First light on a July morning hints at the heat and humidity to follow, but Dwayne Harris has a joyful heart as he lugs around heavy hoses and waters 100 raised vegetable beds at 5 a.m. Harris has a goal…
Save the Black farmer
Earthdance: Peace, social responsibility, environmental justice
Sherrie Campbell uses her body to communicate, heal, nurture and inspire. The former principal dancer with Peoria Ballet says her deep connection with the environment and dance has helped her navigate rough periods in life and infuses her with healing…
Voting in jail reduces recidivism
Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell said voting helps jail detainees feel connected and responsible for their communities. It also reduces recidivism rates. To facilitate voting, there are modular kiosks in hallways in the Peoria County Jail with instructions about voting…
OSHA investigates PJS; newspaper suppresses story
A serious accident at the Journal Star resulted in the loss of a man’s leg. The incident occurred Dec. 21, and an investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration remains ongoing. Journalists were ordered not to report on…
Views & Perspectives | Randy Simmons and leadership
Ordinarily, I write this column on one topic. This month I’m writing on three topics. One of the saddest phone calls I received from my son Darin was to tell me of Randy Simmons passing. I have known Randy for…
Straight Talk | Bradley versus Peoria Journal
It’s a gigantic pissing contest between two of Peoria’s major icons. Bradley’s basketball coach is ticked off at the PJ Star sports department. Wardle’s team this year made it to the NCAA tournament and suddenly the coach decided to get…
Bill Knight | County residents object to proposed hog farm
After a career as a chef and restauranteur – including running Coop’s in Princeville for eight years – Sherri Cooper was looking forward to a retirement renovating the Washington C. Wear homestead, a property on the National Register of Historic…
Editorial | Trump: “I guess” mass shooting in a mosque is serious problem
Following one of the largest mass shootings in New Zealand history that left 49 dead and more injured — New Zealand Prime Minister: “I can tell you one thing right now. Our gun laws will change.” Richard Cohen, president Southern…
OpEd | Reflections on Dwight: The logic of the savior
BY ZACHARY GITTRICH On March 11, the Board of Trustees for the Village of Dwight voted 5-2 in favor of the construction of a privately-run, for-profit immigrant prison operated by Immigration Centers of America (ICA). While over 90 percent of…
OpEd | School solutions need teacher input, not just top-down directives
BY SHARON L. CREWS Companies marketing their computer programs have targeted public schools with Title I money to spend. These companies were encouraged by the enthusiasm for change spawned by the “No Child Left Behind” program that promised miraculous educational…
Reflections From A Hindu Perspective | Debts of a human
Yesterday, I was at a dinner hosted at a friend’s house when the person sitting opposite me introduced himself. In turn I introduced myself by just the name and expected to return to casual polite conversation with everyone. But he…
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…
Real Talk | Grief hurts, but healing is complicated
(First of two parts. Second part to be published in May.) The universal feeling that we as human beings can relate to is loss, if that is in the form of losing a job, or game, a loved one, losing…
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
“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.…
Gen Z’er to deliver Clean Water Celebration keynote
Following the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, students took on the gun debate. Following heightened understanding of global climate change, teens are again taking the lead where adults have failed. One of the most…
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…
West Peoria News | Annual town meeting April 9
The West Peoria annual town meeting, as mandated by the federal government for townships to inform citizens of events of the past year, will be 7:30 p.m. April 9 in the township building, 2516 W Rohmann Ave. West Peoria’s Annual…
War on plastic — from guns to plow shares
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.…