East Peoria’s Levee District began its existence when Caterpillar began to shrink.
Until the 1990s, the district had been mostly comprised of about one million square feet of Caterpillar factories and offices. When buildings were demolished and the site was cleared, the city was left with vacant brown space,” according to Rick Swan, the East Peoria Chamber of Commerce executive director.
“The city fathers, starting with (East Peoria Mayor) Jim Spinder, started looking at the area and said ‘We need to do something,’ Swan added.
Perhaps because the area had been home to an industrial complex, the city’s initial plan was to develop an industrial park there. But the East Peoria City Council saw other opportunities in the area’s central location, according to Ty Livingston, the city s director of planning and development.
Nonprofit blood services provider Vitalant urges all eligible donors to make an appointment to give blood, platelets or plasma this May in support of mothers and all patients relying on lifesaving blood transfusions.Â
As a token of thanks, all those who come to give through May 25 will receive a $5 amazon.com gift card, while May 26 to June 1 holiday week donors will receive a Vitalant ball cap redeemable via email.
To learn more and schedule an appointment to donate, visit vitalant.org or call 1-877-25-VITAL (1-877-258-4825). West Valley locations are detailed below.
Vitalant blood donation appointments: vitalant.org or 1-877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825)
PEORIA Jessica Ford gets emotional when she talks about H.R. 5050, the Women s Business Ownership Act of 1988.
“Before ‘88, if you were a woman business owner, you could not take out a loan, you could not sign for your own loan even if you owned the business,” said Ford, president of the central Illinois chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners the group that helped create the legislation. “You had to have your husband or brother sign off for you. So it wasn’t until 1988, when I was 4 years old. . It’s not that far away, which is absolutely crazy.”