Illinois

Illinois Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) will resign his Senate seat effective 11:59 p.m. on Thursday — New Year’s Eve.

It has been a year since Illinois legalized recreational adult use cannabis.  And despite the pandemic, marijuana sales beat expectations.  We'll hear from a reporter who covers the industry about where it goes from here.

We'll also learn about a mental health crisis clinic in central Illinois.  

That and more on this episode of Statewide.

UPDATED 5:20 p.m. | A 45-year-old Peoria Heights woman was found dead after a house fire late Wednesday, authorities said.

UPDATED 4:05 p.m. | A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on first-degree murder charges after a shooting late Wednesday in north Peoria.

Tri-County health officials report 15 more people have died of COVID-19 complications, pushing the region’s deal toll since the start of the pandemic to 400.

Bradley’s men’s basketball team will get an extended holiday break as the program’s first COVID-19 positive tests of the season have prompted the Braves to postpone their first conference games of the new year.

Suicide rates didn't change much in Peoria and McLean counties this year, despite a pandemic that caused hardship for many.

The former Heddington Oaks nursing home will serve as a distribution site for COVID-19 vaccines.

When a new year begins in Illinois, there typically are dozens if not hundreds of new laws going into effect.

The Peoria Police Department is releasing more information about a Saturday night brawl that forced officers to briefly shut down Northwoods Mall.

Peoria and Tazewell counties both added nine deaths attributed to COVID-19 over the extended Christmas holiday weekend, while more than 800 new cases in the Tri-County area pushed the region past 25,000.

A new Illinois law going into effect in 2021 is meant to safeguard student data from breaches and ransomware.

With this update to the Student Online Personal Protection Act, parents will be able to review and correct their kids’ data held by schools or operators of online services who work with the school.

Parents can also request data be deleted in some cases. State Rep. John Carroll was a co-sponsor of the act.

“Data privacy is our new frontier. It's going to be something that we're gonna have to constantly monitor and make sure it's safe.”

Three people are dead after a shooting Saturday night at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford. Police Chief Daniel O'Shea confirmed there is a suspect in custody.

The Winnebago County Coroner's Office identified the three victims as:

• Thomas Furseth, 65, of Machesney Park
• Jerome Woodfork, 69, of Rockford
• Dennis Steinhoff, 73, of Rockford.

Winnebago County Coroner William Hintz said all three victims died from gunshot wounds.

On this week’s episode of Out & About Jenn Gordon talks to Megan Johnston, Anna Oxborrow, and Chris Peterlin from Corn Stock Theatre about "It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”. It's a clever take on the holiday cinematic classic, where  the story is staged as a live radio broadcast. Seven actors portray numerous characters, and sound effects are done by two Foley artists.

This week, Washington D.C. worked on a new COVID-19 pandemic stimulus package, while the first batch of vaccines continue to be distributed to health care workers.  Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is facing criticism for her handling of a new scandal involving the Chicago Police Department.

Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business joins the panel.

We have quite the treat for you at Beyond the Mouse. We recently had the amazing opportunity to chat with Rolly Crump. He was awarded the Disney Legend award in 2004 for his tremendous work as an animator and as an Imagineer. Rolly worked on attractions from The Haunted Mansion to The Tiki Room. We talk about it all in this episode!

The same day the first employees at Memorial Health System hospitals in central Illinois were getting vaccinated against the coronavirus, an internal blog post was published: “Debunking COVID-19 Vaccination Myths.”

It took more effort than usual, but a popular Christmas display in Morton has a regular contribution back in the mix.

Five new deaths linked to COVID-19 in the Tri-County area bring the tally to 40 in the past seven days.

A Peoria baby will see her first Christmas after her life was saved by an innovative new medical treatment.

The Peoria area dodged a post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID-19 cases, mainly thanks to people following guidance to avoid large holiday gatherings with extended family.

The pandemic hit the airline industry hard in 2020.

  More than 63,000 frontline healthcare workers in Illinois have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the last week — on top of thousands more healthcare workers in the city of Chicago.

Citizens of Illinois, I believe, should measure the product of our efforts by these tests: Is the Constitution of 1970 superior to the Constitution of 1870? Is the Constitution of 1970 relevant to the problems of our state at this time? By either test, I submit, the 1970 Constitution possesses a more efficient and economical governmental structure, while strengthening at the same time our commitment to the human needs of our people… the 1970 Constitution talks to a human purpose and a human society.

Seven fatalities in Woodford County account for half of the deadliest single day in the Tri-County area since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.