Refuge under siege As I write this, a group of armed, anti-government, militants is thinking about leaving a National Wildlife Refuge they have occupied since Jan. 2. Not to give it back to the public, but rather, to go into…
February, you are a challenging, volatile month causing chaos overnight with your merciless winter weather surprises. Not sure why you insist on doing that. We know you possess some compassion tucked deep inside because for many successive days we’re freezing…
The West Peoria Residents Association thanks members for their continued support and announces that Jamie and April Silver will be in charge of the Jamboree Run again this June. WPRA has agreed to sponsor the Heart of Illinois Special Olympics…
How My Aunt Became My Grandmother My aunt, Geneva “Ginny” Nailing, was a woman with a plan. She wanted more out of life. She wanted people’s voices to be heard and their rights to be respected. She was determined to…
My family and I decided to immerse ourselves in a movie marathon a couple of weeks ago in which we certainly fed our craving for cinematic diversity. One such morsel was a film, starring two veteran actors, entitled “Walk in…
Cornstock produced Tom Stoppard’s play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” at its Winter Playhouse in upper Bradley Park during the middle two weekends of January. The play has become a classic of modern theater and won a Tony and New…
ARTS BEAT
MUSIC Feb. 2: Red Sun Rising, with Drugs Delaney. 8 p.m. Limelight Eventplex. 693-1234. Feb. 5: Chris Janson. 8 p.m. Limelight Eventplex. 693-1234. Feb. 5: Judy Page & Friends. 8 p.m. Rhythm Kitchen Music Café. 676-9668. Feb. 5: The Brazilionaires…
Lost and Found Creativity We frequently hear people complain of not being creative because they “can’t even draw a straight line.” Creativity and rendering skills frequently coexist, but you don’t have to draw straight lines in order to enjoy being…
Labor Roundup
Journalists blast Supreme Court. In Chicago, journalists are reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision to let stand a lower court ruling letting police sue news media for disclosing officers’ physical descriptions, and the international president of the News Guild-CWA argues…
Many Generics Are No Bargain Generic drugs have been considered bargains. Unfortunately, prices of many generic drugs have skyrocketed. An example in the news is the generic medication albendazole used to treat parasitic infections. In 2008, the average cost per…
Elder Care Concerns
BY DAVE WEIMAN For some elders, the ideal solution to diminishing physical capabilities and/or minor medical concerns, is to have caregivers come to their home. There is a growing number of organizations that are available to provide this level of…
Central Illinois: A Cancer Cluster?
BY CLARE HOWARD Kim Crandall walks her dogs, Roo and Mia, everyday on the streets around her Morton home and in the nearby park bordering corn and soybean fields. The walk gives her time to reflect on an alarming pattern…
Facts refute Muslim terrorist narrative; reveal right-wing, anti-government extremism
BY IMAM KAMIL MUFTI The Moslems (Muslims) Are Coming! After giving quite a bit of thought to this column, I decided to talk about a common phrase I hear in the media and from some of our politicians about…
Outreach connects Rivermen to community
By BILL KNIGHT Many Peorians may have only a vague idea of the difference between a slap shot and a chip shot, or think a hat trick needs a bunny, or a power play involves the Koch brothers. But the…
Treat the patient, not the cancer: Injecting compassion into med school
BY CLARE HOWARD Dr. Bento Soares knows cancer too intimately from both a personal and academic perspective. He moved here 11 months ago for his position as senior associate dean for research in cancer biology and pharmacology at the University…
REOPEN WOODRUFF? At the December meeting of the board of Peoria School District 150, members discussed a variety of subjects including poor test scores with only 2 percent passing at Peoria High and 5 percent at Manual. Former Woodruff High…
The steel bins are innocuously, innocently tucked into corners of parking lots, silently pleading for donations slipped into flip-down doors. But contributions to these bins may not help the needy as much as people assume. In fact, the donations are…
More jobs in clean energy than in fossil fuels
Aaron Mair, national president of the Sierra Club, spoke in Peoria at the state NAACP conference and said it’s a “false trick” to protect the coal industry because it provides jobs. Now Robert Pollin, distinguished professor of economics at…
JUSTICE reform can be inspired by JUST US
Corrections officials will tell you that most inmates regret they did something stupid; they want to do their prison time; and, most importantly, they have a sincere desire to change. Yet, correctional officials will also tell you that those who…
Documentary shows how science gets excluded from public policy
By Jeffrey Kosiorek If the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change is as overwhelming as some claim, a rational person might be excused for asking why politicians have not acted, debates are still featured in the media and a growing…
Choice Makes Moral Sense
Life is full of difficult choices. Everyone agrees on that. Should I enlist in the military? Should I get a divorce? Should I have surgery? No one can make these difficult choices go away. They are part of life.…
Land and Water Conservation Fund Survives
Late in the day on Dec. 16, a 50-year-old conservation program survived to see another day (we hope). The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was passed and signed into law on Sept. 3, 1964. Since that date, over $3.6…