The Phil Luciano Show Column

Decades before the hilariously failed "WKRP in Cincinnati" turkey drop, Peoria saw a similar promotion explode in a frenzy of howling spectators and flying feathers. And, presumably, nervous turkeys The poultry pandemonium erupted the day before Thanksgiving 1905 at Szold & Sons, the landmark department store on Garden Street near Adams Street. The store had touted a "turke...

By: Phil Luciano Peoria city officials are trying to convince Boyd Gaming to abandon their Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria and build a land-based operation in Peoria. That effort, confirmed by WMBD Radio via a Freedom of Information Act request filed with the city of Peoria, has triggered the irritation and concern of East Peoria Mayor John Kahl. In a July 22 email to Peoria Mayor Rita ...

By: Phil Luciano Sometimes, coroners cry. Jamie Harwood freely admits to occasional tears. But for the eight-year coroner of Peoria County, no recent case has hit as hard as that of Sydney Weston. He says it's a particular challenge to share death information with the parents of children. "Oftentimes, I'm in tears with them," Harwood says. "I can only imagine what it's like to lo...

By: Phil Luciano As the director of the Peoria airport, Gene Olson spends a lot of time gazing skyward. Lately, though, he has been peering down - way down. "It's like a honeycomb under there," Olson says. The shafts were 5 feet tall and 15 feet wide, with one 2.5 miles long. So, in and around the tower work site, mine-mitigation specialists from St. Louis have been probing the earth....