Summertime for kids are days full of wonder. The regular schedule of school is left behind and the long days of warmth and sunshine hold countless opportunities for new adventures. Happily this summer several children and teens are taking advantage…
Arts Beat | July 2019
July 3: A Killer’s Confession. 7 p.m. Twisted Spoke Saloon. 620-8595. July 3: Peoria Municipal Band. 8 p.m., Glen Oak Park. 691-3318. July 5: Rooster Alley “Live at the 5 Spot.” 5:30 p.m. Contemporary Art Center. 674-6822. July 5: John…
Serendipity | Creative options
Tryouts haven’t changed much through the years. They’re still filled with anticipation, excitement and uneasy feelings of “maybe I’m not good enough.” Typically there are more individuals competing than will make the team, land a role in the play, get…
West Peoria News | Fourth of July parade and flag raising
The 49th celebration of the West Peoria Fourth of July parade and flag raising is upon us. The parade starts 10 a.m. (rain or shine) and wends its way through West Peoria. This event is well attended by thousands of…
Labor Roundup | July 2019
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is campaigning to build labor support beyond the five unions that backed him in the 2016 presidential race, proposing workers take ownership of individual plants and businesses, out of the hands of the bosses and…
Ongoing conflict in Middle East stokes debate in Peoria
Can Peorians play a role in equitable and humane immigration solutions?
The Trump administration is ferreting out ways to impose a burdensome application fee on asylum seekers to discourage people fleeing for their lives from entering the United States. This would circumvent international law requiring nations to give asylum seekers a…
The REDress Project
Views & Perspectives | Impeachment a waste of time; Pass legislation to solve our most pressing problems
Now that the Mueller Report is complete, it is time for Congress to begin debating and solving the country’s most pressing problems. More to follow further in this column. It seems the House of Representatives under the control of the…
Straight Talk | Solve the mystery on West Ann for $5,000
People are still talking about the tragic death of four year old Jeremiah Ward. The little boy was shot and killed by a vengeful gang member or drug dealer in the parking lot of the Lincoln Terrace Apartments, 2825 West…
Bill Knight | Two new Americana CDs
Pope John XXIII is remembered as saying, “I never met a pessimist who managed to do something good,” a phrase that comes to mind after hearing two new Americana CDs with a sympathetic ear that was charmed, then disappointed. (Full…
Editorial | Vaccinations and the Anti-Vaxxers
Letter to the Editor | What does Pro-Life mean to you?
If it only means saving embryos and fetuses then we need to have a talk; a real, no holds, honest to God, talk. Reducing the number of abortions is simpler if you are really ready to be Pro-Life. But here’s…
Letter to the Editor | My abortion story
Growing up in Peoria in the 1970s, nearly every Black girl I knew at Manual was pregnant. Somehow the White girls in my college track courses were not; well that is another story. My high school counselor offered to give…
Letter to the Editor | Don’t boycott Alabama because of legislators’ misogyny
In response to this question: How am I supposed to encourage people to see the lynching memorial/museum and boycott Alabama at the same time? People should not boycott Alabama. Boycotting will only hurt people here who are already hurting. The…
OpEd | Clean energy can’t wait
BY JOYCE BLUMENSHINE The Clean Energy Jobs Act needs your support. This state legislation will likely come back to the Illinois House and Senate this fall and is essential for efforts to expand solar and wind energy and new jobs.…
Reflections From A Hindu Perspective | Sewa
Sewa is selfless service performed without expecting anything in return. It is an act performed by humans as a basic property of being a human, not guided by the expectation of joy dependent on desire fulfillment. As a human, we…
The Lion’s Den | Soundtracks to the Struggles
Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees Pastoral scene of the gallant south The bulging eyes and the twisted…
Nature Rambles | Migrating Goatsuckers
Real Talk | Silence — the true murderer of humanity
How often do we just sit back and watch things occur without speaking up? Whether that is in the form of allowing verbal bullying to occur or mentally removing oneself from a situation but physically being present. That does not…