Spring Cleaning It’s that time of year when we start looking forward to the end of a long winter. A season of renewal is looming. However we often enter this time of year feeling that we are still weighed down…
Growing older doesn’t intimidate me, although it’s happening sooner than I planned. The accumulation of years occurs with or without my consent so I don’t have to feel responsible for it. Even excessive amounts of chocolate or desserts, which I…
Early voting in West Peoria is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 11 at West Peoria City Hall. Voters are encouraged to use the side entrance of the building for best access. Voting polls in West Peoria will…
Can a woman be president? Should a woman be president? Yes, I definitely think women are capable of world leadership, and we ought to give women the chance because we need change. I was raised by three strong women, so…
I have been taught a variation of a quote by the Spanish philosopher George Santayana who stated, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Yet, I have learned to remember and celebrate the past, not only…
The British stage and screen actor John Ronane (“Bridge on the River Kwai,” “Six Wives of Henry the VIII” (PBS), “Art” at the Apollo on Main Street) once remarked that people used to say they were going to “hear” a…
Arts Beat
MUSIC March 4: Lizzi Neal Band, “Live at the Five Spot.” 5:30 p.m. Contemporary Art Center. 674-6822. March 4: “Get the Led Out” – The American Led Zeppelin. 8 p.m. Peoria Civic Center Theater. 673-3200. March 4: Three and A…
Peoria Artists Are Starving
Art feeds our soul, but without sales, that’s all it is feeding. In a tough economy, buying art is not at the top of anyone’s list. So what’s an artist to do? ArtsPartners of Central Illinois and Bradley University stepped…
Labor Roundup
Labor criticizes President Obama’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year for keeping the “Cadillac tax” on high-cost health insurance plans. The Cadillac tax is a 40-percent levy on health plans provided by employers to workers if the value is…
Elder Care Concerns
BY DAVE WEIMAN Boredom, loneliness, and helplessness have been called the “Three Plagues of Nursing Homes.” But, they apply to other levels of services for the elderly, too. A retired carpenter who loved to work with his hands, but due…
Ten Surprising Facts About Cholesterol
What many people have learned about cholesterol is summarized by the following: High cholesterol will clog up your arteries and cause a heart attack. There are two main types of cholesterol. Good cholesterol or HDL for high density lipoprotein that…
Environmental News Brief
Junk Science Journals Two scientific journals known for their industry ties have become go-to publications for researchers who minimize risks from chemicals, according to an article published by Center for Public Integrity. Critics are charging the two peer-reviewed science journals,…
“Unimaginable injustice” 45 years in prison
Is Cleve Heidelberg INNOCENT? BY CLARE HOWARD On a cold, gray Friday afternoon in mid-January, Marcella Teplitz and Andrew Hale drove east on Harmon Highway from the site of the old Bellevue Drive-In movie theater. Outside the theater ticket booth…
Food deserts
Distance and income leave some neighborhoods hungry for good food BY BILL KNIGHT The need is chicken-or-egg. And meat and fruit . . . . Neighborhoods need full-service groceries for consumers to shop for healthy food, but businesses need customer…
Agriculture biotechnology: challenging law; violating justice
Biotechnology in agriculture is upending traditional notions of justice and liability; public policy is failing to keep up with the problem. Both chemical and organic farmers are venting frustration over harm. Lawsuit over Viptera GMO corn American farmers suffered billions…
Recognition and demand grow for organic farmer
BY TERRA BROCKMAN The Illinois Department of Agriculture has named a fifth generation central Illinois farmer, Harold Wilken, the winner of the annual R.J. Vollmer Award for Sustainable Agriculture. Wilken, together with his wife Sandy and son Ross, are the…
Susan B. Anthony, born 196 years ago this month, certainly didn’t need others to speak for her. But she had a knack for making allies from throughout the progressive movements of the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries. So when…
EXCITING NEWS It’s been vacant for a long time, but the former car dealer lot at University and War Memorial Drive will soon be alive with activity. Expect an announcement by a developer about some new businesses to be constructed…
Food Stamp spending cut nationwide but Illinois, thankfully, bucks the trend On the campaign trail in early January, presidential candidate Jeb Bush called for an end to Food Stamps, replacing the federal program with “Right to Rise” grants awarded to…
Letters
Letter to Dave Koehler, Jehan Gordon-Booth, and Chuck Weaver: I am writing to ask you to start or join a movement to advance a solution to the impasse that exists in Springfield. As you well know, people in Illinois suffer…
Letters
OpEd Flowers that express love, not exploitation By Kira Santiago If you’re like most people, when you think of Valentine’s Day you think of flowers, chocolate or maybe diamonds. People have begun to realize there is a dark side to…
Justice Is Required on the Path to Peace The police officers I know personally are all good people. They take their jobs seriously, genuinely care about the safety of the public they serve, and treat people fairly. And yet I…