Features

Labor Day 2015

Critical “tipping point” between unions and so-called “right to work” BY CLARE HOWARD As the nation celebrates Labor Day with parades and picnics, an “apocalyptic” moment is brewing in the United States with Illinois widely viewed as a critical pivotal…

Does where you live determine where you’ll go?

By BILL KNIGHT As Peoria’s City-County Citizen Leadership Academy starts this month with help from neighborhood activists, two recent studies seem to indicate a struggling Peoria and the need for strong neighborhoods to be the backbones of cities. The new…

ROYCE ELLIOTT PLACE The sun was shining brightly, almost like God’s spotlight on America’s cleanest comedian, Royce Elliott, as people gathered to honor the man who made so many laugh and smile. The occasion was the unveiling of the honorary…

Over past 20 years, “Loaves and Fish” fed 300,000 Last year, I was talking with a couple about what went into their selection of whether and/or which church to call home. Their Christian faith is strong, so connecting with a…

ENVIRONMENTALISTS ALARMED AT LACK OF PUBLIC NOTIFICATION FOLLOWING CRASH THAT SENT COAL FLY ASH BILLOWING OVER CARS, WORKERS AND NEARBY HOMES

The Illinois EPA was not notified about a crash on Route 29 north of Peoria that resulted in coal fly ash spilling over the highway. Two southbound lanes of the road were closed for hours during a cleanup operation involving…

Faiths’ stewardship equals environmental responsibility

  Life is more than mere existence. It’s survival and growth – as individuals, as a species, and as inhabitants of a planet teeming with life. But living has historically trod two paths: faith and reason, or religion and science.…

Country music trend sparks pushback

Counting on Miranda Lambert’s Feb. 21 concert at the Civic Center Arena to feature some version of “Somethin’ Bad,” her hit duet with Carrie Underwood, is like hoping for comic Rodney Carrington to stroll over from his performance in the…

The Magnificant Invalid

By Doug Day Three dramas were performed locally in November. I met with Charles Brown at the Broken Tree Cafe on Main Street to learn about his experience being a guest artist for Bradley in the student directed production of…

America’s health lags behind comparable nations

Everyday people might understandably fear West Nile Virus or Ebola, but a new report in the Annual Review of Public Health journal says it may be smarter to fret about policymakers’ decisions and wasteful health-care spending – which haven’t meant…