Local Pastor Crowned as First Central Illinois Volunteer Citizen of the Year + MORE

The Fourth of July is almost here! While the Fourth is a great time to have some fun and get some sun, the holiday can be detrimental to the environment. When prepping for your Fourth of July celebrations, try some of these tips to make your festivities red, white, blue AND green: Nix the plastic.

In its first year, Direct Energy and the Journal Star’s Central Illinois Volunteer Citizen of the Year award is honoring Quinton Brown of Peoria. In addition to working full-time at his job at a local hospital, Brown serves as an unpaid pastor at the New Beginnings Worship Center and dedicates his time to revitalizing its