The City of West Peoria and the Fourth of July parade committee thank the residents, volunteers, spectators and participants for their efforts with the annual event this year. Media sources estimated that between 8,000 and 10,000 people were in our…
William Shakespeare was a great friend to actors; not only did he provide employment through his words, he also prescribed how to play their parts through his dialogue. Take the line, “How now Horatio, you tremble and look pale”; one…
Arts Beat
MUSIC Aug. 1: Katelyn Kocher. 11:30 a.m. Brown Bag at the Courthouse. 681-0696. Aug. 3: Peoria Municipal Band, with vocalist Kristin Lelm. 7 p.m. in the Warehouse District. 681-2854. Aug. 3: Robin Akins & Jeff Steenrod. 11:30 a.m. Brown Bag…
Enough Talk Every month we talk about the value of the arts. We talk about how the arts change perceptions. We talk about how the arts benefit our children. We talk about how the arts impact our lives. But talk…
Labor Roundup
Two lawmakers seek to exempt minor-leaguers from minimum wage, overtime law. Peoria Chiefs and other minor-league baseball players would be excluded from the Fair Labor Standards Act guaranteeing a federal minimum wage and overtime pay under a measure introduced in…
How Healthy is a Gluten-Free Diet? Twenty one percent of Americans report cutting gluten from their diets. Estimated sales of gluten-free foods in the United States have increased from $3.8 billion in 2011 to $10.5 billion in 2015. Some foods…
Dedication of restored Ingersoll statue
The Peoria Park District’s Board of Trustees will dedicate the restored Robert Ingersoll statue at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 11 in lower Glen Oak Park where the statue has been located since 1911. Ingersoll was an orator, statesman, free thinker and…
Falling a major risk for Elderly
BY DAVE WEIMAN Each year, more than two million older Americans go to the emergency room because of fall-related injuries. A simple fall can cause a serious fracture of the arm, hand, ankle or hip. This is particularly troubling when…
Selling veggies via Fresh Food Van
The Fresh Food Van makes regular stops throughout Peoria much like the ice cream trucks of decades past. But unlike the Good Humor truck, there is no need for a bell to alert nearby residents. They know the schedule. On…
Immigrants could infuse life into dying central Illinois towns
BY GEORGE HOPKINS The vacant shop’s windows blare a message to the old town square in tiny Cuba, Illinois —“Lost Dreams! Broken Heart! Must Sell!” Like many once-thriving downstate market towns, this Fulton County hamlet is a pretty place, with…
Peoria professor fights oppression with education
BY CLARE HOWARD Throughout history, one of the universal tools of repression has been denying access to education. It’s an inhuman and dirty strategy followed by the Iranian government against people of the Baha’i faith. In total opposition to that…
Advocates want Jerry Brady off Heidelberg case
Attorneys for Cleve Heidelberg, incarcerated since 1970, remain convinced of his innocence in the murder of a white Peoria County sheriff’s deputy, and they want Peoria County State’s Attorney Jerry Brady removed from the case and replaced with an independent…
If Not Now, When? It’s not uncommon for an attorney to ask for a delay in a trial. They do it all the time and often multiple times. People wiser than me say it’s done for a variety of reasons.…
As Major League Baseball’s top players compete in July 12’s annual All-Star Game in San Diego, fans are sure to marvel at the talent on display, and might reminisce about pickup games on city sandlots or rural pastures in their…
“No-lose socialism” thrives in Illinois while governor clear-cuts state Illinois now has the highest unemployment rate in the country. We are the only state going into its second year without a budget, and that means more layoffs and hiring freezes…
Letters
Newspapers should be about more than profit Corporate greed has just found a new partner – GateHouse Media. In the April issue of the Community Word, one of the lead stories was headlined: “GateHouse to Peoria Newsroom: You Don’t Deserve…
OP-ED
Revised sex ed curriculum tackles Peoria’s Third-World teen pregnancy rates BY JOYCE HARANT Three zip codes in Peoria have teen birth rates similar to those in developing countries. Those same zip codes, 61603, 61604 and 61605, have rates of sexually…
Hollywood Gone Godless Hollywood. A place of glamor and lights. A place where you can be on top one moment and unknown the next. An exclusive place of the beautiful, the rich and the powerful. The history of Hollywood is…
Summer Odds and Ends With summer in full swing, there are so many things going on that I have a hard time concentrating on one topic. So here’s an opportunity to catch up on some of the area’s latest nature…
Wisdom, much to the disappointment of many, is not available in liquid or pill form, osmosis, or any type of absorption. It’s acquired through knowledge and experience. The former is time-consuming, the latter often painful. Perhaps that’s why many lose…
July Fourth is the day thousands visit our community to enjoy our annual Fourth of July parade and flag raising ceremony. This is the longest-running celebration in central Illinois of our country’s birthday. Gatherings are held both pre- and post-parade…