BY ELAINE HOPKINS A new television series, “Mrs. America,” explores the people involved in the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a battle that continues to this day. The series streams on Wednesdays on Hulu. The…
News
Voting in jails
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Voting in jails
Detainees at the Peoria County Jail cast absentee ballots for the statewide primary in March. They will vote again in the upcoming presidential elections. Peoria County Jail Superintendent Ronda Guyton coordinated with Peoria County Board of Elections director Tom Bride…
Geriatric prisoners and “three strikes” — it’s taxpayers who strike out
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Geriatric prisoners and “three strikes” — it’s taxpayers who strike out
Research and nearly half a century of precedent have widely disproven the value of three-strikes-and-you’re-out, but change may be too slow in coming for Lester Mason. The three-strikes legislation was supposed to act as a deterrent to violent crime. Instead,…
COVID-19 Briefs
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on COVID-19 Briefs
As the world hunkers down under quarantines and business closings, here are some facts on this latest “novel” virus. COVID-19 is a new coronavirus that was initially identified in Wuhan, China, and linked to a seafood and live animal “wet…
Study: toxins pervasive in drinking water
by Bill Knight • • Comments Off on Study: toxins pervasive in drinking water
Illinois may not have the worst contamination of PFAS “forever chemicals,” according to a new study by the Environmental Working Group, but the toxic compounds are present in water systems and groundwater in Peoria, Galesburg, Bloomington and the Quad Cities. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the legislature recognize the danger, and some are pressing for reforms.
Peoria lost $540 million in Census 2010; Now recapture the loss
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Peoria lost $540 million in Census 2010; Now recapture the loss
The census 2010 undercount in Peoria County cost $54 million a year in lost revenues, according to Robin Grantham, community development & engagement manager with PCCEO.
Lester Mason: justice or “archaic” penalty?
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Lester Mason: justice or “archaic” penalty?
Lester Bobby Mason chopped cotton in Mississippi as a youth along with 11 brothers and sisters. But when 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally beaten to death in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman, Mason’s mother decided in order…
PeoriaCon March 7 offers cosplay and comics
by Bill Knight • • Comments Off on PeoriaCon March 7 offers cosplay and comics
Hours before heading to Chicago and days ahead of the second PeoriaCon, Jason Johnston leads onlookers through a display of comic and other artwork on display at Studios on Sheridan. The 41-year-old Peorian, who formerly worked trade shows with Events…
Discrimination and “The Politics of Hair”
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Discrimination and “The Politics of Hair”
“The Politics of Hair” is a storytelling campaign planned by Ill. Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth to highlight the discrimination African-Americans experience due to hairstyles including natural, braids and dreadlocks. Many people in America who deny racism still exists need to hear…
ISU Professor: Peoria vulnerable to killer heat waves
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on ISU Professor: Peoria vulnerable to killer heat waves
Everyone who has watched Australia burn and Jakarta flood need look no further than Peoria for dangerous, life-threatening changes due to climate change. William Rau, Illinois State University emeritus professor of sociology, said communities in central Illinois need detailed emergency…