PEORIA MAGAZINE November 2023

COVER STORY 45 Class of 2023 Forty Leaders Under 40 FEATURES 10 Seed and Soil:

SPOTLIGHTS 22 A Little Cat With Your Cup of Joe? By Phil Luciano 24 A Peoria Pitch Produces a Bite of Bollywood By Lisa Coon 36 Stormy Times for Insurance Agencies By Steve Stein 38 11-17-2013 By Pam Tomka 40 The End of an Era in Peoria Broadcast Journalism By Phil Luciano 88 Forest Park Foundation Reaches the End of Its Glorious and Giving Road By Linda Smith Brown 92 At 125 Years, Peoria Heights Is Finding Its Stride By Linda Smith Brown 120 The Illinois River Under a Microscope By Pam Tomka

98 Playing in Peoria: Commentary Making a Big Statement, in Lowercase By Kirk Wessler

104 Curtain Call:

Paying Tribute to a Star By Katie Faley

Grain Bins Are a Critical Link Between Farm and Consumer By Thomas Bruch

108 Word Count:

High Tea and Hijinks By Laurie Pillman

12 Seed and Soil:

From Pumpkin Patch to Grocery Store Shelf By Phil Luciano

112 Hometown:

Lincoln’s Past and Present Intersect at Route 66 By Steve Stein

16 Dish & Drink:

Hearth and Home By Nick Vlahos

116 Peoria Retro:

Peoria’s ‘Most Useful Citizen’ By Steve Tarter

18 Dish & Drink: Farm to Tap

118 Launching Pad:

By Phil Luciano

The Lesson of Community Service By Katie Faley

21 Cocktail Class:

Autumn Bushel Basket Hugh Higgins

122 Econ Corner:

An Interview with Robert Bruno, University of Illinois By Mike Bailey 124 Twenty Something Commentary: Setting Goals the SMART Way By Katie Faley

30 Mom & Pop:

‘The Enchantment is Unforgettable’ By Lisa Coon

32 Mom & Pop:

How Would the Monroes Do This? By Linda Smith Brown

COVER ART : “Forty Under 40” by Missy Shepler

NOVEMBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 3