BY DAVE WEIMAN Boredom, loneliness, and helplessness have been called the “Three Plagues of Nursing Homes.” But, they apply to other levels of services for the elderly, too. A retired carpenter who loved to work with his hands, but due…
Ten Surprising Facts About Cholesterol
What many people have learned about cholesterol is summarized by the following: High cholesterol will clog up your arteries and cause a heart attack. There are two main types of cholesterol. Good cholesterol or HDL for high density lipoprotein that…
Environmental News Brief
Junk Science Journals Two scientific journals known for their industry ties have become go-to publications for researchers who minimize risks from chemicals, according to an article published by Center for Public Integrity. Critics are charging the two peer-reviewed science journals,…
“Unimaginable injustice” 45 years in prison
Is Cleve Heidelberg INNOCENT? BY CLARE HOWARD On a cold, gray Friday afternoon in mid-January, Marcella Teplitz and Andrew Hale drove east on Harmon Highway from the site of the old Bellevue Drive-In movie theater. Outside the theater ticket booth…
Food deserts
Distance and income leave some neighborhoods hungry for good food BY BILL KNIGHT The need is chicken-or-egg. And meat and fruit . . . . Neighborhoods need full-service groceries for consumers to shop for healthy food, but businesses need customer…
Agriculture biotechnology: challenging law; violating justice
Biotechnology in agriculture is upending traditional notions of justice and liability; public policy is failing to keep up with the problem. Both chemical and organic farmers are venting frustration over harm. Lawsuit over Viptera GMO corn American farmers suffered billions…
Recognition and demand grow for organic farmer
BY TERRA BROCKMAN The Illinois Department of Agriculture has named a fifth generation central Illinois farmer, Harold Wilken, the winner of the annual R.J. Vollmer Award for Sustainable Agriculture. Wilken, together with his wife Sandy and son Ross, are the…
Susan B. Anthony, born 196 years ago this month, certainly didn’t need others to speak for her. But she had a knack for making allies from throughout the progressive movements of the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries. So when…
EXCITING NEWS It’s been vacant for a long time, but the former car dealer lot at University and War Memorial Drive will soon be alive with activity. Expect an announcement by a developer about some new businesses to be constructed…
Food Stamp spending cut nationwide but Illinois, thankfully, bucks the trend On the campaign trail in early January, presidential candidate Jeb Bush called for an end to Food Stamps, replacing the federal program with “Right to Rise” grants awarded to…
Letters
Letter to Dave Koehler, Jehan Gordon-Booth, and Chuck Weaver: I am writing to ask you to start or join a movement to advance a solution to the impasse that exists in Springfield. As you well know, people in Illinois suffer…
Letters
OpEd Flowers that express love, not exploitation By Kira Santiago If you’re like most people, when you think of Valentine’s Day you think of flowers, chocolate or maybe diamonds. People have begun to realize there is a dark side to…
Justice Is Required on the Path to Peace The police officers I know personally are all good people. They take their jobs seriously, genuinely care about the safety of the public they serve, and treat people fairly. And yet I…
Refuge under siege As I write this, a group of armed, anti-government, militants is thinking about leaving a National Wildlife Refuge they have occupied since Jan. 2. Not to give it back to the public, but rather, to go into…
February, you are a challenging, volatile month causing chaos overnight with your merciless winter weather surprises. Not sure why you insist on doing that. We know you possess some compassion tucked deep inside because for many successive days we’re freezing…
The West Peoria Residents Association thanks members for their continued support and announces that Jamie and April Silver will be in charge of the Jamboree Run again this June. WPRA has agreed to sponsor the Heart of Illinois Special Olympics…
How My Aunt Became My Grandmother My aunt, Geneva “Ginny” Nailing, was a woman with a plan. She wanted more out of life. She wanted people’s voices to be heard and their rights to be respected. She was determined to…
My family and I decided to immerse ourselves in a movie marathon a couple of weeks ago in which we certainly fed our craving for cinematic diversity. One such morsel was a film, starring two veteran actors, entitled “Walk in…
ARTS BEAT
MUSIC Feb. 2: Red Sun Rising, with Drugs Delaney. 8 p.m. Limelight Eventplex. 693-1234. Feb. 5: Chris Janson. 8 p.m. Limelight Eventplex. 693-1234. Feb. 5: Judy Page & Friends. 8 p.m. Rhythm Kitchen Music Café. 676-9668. Feb. 5: The Brazilionaires…