For state Rep. Tim Butler, access to wholesome food is part of the fabric of American society. Or it should be. Butler grew up in Peoria, worked for then-U.S. Congressman Ray LaHood, and later Congressman Rodney Davis. He worked at…
“Peoria War” changed history
Two hundred six years ago this month, a nearly forgotten series of small skirmishes that became known as the “Peoria War” made up a big part of the elimination of Native Americans in Illinois. According to local historical societies and…
Views & Perspectives | Catholic Church pastors must speak directly and frankly to their congregations
The sexual abuse scandal that now grips the Catholic Church needs much more clarification by local pastors for local parishioners. I was very pleased with the Aug. 21 statement from Bishop Daniel Jenky that states, in part, ”I was truly…
Bill Knight | Something wicked this way comes – again
Some things can’t be — mustn’t be – hidden. Fortunately, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke are initiating actions to disclose facts about sexual abuse of children, facts apparently covered up by high officials…
Editorial | American Fascism?
It once seemed absurd to link the words “American” and “Fascism.” It seemed extreme and counterproductive. Not today warns New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning economist and columnist Paul Krugman. Not today according to former secretary of state Madeleine Albright. Today,…
Letter to the Editor | School safety in our time
“Run. Hide. Fight.” That’s what potential victims of mass shootings in schools are learning now, according to Peoria County’s Regional Schools Superintendent Beth Crider. She spoke to a recent Greater Peoria League of Women Voters meeting on school safety. Though…
Letter to the Editor | Not a mandate; loyal opposition necessary
A recent comical farce written by a former CEO of a business located in Morton was published in the editorial section of the Journal Star. It was nothing but gibberish. The writer began by implying that elections had consequences. Since…
Op-Ed | A true quagmire
BY DALE GOODNER It’s August in northeast Wisconsin –– Dog Days. Sultry evenings in Kewaunee County are punctuated by acrid metallic smelling breezes and persistent passing tanker-loads of poop as industrial factory dairies eagerly eject endless effluents onto the land…
Reflections From The Clergy | Embracing change
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. – Eccl. 3:1-13 Recently, I came back from a visit to Scotland, which is a pilgrimage for Presbyterian pastors like myself. Presbyterianism was founded in Scotland…
Real Talk | Chasing our identity/dream catchers
I walked into the Lorraine Motel, and chills ran down my body as I visited the now-museum and place where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walked out on a balcony to die. As I walked through this monument of what…
Nature Rambles | Autumn goldenrod ablaze
It seems that autumn comes well before I’m ready to say goodbye to summer. Perhaps it’s because, as we get older, we long for the halcyon days of youth and green growth. The onset of autumn is a little too…
Serendipity | Writing
Students’ complaints about writing assignments in grade school were in sharp contrast to my enjoying them. I tried to mask my feelings because being different wasn’t comfortable. Neither did I express apprehension about science, art and anything geometry related. Writing,…
Inland Art | Pillars of Dust
Over the past year and a half, I’ve written about art that’s formally and conceptually rigorous but advocates for the rural – work that explores the relationship between the intellect and the advancement of places outside the approved borders of…
Art: What is it Good For? | The face of Peoria is changing
Take a good look around Peoria. The once barren and gray cityscape is starting to bloom with art. There are sculptures along Washington Street and the Peoria Riverfront Museum, murals on commercial buildings like CT Gabbert’s and Lava, more outdoor…
Arts Beat | October 2018
MUSIC Oct. 1: Dark Star Orchestra. 7 p.m. Monarch Music Hall. 966-0826. Oct. 2: Drive-By Truckers, with T. Hardy Morris. 7:30 p.m. Monarch Music Hall. 966-0826. Oct. 3: Sons of Korah. 7 p.m. Trinity Lutheran Church. 676-4609. Oct. 5: Dexter…
West Peoria News | Fall cleaning
The West Peoria Residents’ Association will meet 6 p.m. Oct. 18 in City Hall when the Beautification Committee will announce the award for the resident with the most improved lawn. The committee will soon store away the planters and clear…
Journal Star newsroom contracts while digital marketing and advertising grow
The Peoria Journal Star’s new, young, part-time publisher –– with a background in marketing and advertising –– zooms through the parking lot at the once-venerable daily newspaper on his motorcycle, helmetless and heedless of speed limits. Staffers observe and shake…
Labor Roundup | October 2018
UNITE HERE and five other unions prevailed in bargaining with Walt Disney World, announcing early last month that they’d reached agreement for a 50 percent pay increase bringing the corporation’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by October 2021, plus…
Straight Talk | Loss of a friend
I was shocked and broken-hearted upon learning my dear friend, Alicia Butler, had died suddenly. I knew she had been suffering in recent days because she told me, first on a Monday afternoon and then two days later. I said…
New cancer treatment offers patients hope; powerful economic stimulus for Peoria
There are only about three dozen proton beams in the world, and only about 20 are in the United States. Danette and Josh Swank would like to see one added to the repertoire of medical treatments available in Peoria. Proton…
High cost of debt: jobs, taxpayers, opportunities
Once lauded as an outstanding retailer, Toys “R” Us liquidated 735 stores in the U.S. this year, including the one in Peoria. You could blame competition from Walmart or the internet. You would have a point. As Toys “R” Us…
EPA orders Peoria to pay almost $800,000
After decades of discussion, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is imposing a fine on Peoria for failure to resolve its combined sewer overflow problem. The EPA has still not approved Peoria’s so-called “green solution” and is ordering the city to…