PeoriaStory

Celebrate The Feminine Mystique

PEORIA -- From a news release:

 

 

A  hometown celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of publication of The Feminine Mystique by Peoria native Betty Friedan takes place on Feb. 19.

The event, appropriately titled "It Changed Us," will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Friedan's book was published on Feb. 19, 1963. 

The event, sponsored by the Betty Friedan Hometown Tribute group, is free.  Parking will be available in the museum garage off Water Street for $1.50 an hour.  For more information, contact Barb Drake at 692-1201.

Keynote speaker will be Stacey Robertson, Oglesby Professor of American Heritage and Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Bradley University. She will talk about "How One Book Helped To Change Our World."

Other speakers will reference briefly how Friedan's book and the women's movement changed their lives. They include Barbara Mantz Drake, retired editorial page editor of the Journal Star; Rabbi Karen Bogard of Anshai Emeth; Proctor Center Director and basketball legend Jonelle Polk McCloud; Bradley senior Avrien Anderson; City Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken; and Nancy Long, president of the local chapter of the National Organization for Women.

A video of Drake's 1999 interview with Friedan will be shown, and Betty herself (aka Cheri Beever) will make an appearance. Those who attend will be offered an opportunity to provide their own "It Changed My Life" stories, which the Peoria Historical Society will archive.

Praise and skepticism at District 150 Board Meeting

PEORIA -- The public comments at the Peoria School District 150 board meeting on Jan. 28 came after a long evening of video propaganda on how well the vocational programs at Woodruff Career and Technology Center are going.

The board continues to make the public wait until the end of the meeting to present comments at its so-called 'committee of the whole' meetings, a distinction without a difference from the regular meetings.

Here are the comments:

Dist 150 Jan. 28

Activist Sharon Crews questioned whether the board's expenditure of $245,000 to bar code all the school books will prevent them from being lost.  See a written copy of he remarks below.

Activist Terry Knapp for once praised Supt. Grenita Lathan for the vocational programs at Woodruff.

Parent Scott Donahue commended the board and Lathan on increased security at schools but said the middle and primary schools need more security officers. "That is money well spent, not a bar code system or binders," he said.

Activist Sevino Sierra questioned why school buildings are not maintained well while new construction proceeds, and also mentioned a sore point with many, the break up of neighborhoods when their schools were closed.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Here are Crews' comments:

You have just spent a quarter of a million dollars on a bar-coding system.  How is this expenditure going to eliminate the cost of lost and damaged books?  Teachers don’t lose books; students do. 

You have found yet another way to hold teachers and schools accountable.  Until you find a way to hold students accountable for lost books, this new purchase will not save you any money—it’s just an added cost. 

Experience tells me that unintentional or deliberate doodling will occur often enough to destroy the barcoding.  You may have to add another discipline code number.  I know you just explained the expected savings, but for now call me a skeptic.

I am anxious to hear how you plan to carry out the monumental task of gathering all textbooks in order to barcode them.  I assume it will have to be done in the summer.  How many employees and man-hours will it take to complete this task?  What is that cost? 

Can we guarantee that this work will be done before school starts next year?  Or can we anticipate yet another year when students will not receive textbooks until well after the start of the school year?

Also, please tell me again how the agenda of a committee meeting of the whole differs from that of a regular meeting.  The only difference, of course, is that we are speaking at the end of the meeting and for only 2 minutes. 

 -- Sharon Crews

IN ADDITION, Sharon added this on 1/29/13:

Cloyd assured me (in the response to comments) that the barcoding machine would tie the book to a student--so they would be held accountable.  I guess he doesn't understand that the money has to be collected before students are held accountable--I'm sending the following message to board members and I'm going to request information about lost books using the Freedom of Information Act.

I would like to respond to Mr. Cloyd’s response to my comments at the January 28 board meeting.  Yes, of course, the barcoding will tie a particular book to a particular student.  Yes, the use of modern technology will make it easier to keep records.  However, the old system did the same thing.

There has always been a record of who lost what book.  I assume you are already aware that all textbooks are numbered, that students fill out cards for each textbook given to them, and that the students get the cards back when they return the books.  That part of the system works.  I assume that students will still be given some sort of receipt as proof that they return books at the end of the year.

There was never a problem in identifying who lost a book.  The problem is that—in the last twenty or so years--District 150 has not found a way or had the will to hold students accountable for the cost of lost or damaged books.  I was simply trying to say that the barcodes will not solve the problem.  Maybe a GPS system for books should be invented.

