Peggy West’s avowed mission is to raise awareness and appreciation for the “wild things that can be found in urban and suburban landscapes.” A printmaker, a master naturalist, and educator, West creates mixed media prints and collages that feature delicately…
Area artists Steph Van Doren and Jaci Willis’ joint exhibition through Dec. 17 at the Contemporary Art Center’s Preston Jackson Gallery features Willis’ sculptures in swirling lines of stainless steel with touches of slumped glass, and Van Doren’s paintings on…
What a difference a decade makes. Climate-destabilizing, coal-fired electricity expanded 2000-2010, and over 100 new coal plants were on the drawing boards. Coal-fired power achieved its Illinois peak in 2008 at 96.7 MMWh (million megawatt hours) which bested nuclear power’s…
Pope Francis’ reflections on journalism Excerpt from an address to journalists delivered by Pope Francis on Nov. 11: “Journalism does not come about by choosing a profession, but by embarking on a mission, a little like a doctor who studies…
Drawing was never my favorite pastime. I wasn’t good at it, recognizing that even at an early age. But papers, stationery and notebooks, I loved. Some people believe handwritten notes on colorful paper are only memories, and for sure technology…
West Peoria Scouts and their families will again be caroling for the community 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7 when they tour in their holiday float. When you hear the music and fire sirens, go outside and…
Workers at G&D Integrated in Morton last month won their union election and are now represented by the Ironworkers, which praised the “G&D workers who fought tirelessly for a union, and now have a voice on the job, the right…
One of the most cherished parks in central Illinois was owned for nearly 70 years by the private Forest Park Foundation under the leadership of three generations of the Rutherford family. As the foundation began to wind down operations, it…
Nitrogen and phosphorus are running off farm fields in Illinois at ever increasing rates despite millions of dollars spent on research and conservation practices designed to mitigate the problem, according to the state’s recently-released report on nutrient loss. Conventional farming…
Scott Lindley’s life work has been about forging relationships and building community. And painting. Lindley, 52, heads up “Walldogs,” a group of artists who’ve created murals throughout Illinois, from a standalone piece chronicling Elmwood’s abolitionist past to a series of…
During the Monday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts on October 11, 2021, news broke that NFL head coach Jon Gruden had been fired from his $100 million job as the head coach of the…
By a vote of 15 to 2, the Peoria County Board Thursday evening, Oct. 14, approved its 2022 budget. That budget was controversial to some because it reduced the operating budget for the office of County Auditor Jessica Thomas by…
Journalists don’t pursue their career for thanks. Compensation mostly is indirect, learning issues and interacting with people much more than pay. (A favorite quote about journalism-as-a-calling is from Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and novelist Anna Quindlen, who said,…
Religious objections to abortion are completely subjective and should not be the basis of public health policy. When Texas Republicans contend life begins at conception, they are conflating opinion and fact. Rabbi Fred N. Reiner states in a letter-to-the-editor in…
This column is reprinted with permission from USA Today where it was originally published as part of a series examining qualified immunity. The project is made possible in part by a grant from Stand Together. BY PROF. JOANNA SCHWARTZ Congressional…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
