It’s a relief to return to the reopened Peoria Riverfront Museum and to roam its galleries –– especially to revel in world-class art, some with local ties. Installed during the months-long pandemic shutdown, new exhibits presented through Sept. 5 are…
Editorial | Anti-Racism
Letter to the Editor | How can we sustainably feed the world’s population?
The answer is to turn to regenerative farming. Perhaps you have not heard of regenerative farming. Most of the farming done today, particularly in the United States, is conventional farming/factory farming. Government incentives and our current industrial food complex result…
Letter to the Editor | Don’t point to me to disprove “white privilege” – it exists
I was given a 30-year sentence and fined over $200,000 for nonviolent cannabis offenses. I was a young, white male, hauled off to prison to serve nearly 15 years before being released. I am currently at Stanford University, making use…
Letter to the Editor | Pandemic Safety Measure: Request Ballot to Vote by Mail
To help voters prepare for the upcoming General Election, the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria is encouraging all registered voters to request a vote by mail ballot for the Nov. 3 election. We fully agree with the words…
Real Talk | The Institutional Power of Whiteness
It’s been interesting listening to, and often participating in the debate between Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter folk. Patrice Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi are the three African American women who founded Black Lives Matter in 2013…
The Watch | Technical difficulties
Zoom and its cohorts enable groups and governments to meet despite COVID-19. But virtual meetings are not the same — what is? — and can be difficult, at best. Springdale Cemetery Management Authority, for example, didn’t meet in March, April…
Nature Rambles | Funding a Legacy
Inland Art | Rosalyn Schwartz
Art and Justice | Understanding justice through Native American art
Reflections From A Secular Humanist | Re-evaluating beliefs
The global pandemic has forced humanity to re-evaluate priorities and core beliefs. What is the role of religion (subjectivity) and reason (objectivity) in response to looming existential threats? Is religion or science a more reliable asset for responding to COVID-19,…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | Coronavirus Climate Crisis Crosswalk: COVID Surges, Heat Stroke Explosions
In April, some hospitals in the New York region were almost overwhelmed as a wave of COVID patients swept into emergency rooms. By mid- to late-March, foresight of the cresting wave guided the hasty creation of surge capacity and recruitment…
Reflections From A Hindu Perspective | Freedom
There is an ancient fable. One day a caravan of 100 camels and drivers is traveling in the desert. The caravan loses its way and ends up outside a village at dusk. The travelers put up their tents and start…
Peoria public housing: Concentration camp/safety
Indignation was heated over action the Peoria Housing Authority took at Taft Homes over the July Fourth weekend. PHA implemented measures again this year similar to those followed for almost a decade, but this year advance notification inadvertently did not…
Serendipity | Grateful memories
Father Tom Kelly was a humble man, wanting to encourage people in their relationships with God and others. Born in Peoria in 1930, he graduated from Spalding Institute and later was ordained a Catholic priest in 1956. He served as…
West Peoria News | Storm cleanup
This Fourth of July was very different in West Peoria with no parade or family and neighborhood celebrations. The many visitors to our community were missing. Some families have three generations who normally celebrate with us. In 2021, we will…
Labor Roundup | August 2020
Latino groups, AFL-CIO hail Supreme Court’s pro-DACA decision. The U.S. Supreme Court in June legalized the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and rejected GOP President Donald Trump’s long campaign to end DACA and deport its 700,000 recipients…
Census count of Latino community could recalibrate Peoria
Post Office under siege
How does the Post Office operate financially?
Operating without tax dollars for decades, relying on the sale of products and service, USPS delivers almost half of the world’s mail, including millions of packages for UPS and FedEx. Bob Gunter, president of the American Postal Workers Union’s Heart…