BY CLARE HOWARD As a wave of anti-Semitism sweeps the nation, Peoria’s Holocaust Memorial is being relocated from a shopping mall to the heart of downtown on the southwest corner of Peoria Riverfront Museum. Composed of a series of clear…
Author Archive for Clare Howard
Clare Howard is the editor of the Community Word. She can be reached at communityword@yahoo.com
Central Illinoisans fear “repeal & replace”
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Central Illinoisans fear “repeal & replace”
BY CLARE HOWARD Amber Pawula-Marcin speaks in a quiet voice, with a gentle smile, but her story roars out against the mantra “repeal and replace.” She has watched, listened and read as Congress spent millions of dollars on largely symbolic…
Japanese tycoon buys Journal Star
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Japanese tycoon buys Journal Star
BY CLARE HOWARD Peoria’s only daily newspaper, once family owned, was purchased by a privately held Japanese conglomerate aiming to become a global telecommunications leader. The sale is expected to close by year-end. SoftBank, owned by Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son,…
ACLU: Heartland Clinics restrict access to birth control
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on ACLU: Heartland Clinics restrict access to birth control
BY CLARE HOWARD The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois recently released results of an investigation begun in 2015 into Heartland Health Services and found the Peoria clinics limit birth control availability for many low-income residents in the community, creating…
Be “upstander” not “bystander” in fighting hate crimes
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Be “upstander” not “bystander” in fighting hate crimes
BY CLARE HOWARD More than 200 people filled the sanctuary at Temple Sholom in Galesburg recently to hear the outreach director from Southern Poverty Law Center talk about the uptick in hate crime since the presidential election, and she recommended…
Gut health linked to disease, obesity
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Gut health linked to disease, obesity
BY CLARE HOWARD Two medical researchers who arrived at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria in August dream of fighting disease and boosting immunity by restoring balance to the gut microbiome. Long-held assumptions about the human gut…
Two men, 200 miles apart, two rivers, one mission
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Two men, 200 miles apart, two rivers, one mission
BY CLARE HOWARD Donald Hey and Bud Grieves are focused on re-establishing the ancient “flood pulse” of rivers. The flood pulse is the lifeblood of rivers, the ebb and flow of seasonal cycles of gentle floods and droughts established over…
ACLU questions Heartland Clinic about religious restrictions
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on ACLU questions Heartland Clinic about religious restrictions
BY CLARE HOWARD Federally funded health care clinics cannot operate under rules that are religiously based, however, some of the lease agreements between Heartland Health Services and OSF Saint Francis Medical Center have restrictions that limit counseling and access to…
Diversity key to community healthcare
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Diversity key to community healthcare
A diverse student body in medical programs is essential to the future of medical care in this country, and diversity is a key goal Kim Johnston, president of Methodist College, has pursued through a variety of wide-ranging programs since she…
Organic farmer sees ominous signs for climate & future of food
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Organic farmer sees ominous signs for climate & future of food
Henry Brockman planned to cut back on his extensive and demanding organic farming operation after his one-year sabbatical in Japan. He’s been farming on fertile bottomland outside Eureka for 25 years, his three children are finished or finishing college, he’s…