Columns

Going North … Or South?

There was something new at the Jake Wolf Fish Hatchery in Sand Ridge. At least new to me. At the side of one of the fish ponds, basking in the sun, were over a dozen huge, dark, bald headed turkey…

What is Aaron Schock thinking?

Sometimes, you just have to wonder what Aaron Schock is thinking. Obviously, it’s not: “Hey, I better watch myself or I’m going to get my butt kicked in the next election.” Aaron Schock’s campaign reimbursed the Congressman (or friends and…

‘Badge of Hope’

Daddy clung to the old rugged cross. He laid down his trophies and clung to the shame, the reproach and the anguish of the cross of Jesus Christ without apology. Galen Ray Courtney was an intelligent man, full of ingenuity…

An Ardent Fan of Spring-time!

Ah, April, I’ve waited a long time for your arrival. Right after the New Year makes its debut, I’m ready for you! Sunshine, flowers pushing through the ground, the greening of the grass, even the outside air is fragrant when…

Computer Tech Tips

was recently reminded of the time, when I was driving my daughters and their friends up Springfield Road to Fondulac Park. On our way we saw a man struggling to ride his bike up the hill.  With no traffic, I slowed down to cheer…

Musings

What a different kind of spring we’ve had this year. After the 80 degree weather it almost seems that summer has ended and cool weather is back. It is definitely an unusual year for weather. I haven’t even got my…

April Happenings

April Happenings thru April 8 – Lily Show at Luthy Botanical Gardens. Call 686-3362. April 5 – “Understanding Your Tax Bill,” from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at ICC’s North Campus on University St. This workshop give property owners in Peoria County a chance to learn how…

Exclusive

Marketing is one of the fastest growing professions in the country. Colleges and universities now offer degrees in marketing. Every successful business has a marketing department or at least a marketing officer. I want to tell you about one of…

NCAA Hardly ‘Squeaky’ Clean: BU Guest Speaker

When Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Taylor Branch comes to Peoria this month, he’s returning to “the scene of the crime.” But the crime wasn’t the 1951 indictment of Bradley University players like Gene “Squeaky” Melchiorre, caught up in the scheme to fix basketball games. The crime…

Goose Music or ‘Sky Carp’

Irene Cull was a botanist, but her enthusiasm for all things natural was contagious. It was March, just over 30 years ago, and my wife, Mary, and I were on our way to a prairie conference in Chicago. Irene was scheduled…