Inland Art | Inland Update

The Community Word is framed by a 1960s style of liberalism –– a sanguine perspective where so-called average and so-called fortunate people have a stake in reciprocal social outcomes. In 2017, I began contributing to the paper’s composite demographic ––…

Art: What is it Good For? | Arts help heal

Jaci Musec

Stress is a killer. It’s not always obvious how it makes us sick, but more and more the healthcare industry is recognizing how stress and accompanying anxiety can literally make us sick. The American Psychological Association reports a link between…

Arts Beat | March 2019

MUSIC March 1: Cousin Eddie “Live at the Five Spot.” 5:30-7:30 p.m., Contemporary Art Center. 674-6822. March 1, 8 and 15: Dave Hoffman & Friends. 5 p.m. Two25 at Mark Twain Hotel. 282-7777. March 1: Blackjack Billy. 9 p.m. Crusens…

West Peoria News | Meet the candidates

The upcoming city consolidated election on April 2 has the following candidates vying for office: Mayor James R. Dillon; City Clerk Mary Barnes; Treasurer Julie McGill; Ward 1 Alderperson Hazel Thomas; Ward 2 Alderperson Jeff Reagan; Ward 3 Alderperson Jeff…

Labor Roundup | March 2019

Top congressional Democrats plus Bernie Sanders last month moved to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024. With support from more than 180 House Democrats, the bill is expected to pass the new Democratic-run House. It’s…

Love your Valentine and love the planet

Kira Santiago

Kira Santiago understands the complexities of expressing love on Valentine’s Day. She wants to remind people that when thinking about love, extend thoughts to local, sustainable and organic. Organic matters for flowers as well as food! Santiago is an organic…

Untold stories from government shutdown

While furloughed federal employees are assured they will get back pay following the government’s temporary shutdown, contract workers have no such assurances. There are about 35 independent contract workers at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria. Requesting…

“Medicare for All” increasingly popular

Health care’s high costs, inferior coverage and lack of inexpensive options aren’t news, but within 72 hours early last month, a few things sparked renewed interest in the increasingly feasible Medicare for All – news about price hikes for various…

Health care costs burden the country

Central Illinois is familiar with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which for decades has treated children with leukemia. But few realize the cost associated with one of the most effective medicines used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML): Gleevec. Manufactured…

Views & Perspectives | Trump administration turmoil

Thirty five who have left very important, substantial positions with the Trump Administration in two years: Three chiefs of staff, three national security advisors, a secretary of defense, two secretaries of state, two department of homeland security secretaries, two veteran…

Straight Talk | Raising eyebrows

Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat got a pat on the back and a healthy salary increase from board members. Not much was shared by adoring supporters about her accomplishments, but everyone agrees she’s a vast improvement over Dr.…

Bill Knight | Farm subsidies

Somewhat overlooked during the holidays’ government shutdown caused by President Trump’s demand for $5 billion to partly fund a border wall that Democrats don’t support was the delay of some farm subsidies and other payments to farmers. That sparked a…

Editorial | Diversity in Congress

S.A. Shepler (c) Community Word 2019

Here’s a tally of the number of women in the U.S. House. In 1989: 16 were Democrats; 13 were Republicans In 2019: 89 are Democrats; 13 are Republicans Why is that of any significance? Because diversity matters. History has proven…

Real Talk | Mirrors and distorted images

In the current stages of the #metoo movement, I often question if women of color have a voice or if being in the background and accepting inappropriate advances have caused a rift in how women of color view themselves and…

Inland Art | Michiko Itatani

Inland Art

Early in Michiko Itatani’s career she coaxed viewers into unpredictable formal paths in painting and installation discretely probing relationships between radical pictorial composition and societal and geological boundaries. All of her work coincided with the contemplative legacies of reductivism and…

Art Inc.

Greeley

Join us as we embark on the journey of turning the old Greeley school building into a vibrant community arts center for all to enjoy. As we all know, it takes a village to make this happen, and we welcome…

Arts Beat | February 2019

MUSIC Feb. 1: The Tempest “Live at the Five Spot.” 5:30-7:30 p.m., Contemporary Art Center. 674-6822. Feb. 3: Concordia String Trio concert, featuring Marcia Henry Liebenow on violin, Chee Hyeon Choi on viola and Karen Becker on cello. 3 p.m.…