Recently, I was fortunate enough to be on a panel discussion about anti-Semitism at B’Nai B’Rith senior housing apartment. As I heard the speakers voice their opposition to anti-Semitism and support for the people of the Jewish faith, the words…
Reflections From The Clergy | Race, Mutuality and the Vision of God
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote these words: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” They are from his now-famous Letter from a…
West Peoria News | Street parking and snow
Daniel Kerns was installed as Troop 11’s 70th Eagle Scout on Nov. 13. He is the son of Dan and Barb Kerns, has two older sisters and is a senior at Notre Dame High School. His Eagle project was landscaping…
Labor Roundup | February 2019
Both the number and the rate of job injuries that killed workers declined by 1 percent in 2017, compared to the year before, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Some 5,147 workers died that year, a BLS survey calculated, or…
Learn our history to change our future
More than a dozen majestic oaks still stand in Hall Woods near Hall Cemetery just east of Lacon, witness to a lynching in 1898. The exact site of the lynching, reportedly by a mob of 100 men from Toluca, is…
New generation of Peoria policing embraces “one with community”
Peoria Police Officer Daniel Duncan is driving 700 miles to Montgomery, Ala., looking for answers and looking for hope. His destination is the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. It may…
Water debate continues
Agreed: Water and its safety are important to Central Illinois. Agreed: Water is a key piece of the economic puzzle as the City of Peoria faces huge financial strains. Agreed: Water’s place in that puzzle is determined by the Peoria…
Two Peoria TV stations part of corporate shuffle
The corporation that owns WMBD-TV 31 and WYZZ-TV 43 could become the largest local TV station owner in the country if its proposed acquisition of Tribune Media is approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Texas-based Nexstar Media Group on Dec.…
Views & Perspectives | Happy New Year — Happy 2019
My good wishes for a productive and happy 2019 and a list of important events and issues to be considered by you and others. 1. Even though we just participated in a very important November 2018 election, this spring will…
Straight Talk | Exclusive
We all read and heard with sadness about the tragic loss of life when an F-18 Marine fighter jet collided with an KC-130 off the coast of Japan during a refueling exercise. Five crew members of the tanker were killed…
Bill Knight | How to address homelessness
Neither the City of Peoria nor Peoria County has a lot of extra money sitting around, but do you know who has even less? The homeless. Helping the homeless, however, should be more than a passing winter impulse, and ensuring…
Editorial | Hate, racial bias, anti-semitism and “good families”
The assault at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where a gunman opened fire during Saturday morning worship, continues the tsunami of violence, bigotry and hate sweeping the country. What’s the solution? A panel of a dozen local religious and…
Letter to the Editor | Stop excessive taxation!
It seems like the Peoria city leaders are always coming up with new ways to hit us with more and more taxes. First came the sewer tax, then the landlord tax plus another additional tax on every apartment in Peoria.…
Op-Ed | Great disappointment in lack of disclosure regarding Bradley’s decision about WCBU
BY SHERYL COHEN AND MARY BETH NEBEL The latest information regarding the fate of Peoria Public Radio is that the station will cease to operate on Bradley University’s campus and will be “moved” to WGLT in Bloomington. When WCBU’s facilities…
Op-Ed | Eat for your health and the health of the climate
BY HENRY BROCKMAN We live in difficult times. We are hit with a daily drumbeat of near-apocalyptic news: climate change, natural disasters, migrants fleeing violence and poverty, a dysfunctional government at home . . . the list of things to…
Reflections From The Clergy | Justice reform
As we begin a new year, many of us will dream of new beginnings and second chances. We may take another shot at last year’s failed resolution. We may commit to finally get some aspect of our life in order.…
Real Talk | How to get away with murder
Jamal Khashoggi a 59-year old journalist for the Washington Post, was a Saudi Arabian national and a U.S. resident. He also was a frequent critic of Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (M.B.S.) and the Saudi government policies. Khashoggi was…
Nature Rambles | Winter Butterflies
While January might seem a strange time to think about butterflies, it is actually a great time to look back at the past season and start the process for planning for next year. In past columns, we have touched on…
Inland Art | LJ Douglas
LJ Douglas’s work began in the eighties in Chicago before there were more than a handful of contemporary galleries on Ontario Street. It was the twilight of the Hairy Who, and the Baby-boomers were surging from the region’s schools of…
Arts Beat | January 2019
MUSIC Jan. 4: Dexter O’Neal and Funk Yard “Live at the Five Spot.” 5:30 p.m. Contemporary Art Center. 674-6822. Jan. 8, 15 and 22: Chicago Farmer “Folkin’ Tuesdays.” 8 p.m. Kenny’s West Side Pub. 676-1693. Jan. 11: “State & Water…
Serendipity | Teenagers, suddenly
Announcing the arrival of teenagers in our family! Not since 1997 when our youngest of three turned 20, have teens been part of the mix. On Dec. 27 Jules, our oldest grandchild turned 13; Emma following on Jan. 25; and…
Peoria literary magazine, Downstate Story, out with new 2018 volume
Ten new short stories by Illinois and Midwestern writers are featured in the 2018 edition of Downstate Story, Peoria’s only literary magazine for fiction. Downstate Story is now published exclusively online at www.downstatestory.com. Writers in this issue are David Seaman,…