BY BILL KNIGHT The last of the three family members arrested in connection with a fight in Canton Memorial Day weekend last year pleaded guilty on March 13. In a complicated agreement with prosecutors, Shane Weller, 19, pleaded guilty: •…
Articles
Lawsuit Updates: GateHouse & Farm Bureau
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Lawsuit Updates: GateHouse & Farm Bureau
BY CLARE HOWARD A settlement was reached last week in a class action lawsuit against GateHouse Media by Massachusetts newspaper subscribers over special surcharges billed for “premium edition” sections inserted into the regular newspaper. Plaintiffs charged that GateHouse failed to…
Better care, lower costs abroad
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Better care, lower costs abroad
BY CLARE HOWARD John Parks has no hesitancy labeling himself a conservative, but he’s adamant the current health care system in this country is broken, and the best solution is a single-payer plan providing universal coverage. Parks, 70, has the…
Voter fraud: Sasquatch
by Terry Bibo • • Comments Off on Voter fraud: Sasquatch
BY TERRY BIBO From the relatively serene vantage point of Central Illinois, there are two peculiar items of interest about voting rights. First, there are more states with laws on the books to restrict voting rights today (32) than there…
Remember evil
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Remember evil
BY CLARE HOWARD As a wave of anti-Semitism sweeps the nation, Peoria’s Holocaust Memorial is being relocated from a shopping mall to the heart of downtown on the southwest corner of Peoria Riverfront Museum. Composed of a series of clear…
Peoria Rally for Science
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Peoria Rally for Science
BY SUSIE GRANA INGRAM One of my favorite things about the Peoria area is its beautiful river valley and the incredible abundance of life it supports. Throughout the coldest months, Bald Eagles use the river as their winter retreat. Yet,…
Combating hate
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Combating hate
Lecia Brooks, outreach director at Southern Poverty Law Center, will speak in Peoria Aug. 29 at the Bob Michel Student Center, Bradley University. Hate groups are proliferating across the country and in central Illinois. Brooks will speak about the rise…
Central Illinoisans fear “repeal & replace”
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Central Illinoisans fear “repeal & replace”
BY CLARE HOWARD Amber Pawula-Marcin speaks in a quiet voice, with a gentle smile, but her story roars out against the mantra “repeal and replace.” She has watched, listened and read as Congress spent millions of dollars on largely symbolic…
Japanese tycoon buys Journal Star
by Clare Howard • • Comments Off on Japanese tycoon buys Journal Star
BY CLARE HOWARD Peoria’s only daily newspaper, once family owned, was purchased by a privately held Japanese conglomerate aiming to become a global telecommunications leader. The sale is expected to close by year-end. SoftBank, owned by Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son,…
Hate crime plea deal
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Hate crime plea deal
BY BILL KNIGHT Two of the three people arrested in connection with a Memorial Day weekend melee in Canton that resulted in multiple charges, including commission of a hate crime, on Feb. 15 pleaded guilty to battery. In an agreement…