A number of incidents in the local media prompts me to focus on Peoria’s broadcasting industry. Let’s start with the dismissal of WEEK TV’s talented meteorologist, Jesse Guinn. Guinn reportedly was unceremoniously fired without notice or any kind of preliminary…
Columns
Bill Knight | Bank fees for federal Paycheck Protection Program loans
by Bill Knight • • Comments Off on Bill Knight | Bank fees for federal Paycheck Protection Program loans
The saying “Think globally, act locally” has a parallel in how news is received. Whether international or digital sources, national press, broadcasters or print, headlines stressing Big News can seem to imply important events or acts happen far away, not…
The Watch | History in Peoria
by Terry Bibo • • Comments Off on The Watch | History in Peoria
At last, here are a few historic happenings which do not involve global illness … Rita Ali became the first woman and first person of color to serve as Mayor of Peoria when she was sworn in on May 4.…
Real Talk | Take Your Knee Off Our Necks
by Sherry Cannon • • Comments Off on Real Talk | Take Your Knee Off Our Necks
A metaphoric knee has been on the necks of Black people for over 400 years in this country. That knee was literally displayed on May 25, 2020 when police officer Derek Chauvin applied pressure to George Floyd’s neck with his…
Nature Rambles | The Kinship of Thistle and Bison
by Mike Miller • • Comments Off on Nature Rambles | The Kinship of Thistle and Bison
Most people don’t think of a prickly thistle as being a rare and desired species. Roadsides are often lined with some type of thistle. Most of these are seen as noxious weeds that are invasive species brought from other continents.…
Inland Art | Jan Brandt
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Inland Art | Jan Brandt
I met Jan Brandt many years ago when her gallery and studio space was located at the historic Coca-Cola Bottling Plant on Bell Street in Bloomington. I was seeking a new gallery to visit beyond my typical stops in Peoria…
Art Alerts | July 2021
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Art Alerts | July 2021
In artist Preston Jackson’s sweeping exhibit “Bronzeville to Harlem: An American Story,” the sculptor tells narratives of American migration and immigration, hope and opportunity, freedom and the struggle for equality through hundreds of small bronze and steel figures, relief sculptures,…
Art: What is it Good For? | Celebrating Our Strengths
by Doug and Eileen Leunig • • Comments Off on Art: What is it Good For? | Celebrating Our Strengths
The Peoria area has a history filled with innovation from the first car built by Duryea to the current Natural Fiber Welding. What is perhaps less known are the past Peorians who led the way for equality, equity and understanding…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | To Tree or Not to Tree, Part 1: The 1 Trillion Tree Initiative
by William Rau • • Comments Off on Heat Waves — In Red and Black | To Tree or Not to Tree, Part 1: The 1 Trillion Tree Initiative
When the annual World Economic Forum draws the wealthy and powerful to Davos, Switzerland, things happen. The 2019 initiation of a 1 trillion tree planting scheme (https://www.1t.org/) – 1t for short – is an example. Does it mean that the…
Serendipity | Differences of Opinion
by Sandra Dempsey Post • • Comments Off on Serendipity | Differences of Opinion
When my husband and I were engaged, we often wondered what topics or situations would cause arguments between us. We had read about typical ones: money, in-laws, where to spend Christmas dinner, putting the cap on the toothpaste, how many…