When Cheryl Resnick moved to Peoria from the arid Southwest, she saw geology from the perspective of Arizona’s sweepingly dramatic landscape linked to ancient geological events and cultural heritage. She saw the absence of all that in central Illinois. Then…
The life and death of a deadly neurotoxic chemical insecticide is entering yet another stage. Chlorpyrifos, used in central Illinois primarily on corn, is the focus of a potential class-action lawsuit filed in California. Use of chlorpyrifos has declined over…
As much of the world desperately struggles to access COVID-19 vaccines, the Unites States marinates in skepticism and misinformation. Despite the availability of safe, free and readily available vaccines, too many Americans are still unvaccinated and that weakens immunity for…
BY SHARON WILLIAMS Eighteen months ago, Peoria County residents couldn’t have foreseen the far-reaching effects of a pandemic. It has been more than a century since our country has had to deal with something so fierce and unforgiving. We have…
Smoke from wildfires burning across 13 western states is blanketing the rest of the country in smoke and soot. In Peoria, the Air Quality Index hit 122, considered unhealthy for sensitive people. The threshold for safe air is 100. A…
Does everything in today’s world revolve around the issue of race? If this is the case, dialogue is the first step in understanding other viewpoints and creating sustainable, positive change. It then stands to reason that when we engage in…
It appears the long-term effects of the pandemic are creating problems beyond the retail and hospitality industries. Much has been written and spoken about labor shortages in restaurants and stores. However, there are difficulties for other businesses and events. Fans…
The troubling trend of anti-protest legislation is growing, but its recent successes in Republican statehouses isn’t new. There were earlier attempts, including one in Democratic-majority Illinois that failed. Barely. It’s all to chill involvement – “part of a larger trend…
Many people who have paid subscriptions to the Peoria Journal Star are not receiving their newspapers. Delivery problems have plagued the Journal Star for years and are getting unbelievably worse. Recently, a subscriber complained to a circulation manager that he…
In May of 2019, author and environmentalist, Bill McKibben tweeted: “Thinking about Mother Nature today. As of this morning, her CO2 concentration topped 415 ppm (parts per million) for the first time in many many millions of years.” He was…
As Emily Gill pointed out in her OpEd in the July issue of Community Word on Fulton v Philadelphia, the stakes for this case were quite high. Not only was there a possibility of the court granting a “license to…
On May 25, the Peoria City Council approved borrowing $15 million from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) State Revolving Fund (SRF) at 1.4% interest. A revolving loan over seven years, the loan will be repaid through new sewer rates.…
If you did not have the opportunity to visit the “What I Need Now In The Ninth Grade” (W.I.N.N.I.N.G) Summer School 7-week program led by Carl Cannon’s ELITE Game-changers team, held at Lincoln School, you missed a treat. Carl and…
As June drought turned into July monsoon, we witness another strange year for weather in Central Illinois. The rains came just in time to spur the growth of native prairie flowers before they set bloom. The summer onset of blooming…
For artist Lisa Nelson Raabe, the process of making art is integral to how she experiences the world and navigates life’s rhythms. “I see the world differently when I am making art.” She says that making art has been a…
From 5-9 p.m. on Aug. 6, the Contemporary Art Center will host its First Friday Studio Tour of 3rd floor studios, where the work of about a dozen area artists are created, shown and sold. The facility also has three…
Of all the words, experiences and conversations of the past year, the word that resonates the most is depletion. Simply saying, “I feel depleted,” in a phone call or a video meeting results in nods and agreement from across the…
Several themes guide this series. First, climate deterioration demands rapid abolition of fossil-fuel emissions. Trees cannot substitute for ending emissions. However, we must also extract LOTS of atmospheric carbon. Half of above-ground tree mass consists of carbon absorbed through photosynthesis.…
According to the calendar I’ve kept for decades, my high school graduation was 55 years ago. More precisely it was on Wednesday, June 1, 1966 that my classmates and I walked down the aisle of St. Mary’s Cathedral as students,…
The 20th Annual Night Out Against Crime is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3 at City Hall. The event is sponsored by the West Peoria Neighborhood Watch. Its regular monthly meeting will be 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug.…
400 religious leaders urge passage of PRO Act. Saying that protecting and expanding workers’ right to organize is a moral imperative, and a boost to workers who most need it, more than 400 religious leaders signed an open letter to…
Professor William Hope at Knox College works with students to harness observational skills with manual labor for an embodied understanding of the correlation between bioswales, deep-rooted perennials, the Anthropocene and experiential learning. Hope, associate professor of anthropology and sociology, helped…
