Meetings of local governments tend to be less than exciting affairs. I have frequented a few in my years, and I remember when I used to be one of the youngest ones in the audience. Now, I’m one of the…
Every late October we bring two very large hibiscus plants inside for the winter. This year we delayed the process a few weeks thanks to extended warm weather. Eventually frost is predicted and moving inside necessary to keep plants alive. …
Enjoy West Peoria Breakfast with Santa 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Franciscan Recreation Complex. Breakfast includes donuts, pastries, waffles, hot chocolate and coffee. Children can have their picture taken with Santa and help decorate the Christmas…
Understanding the Complexities of Race and Politics: Did the Tenure of an African-American President Hurt Race Relations In America? We have arrived! In 2008, my grandmother was ecstatic to be a part of history. An African-American man not only ran…
Corn Stock revived the 1953 play “Tea and Sympathy” by Robert Anderson (I Never Sang For My Father) in November as part of its Winter Playhouse season. It was well directed by Rebekah Bourland. The 63- year-old play has not…
Arts Beat
MUSIC Dec. 1: GONN, with Super 88 and Sin Thetic. 7 p.m. Limelight Eventplex. 693-1234. Dec. 1: Collegium Musicum. 7:30 p.m. BU’s Dingeldine Music Center. 677-2595. Dec. 2: The Brazilionaires. Live at the Five Spot, 5:30 p.m. Contemporary Art Center.…
Art: What Is It Good For? Empathy After the national election, people continue to divide themselves into camps of red and blue and make broad judgments based on skin color and religion. We define others by what is pushed at…
Labor Roundup
News Guild planning moves vs. Wall Street Journal cuts. The News Guild local that represents Wall Street Journal workers is brainstorming over its response to management plans to cut jobs at the business daily. Citing declining ad revenue, WSJ/Dow Jones…
Environmental News Briefs
Dakota Access Pipeline threatens drinking water in Illinois The Prairie Rivers Network has completed an assessment of the Dakota Access Pipeline and found it crosses a number of significant rivers in Illinois and would threaten the water supply of more…
Are the Blood Thinners Advertised on TV Really Better? Paralysis from stroke is a devastating disability commonly caused by blood clots blocking an artery in the brain. Warfarin (Coumadin) was the standard treatment used to prevent or treat these strokes…
Elder Care Concerns: Helplessness
BY DAVE WEIMAN In October, I wrote an article about loneliness, one of the “three plagues” that could potentially affect the well-being of elders. I wrote about another of those plagues, boredom, in November, and this month I’ll briefly discuss…
Organic farmer sees ominous signs for climate & future of food
Henry Brockman planned to cut back on his extensive and demanding organic farming operation after his one-year sabbatical in Japan. He’s been farming on fertile bottomland outside Eureka for 25 years, his three children are finished or finishing college, he’s…
News analysis: TRUMP TRIUMPHANT — Don’t think for a minute he can’t win!
BY GEORGE HOPKINS In the year 120 BCE, the Roman Senate banned actors from holding elective office, according to Mary Beard, in her magisterial book S.P.Q.R: The History of Ancient Rome (2015). So why this odd footnote to history? It…
C. diff infection rates persistent and pernicious
Peggy Hurt and Peg Phillips share an experience each wishes they didn’t. The women, both from Pekin, worked together for years, and then years apart they each fought a potentially deadly form of highly contagious diarrhea. They were both diagnosed…
IS IT TRUE? Big changes have been taking place at “Big Yellow.” More are planned. It’s only a rumor, but it’s worth repeating. By the year 2020, Caterpillar will be leaving Peoria. According to whispers, the Peoria operations will be…
Evangelicals haven’t really rallied around Trump In the next few weeks, many Americans will give thanks, and the fact that the election will be over will be a blessing to most of us – few more so than Evangelical Christians,…
Presidential candidates: On food, farming and climate change The differences between the candidates on food policy is enormous even though neither has a well-articulated, comprehensive plan that adequately addresses the issues. Access to sustainably raised local food should be a…
Letters to the Editor Vote YES on Schools The Peoria County Schools Facility Sales Tax is about Stronger Schools, Stronger Students and a Stronger Economy. The sales tax is a way to provide better school buildings and create new jobs…
OP-ED
THE FUTURE OF FOOD: A VIEW FROM THE FARM By Dave Bishop This article has been reprinted with permission from GeneWatch where it was originally published by Council for Responsible Genetics. To find the original and other articles of…
Climate Change and the Church In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1:1) Climate change, also called global warming, is the rise in surface temperatures on earth. This warming is caused by humans’ use of fossil…
The sun pokes through a misty October sky on Saturday, Oct. 16. We have 8 miles of roadway pretty much to ourselves as we drive along the levee that surrounds a 2,200 acre body of water known as the South…
Singing or thinking about “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go,” creates nostalgic feelings and good will regardless of some or no river or woods on the way to Grandma. Interesting to consider if decades…