BY NATASHA GREENE One of the greatest loves in my life is my relationship with music. Music has been a constant companion throughout life as far back as I can remember. Once, while taking piano lessons from a retired 80-year-old…
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Fred Winterroth: He’s spent half his life advocating for the proposed Hanna City Trail and now it’s within reach
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Fred Winterroth: He’s spent half his life advocating for the proposed Hanna City Trail and now it’s within reach
Hanna City Village President Fred Winterroth sees enormous regional benefit from converting 25 miles of abandoned Union Pacific rail line to a hiking-biking trail. The narrow strip of land runs through Bellevue, Hanna City, Farmington and Middle Grove. Now 65,…
Western Avenue Upgrade to regenerate 61605
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Western Avenue Upgrade to regenerate 61605
When urban planner Chuck Marohn talks about the best economic stimulus for urban communities, he advises focusing dollars on older sections of town, not the sprawling suburbs that cost more to maintain than they generate in tax revenue. Marohn proves…
PAWAC: Israel-Palestine path forward
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on PAWAC: Israel-Palestine path forward
It’s time to abandon the notion of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and instead embrace the goal of Jewish-Palestinian equality, Peter Beinart said during a Peoria Area World Affairs Council talk via Zoom conferencing. Beinart, editor-at-large for Jewish…
Groundswell of interest: Learning to be anti-racist
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Groundswell of interest: Learning to be anti-racist
Last month, Community Word spoke with Jessica Stephenson, owner of the independent bookstore Lit on Fire on Main Street. This month, Mary Beth Nebel, owner of the independent bookstore I Know You Like a Book on Prospect Road in Peoria…
Economics 101: Racism damages Peoria’s economy
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Economics 101: Racism damages Peoria’s economy
Larry Ivory knows social and economic inequality can be measured and traced throughout American history. It’s an anchor that weighs down the American capitalist economy and is a valve threatening to explode under pressure. Ivory, president and CEO of the…
Live music slowly starts to rebound
by Bill Knight • • Comments Off on Live music slowly starts to rebound
Remembering music from the ’60s, one wonders when the pandemic will ease enough to move from “The Sounds of Silence” to “I Can Hear Music.” Live music is often a sidelight to fans or local musicians, but for others it’s…
Icons of justice pass the baton to all of us and tell us to pick it up and run
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Icons of justice pass the baton to all of us and tell us to pick it up and run
The deaths of John Lewis and C.T. Vivian left a legacy but also a responsibility for the rest of us to carry on the work of moving America toward its ideals and away from its blood-soaked history. Reprinted with permission…
Peoria public housing: Concentration camp/safety
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Peoria public housing: Concentration camp/safety
Indignation was heated over action the Peoria Housing Authority took at Taft Homes over the July Fourth weekend. PHA implemented measures again this year similar to those followed for almost a decade, but this year advance notification inadvertently did not…
Census count of Latino community could recalibrate Peoria
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Census count of Latino community could recalibrate Peoria
When Rigo Diaz came to Peoria from Mexico 45 years ago, he discovered a very small Hispanic community here. It was rare to see another Hispanic family in the stores. Today, leaders in the Hispanic community believe Latinos account for…