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This Week
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June 16, 2022
Peoria’s Hometown Newspaper
Police department employees honored at annual awards ceremony BY JORDAN ROGERS
Peoria Times Staff Writer
A OPINION..........8 Leibowitz offers primer on Valley geography
s part of an annual effort to recognize exemplary service to the public, the Peoria Police Department handed out awards to 39 of its employees during a ceremony on April 20. This year’s event, which covered awards for the 2021 year, was held at the Peoria City Council Chambers. It was attended by Mayor Cathy Carlat, several city council members, city managers and numerous department employees along with their families. The event recognized the listed award winners, but also recognized the hard work and dedication of all Peoria Police Department employees. “These awards are just a small example of the great work our employees do each and every day as they serve and protect the citizens of Peoria,” Police Chief Art Miller said. SEE AWARDS PAGE 4
FEATURES..... 15 Theater Works brings Peoria Appreciation Night
OPINION..........................6 FEATURES......................10 CALENDAR....................16 RELIGION.......................18 YOUTH...........................20 CLASSIFIEDS..................21
Civilian Investigator Jessica Jansen is the recipient of the 2021 Professional Staff Member of the Year. (Peoria Police/Submitted)
Expert offers insight on telltale signs of school shootings BY JORDAN ROGERS
Peoria Times Staff Writer
W
hen it comes to school shootings, mental health tends to be something that the public falls back on as it pertains to a cause, but Donna Bartos believes it doesn’t play as big a role as others believe it does. “You’ll hear a lot of people talking about it being a mental health issue,” said Bartos, the founder and CEO of BLOOM365.
“There are thousands and millions of people who struggle with mental health challenges, but they are not abusive or violent. It really comes down to the sense of powerlessness.” A nonprofit organization, BLOOM365 uses facts and figures to prevent and respond to all forms of violence, such as domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence, gender-based violence, and gun violence in a generation. The company stands to serve young people between the
ages of 11 and 24. BLOOM365 collaborates with many schools in Peoria, including those in the Peoria Unified School District, to provide a comprehensive program and services model to enhance the capacity of the schools to prevent and respond to violence-based issues. “The education piece, when we’re delivering it to students, does a couple of things,” Bartos said. “It really sets a culture
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