Editorial Page

Editorial | Weaponizing Free Speech

S.A. Shepler (c) Community Word, 2018

REUTERS PHOTO: Man standing at a Trump rally in a T-shirt with this printing: “Rope Tree Journalist Some assembly required” A woman and young girl stand nearby laughing. Since when did this become constitutionally protected free speech in the United…

Letter to the Editor | Protecting coal ash, not children

Governor Rauner’s Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) is failing to protect us. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) weakened federal health and water protections for communities near toxic coal ash waste dumps. If you live in the Peoria area, that…

Op-Ed | If only they’d come the right way …

Editor’s Note: Immigrants and refugee seekers have different rights. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, everyone has a right to seek asylum from persecution and violence. The UN states that “some mass displacements may…

Editorials | The “Black National Anthem”

S.A. Shepler (c) Community Word 2018

The Declaration of Independence sets forth the principles of our democracy: All people in this country are equal with inalienable rights, among them the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We can believe in the promises of…

Letter to the Editor | Catholic Hospitals Restrict Access to Healthcare

If you are a person needing reproductive health care, from contraceptives to abortion, beware of Catholic hospitals and their provider networks. That’s a message many people have not received, according to a recent study by researchers from California and Illinois,…

Letter to the Editor | ERA: Giant Leap Forward

On May 30, the Illinois General Assembly took a giant leap forward for women’s rights nationwide and ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. It took Illinois 46 years, but better late than never. Now we’re one state closer to seeing equal…

Op-Ed | Protect Peoria Hospital Patients from Hazardous Hot Dogs

A hospital stay shouldn’t put a patient at risk for cancer. But it can—if the menu includes hot dogs, sausage and other processed meat, which the World Health Organization has declared carcinogenic and placed in the same category as tobacco…

Editorial | Colin Kaepernick: Amnesty International Award Winner

Amnesty International gave Colin Kaepernick its 2018 Ambassador of Conscience Award for his nonviolent protest against police violence against black people. The N.F.L. quarterback did not stand for the National Anthem but knelt to protest racial inequality and police brutality.…

Op-Ed | Are We Losing Our Right to Peaceful Protest?

BY Eliida Lakota It is amazing to me the extent government officials will go to deny innocent people their constitutional rights –– people who are protecting their land and water. I attended the protest at Standing Rock and saw law…