Art Inc. | Dia de los Muertos: Love Never Dies

Dive into a dynamic cultural experience at The Romain Arts & Culture Center (formerly known as Greeley School) with a very special tribute to the life of Glen Barton! This inaugural evening of cocktails, authentic Mexican cuisine, silent & live…

Faith in Place | “Equity is important”

On Oct. 29, during the Illinois legislature’s “Veto Session,” Faith in Place and Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition will bring citizen lobbyists to Springfield from all over the state. These concerned citizens will talk with legislators and petition the governor for…

West Peoria News | Marijuana survey

With a new Illinois recreational cannabis law taking effect Jan. 1, city leaders want to know what you think of the legalization of cannabis. Go to City Hall 5:30 p.m. Oct. 8 to learn how this could affect our community…

Serendipity | Dance preparations

Something about October stirs up countless memories and nostalgic feelings. The season is changing dramatically and beautifully, and pictures of couples enjoying Homecoming and other fall events pop up on Facebook. Sometimes memories are accompanied by smiles or laughter, or…

Labor Roundup | October 2019

Union-backed anti-racism demo links white supremacy, Trump. The Teachers, Service Employees, the AFL-CIO and Labor’s Council for Latin American Advancement all backed hundreds of protesters outside the White House after mass murders in El Paso and Dayton. Demonstrators vowed to…

New fungus a global threat

PHOTO BY BILL KNIGHT

People already in various medical facilities and the health professionals helping them have a new threat: a fungus named Candida auris (C. auris) that’s developed resistance to multiple drugs and is killing tens of thousands in the United States and…

Peoria judge welcomes immigrants

For a number of years, Judge James Shadid has conducted naturalization ceremonies in Peoria swearing in new citizens. These immigrants have come from dozens of countries around the world. With the current turmoil, uncertainty and misinformation about immigration, Judge Shadid’s…

Chillicothe mosquito fogging stokes dissent

PHOTO BY CLARE HOWARD

Mike Contratto is a former military man. He’s from a military family and grew up on a military base. He’s a West Point graduate, and he’ll admonish anyone who calls him an environmental activist. He says he’s “not an activist,…

Straight Talk | Courthouse challenges

As the various county departments are busy preparing budgets for 2020, there are other challenges in the Courthouse. The County Board appropriately approved the recommendations of chairman Andrew Rand to fill the vacancies created with the deaths of State’s Attorney…

Bill Knight | ‘Traditional Christian beliefs’

Three years ago, I went to an interfaith meeting at Peoria’s Islamic Foundation, where an evangelical pastor, a Presbyterian minister and elected officials all spoke on Americans’ freedom to worship, and apart from all of their insightful words, the turnout…

The Watch | Journalistic bloodbath

It doesn’t seem possible. Despite a hot job market elsewhere, news came mid-summer that even more journalists are unemployed. “The news business is on pace for its worst job losses in a decade as about 3,000 people have been laid…

The Lion’s Den | The science of racism

The topic over the last two weeks has focused on racial tensions that have long been woven in the fabric of America. Many are not surprised while some cannot recognize this America. Many believe that we live in a colorblind…

Inland Art | Kohler Arts Center

PHOTO COURTESY JOHN MICHAEL KOHLER ARTS CENTER

Founded in 1967, the Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wis., is one of the most innovative and uncoventionally curated museums in the country. Many modestly sized museums such as the Kohler that have a contemporary art agenda and/or research mission…

Arts Beat | September 2019

Sept. 1-2: Vinyl Tap, 7:30 p.m. Sunday and 11:30 a.m. Monday. Delavan Fall Festival. Delavan. 840-0838. Sept. 3, 10 and 17: John Miller and Preston Jackson. 7 p.m. Broken Tree Café. 648-1439. Sept. 4, 11 and 18: : John Miller.…