I am sorry but I feel that you have paid considerable money for a system that will not solve the real reason for the expense of replacing lost textbooks.

I realize that one school might have a surplus of a particular text that could be needed at another school.  Over the years I believe there has been carelessness about maintaining an inventory of books.  There was a time when the system worked much better.   The barcoding might resolve that problem—but I believe the more costly problem—books lost by students—will remain unresolved. 

In her response to public comments, I thought Dr. Lathan said the barcoding would be completed before the end of school.  How can that be if students are still in possession of books? -30-

 

 

 

The Tresspass List, a mess yet being reviewed

PEORIA -- The notorious Peoria Housing Authority Trespass List as published on the agency's website is a "jumbled mess," with strange errors of race and gender, and the deceased remaining on the list long after their deaths. 

But at last it's being reviewed, name by name, PHA Security Administrator Jerry McKean said, after concerned citizen Hedy Elliott Gardner spoke to the board about the errors at a Jan. 28 meeting.

McKean left the meeting to speak with Gardner and me in the hall, and said he is reviewing the names on the list, checking documentation -- some names don't have any, he said --and police reports to see if the people actually belong on the list. "We are addressing your concerns," he said.

He told of receiving letters asking to be taken off the list, and said they are carefully reviewed.  One woman wrote a powerful letter asking to be removed from the list so she could visit her children, who were living with her ex in public housing, he said.  But McKean said he learned that an order of protection was in force against her, requiring her to stay away from the household. So her name stays on the list.

The Tresspass List was first the subject of complaints last summer, with Gardner and me asking that a system for due process be set up for those wanting their names taken off the list.  

PHA policy allows any employee of the agency to place a name on the list for any reason, a situation that could be an incentive for corruption.

Anyone on the list would be subject to arrest if found on PHA property.

Gardner had noticed that people now deceased were still on the 1,700 name list, as well as many with similar or identical names and no other means of identification such as age. She teaches classes at housing authority sites, and knows many of its residents.

On Jan. 28 she told the board that the printed list now seems to be accurate, but the website list is filled with errors. "It's a jumbled mess," she said. 

She said she found 10 errors quickly without reviewing the entire list, including  persons with male names, such as 'Robert' listed as females, and persons she knows to be black listed as white.

"We need due process for citizens," she said. People may be arrested based on wrong information, she said.

PHA executive director said the list issues are still being discussed, and that something may be on the PHA board agenda for its approval in February or later. 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Peoria City Council candidates forum Feb. 2

 

PEORIA -- From a news release:

The public is invited to join The Peoria County Democratic Women for a candidate forum for all Peoria City Council candidates, beginning at noon on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Childers Catering Center, 3113 Dries Lane, Peoria.

 All candidates have been invited, including those in the Feb. 26 primary election and the April 9 general election.  Most have accepted and are expected to attend.

This is an opportunity to hear and speak with the candidates in an informal setting.

The event is free.  A $12 buffet-style lunch also will be served but reservations are required by calling Lynn Pearson, at 309/673-3853.

 

Grayeb fundraiser will be fun

PEORIA -- Chuck Grayeb who is running for the Peoria City Council in the Second District is hosting a party and fundraiser, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. on Thus., Jan. 31 at Haddad's Downtown Restaurant, 319 Main Street downtown. 

Everyone is invited, he said, including people who don't live in the Second District.  That makes sense, since the council's actions affect everyone in the city.

Grayeb, a former council member, is running against incumbent Barbara VanAuken, once a Democrat who nevertheless last November endorsed the Republican opponent to state Sen. Dave Koehler. The Republican lost, big.

It will be interesting to see who endorses her this time.

Though the city council race is non-partisan, Grayeb is a Democrat. I endorsed him when he ran for an at-large seat two years ago, and lost, barely.  I endorse him now.

There is no primary in this race. The election is April 9.

Grayeb's campaign is Citizens for Grayeb, 510 W. High Street, Peoria, 61606. His Facebook page is www.facebook.com/chuckgrayebforcouncil 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

Africa -- why such a mess?

PEORIA -- Here's something interesting:

The Peoria Area World Affairs Council presents:

What Are We Doing Here? The Impact of Foreign Aid on Africa
Tim Klein, Film Producer

According to Brian Klein, one of the film's makers, WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? is a controversial documentary about why after 50 years of Western involvement, billions of dollars in foreign assistance and countless promises, Africa is still so poor.

