By Deena Sherman – Maybe you saw me Saturday at Aurora’s downtown Farmers’ Market. I was at a little table with a banner that read, “Population Connection.” I was happy to volunteer for this group, whose mission is to explain the connections between overpopulation and issues such as pollution, poverty,
We are tied together more than we may think, at times, and pass off circumstances as coincidences. There are many who think there are no coincidences. Early this week, Lynn Akers entered the office of The Voice with a news release for Jennings Terrace. First things first. She is involved
First of two parts Hemp has a variety of reactions from a variety of individuals, and, there is a lack of information and understanding. The Hemp Industrial Association wrote the following article of its history: “Hemp is among the oldest industries on the planet, going back more than 10,000 years
Last of two parts When the English settlers in the New World in the early 1600s, adapted the foreign soil to their needs, they set off cataclysmic changes. Their animals, insects, and plants literally changed the ground beneath the Native Americans’ feet. The colonists brought in native fruit trees and
Richelle Howard shares experiences she and her husband, Rich, have encountered as missionaries to Rwanda at the Kiwanis Club of Aurora Tuesday at the Prisco Center in Aurora. Rich is a retired pastor of Village Baptist Church in Aurora. The Howards work in Rwanda to provide nondenominational theological training for
By Anthony Stanford – Former Aurora mayor Tom Weisner has a butterfly photo collection. You don’t have to take my word for it; check out the dazzling photos for yourself. It’s on the first floor of the Santori Public Library of Aurora in the Kiwanis Children’s Center (KCC) at River
We celebrate Independence Day, Fourth of July, in various ways. The most common thread is to offer a boisterous, noise-filled salute to the Declaration of Independence, which was confirmed by the Continental Congress in 1776, 242 years ago. Each generation is challenged to keep strong and valid, the theme of
Last of two parts Jackie Turner, an environmental scientist and journalist, continues her story about bananas. “The banana that people ate in the early 20th Century was not the one we know today. There are hundreds of edible banana varieties, but to standardize production, banana companies selected a single type
Last of two parts In 1917 radio messages were intercepted about a possible German spy named H-21. H-21 was Mati Hari. That year she was again arrested in Paris and put on trial, accused of spying for Germany and consequently causing the deaths of at least 50,000 soldiers. During her
With the arrival of Summer my thoughts turn to baseball, beer, barbecue, beaches, and visions of sugar plums while my wife’s thoughts turn to the stupid list of household projects I was coerced into making with her in the early Spring. At the dawn of each rain-free day, the list
Three businesses recently joined the Aurora Downtown family. Both Tredwell Coffee and Wyckwood House moved into the old Metropolitan Business College building at 14 W. Downer Place. Branch Gardens is open at the northwest corner of Lake and Benton Streets. Our downtown family is always growing, and we’re particularly thrilled
Inspiration! We require inspirational attitudes in others to spread around preferred qualities in the rest of us. Inspiration was in view with selection of Jose Martinez as the Aurora Independence Day grand marshal. See article here. The East Aurora head wrestling coach did not hesitate to save a life in
First of two parts “Yes We Have No Bananas” a Roaring Twenties favorite was witten by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn (1922) and originally sung by Eddie Cantor Columbia College Music History #3 written by Bill DeMain’s new column, where he explores the real historical events that inspired various songs.
First of two parts What word comes to mind when you hear her name, Mati Hari? Spy? Yet, as research now shows, she was framed and betrayed by the French government, the only country for which she spied. As such, this portrait of her will take two weeks to uncover
Here at last, dear reader, is part two of the history of South LaSalle Street in Aurora. It covers a period of only 25 years because, by the time the 1970s rolled around, few new businesses were starting up and many of the old ones were either going out of
By Anthony Stanford – Talk about a great day to hitch a ride on the Bookmobile! June 12, special guest reader Aurora mayor Richard Irvin, a huge fan of books, participated in the Aurora Public Library (APL) “Stories at the Zoo” series at the Phillips Park Zoo. An animated mayor
While reading an O. Henry short story recently, I came upon the word cordwainer and it delighted me. What was this word and what was its meaning? And what better was a follow-up to my previous article about socks, than shoes? Let’s go on today’s adventure! The term cordwainer entered
What’s in a name? A bunch of letters for one thing. Eons back, when I was a teenager with my friends, with nothing better to do one Summer day, we amused ourselves by looking up funny names in the Chicago phone book. We happened upon the last name on the
Grandpa, In the Book of Acts, Luke tells Theophilus that Jerusalem is a Sabbath Day’s journey from the Mount of Olives. That does not help me to know the distance. I have looked it up on (the internet) and can’t find any definitive answer to my question about what a
By John Montesano – The Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club named James “Jim” Lambert the June veteran of the month. He was born June 28, 1935 on a farm near Lombard. He was graduated from Glenbard High School and enlisted in the Army in December 1953. He went to Fort
