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…
Crème de la crème
Fermented food: A magic bullet?
The Lion’s Den | The Cliff
Eight minutes and 46 seconds was the time it took for Dereck Chauvin and his fellow officers to murder George Floyd. But it has been 401 years since Africans were kidnapped and brought to this country as slaves. From 1619…
Straight Talk | The end of an era of caring
The Peoria County Board approved a resolution that will allow voters to determine whether Heddington Oaks can be sold. The measure will be on the November ballot. Voters should not be confused whether their vote will determine the nursing home’s…
Bill Knight | Protesters and infiltrators
The country’s protests about police brutality persist despite distractions and infiltrations. The distractions stemmed from social-media hoaxes such as the June 4 warning that “antifa operatives are organizing a plan to bus large numbers of antifa terrorists to the vicinity…
Editorial | Sincere Williams: A rising voice in Peoria’s justice community
Letter to the Editor | Black man working alone in Peoria at night confronted by men armed with military assault weapon
Editor’s Note: At the end of this letter is information from the police incident report, Gannett Corp. and the Rev. Marvin Hightower, president of the local chapter of the NAACP. I am a 51-year-old African American man, and I have…