Kids will be kids.
That has been the kind of cover-everything excuse apologists have given to explain whatever kind of mischief their young ones find themselves in from time to time.
But where do we as a society draw the line? When does just horsing around and playing pranks turn into vandalism and having police charges filed?
Washington is a great city filled with even better people.
It is small enough where residents have a sense of strong community ties, but big enough to always be looking toward the future and a cycle of constant improvement.
Sunnyland.
Does it exist? What does it mean? Where are its boundaries? Is it a town or an area?
Having lived in Sunnyland since age 5, I am proud to be called a Sunnylander. There are happy memories for me there.
Washington residents have always gone to great lengths to support local endeavors whether it is following through with Five Points or on a smaller scale raising money for a state-of-the-art football complex at Babcook Field.
One area that I have seen — and let’s get this straight: no one asked me to write this column or suggested I do something about it, these are just my observations — where residents may not be helping as much as they can is with the Washington Park District.
Caring Illinois taxpayers stepped up and donated more than $1.6 million to charities and non-profits over the last two years through an option on their state income tax form.
But Gov. Pat Quinn and other state officials seized that money to help pay for the state’s ever-ballooning state deficit.
Even though I gained the right to vote more than five years ago, even though I just got married in May, even though I can stay on my parents’ insurance for three more years and even though I am in an enormous amount of student debt, at approximately 1:30 a.m. Friday morning, my childhood will officially — by my standards — come to an end.
History was always one of my favorite subjects in school.
Growing up I heard Washington had its fair share of history, but I could have cared less; I was much more interested in the “exciting” lessons about the Civil War or the Roman Empire.
When my alarm went off at 5:30 Saturday morning, I hit snooze and thought to myself, “Why do I do this?”
When it went off again, nine minutes later, I reluctantly woke up with the same thought looming in my mind.
I love my job.
Whether it’s spending a beautiful afternoon on the Square taking pictures of families enjoying the nice weather or having backstage access to a concert to cover for the newspaper, the line separating work and play is often blurred for me — and that’s just the way I like it.
Going Greener for Christmas can be done in a number of ways.
One easy green step would be to cut down on single use Christmas wrapping paper.
Hello gardening friends.
How come 43 degrees in November feels so much colder than 43 degrees in March or April?!
The ground isn’t frozen yet so there’s still time to plant perennials and bulbs. It’s not the most ideal time, but if you happen upon a garden center with something interesting left — go for it!
Author Simone Elkeles has a Romeo and Juliet syndrome; that is, she loves writing about unlikely romances with everything against the lovers. In an earlier novel, “Perfect Chemistry,” the lovers had class and social mores against them. She’s done it again! In her book, “Leaving Paradise,” it isn’t anything social that holds the lovers at bay. It is the fact that he’s an ex-convict because of her.
By reading this column, you certify you are of the legal age to read about establishments that primarily serve adult beverages (bars, I mean, in case that wasn’t clear enough).
With the recent reopening of Kep’s Sportsbar, I decided to go out last weekend in search of Washington night life.
OK, stop the snickering.
Hello gardening friends. As I sit to write on this beautiful first day of October, I ponder two things. Where did September go, and will we see scattered frost this coming weekend?!
I’ve just washed and stored away my hummingbird feeders for the season. Many folks are concerned that feeders left up will encourage hummers to stay longer than they should, and the birds may run into cold weather trouble by delaying their migration. Migration is not trigged by lack of food; it is triggered by birds’ circannual rhythms, which go hand in hand with the changing day length. So leave your feeders up, offering fresh nectar every few days, for at least a week or two after your last sighting.
Watch out vampires and werewolves. In the age of Twilight obsessed fans, I predict that zombies are moving to the forefront of the monster trend.
Saturday’s zombie walk in East Peoria mimicked a group activity that is sweeping across the nation — one that involves hundreds, sometimes thousands of people dressing up as reanimated corpses and walking, or dragging their feet, in public.
Fall is finally here! Although the fun of summer reading is over, the library still holds many exciting activities for teens in grades 6 through 12, including meetings of both the teen advisory board and ANIME group, a trip to Spider Hill in Chillicothe, and events for October’s Teen Read Week!
The Book Nook is a monthly book review written by Washington Community High School book club members.
After surviving the Hunger Games her second time around, Katniss Everdeen finds herself a leading figure in the rebellion against the corrupt Capital and its leader, President Snow in “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins.
Take a second and think about what you just did.
I don’t mean what you just did at work before coming home, or pouring yourself a cup of coffee before sitting down to read the paper.
It’s amazing to know that there are so many businesses in the Central Illinois area that have existed for 100 years or more, especially in today’s economic climate. Now, two of our newspapers are officially part of this distinction.
On Aug. 31, our company was honored by the Peoria Historical Society at a dinner at the Packard Plaza.
The Peoria Historical Society maintains a program to identify and honor Central Illinois business, professional, and community organizations with a 100-year record of uninterrupted operation.
It’s amazing to know that there are so many businesses in the Central Illinois area that have existed for 100 years or more, especially in today’s economic climate. Now, two of our newspapers are officially part of this distinction.
