COUNTY

West Nile-infected mosquitoes found

The West Nile virus has been found in mosquitoes in Peoria County, the Peoria City/County Health Department has reported.

West Nile is transmitted through bites from infected mosquitoes. Symptoms, which include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches, may last from a few days to a few weeks. Four out of five people infected with West Nile virus will not show any symptoms, but, in rare cases, severe illness including meningitis or encephalitis, or even death, can occur.

People older than 50 are at higher risk for severe illness from West Nile virus.

Health officials advise the public to prevent West Nile disease or any other mosquito-borne illness by reducing the number of mosquitoes around homes and take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Such precautions include reducing exposure by staying inside when mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn’ repelling mosquitoes by wearing protective clothing and insect repellent; and reporting mosquito breeding grounds, such as stagnant water in roadside ditches.

Valerie Jarrett, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama will be the guest speaker at the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon at the Peoria Civic Center on Jan. 21.

PEORIA

Obama advisor to speak at MLK celebration

A former senior adviser to President Barack Obama will be the guest speaker at the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon.

The guest speaker will be Valerie Jarrett, who worked in the Obama White House during Obama’s two terms. She also was senior assistant to the president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs. Now, Jarrett is a senior adviser for the Obama Foundation and a senior distinguished fellow at the University of Chicago Law School. She has served or is serving on a variety of corporate and public-entity boards.

The luncheon is scheduled for noon Jan. 21, 2019, in the Peoria Civic Center exhibit hall. Tickets are $50 per person and available at mlkluncheon.com or by mail at P.O. Box 1312, Peoria, 61654.

Public Employees for Community Concerns sponsors the luncheon.

Previous speakers have included poet Maya Angelou, actor/singer Harry Belafonte and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Patti LaBelle was the event’s first singer/guest speaker in 2017.

Peoria Players opens 100th season in renovated space

Peoria Players Theatre will open its 100^th season in grand style. Patrons will again enjoy performances while sitting in steel-backed seats, similar to the seats that the theater had for nearly 50 years.

Volunteers recently ripped out plastic seats that had replaced old seats since 2005. The new seats were purchased with a donation from a local theatergoer. Patron surveys identified the plastic seats as the biggest complaint.

Christine Bollwinkle of Peoria made the $65,000 donation after becoming a supporter of the theater last year.

Also in the past six months, the interior lobby went through a recent face-lift and modernization. 

“The Wizard of Oz” will open the season in the newly-renovated auditorium on Sept. 7. The Peoria Players Theatre is the longest continuously running community theater in Illinois.

State award recognizes local theater excellence

The Board of Directors of the Illinois Theatre Association has named Peoria Players Theatre and Notre Dame High School as winners of a 2018 Award of Excellence.

The awards will be presented Aug. 25 at the Illinois Theatre Association’s annual Red Carpet Gala at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook.

Since 1986, the Illinois Theatre Association recognizes individuals and organizations which have made significant contributions to promoting quality theater throughout the state. Candidates are nominated by representatives from the theater community, approved by divisional representatives and accepted by Board of Directors of the Illinois Theatre Association.

Two groups get literacy funds

Two local not-for-profit groups has received grants from the Illinois secretary of state to help fund literacy programs.

The Peoria County Regional Office of Education’s adult literacy program received $60,663 and Common Place Family Learning Center’s adult volunteer literacy program received $38,339.

Recipients include facilities in Pekin and Canton.

The funds are part of $4.7 million awarded by Jesse White’s office to 76 organizations. The secretary of state also serves at the state librarian.

Some 2.1 million Illinois residents need adult literacy or English language instruction, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Film noir series at Riverfront Museum

Three well-known American film noir classics will be shown in the Giant Screen Theater at the Peoria Riverfront Museum in the coming weeks. Each film will be shown on a Thursday, preceded by a talk at 6 p.m. Ticket prices range from $6.50-$10.50, and can be purchased online at cart.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.

The term film noir, meaning black film or cinema, was coined by French film critics who noticed the trend of “dark,” downbeat themes in American movies released in France after World War II. Many of the movies were detective and crime stories about fear, mistrust, loss of innocence, paranoia and despair, a sharp contrast from the optimism and happiness of earlier Hollywood musicals.

The following films are part of the series.

Aug. 16: “Sunset Boulevard.” An aging silent film queen (Gloria Swanson) refuses to accept that her stardom has ended. She hires a young screenwriter (William Holden) to help set up her movie comeback. The screenwriter believes he can manipulate her, but he soon finds out he is wrong. The screenwriter’s ambivalence about their relationship and her unwillingness to let go leads to a situation of violence, madness and death. Directed by Billy Wilder; released in 1950. Jennifer Ritchrath, a professor at Illinois Central College, will speak.

Aug. 23: “Mildred Pierce.” When Mildred Pierce’s (Joan Crawford) wealthy husband leaves her for another woman, Mildred decides to raise her two daughters on her own. Despite Mildred’s financial successes in the restaurant business, her oldest daughter, Veda (Ann Blyth), resents her mother for degrading their social status. In the midst of a police investigation after the death of her second husband (Zachary Scott), Mildred must evaluate her own freedom and her complicated relationship with her daughter. Directed by Michael Curtiz; released in 1945. Paul Resnick, a professor at Illinois Central College, will speak.

Aug. 30: “Touch of Evil.”  When a car bomb explodes on the American side of the U.S./Mexico border, Mexican drug enforcement agent Miguel Vargas (Charlton Heston) begins his investigation, along with American police captain Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles). When Vargas begins to suspect that Quinlan and his shady partner, Menzies (Joseph Calleia), are planting evidence to frame an innocent man, his investigations into their possible corruption quickly put himself and his new bride, Susie (Janet Leigh), in jeopardy. Directed by Orson Welles; released in 1958. Steve Tarter, journalist and author, will speak.

STATE

Wildlife grant applications due  

Funding for projects to enhance wildlife habitat is available through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The department is accepting grant applications from not-for-profit organizations and units of government interested in developing such projects. 

The IDNR Division of Wildlife Resources administers these special grant programs that are funded by Illinois sportsmen and women through the purchase of Habitat Stamps.

Applications for grants this year through the Illinois Habitat Fund and the State Pheasant Fund must be submitted by Sept. 1. For information on project eligibility, grant applicant registration requirements, and other information about the grant programs, go to
dnr.illinois.gov/grants/Pages/Special-Wildlife-Funds-Grant-Program.aspx 

–Peoria County News Briefs–