The film tells the story of 3 brothers and a cousin who travel across Africa in an attempt to understand one of the great problems of our time, the failure to end poverty in Africa.

From Cairo to Cape Town, viewers are taken across war-torn, famine-ridden, and AIDSravaged countries in which aid workers, government officials, and ordinary individuals explore the complex issues affecting millions of Africans today. Discussions focus on HIV/AIDS, armed conflict, child sponsorship, U.S. farm policies, and the role of NGOs.

Thursday, February 21, 2012
Westlake Hall 116 and Auditorium, Bradley University
Reception opens at 5:00 pm.
Dinner will be served at 5:30 pm.
Film will begin at 6:30 pm, followed by discussion.
Please RSVP by Friday, February 15
Tickets for the dinner and presentation are $30.00 for Peoria Area World Affairs Council Members and Students, $35.00 for non-members
No dinner reservations will be accepted after Friday, February 15.

The film and presentation at 6:30 pm is free and open to the public. Tickets are not needed, but reservations are appreciated for planning purposes. Please RSVP at [email protected].

On-line registration for dinner is available at http://artstix.artspartners.net.nt. Note: ArtsPartners charges $3 for their service.

For more information about this and other programs offered by the Peoria Area World Affairs Council, please visit our web site at www.pawac.org or call (309) 677-2454.

Candidate events

PEORIA -- It's election time again, this time for local elections. Several candidate events are planned for Peoria and environs.  Here they are, so far:

 

Adler invites Peoria Residents to Community Forums on City Issues

Peoria, IL (January 7, 2013) — Caterpillar Sr. Engineer and Fifth District City Council candidate Dan Adler is inviting Peoria residents to a series of three community forums on issues key to the city’s future success. 

The forums will be held on January 24, January 31, and February 4 and will focus on resident engagement and participation in local politics, neighborhood investment, and growing the city of Peoria, respectively. 

All of the forums will be held at the North Branch of the Peoria Public Library in the McKenzie Room, starting at 6:30 P.M. and running until 8:00 P.M.  Participants should bring questions, complaints and ideas about how to make Peoria better.  More information on the forums can be found at http://ww.adlerforpeoria.org/events.

Contact:

Dan Adler   [email protected]

(309)696-1523    www.adlerforpeoria.org

***

The Southside Neighborhood Council and the League of Women Voters to Present Candidate Forum on Feb. 9, 2013 

PEORIA – The Southside Neighborhood Council of Peoria and the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria will co-sponsor a candidate forum for candidates in Peoria’s District 1 city primary, at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Lincoln Branch Library, 1312 W. Lincoln Ave., Peoria

The candidates in the Feb. 26 municipal primary election are  Randall Emert Sr., Denise Moore and Gary Sandberg.

Questions for the forum will be taken from the audience.

The forum  is also co-sponsored by the NAACP, the King Holiday Committee Inc,  P-Town Pristine Packs, and five neighborhood associations:  Martin-Warren Southside NA,  Smith Street NA, Goose Lake NA, Olde Town South NA and Southside UP NA.

          The event is free and open to the public.  Press coverage is also encouraged.

***

There also will be a League of Women Voters-sponsored Peoria City District 5 forum on Feb. 14 at the North Branch of the Peoria Public Library.  More details on that later.

 

 

A book of poetry

PEORIA --  From a news release:

 

Frederick E. Smith, a Peoria resident and Bradley University graduate, has released his second book, a collection of poetry.

“Time was...and other poems” is an eclectic selection of poetry spanning sixty years of life experience. In addition to his poems, the book also includes many original works of digital art by the author.

The book is available through Amazon.com and Kindle Direct, as well as through CreateSpace.com.

Smith's first book, “David Sings for the masses”, is a study of the Psalms of David in modern language with interpretations and comments.

Smith is a contrubutor to several on-line poetry sites, including Flexwriters, Cowbird, Poetry from the Soul, Divine Caroline, and The Peoria Smith Review.

He is currently working on a study of the book of Job, as well as a cookbook of family and personal recipes.

“Check’s in the Mail” for Removal of Weed Killer from Peoria Drinking Water

 PEORIA -- Here's a great story from free lance reporter Clare Howard:

 

 

More than $15 million going to water companies in Illinois

By Clare Howard

 

A map released this week showing the distribution of $105 million in the class action atrazine  settlement indicates Illinois American Water Co. in Peoria is receiving  more than $100,000.

