LaHood

Bipartisan political support will continue funding for Peoria Ag Lab President Trump wants to close the Peoria Ag Lab according to his recently released budget. Not so fast says our Washington, D.C., political leadership. The National Center for Agricultural Utilization…

Monroe

BOB BAIETTO TO RETIRE Peoria County board member Bob Baietto will not run for re-election. The 12th District representative has been a member of the board since 1996, serving on a variety of board committees including Public Safety and Justice…

Knight

The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” for weeks has received justifiable attention on its 50th anniversary, but the wonderful album didn’t spring full-blown from Lennon’s and McCartney’s heads. It owes a lot to Capitol Records “teammates” the Beach Boys, especially their own…

Editorial

History or historical malfeasance? July Fourth is the iconic American summer holiday celebrated with fireworks and speeches about history, freedom, liberty and American destiny. But history can be a form of “fake news,” and celebrations can confuse fact with mythology.…

Letter

A Win for Standing Rock Tribe  The Wallace Global Fund has awarded $250,000 to the Standing Rock Tribe in recognition of its “unyielding courage in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and its dedication to transitioning to renewable energy.”…

Reflections from Clergy

Another gunman has opened fire. This time, the bullets flew during a baseball practice of Republican congresspersons. Some had their children in attendance as well. There was one fatality, the gunman, and five injured. According to gunviolencearchive.org, this shooting was…

Serendipity

Paul Harvey was the original host of a Monday through Friday program called “The Rest of the Story.” It began as part of his newscasts during World War II and later premiered as its own series in 1976 on ABC…

Nature Rambles

A Complex Housing Market At the Peoria Park District’s Tawny Oaks Field Station, we are working hard to enhance the area for nesting birds. I feel like a new landlord; hanging out the “tenant wanted” sign and hoping for full…

West Peoria News

Each year, thousands of people come to West Peoria for the annual longest-running July Fourth parade and flag raising ceremony in Central Illinois. The parade began when Cub Scout Pack 11 leaders searched for a patriotic event for their scouts…

Real Talk

Defending the Indefensible There is a strong probability that Donald Trump’s campaign and the Trump Administration are in collusion with Russia. The more information revealed the more convinced I am that we are in a national security crisis. It has…

Inland Art

It’s the 150th anniversary year of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birth, an apt time to revisit the architect’s larger than life image and his fabled school less than three hours from Peoria. The architect left us with much to consider –…

Arts Beat

MUSIC July 1: Telekinetic Yeti, Larks Tongue, Chainsmoker & more. 7 p.m.  RAIL II. 966-2971. July 1: Flyin’ D’Orito Bros. 8 p.m. Rhythm Kitchen. 676-9668. July 1: Chicago Farmer. 8 p.m. Pour Bros. Taproom. 670-0340. July 2: Eleventh Hour Onset,…

Labor Roundup

Pullback on “joint employers” rules blasted. The AFL-CIO is criticizing a Trump administration Labor Department pullback of how to interpret who “joint employers” are. DOL yanked an interpretation of the law by David Weil, the Wage and Hour Administrator during…

PJS business strategy

Several recent reports on Journal Star corporate owner GateHouse Media (New Media Investment Group) explain the company’s aggressive newspaper acquisition strategy as a marketing plan to beef up revenues while cutting journalism. Ken Doctor writes in Nieman Lab, Nieman Foundation…

Schoolchildren Without Basics

Lisa Travis, bottom, a teacher’s aide at Glen Oak School, and Terri Berg, top, a sign language interpreter at Richwoods High School, volunteer with the Round Table Project helping students with needs ranging from a clean pair of socks to…

Student loans: immortal

BY TERRY BIBO Instead of “Pomp and Circumstance,” the Class of 2017 probably should have graduated to the tune “Sixteen Tons.” Their grandparents may have been toddlers when Tennessee Ernie Ford’s cover of a coal miner’s debt struggles topped the…

Weed killer in pregnant women

BY CLARE HOWARD Glyphosate, the most heavily used weed killer in the United States, was found in 91 percent of pregnant women tested in a recent study conducted by Dr. Paul Winchester, medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit…

LaHood

President Trump’s first 100 days:  Long on executive orders, short on legislative accomplishments First we should stipulate that there is probably way too much unrealistic talk and writing about any president’s ability to accomplish major legislation in the first 100…