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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
Since the inauguration of Donald Trump, rallies have been held across the country and around the world supporting women’s rights, Planned Parenthood and immigrants. On Jan. 21 outside the Peoria Gateway Building, a crowd of about 1,200 heard from Rep.…
BY CLARE HOWARD The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois recently released results of an investigation begun in 2015 into Heartland Health Services and found the Peoria clinics limit birth control availability for many low-income residents in the community, creating…
