Sam Saladino

PEKIN

High school gets recognition in ranking

Pekin Community High School has been named a bronze medalist and the 101^st school within Illinois in the U.S. News and World Report 2017 Best Schools. Illinois’ schools ranked among the U.S. News Best High Schools, include 14 gold medal schools, 67 silver medal schools and 114 bronze medal schools.

These rankings are based on these key principles: that a high school must serve all of its students well, not just those who are college bound, and that the school must be able to produce measurable academic outcomes to show it is successfully educating its student body across a range of performance indicators.

The full rankings can be found at usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/search.

Trash pickup an all-city effort

Spring cleaning citywide will start May 6 with more than 40 volunteers for Picking Up Pekin from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Groups and individuals, such as the Boy Scouts and the congregation of Harvest Church of East Peoria, will meet at the Pekin Municipal Building, 111 S. Capitol St., to get cleanup supplies and tools.

Sites selected for the first day’s work are the islands at Broadway and St. Mary and Broadway and Sabella; downtown; the area under the John T. McNaughton Bridge and the riverfront at the foot of Court Street.

Sponsors have made donations to help with the projects. Donors include Big R in Pekin, Pekin Sand & Gravel, Better Earth Premium Compost and Old Heritage Nursery.

The event will kick off the 2017 Spruce up Pekin Week, May 8-12.

Residents can leave items at the curb of their home for free pick up on their usual garbage day. The city will take electronics such as televisions and stereos. Appliances and metal items should be placed to the side for salvage haulers.

For more information on volunteering or sponsorship, call (309) 477-2325.

EAST PEORIA

Volunteers ready fishing program for a new season

The work of about 100 volunteers helped Hooked on Fishing to get ready for another season. The non-profit organization that provides free fishing opportunities to children, seniors, veterans, and special needs groups, opened its East Peoria park, 1807 N. Main St.

Volunteers were Comcast employees, who participated in the corporation’s annual Comcast Cares Day. They did general cleanup, painting, landscape work and repairs. Comcast sponsored the beautification projects at the Hooked on Fishing Park in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Peoria. Students and teachers from Peoria’s Quest Charter Academy, and volunteers from the Hooked on Fishing Park also contributed to the clean-up efforts.

The park is open from May 3 through Oct. 20, and admits one group per day for a half-day fishing session. Hooked on Fishing hosts Family Fishing Day from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. The complex is closed on Mondays.

Author to sign his book

An East Peoria author will promote his latest book at two upcoming book signings.

Sam Saladino’s latest title, “Under the Tequila Sun,” is based on his life experiences. A former teacher, Saladino dealt with troubled adolescents as a specialized foster parent, counselor and supervisor at a children’s home. Moving from the frying pan into the fire, he worked as a crisis interventionist and then as a child abuse/neglect investigator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

“Under the Tequila Sun,” focuses on a children’s home, a vindictive teenager, and a talented artist who paints with passion and revenge. The story intertwines ordinary people facing extraordinary situations.

Book signings will be held 2-4 p.m. May 13 at You Know You Like a Book, 4707 N. Prospect Road, Peoria Heights and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 17 at The Book Nook, 6944 N. University St., Peoria. The book is available for purchase on amazon.com, at Maurie’s of Pekin and The Book Nook and Book Rack in Peoria.

–Tazewell County News Briefs–