“As I was sitting at work on the verge of tears, just thinking that the color of my skin could literally decide on whether I would make it home to family and friends, I was at a loss. I am…
Real Talk | Black Excellence
The Watch | Springdale sees increase in burials, cremations
Whatever 2020 throws at us, your government leaders are finding a way to grind it out. Springdale Cemetery Authority met Aug. 18, using Webex. Manager Mark Matuszak reported the number of burials and cremations is up considerably over last year.…
Nature Rambles | A Swift Autumn
Back in the August issue of Community Word, this column mentioned the fact that the Chimney Swift Tower at the Peoria Park District’s Tawny Oaks Field Station had a pair of swifts take up residence and build a nest. I’m…
Inland Art | Chicago’s Hubbard Street district
Chicago’s Hubbard Street district was a coalescent site of experimental art in the ’70s and ’80s. For artists and designers, the street had a radical presence that was distinctive, nurturing and pleasurable. Loft buildings and raw spaces hosted enormous crowds…
Reflections From A Secular Humanist | Religion and fear
As a Secular Humanist, I don’t believe in Gods, Satan, heaven, hell, condemnation, salvation, souls, sin, karma, reincarnation, life after death, supernatural beings, inerrant scriptures, miracles, magical thinking or messages from Gods. The virtues of religious people are also found…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | Will Illinois State University’s Reggie Redbird Get a Green Vest?
As climate wildfires rage and the world burns, we ask: who is rising to the challenges of the multiplying climate catastrophes? Illinois State University (ISU) has not. Instead, ISU has retreated from past climate commitments. The retreat begins in earnest…
The great fractal college experiment
BY FUSUN AKMAN Fractals are shapes that repeat themselves at smaller and smaller scales, as broccoli florets are wont to do. I have been thinking of fractals geopolitically: whatever is happening in the world is happening in the U.S. is…
Reflections From A Hindu Perspective | Restoration of one of the holiest sites of Hindus: A story of loss and recovery
Seldom does an event occur in the history of civilization that is the culmination of centuries of struggle and sacrifice by hundreds of thousands of people and perseverance in the belief in a system of law and order. Such an…
West Peoria News | Township dissolution on the ballot
A referendum to dissolve West Peoria Township will be on the ballot Nov. 3. West Peoria Township Trustees voted unanimously at a special meeting Aug. 13 to place the item on the ballot. This meeting followed a public hearing Aug.…
Labor Roundup | October 2020
Even change will need civic action, says Postal Workers’ Prez. Saying “movements move Congress and politicians, and not the other way around,” Postal Workers President Mark Dimondstein nevertheless warns movement activists to be ready for a long haul –– even…
Fred Winterroth: He’s spent half his life advocating for the proposed Hanna City Trail and now it’s within reach
Hanna City Village President Fred Winterroth sees enormous regional benefit from converting 25 miles of abandoned Union Pacific rail line to a hiking-biking trail. The narrow strip of land runs through Bellevue, Hanna City, Farmington and Middle Grove. Now 65,…
Western Avenue Upgrade to regenerate 61605
When urban planner Chuck Marohn talks about the best economic stimulus for urban communities, he advises focusing dollars on older sections of town, not the sprawling suburbs that cost more to maintain than they generate in tax revenue. Marohn proves…
PAWAC: Israel-Palestine path forward
It’s time to abandon the notion of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and instead embrace the goal of Jewish-Palestinian equality, Peter Beinart said during a Peoria Area World Affairs Council talk via Zoom conferencing. Beinart, editor-at-large for Jewish…
The Lion’s Den | Voting Rights
All eyes are on the United States as we approach the next presidential election on Nov. 3. As we approach the election, now may be a good time to review the history of voting in this country. Initial voting rights…
Straight Talk | No more Peoria history
Our good friend Norm Kelly is gone, another victim of cancer. A few months ago, I wrote about my high school friend and his special writing accomplishments. I did it then because he told me he was not long for…
Bill Knight | Columbus statue
People aren’t stupid. We learn. Sometimes lessons are fanciful fables that reassure us; sometimes they’re difficult realizations of our past, and ourselves. Columbus statues aren’t symbols of humanity’s progress, one man’s courage or Italians’ intelligence. However, they represent racism and…
Editorial | Christopher Columbus statue and the Electoral College – both racist legacies of white supremacy
George Floyd’s death set off a global movement for racial justice. In the fervor of this movement, two events should be seen and understood through the frame of white supremacy. The Peoria Park District is evaluating the fate of the…
OpEd | Challenging Gender Bias in Male-Dominated Sports
BY ELLEN KRASIN We often tell children that they can grow up to be whatever they want to be, but is that really true? Is our society set up to allow such an idealistic theory? In the case of young…
Nature Rambles | Derecho
Monday Aug. 10 started off as a sunny, clear day with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon in Central Illinois. I happened to be at our Tawny Oaks facility, when around 2:30 p.m. the sky to the west…
Real Talk | When the message gets lost
There is no surprise that our country is in a state of unrest. From the pandemic to the riots, to questioning and challenging the mattering of Black lives to the rebuttal of all lives. From the challenge to mask or…
The Watch | Peoria council discusses cuts
“Normal” is not quite the right word. But a new reality is taking shape for local governments in 2020. On July 28, Peoria City Council mulled changes to the 2020-2021 budget in the wake of COVID-19. Staff was directed to…