Serendipity | Reflections on age

Candles on birthday cakes add a festive look and provide opportunities to coerce the celebrant into admitting how many years those candles represent. Some folks skirt around the truth while others rejoice every 12 months that another year of life…

Nature Rambles | The common connection

As a blustery March gives way to the hope of spring, we look forward to an April of warmer temperatures and some greenery in an otherwise sleeping landscape. Already, birds are migrating in support of the coming changes in the…

Inland Art | Dennis Kowalski

Inland Art

“When I lived on Lincoln, and then further up north on Damen, I loved taking walks at night on Ravenswood, which then was a deserted industrial strip. It’s now a Hipster haven. Thinking about this may account for my more…

Art Inc. | Art comes in many forms

When you think of “the arts” what comes to mind? How about when someone says they’re an artist? Upon asking most people this question their answer is somewhere along the lines of fine arts and visual arts. That couldn’t be…

Arts Beat | April 2019

MUSIC April 5: Dexter O’Neal and the Funk Yard “Live at the Five Spot.” 5:30 p.m. Contemporary Art Center. 674-6822. April 5: Hyryder – Grateful Dead tribute. 10 p.m. Kenny’s Westside Pub. 676-1693. April 6: Berchtold & Steer. 7 p.m.…

Labor Roundup | April 2019

Bernie Sanders presidential campaign staff votes to unionize. The move marks the first time a major political party presidential campaign in U.S. history unionized. The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 will represent staffers. Women’s groups and unions back…

War on plastic — from guns to plow shares

Hemp

Luke Haverhals likes to carefully calibrate his aim at problems – avoiding the distractions of little problems and keeping his focus on the big ones. Those, he contends, are petroleum and plastic. “Agriculture at its worst is still better than…

The voting rights lawsuit and cumulative voting

Editor’s Note: Joyce Banks was lead plaintiff in a 1987 lawsuit against the city of Peoria, Peoria Public Schools and Peoria Park District to get fair representation for African Americans in elected government positions. Cumulative voting helps ensure this goal.…

Green New Deal

Three members of Illinois’ Congressional delegation are co-sponsoring the Green New Deal, an ambitious public-works plan to address climate change and inequality, and though it faces stiff Republican opposition, it resonates with the public. Democratic U.S. Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia,…

Bill Knight | “Centrism” is an ideology, too

Cautious or incremental approaches can be sensible. If you aspire to play with the Heartland Festival Orchestra, it’s pragmatic to practice well before approaching conductor David Commanday; if you dream of running in June’s Steamboat Classic, gradually getting in shape…

Editorial | “Your Loyalties Are Your Life”

S.A. Shepler (c) 2019 Community Word

That was the headline on a recent New York Times opinion column written by David Brooks. While nothing was mentioned in the column about unions, hedge funds or newspapers, the column speaks loudly to the Peoria community, our daily newspaper…

Letter to the Editor | The CAFO loophole

A CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation) is threatening the entire town of Princeville, and politicians are helpless to stop it. That’s because of a sneaky loophole in the law. Nearby county boards have recently approved resolutions opposing proposed CAFOs in…

Serendipity | Cleaning for company

When my three children were growing up, and old enough to understand some workings within a household, if they saw me dusting or vacuuming, they usually asked, “Are the ladies coming over?” They were non-specific about which ladies, and their…

Real Talk | They steal our Rhythm, but not our Blues

Blackface legacy is one of white supremacy and exploitation of Black identity. Historian Dale Cockrell attributed the fascination for blackface to the psyche of poor working-class white people, who felt marginalized both economically and socially and didn’t feel included in…

Nature Rambles | Vital lands in the Prairie State

Chillicothe Bottoms

I recently had the opportunity to take part in an annual workshop called the Vital Lands Illinois Summit. This is a gathering of Illinois Land Trusts, conservation organizations, and agencies that are all playing roles in the preservation and stewardship…