The City of Peoria established the Mayor’s Litter Committee in 2007. The goal of the committee was to create awareness of the impact of litter, encourage people to not litter, pick up litter and host neighborhood cleanups. The cleanups were…
West Peoria News | Night Out Against Crime
The West Peoria Neighborhood Watch invites everyone to its 18th annual “Night Out Against Crime” 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 15 at Franciscan Park. Play games, jump in the GaGa Pit, explore the armored vehicle Bearcat from the Peoria…
Labor Roundup | September 2018
News Guild reminds locals, bosses that media firms must address security. Facing increasing violence against reporters and President Donald Trump’s hateful rhetoric and threats, News Guild President Bernie Lunzer is reminding both his locals and employers that firms must protect…
Banking on wetlands — our evolving land ethic
Landfill, garbage disposal, wetland restoration, native plants, environmental beauty. Not words typically associated with each other, but the association is perfectly logical for Charles Hostetler. He hopes to make the correlation universally clear with a project along Kickapoo Creek Road.…
UN: American Dream Becoming American Illusion
A scathing report by the United Nations Human Rights Council on extreme poverty and inequality in America was slammed by UN Ambassador Nikki Haley as “patently ridiculous.” Haley then announced the United States was withdrawing from the UN Human Rights…
Food for justice
The infrastructure of American’s food system entrenches social and income inequality, devastates rural communities and inner cities, drives declining health and further empowers corporations and the politicians they support. Working in resistance to those trends are Dave Bishop, an organic…
Donations Needed: Journalism Diversity Fund
The Peoria NAACP has established a special account to fund coverage of diversity issues by central Illinois writers. The goal is to increase coverage of often-untold stories that cut through stereotypes and more accurately depict history, explain institutional racism and…
“Native Americans Speak”
President Donald Trump is calling for the largest rollback in protected public lands in the history of this country, and a coalition of Native Tribes and conservation groups is spearheading resistance. Working with that resistance is Clayton Daughenbaugh, a speaker…
Views & Perspectives | Judge Brett Kavanaugh an Outstanding Pick for Supreme Court
I have known and watched Brett Kavanaugh for two decades having first met him and his family playing golf at a charity golf outing supporting cancer research. While I was in Congress during President George W. Bush’s term, Brett served…
Straight Talk | The Deed Is Done!
I did it. Never thought I would. I quit taking the Peoria Journal. I’ve been a reader for decades. Before that, I was a carrier delivering the Peoria Journal Star in the morning to the south of my North Madison…
Bill Knight | Chicago Farmer
“Chicago Farmer” is a great name for an act, like “Goofy Ridge Industrialist” or “nonviolent commando.” But Chicago Farmer is much more than a snappy name. Born Cody Diekhoff, Chicago Farmer is more than a 39-year-old “singer/songwriter.” The troubadour is…
Editorial | Weaponizing Free Speech
REUTERS PHOTO: Man standing at a Trump rally in a T-shirt with this printing: “Rope Tree Journalist Some assembly required” A woman and young girl stand nearby laughing. Since when did this become constitutionally protected free speech in the United…
Letter to the Editor | Protecting coal ash, not children
Governor Rauner’s Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is failing to protect us. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) weakened federal health and water protections for communities near toxic coal ash waste dumps. If you live in the Peoria area, that…
Real Talk | You’re not going to take our pain and make it a novelty
Often times, we wonder why urban inner city violence is so romanticized, and that other races want to mimic the lifestyle in theory but in reality remain distant. While listening to NPR, I heard a podcast about a restaurant that…
Op-Ed | If only they’d come the right way …
Editor’s Note: Immigrants and refugee seekers have different rights. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, everyone has a right to seek asylum from persecution and violence. The UN states that “some mass displacements may…
Reflections From The Clergy | Rescue Children from the Caves of Poverty
One of the paradoxes of human nature is that we are capable of cooperating with others for the common good as well as “otherizing” people for our own gain. While many Americans were fervently praying for the safe rescue of…
Serendipty | Vacation Wisdom
Family vacations are great opportunities for honing cooperation and adapting skills; and enjoying new sights, family bonding, and relaxation. Ideally they also include experiences to inspire teachable moments. Even the good, beautiful, boring, or challenging can be rich with lessons.…
Nature Rambles | ‘Nature in Progress’ at former golf course
A new sign stands at the entrance to what used to be the Detweiller Golf Course. It reads “Nature in Progress… Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.” It is an invitation to get out and explore an area…
Inland Art | Sculpture Walk
This year’s Peoria Sculpture Walk raises a few questions about public art –– for Peoria and for urban settings in general. It’s perennially challenging for any artwork to hold viewers attention in the turmoil of urban settings –– particularly if…
Arts Beat | August 2018
Aug. 1: Peoria Municipal Band. 7 p.m. Warehouse District. 691-3318. Aug. 2 and each Thursday: Tanner Picton. 5 p.m. Kickapoo Creek Winery. 495-9463. Aug. 2: Thursday Night Jazz Series, featuring Ellen and Derel Monteith. 7-8:30 p.m., CEFCU Center Stage at…
West Peoria News | Boy Scout Ice Cream Social
Boy Scout Troop 11 ice cream social is 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 23 at the West Peoria Fire Station, 406 N. Waverly Ave. A $2.50 donation includes dessert, ice cream and a drink. This is another West Peoria tradition.…