Articles

‘Tis the Season . . . for toxins Driving north on Knoxville Avenue recently, I spotted a seasonally ubiquitous and totally illogical sight: a man striding across a tiny swatch of turf grass near a strip shopping center. Marching across…

Talking about drugs’ side effects, the late comic Robin Williams said, “There’s a product called Olestra, which is a very strange thing. ‘Olestra? What is that?’ It’s said on the little side of the chips: ‘May cause anal leakage.’ That’s…

Trans fat ban; Koehler was right Illinois Sen. Dave Koehler should feel exonerated. Labels like “nanny state” were hurled at him years ago for his efforts to ban trans fat. It took the FDA a while to catch up with…

Shavua Tov! (Happy New Week!)

Shavua Tov! (Happy New Week!) I write this sitting in Jerusalem, looking out my window as the Sabbath has ended and the city is coming back to life after the 25 hours of quiet and calm that mark Shabbat in…

West Peoria News

July Fourth marks a special day for our West Peoria community and citizens. It is the day that each year the community opens its doors, streets, hearts and welcomes thousands to our community for the longest running Fourth of July…

The Magnificent Invalid

The Great Work Begins is a group of young actors who have formed a collective to produce and perform some of the most important theatrical literature of the past. They have no funding, no roof, no grants, nothing but passion…

ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS BRIEFS

  Ontario first jurisdiction in North America to curb bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. A new rule that goes into effect July 1 will reduce 80 percent of the neonicotinoid-coated corn and soybean seeds planted in the province by 2017. Scientists have…

Is Rauner’s ‘turnaround’ fair play?

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s turnaround agenda could seriously hurt everyday people. And it wouldn’t be a double-whammy. It would be more like a quadruple-whammy. Squared. The Republican’s proposed cuts to human services in particular could weaken everything from health care and…

How much of a “probable human carcinogen” is in your urine?

One of the most widely used pesticides in the Peoria area and around the world, applied plentifully by both homeowners and farmers, was labeled a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization recently. Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup,…