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…
Straight Talk | IHSA officiating scandal?
Basketball fans, coaches and others are still talking about the Metamora loss to Chicago Marian in the 3A super sectional IHSA game held on the campus of Northern Illinois. It was a closely fought game officiated by Tom Fuller, Tariq…
Editorial | Safe injection sites: sound public policy
“Data takes the emotion out.” The Rev. Marvin Hightower, president of the Peoria Chapter of the NAACP, said that in an article in the March issue of Community Word about clean syringe exchange programs. Research shows clean syringe exchange programs…
Op-Ed | High crimes & misdemeanors & impeachment & such
Is Andrew Johnson’s Past Trump’s Future? “I would impeach the President because he is such an infernal liar!” This remark was uttered not by a contemporary critic of Donald Trump, but by General Ulysses S. Grant of President Andrew Johnson…
Bill Knight | Less is more? Sometimes, less is just less.
It was the eve of “Sunshine Week” – a few days in March when government transparency and accountability are celebrated – when a glance at the Peoria City/County Health Department’s online “Food Inspection Scores” found a list of inspections but…
Letters to the Editor | April 2018
Editor’s Note: Following the shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., people across the country are staging protests about gun violence. By some estimates, hundreds of thousands of students walked out of school March 14 in…
Reflections from a Baha’i | Peace hinges on equality of men and women
The emancipation of women and the education of girls has been a priority of the Baha’i community since its inception in Persia (Iran) in 1844. One of the faith’s disciples was a woman named Tahirih. Tahirih was one of the…
Real Talk | Police mission should be “serve, protect, respect” NOT “contain, control, repress”
I attended a lecture at Bradley University by Dr. Simon Balto, an assistant professor of history and director of African-American Studies at Ball State University. The lecture was sponsored by Bradley’s department of history and was part of the Armstrong…
Inland Art | Gary Justis
In 1981 Gary Justis and I showed together at Randolph Street Gallery. It was our first solo exhibition in Chicago, each taking a floor of the expansive new site just off Halsted — an area that would gradually draw galleries…
Arts Beat | April 2018
MUSIC April 3: “Rockin’ Road to Dublin,” Irish dance, 7 p.m. Civic Center Theater. 673-3200. April 6: Cousin Eddie “Live at the Five Spot.” 5:30 p.m. Contemporary Art Center. 674-6822. April 7: Sun Stereo, with People Brothers Band. 9 p.m.…
Art: What is it Good For? | The Art Queen of Green
April 22 marks the 48th anniversary of Earth Day, the environmental movement born to combat widespread industry pollution. On the first Earth Day in 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Today,…
Nature Rambles | April’s new beginning
It wouldn’t be spring without the flush of new, green growth that happens each year in our woods and prairies of Central Illinois. There is that magical time, before the trees have fully leafed out, when sunlight streams through the…
Serendipity | Time and Timeliness
Procrastination isn’t a desired behavior although it often sneaks into daily activities. Like the unexpected guest showing up unannounced with expectations of luxurious amenities, procrastination can adversely affect good intentions and positive outcomes. It requires effort not to fall into…
Labor Roundup | April 2018
Striking graduate assistants at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign rallied March 8 to celebrate a tentative settlement after a marathon overnight bargaining session. “We got our two biggest priorities related to addressing financial stability and guaranteed tuition waivers” for…
Cleve Heidelberg died a free man
Early Saturday morning, police and property management found Cleve Heidelberg dead in his Peoria apartment after a friend failed to reach him. No foul play is suspected. “He died a free man. I don’t care what legal technicalities are pending,…