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3:12 am UTC Apr. 16, 2021 Sharon Mercer spent part of a winter Sunday shopping for produce for her extended family. This meant buying groceries for her niece and her small children, along with her niece s parents, who don t drive. Mercer bought produce at Market 309, which opened in January providing healthy food for South Peoria residents. It s one of several options established by not-for-profits since the nearest grocery store to South Peoria closed a move three years ago that created a food desert and left those without regular transportation particularly in a bind. Sometimes we see things start up and then they fizzle. I don t think this is going to fizzle, Mercer said of the market at Logan Recreational Center. ....
1:02 pm UTC Apr. 14, 2021 By almost every measure imaginable, South Peoria is in bad shape. But rallying the community around solutions has, so far, seen little success. Many pay those problems little mind. Most probably don t spend much time there seeing them. They may have been warned away as a new resident Don t go down the hill. Or they re avoiding the effects of those problems: crumbling infrastructure, pervasive unemployment, lack of businesses, higher crime rates. But placing South Peoria out of sight or out of mind has not repaired its woes. Understanding the disparity between life there and elsewhere in central Illinois is reason enough for some to want to improve the area. But if that doesn t do it for you, try this: The problems of South Peoria are affecting your own neighborhoods, the value of your own home, even your tax bill. ....