Eliida Lakota grew up understanding the sacred nature of the environment. When her father came home from work, she and her parents would walk to the Sangamon River. Her father would identify trees and flowers along the way. They would…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
When Rigo Diaz came to Peoria from Mexico 45 years ago, he discovered a very small Hispanic community here. It was rare to see another Hispanic family in the stores. Today, leaders in the Hispanic community believe Latinos account for…
Affordable, reliable, universal mail delivery could vanish as the United States Postal Service runs out of money this month, the American Postal Workers Union says. That’s tragic at a time when the nation is divided and the U.S. Postal Service…
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…
Joe Zich wants to feed your gut. Fermented foods are his passion. He has parlayed his personal passion into a small, part-time business called 309 Cultures that includes a line of kimchi and sauerkraut. Zich, 28, said when he started…
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…
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…
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…
Most of America and the world are appalled by the murder of George Floyd who died with his neck under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer while other police officers passively looked on. If you don’t see this…
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…
Although people of all ages can be victims of COVID-19, we share a common awareness that some folks are more vulnerable than others. This fact has promoted a mentality that makes us wonder when someone has died whether they were…
As I reflect on my grandmother, I understand the rule of thumb instilled in her to live by and fear Jim Crow –– a fictitious name but one with real life ramifications. My great grandfather was on the run from…
Your government officials are still Zooming, still adapting, still dancing backward around COVID-19. And the bills are just starting to arrive. All members of the Peoria County Election Commission met via Zoom on May 12 to confront a knotty problem:…
During the second week of June, I heard a noise from the canopy of the woods that I haven’t heard for some time . . . “weee-eeeerrr” repeated at regular intervals. Then it dawned on me –– It is a…
