The city of East Peoria and Chamber of Commerce is looking to bring the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall to the community in September. The wall will be appearing in Levee Park. (Photo courtesy of Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall)

EAST PEORIA

Vietnam Memorial Wall coming to Levee District 

Residents and businesses can help sponsor the appearance of The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall when it comes to East Peoria in September.

The wall will be appearing in Levee Park at 401 W. Washington St.

A reminder of the sacrifices made during the Vietnam War, the traveling memorial wall’s purpose is to help heal and rekindle friendships and allow people who may not be able to visit Washington, D.C. the opportunity to see the memorial.

Several public activities are currently being planned to coincide with the wall’s appearance.

While admission to see the 300-foot-long wall will be free, donations are being sought from residents, businesses and organizations to help bring the wall to East Peoria and will benefit the Greater Peoria Honor Flight, which flies veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the national memorial sites. Donations are tax deductible and no amount is too small.

Those donating $250 or more will be considered sponsors. The sponsorship levels are: Gold Level – $1,000, Silver Level – $500 and Bronze Level – $250.

All sponsors will have their name on a banner which will be displayed at the wall, and receive recognition on this webpage and the City of East Peoria’s Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin social media sites.

Checks with the notation The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall should be made payable to the East Peoria Community Foundation. They should be mailed to:

East Peoria Community Foundation

P.O. Box 2817

East Peoria, IL 61611

For more information, call East Peoria City Hall at 309-698-4715 or the East Peoria Chamber of Commerce at 309-699-6212.

PEORIA

City’s yard waste program begins next week

The city of Peoria’s yard waste pickup season starts on Monday, March 16.  Pickup will be weekly on the same day as trash pickup.

Yard waste materials include grass clippings, leaves, tree limbs, and brush and must be set out for collection in one of the following options to avoid a missed pick up.

• Use plastic or metal garbage cans that are between up to 45 gallons, with two handles, and a tight-fitting lid.
• Use wheeled carts that are either 65- or 95-gallon size.  Residents are encouraged to not use the city of Peoria trash carts for yard waste. The limbs and branches cause harm on the carts and reduce the life of the city’s carts.
• Paper yard waste bags which may not exceed 30 pounds in weight.
• Tree limbs and sticks can be bundled with nonmetallic cord, such as twine, but must be less than five feet in length and less than 50 pounds.

Label cans or carts with green Yard Waste Only stickers.  Yard waste stickers are available at City Hall, Public Works or any Peoria Disposal Company (PDC) location.

As with trash and recycling, all yard waste materials must be set out by 6 a.m. on your collection day.  Set cans, carts, or materials next to your trash cart, leaving three feet of space between and avoiding obstacles such as cars, snow, or mailboxes.  Any cans or carts need to be removed from the curb or alley by 5 p.m.

For more information, visit PeoriaPicksUp.com or call Peoria Disposal Company at 309-674-5176, ext. 1.

The Peoria Public Works Department will be conducting clean up sweeps throughout the downtown area and outlying neighborhoods during March. Public parking access will be affected during some of these weeks. (city of Peoria graphic)

City crews out cleaning up downtown this month

Peoria Public Works wants to inform residents and businesses that the city is in the process of doing a downtown cleanup of sidewalks, streets, litter pick up and pot hole maintenance.

The alternating placement of temporary “No Parking” bags on parking meters are being used during the cleanup week. But after this initial cleanup, public works will continue with a weekly cleanup until the IHSA basketball tournament weekends, St. Patrick’s Day Parade and other spring events are done.

The annual cleanup initiative is an annual project that concentrates in the downtown area, but carries over into outlying areas throughout the city of Peoria.

Artists sought for Peoria area history art show

Artists throughout the Peoria area are welcome to submit artwork for the Peoria Historical Society’s 56^th annual Rennick Art Show, with the theme “History Thru Art.” The show will be at the Peoria Riverfront Museum Auditorium, 222 SW Washington St., May 7-31.

Entries must visually represent an aspect of Peoria-area history.  Artworks of all mediums are welcome. Cash awards will be given for best of show and first through third places.

An opening reception will be at 5:30 p.m. May 7 at the museum to recognize artists and show sponsors, including John and Sharon Amdall of Washington.

For details and an entry form, go to www.peoriahistoricalsociety.org or call the Peoria Historical Society at 674-1921.

STATE

 March is Severe Weather Preparedness Month

When most people think about dangerous spring weather, tornadoes, thunderstorms and flooding usually come to mind.

In Illinois, roughly 20 percent of tornadoes occur at night. For several reasons, tornadoes that occur at night are twice as likely to result in fatalities. Therefore, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and National Weather Service is underscoring the importance of having more than one way to receive emergency alerts and notifications during Severe Weather Preparedness Month.

“Building a culture of preparedness is how we increase disaster readiness in our everyday lives,” said Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “Mother Nature does not discriminate when it comes to severe weather. Severe Weather Preparedness Month serves as an opportunity to remind the public to identify the hazards that exist in their community and put plans in place to protect your family for what may lie ahead.”

The National Weather Service and state and local emergency management officials strongly encourage people to have a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) All Hazards Weather Radio with battery backup.

These radios can be programmed to receive alerts for specified counties to keep you and your family apprised of impending weather and post-event information for all types of hazards including natural (earthquakes), environmental (chemical spills) and public safety hazards (AMBER alerts).

When an alert is issued for the programmed area, the device will sound a warning alarm tone followed by the essential information.

IEMA stresses the need for multiple ways to receive notifications and updated information about severe weather warnings.

FEMA offers a free mobile app that provides fast and reliable weather alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS).  The app can be tailored to offer alerts for up to five different locations nationwide.  The mobile app can also help you locate open shelters and disaster resource centers near you in the event of an emergency.

In addition to NOAA weather radios, Wireless Emergency Alerts can provide lifesaving information about impending storms and emergencies. These alerts can be sent to your mobile device without the need to download an app or subscribe to a service.

Not only are critical tools to surviving overnight storms, but they can be extremely beneficial for those who travel.

The NWS will be recognizing Flood Safety Awareness Week during March 9-13.  For more information about what to do before, during and after a storm, visit www.Ready.Illinois.gov.   There you will find a Severe Weather Preparedness Guide, developed by IEMA and NWS, which provides tips on how to prepare for all weather emergencies.