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…
Opinion
Editorial | When emotions clash with science-based public policy
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Editorial | When emotions clash with science-based public policy
There is something pathetic, ridiculous and depressing watching scores of people picketing the state capital in Michigan carrying assault weapons and protesting orders to stay home and wear a face mask in public. But even more depressing is listening to…
OpEd | Your shopping dollars can save a village
by contributor • • Comments Off on OpEd | Your shopping dollars can save a village
BY NANCY LONG Getting tired of wearing a mask? Your workplace is shut down? Waiting for Food Stamps? It’s serious, even if you or loved ones don’t get COVID-19. Consider the families at the other end of the supply chain.…
OpEd | CAFOs — the ideal disease incubators
by contributor • • Comments Off on OpEd | CAFOs — the ideal disease incubators
BY KAREN HUDSON It has long been known that animals and humans readily trade disease by “species jumping” in a process called zoonosis. Zoonotic diseases are caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi. Zoonotic diseases are very…
OpEd | Inconsistencies in anti-abortion reasoning
by contributor • • Comments Off on OpEd | Inconsistencies in anti-abortion reasoning
In January, the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal money from the state of California if it does not drop its requirement that private insurers cover abortions. It declared that California was in violation of the federal Weldon Amendment, which…
OpEd | Ending cash bond does not make us less safe
by contributor • • Comments Off on OpEd | Ending cash bond does not make us less safe
BY ANTHONY WALRAVEN, Change Peoria Every year in the State of Illinois, over a quarter of a million people pass through the 92 jails in the 102 counties of our state, and 90% of those people are detained pre-trial, most…
OpEd | Ending cash bail is not the answer
by contributor • • Comments Off on OpEd | Ending cash bail is not the answer
BY SHERIFF BRIAN ASBELL I have not seen any proposed legislation related to the elimination of cash bail; however, I believe this will be a dangerous practice if not properly vetted. I am a proponent of true pre-trial reform which…
OpEd | Proton Beam cancer treatment in Peoria at OSF
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on OpEd | Proton Beam cancer treatment in Peoria at OSF
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center has filed an application with the Illinois Health Department for licensing to construct and operate a comprehensive cancer center and proton beam radiation facility in Peoria. The center is expected to cost $237 million and…
OpEd | Earning a living should not be curtailed due to discrimination over sexual orientation
by contributor • • Comments Off on OpEd | Earning a living should not be curtailed due to discrimination over sexual orientation
The United States Supreme Court in October heard oral arguments in three cases concerning employment discrimination against gay or transgender workers. In one, a county employee in Georgia was fired after joining a gay recreational softball league for “conduct unbecoming…
OpEd | Whistleblowers, sources and the constitution
by contributor • • Comments Off on OpEd | Whistleblowers, sources and the constitution
BY TORI WHIDDEN Throughout the United States, government agencies are unconstitutionally enforcing restrictive policies that are negatively affecting the public’s access to information. First Amendment rights allow public employees to speak about work-related matters without the permission of their superiors.…