Author Archive for contributor

Letter to the Editor | Peoria’s Historians

As Roger Monroe noted in his September column, Norm Kelly recently passed into history. Monroe eulogized his long-time friend for his unique talents. But Kelly’s legacy lies not just in the books, articles and talks that he created about local…

Letter to the Editor | Vote YES to sell Heddington Oaks

Peoria County voters will see a referendum on their ballot Nov. 3 which will allow the Peoria County Board to sell vacant property, the former long-term care facility known as Heddington Oaks. The decision to close Heddington Oaks was not…

Letter to the Editor | Understanding your vote-by-mail option in Peoria County

Tom Bride

This election season, the Peoria County Election Commission wants to assure voters that we are committed to providing accurate and accessible voting options to all residents for the upcoming 2020 General Election. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate Vote…

OpEd | When religious freedom is a threat

In the midst of the furor over the pandemic, the economy, our current divisive politics and the upcoming national election, an important area of concern tends to be overlooked. This spring, the Justice Department hosted a week of training for…

The great fractal college experiment

Fusun Akman

BY FUSUN AKMAN Fractals are shapes that repeat themselves at smaller and smaller scales, as broccoli florets are wont to do. I have been thinking of fractals geopolitically: whatever is happening in the world is happening in the U.S. is…

Letter to the Editor | How can we sustainably feed the world’s population?

The answer is to turn to regenerative farming. Perhaps you have not heard of regenerative farming. Most of the farming done today, particularly in the United States, is conventional farming/factory farming. Government incentives and our current industrial food complex result…

OpEd | Distancing Can Be Other Than Social

Although people of all ages can be victims of COVID-19, we share a common awareness that some folks are more vulnerable than others. This fact has promoted a mentality that makes us wonder when someone has died whether they were…