Bobbi Millinger realized she should be skeptical of news on Facebook. “We truly thought that we were being careful about who we were interacting with, given the need for discretion on social media. We were very aware that people can…
How to avoid fake news
Between Facebook and the Internet, the 24-hour-a-day news cycle, traditional media outlets, competing political organizations with competing agendas –– fake news is thriving. Democracy, not so much. “I do not know how a democracy functions when you don’t know what…
Straight Talk | Bad PHA decision
It was a bad decision. The board of the Peoria Housing Authority hired the director of the Springfield Housing Authority and agreed to pay her $168,000 a year. On the surface, that sounds reasonable, although the salary is rather exorbitant.…
Views & Perspectives | Spring is a season of hope and anticipation
Spring is the season of hope and anticipation. The services of Passover and Easter at the beginning of April allowed for hundreds of Central Illinoisans and people across the country to celebrate in their synagogues and churches. The Pope’s Easter…
Bill Knight | Minor League Baseball: Pays less than minimum wage
When the Peoria Chiefs take the field for 16 home games this month, know that they’re working for peanuts (sans Crackerjacks). One of 16 teams in the Class-A Midwest League, the team is one of 244 clubs in 19 minor…
Editorial : Gutting science from public policy
“Fact-based,” “research-based,” “evidence-based” –– all terms that used to be the gold standard for evaluating the world and formulating public policy. No longer, at least not in Washington, D.C. Now these terms are banned by the Trump administration. We now…
Letters to the Editor | May 2018
Should mayor and city councilwoman recuse themselves from water company vote? Illinois-American Water Co. is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to influence the City Council and the citizens of Peoria. A check of various public records reveals that IAWC…
Op-Ed | Bangladesh, Our Global Canary?
BY JACKIE CORLETT The writer is founder and director of Motif Ltd., a fair trade company that operates a workshop in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She divides her time between Bangladesh and Illinois. Motif products are sold at Global Village, a Fair…
Reflections From A Baha’i | Abortion: “Left to the conscience of the individual believer”
“Prepare for a debate about abortion,” stated my high school speech teacher. On one side of the room, the “pro-choice” students assembled. On the other side, the “pro-life” group formed. Everyone knew we were in for a tense battle between…
Real Talk | Losing to Win
Editor’s Note: Jamanni “Jay” Gibson, 21, of West Peoria died following a kayaking accident on American Lake near Tacoma, Wash., where he was stationed with the U.S. Army. Gibson graduated in the top 10 from Manual Academy in 2015 and…
Nature Rambles | Natural Divisions
How do ecologists make sense of the varied landscapes and habitats that make up the vast state of Illinois? This was a question that I hoped to answer at a recent Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program I was doing…
Serendipity | Savers, Hoarders, Sorters
People who are savers do not understand people who aren’t, and vice versa. Saving here does not refer to money, but rather to what I call treasures. We can agree that “treasures” are defined in myriad ways by folks with…
Inland Art | Collecting Contemporary Art
I was recently talking to a physician – early 30s, tastefully dressed, well educated beyond medicine, and enthusiastic about culture and his growing art collection. He spoke about philosophers from Michel de Montaigne to Friedrich Nietzsche regarding the nature of…
Arts Beat | May 2018
MUSIC May 1: Peoria Symphony Guild Spring Luncheon, features performances by Young Artist Competition winners. 11:30 a.m., Peoria Country Club. 691-3225. May 1: Bradley Piano Studio Recital. 7:30 p.m. BU’s Dingeldine Music Center. 677-2595. May 1: Chicago Farmer “Folkin’ Tuesday.”…
Art. What Is It Good For? | Truth
BY JERRY MCNEAL Recently, I’ve heard the term “fake news” used quite a lot. I cringe a little, because that term has come to mean a distraction from the truth, and on its surface, that might seem to be a…
West Peoria News | Eagle Scouts to speak
Would you like to spend time with two of the bright young people in West Peoria? Take the time at 6 p.m. May 17 to attend the West Peoria Residents Meeting in City Hall and hear Troop 11’s latest Eagle…
Labor Roundup | May 2018
Georgetown University agrees to arbitration. More than three months after refusing to negotiate with graduate students seeking to unionize, Georgetown University on April 2 notified the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees (GAGE) and the American Federation of Teachers that the…
Why Rename Woodrow Wilson Primary School?
Understanding history and the world is an evolutionary process. History is not cast in stone, an eternal monument to truth. When more is learned and understood, the accuracy of our perception of history improves. Perhaps when Woodrow Wilson Primary School…
Legalizing marijuana is a social justice issue
Jason Spyres was sentenced to 30 years in prison after three marijuana convictions. Police found 37 pounds of marijuana sent to him via United Parcel Service by his mother in California. His mother served six months for her crime. He…
Heidelberg case: “miscarriage of justice”
Editor’s Note: Cleve Heidelberg was found dead in his apartment Saturday morning March 24. He was released from prison 10 months ago after spending 47 years behind bars for a crime he always insisted he did not commit. In a…
Trump’s EPA won’t – or can’t – clean up some hazardous sites
A year ago this month, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, appointed by President Donald Trump, visited the USS Lead Superfund site outside Chicago. It’s still hazardous. The EPA’s Superfund program was established 38 years ago to clean up…
Views & Perspectives | Trump tariffs terrible for trade
President Trump’s announcement of a 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent on aluminum is terrible policy for our trade relations with a number of countries with which we have had very strong friendships and solid trade policy. Our…