Some 400 bills, many important to workers remain stalled in the GOP-majority Senate, where right-wing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won’t schedule them to be heard. Besides the blockade of legislation approved by the House of Representatives or passed out of…
Demeaning stereotypes linked to Illinois’ initial failure to pass ERA
Bradley University senior Samantha Lechowicz researched the correlation between news coverage in the Peoria Journal Star and the repeated decades-long failure of the Illinois Legislature to pass the Equal Rights Amendment up until its recent passage in May 2018. Some…
Workforce diversity No. 1 tool for economic growth
Ernestine Jackson has worked for more than four decades in equal employment opportunity; today she is frustrated, even heartbroken, when she looks at the racial composition of Peoria and the racial composition of the city hall workforce and contractors with…
EPA gives OK for more toxic chemical cocktails
The Trump administration continues to lift restrictions on toxic pesticides despite years of research by independent scientists. The fallout in Central Illinois is especially acute. With a location in the middle of the farm belt, Central Illinois is the bull’s…
Radon “old news,” but threat current
January is National Radon Action Month designated to increase awareness of the dangers of radon, which is especially relevant to Central Illinois where residents live with high levels of the carcinogenic gas, according to the U.S. Surgeon General and Environmental…
Straight Talk | Goodbye, Louie!
Another year has come and gone. Unfortunately, end of the year means the end of Sterling Family Restaurant. Owner Louie Trilikas announced he was going out of business effective Dec. 30, after more than 30 years serving breakfast, lunch and…
Bill Knight | The late Bob Liter
If still waters run deep, the late Bob Liter’s quiet, pensive demeanor smoking a pipe while editing news stories for the Peoria Journal Star for decades hid a mind roaring with adventure, violence, fun and sex. Liter, who lived in…
Editorial | “Eating the planet to death”
The most effective way to slow global climate change is with dietary changes, according to Dr. John McDougall. Changes in our diet can be more effective immediately than driving a Prius, turning off the lights, lowering the thermostat and viable…
OpEd | Earning a living should not be curtailed due to discrimination over sexual orientation
The United States Supreme Court in October heard oral arguments in three cases concerning employment discrimination against gay or transgender workers. In one, a county employee in Georgia was fired after joining a gay recreational softball league for “conduct unbecoming…
Nature Rambles | The return of the Pileated Woodpecker
As 2019 draws to a close, folks who are birdwatchers tend to avoid cabin fever by getting out and conducting the annual Christmas Bird Counts. This year marks the 120th year of National Audubon’s CBC. As I was preparing information…
Inland Art | Inside the Matrix: The Radical Designs of Ken Isaacs
In the fall of 1983, I co-organized a summer program at the Oxbow Artists Residency in Saugatuck, Mich., a historic center with old ties to the Chicago art community. My partner was Ken Isaacs, an architect and professor at the…
Art: What is it Good For? | Peoria’s newest sculpture gallery is coming this spring
A walk in the park is going to get more interesting this spring. On Nov. 20, by a unanimous vote, the Peoria Park Board accepted the executive staff recommendation to allow a three-year outdoor sculpture walk development in Donovan Park.…
Arts Beat | January 2020
Jan. 1 and each Tuesday: John Miller and Preston Jackson. 7 p.m. Broken Tree Coffee. 648-1439. Jan. 4: Jeremy David Baker and Nick Sizemore Take Over Sullivan’s. 8:30 p.m. W. E. Sullivan’s. 839-8097. Jan. 10: Daniel Watkins and Brett Conlin…
Where They Stand | Conviction Integrity Units
Community Word asked Jodi Hoos (pictured on right) and Christopher McCall (pictured on left) for a brief statement on their positions regarding establishment of a conviction integrity unit within the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s office. CIUs are set up to…
Real Talk | The problem with the Feminist Movement
Black and white women have always held different perspectives around the right to vote. For white women, it was a symbol of parity with their husbands and brothers. For Black women, the ballot box was a means of empowering Black…
The Watch | Politics 2020
Despite a shiny new year — new decade even! — many of us despair at the prospect of Election Year 2020. Don’t give up just yet. Ask and you may receive, even from your elected officials. For example, Jim and…
Downstate Story releases 2019 edition
Peoria’s only literary magazine for fiction, Downstate Story, just released its 2019 edition. It is now published only on the web at www.downstatestory.com. Writers in this issue include: Loren Logsdon of Eureka, IL; Marie Anderson of Western Springs, IL; Duke…
The Lion’s Den | Part II African American Education: Post Civil War
Following the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery, America faced many challenges, including the significant loss of free labor and a social stratification system thrown into turmoil. Primary among these challenges was how to address the…
Reflections From A Hindu Perspective | Detachment
My new year’s resolution for 2020 is to internalize the principle of detachment. Over the years, as we meander along the path of self-realization, attachment to people, material things, achievements and identity have been a heavy ball and chain around…
Reflections From A Baha’i | A Brief History of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948, was motivated by the horrors of the Second World War. With the end of that war, and the creation of the United…
West Peoria News | New appointments, State of City address, LED lights
Longtime West Peoria Township Trustee James Flynn resigned from the town board recently due to poor health. He served his constituents well and with great concern. In December, Sue Roos was chosen to replace Mr. Flynn. Sue has been an…