delivery problems
Letter to the Editor | Need media to emphasize science not “info-tainment”
In May of 2019, author and environmentalist, Bill McKibben tweeted: “Thinking about Mother Nature today. As of this morning, her CO2 concentration topped 415 ppm (parts per million) for the first time in many many millions of years.” He was…
Letter to the Editor | Philadelphia versus Catholic Social Services
As Emily Gill pointed out in her OpEd in the July issue of Community Word on Fulton v Philadelphia, the stakes for this case were quite high. Not only was there a possibility of the court granting a “license to…
The Watch | Summer in the city
On May 25, the Peoria City Council approved borrowing $15 million from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) State Revolving Fund (SRF) at 1.4% interest. A revolving loan over seven years, the loan will be repaid through new sewer rates.…
Real Talk | Be An Eagle
If you did not have the opportunity to visit the “What I Need Now In The Ninth Grade” (W.I.N.N.I.N.G) Summer School 7-week program led by Carl Cannon’s ELITE Game-changers team, held at Lincoln School, you missed a treat. Carl and…
Nature Rambles | Bumble Bee Summer
Inland Art | Lisa Nelson Raabe
Art Alerts | August 2021
From 5-9 p.m. on Aug. 6, the Contemporary Art Center will host its First Friday Studio Tour of 3rd floor studios, where the work of about a dozen area artists are created, shown and sold. The facility also has three…
Reflections From The Clergy | Rest as a Radical Act
Of all the words, experiences and conversations of the past year, the word that resonates the most is depletion. Simply saying, “I feel depleted,” in a phone call or a video meeting results in nods and agreement from across the…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | To Tree or Not to Tree, Part 2: Assisted Regeneration of Trees
Several themes guide this series. First, climate deterioration demands rapid abolition of fossil-fuel emissions. Trees cannot substitute for ending emissions. However, we must also extract LOTS of atmospheric carbon. Half of above-ground tree mass consists of carbon absorbed through photosynthesis.…