Peoria taxpayers are paying outside attorneys to sue the county and also to defend the county in a 13-month-old lawsuit by County Auditor Jessica Thomas, whose office was changed by the County Board in 2021 and eliminated by voters in…
Articles
The Lion’s Den: Here’s to new year full of good ole days for the future of us all
by Daniel McCloud • • Comments Off on The Lion’s Den: Here’s to new year full of good ole days for the future of us all
If you’re reading this, then you made it to the year of our Lord, 2023. Perhaps there is light snow on the ground and a solitary robin sitting on a frosty tree limb just outside your window. If you’re lucky,…
Nature Rambles: Surf Scoter catching waves on Illinois
by Mike Miller • • Comments Off on Nature Rambles: Surf Scoter catching waves on Illinois
At 123 years old, the National Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the longest running citizen science project in existence. Its roots date back to 1900, when ornithologist Frank Chapman suggested that people should go out at Christmas and count…
Straight Talk: Christmas Sing brings back joy to our past, present, future
by Roger Monroe • • Comments Off on Straight Talk: Christmas Sing brings back joy to our past, present, future
After an absence of three years, the annual Peoria Journal Christmas Sing returned Tuesday, Dec. 13, without the involvement of the local newspaper. Apparently, Ebenezer Scrooge, new owners of the Peoria Journal Star, had no interest in continuing what they…
Benchmark in history: Peoria High grad Darrin Gayles, federal judge in Southern District of Florida
by Brian Ludwig • • Comments Off on Benchmark in history: Peoria High grad Darrin Gayles, federal judge in Southern District of Florida
There are plenty of people Peorians can be proud of here, there and everywhere. One such person to have particular pride in is the Honorable Darrin Gayles. The Peoria High graduate sits on the federal bench in Miami as…
Elvis was a hero to most, but not me in spite of history
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Elvis was a hero to most, but not me in spite of history
“Elvis was a hero to most … but he never meant shit to me you see. Straight up racist … that sucker was simple and plain.” That lyric from the Public Enemy classic, “Fight the Power” shaped my opinion of…
Park District trustee planting trees of hope
by Bill Knight • • Comments Off on Park District trustee planting trees of hope
The prime time when trees were center stage passed with fall’s spectacular colors gone or muted into stands of dark-brown red oaks. But forests in the city may yet be in the wings, awaiting their cue. There are initiatives to…
by Scott Shepler • • Comments Off on
Inland Art: Riverfront Museum taps impressive collection to show excellent exhibits
by Nichole Gronvold-Roller • • Comments Off on Inland Art: Riverfront Museum taps impressive collection to show excellent exhibits
Before the origination of public art museums, exposure to distant cultures was limited to private collections and travel of elite society and nobility. The history and development of museums have a rugged lineage with the political controversy of questionable artifact…
Heat Waves in Red & Black: Melting Glaciers involve more than rising sea levels
by William Rau • • Comments Off on Heat Waves in Red & Black: Melting Glaciers involve more than rising sea levels
Last month I explored Greenland’s and West Antarctica’s accelerating ice loss. Both are approaching tipping points beyond which continuing ice loss becomes irreversible. Yet, these glaciers are so massive that it’s hard to imagine them withering away. For that task…