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…
Articles
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…
Muslims in Peoria alarmed; NGOs fear genocide in India
by contributor • • Comments Off on Muslims in Peoria alarmed; NGOs fear genocide in India
“Preparation for a genocide is definitely under way in India,” said Dr. Gregory Stanton, founder of Genocide Watch, speaking to an audience of U.S. Congressional and government officials at a briefing titled “Ground Reports on Kashmir and NRC (National Register…
“Remember Her, Peoria!”
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on “Remember Her, Peoria!”
“Remember Her, Peoria!” is a new art installation designed to bring attention to the number of women and girls murdered and missing in Peoria County. One estimate puts the number at 88 over the past two decades. Opening on Valentine’s…
Demeaning stereotypes linked to Illinois’ initial failure to pass ERA
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Demeaning stereotypes linked to Illinois’ initial failure to pass ERA
Bradley University senior Samantha Lechowicz researched the correlation between news coverage in the Peoria Journal Star and the repeated decades-long failure of the Illinois Legislature to pass the Equal Rights Amendment up until its recent passage in May 2018. Some…
Workforce diversity No. 1 tool for economic growth
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Workforce diversity No. 1 tool for economic growth
Ernestine Jackson has worked for more than four decades in equal employment opportunity; today she is frustrated, even heartbroken, when she looks at the racial composition of Peoria and the racial composition of the city hall workforce and contractors with…
EPA gives OK for more toxic chemical cocktails
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on EPA gives OK for more toxic chemical cocktails
The Trump administration continues to lift restrictions on toxic pesticides despite years of research by independent scientists. The fallout in Central Illinois is especially acute. With a location in the middle of the farm belt, Central Illinois is the bull’s…
Radon “old news,” but threat current
by Bill Knight • • Comments Off on Radon “old news,” but threat current
January is National Radon Action Month designated to increase awareness of the dangers of radon, which is especially relevant to Central Illinois where residents live with high levels of the carcinogenic gas, according to the U.S. Surgeon General and Environmental…
Downstate Story releases 2019 edition
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Downstate Story releases 2019 edition
Peoria’s only literary magazine for fiction, Downstate Story, just released its 2019 edition. It is now published only on the web at www.downstatestory.com. Writers in this issue include: Loren Logsdon of Eureka, IL; Marie Anderson of Western Springs, IL; Duke…