Springfield  City Water, Light & Power received a check for $1 million on Friday.

More than $15 million is going to plaintiffs in Illinois.

A spokesman for the law firm Korein Tillery in St. Louis indicated that when cities and towns receive the checks, they are allowed to use the money any way they elect. That is not the case in Peoria because Illinois American Water Co. is not municipally owned. The city of Springfield is unrestricted in how it uses the $1 million.

Jerry Brown, spokesman for Korein Tillery, said some small towns and villages in Illinois are receiving checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Checks were mailed on Wednesday. He expects most will be received early next week.

Atrazine has been found in drinking water in central Illinois and throughout the country for decades. It is an herbicide widely used on corn. It is an endocrine disrupting chemical that has been linked to fertility problems, cancer, learning problems and low birth weight that puts babies at risk for health problems later in life.

In a widely read report released in December 2011, the Institute of Medicine warned women to avoid exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals that may be linked to breast cancer. The report stated that childhood cancers, such as leukemia and brain tumors, have been linked to prenatal exposures to pesticides.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established 3 parts per billion as a safe level for atrazine in drinking water, but many scientists disagree, contending much lower levels of exposure pose a health threat. Atrazine is a nonmonotonic chemical, meaning damage does not increase with increasing exposure. Damage can occur at the lowest levels of exposure, especially when developing fetuses and children are exposed. The old adage in toxicology that the dose makes the poison does not apply to endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Atrazine has been banned by the European Union for over a decade, but a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found atrazine in nearly half of pregnant women tested in France. That indicates the herbicide may persist for long periods in the environment or that it bioaccumulates.

 Atrazine has been measured in rain in Iowa at 154 parts per billion. It has been detected in the dust of households in that state.

There are 143 cities and towns in Illinois receiving checks from the settlement. The minimum payment is $5,000 but most will receive significantly larger amounts. In Illinois, 46 community water systems are receiving between $100,000 and $1.3 million.

Stephen M. Tillery, senior partner at Korein Tillery, said, “Science has been fighting an uphill battle against giant pesticide manufacturers like Syngenta who claim that a little weed killer in your drinking water won’t hurt you. Independent scientists now believe, however, that even trace amounts can harm you and your children for generations to come.”

Atrazine has been shown to be epigenetic, with effects of exposure appearing in the offspring of laboratory mice generations into the future. It has also been shown to change the sexuality of frogs, with male frogs developing viable eggs that can be fertilized and hatch into tadpoles.

Atrazine is typically applied as a pre-emergent on corn fields in Illinois in the spring. It is prone to run off fields in rainwater, and can be detected in almost every waterway in the country. Lake Springfield is the primary source of drinking water in Springfield.

Water companies have been forced to pay for the cost of reducing levels of atrazine in drinking water, and those costs are passed on to rate payers. This settlement recognizes that the public should not shoulder this expense, and those costs should be borne by Syngenta, the manufacturer of atrazine.

Syngenta did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Illinois American Water Co. spokeswoman Karen Cotton could not immediately issue a statement.

Update 1/21/13: 

Several days after this article was posted, Syngenta responded to a request for comment with an emailed statement saying, "This settlement was a business decision that is good for the company and the farmers who depend on atrazine, as well as our retailers, distributors, partners and others who have been inconvenienced by this ongoing and burdensome litigation." The company stated atrazine causes no adverse health affects at levels people could be exposed to it in the real world.  -- C.H.

 

 

Beauty and the Beast: Lavish, predictable

PEORIA -- A lavish, well staged production of the Disney musical Beauty and the Beast pleased a Civic Center Theater audience on Jan. 15, and plays there again on Jan. 16.

The show is worth seeing for the high production values, the sets, costumes and performances, even if the plot is trite and predictable.

There are a few interesting themes -- the beauty pushes for female independence and autonomy, against a handsome bully who is a metaphorial beast, and the ugly beast himself who can't control his temper but is tamed by love.

But wouldn't the plot be more amusing if, when the beast turns into a handsome young man, the beauty decides she liked him better as the beast with a sensitive side?

Oh well...it's still worth seeing, even if it won't stand up to close analysis.

Since it premiered in 1994, it has grossed more than $1.4 billion and played throughout the world, according to Wikipedia.

You can read more about this tour here.

 -- Elaine Hopkins