Last month, Rev. Hightower wrote about the Civil Rights Act signed in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act signed in 1965. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected president, and Sen. Mitch McConnell said, “We are going to do all we…
Planning for Pollinators Bumblebees buzzing amongst the white clover on the front lawn is a childhood memory that many of us share. Today, children have another memory that will follow them into adulthood. They hear the scientific data that warn…
People of certain age, confident I qualify, are advised to engage in health promoting tasks and behaviors for body and brain. These encompass a wide variety, including interaction with others; volunteering; healthy eating; learning new skills; spirituality; walking and other…
A state of Cognitive Dissonance We are in the fourth month of the Trump presidency, but it feels like it’s been a year. This administration’s plans appear to be: throw so much crap at one time that we either grow…
“The flatness, event-less-ness, and openness of the surrounding landscape opens a space to go deep… . The clay pieces in particular take a long time to make, they require patience and determination — I can’t quite imagine making them without…
MUSIC May 1: ICC Concert Choir. 7:30 p.m. ICC Performing Arts Center. 694-5136. May 2: Collegium Musicum. 7:30 p.m. BU’s Dingeldine Music Center. 677-2595. May 3: ICC Concert Band. 7:30 p.m. ICC Performing Arts Center. 694-5136. May 4: “I Set…
Trumka advocates strong bargaining rights for all – union and not. Expanding on a point he recently made in his one-on-one meeting with GOP President Donald Trump, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in April came out for strong bargaining rights for…
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 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 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 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…
Bob Michel: One of the greatest of the greatest generation Bob Michel’s life reflects the perfect definition of what Tom Brokaw called “The Greatest Generation.” Bob was raised by two loving parents with his two sisters in Peoria. He learned…
What If? As the basketball season draws to a close, Bradley fans have to be wondering about the future of the sport on the Hilltop. Yes, this past season under coach Brian Wardle was better than the year before, but…
Eighty years ago next month, theaters premiered “Walt Disney’s Academy Award Revue,” a May 19, 1937, release including the Oscar-winning shorts “Flowers and Trees,” “The Country Cousin,” “Three Little Pigs,” “The Three Orphan Kittens” and “The Tortoise and the Hare”…
An early morning phone call The call came as I was home getting ready to drive to work. The caller said his name quickly, and I couldn’t understand him. Finally he said he’s an advertiser in Community Word, and I…
30 percent funding cut for EPA The President’s proposed budget slashes funding to the Environmental Protection Agency by 30 percent, and programs addressing climate change are the major targets of these cuts. Talk about penny wise and pound foolish! When…
Sad History of Public Land for Private Profit By Karrie E. Alms What does open space forever mean to you? Many of our early leaders believed and many today know that public parks are a smart investment for America’s health…
Rebuilding Our Community One Vote at a Time Unless you have been living under a rock and have not noticed, we are living in some very strange times. The Bible says it this way in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV, “But…
Yard waste pickup begins April 7. With warm weather fast approaching, please be sure that grass/weeds are kept trimmed and mowed. Try to bring your garbage cans in from the curbs and sidewalks as soon after garbage pick-up as possible.…