Illinois

The following is a commentary from Dr. Robert Smith, Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Illinois Springfield.  

Rik Edgar believes the Peoria Civic Center holds the key to the city’s economic revival after the COVID-19 pandemic – but only if it can survive the next two months.

The state is moving ahead with its plan to shift an estimated 18,000 children from the child welfare system into a health care coverage plan despite warnings from children’s advocates that the change will cut many of those children off from access to the critical care they need.

When construction begins next spring on the Peoria Housing Authority’s redevelopment of the Taft Homes, current residents won’t be relocated to different public housing sites.

The Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino has launched an online sportsbook in conjunction with FanDuel.

Skeletal remains found on the banks of the Illinois River over the weekend don't belong to any of the three  Peoria County residents who have disappeared in recent years.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has released in-person voting guidelines for election authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 this year.

When Dr. Thomas Luft got a stuffy nose in June, he didn't think much of it at first.

Two years ago, Peoria Public Schools renamed Woodrow Wilson Primary School to Dr. Maude A. Sanders Primary School. Now, District 150 Board of Education Vice President Gregory Wilson has asked his fellow board members to support name changes for facilities currently honoring Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Benjamin Harrison, Calvin Coolidge and Charles Lindbergh.

The Peoria County Sheriff's Office is investigating after skeletal human remains were found in the Illinois River near Glasford.

Illinois State Police say a motorcyclist was killed in a crash Saturday night north of Peoria.

The Showplace 14 movie theater in Pekin closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it appears that closure may not be permanent.

A rise in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations landed Sangamon County on the list of counties at a warning level, according to Illinois Department of Public Health. Morgan, Cass, Pike and Greene are on the list as well.

Ten years after it closed, the crumbling old Harrison School still stands at 2702 W. Krause Ave. on Peoria's South Side. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

This week we are joined by two friends who have made the trek to Florida since the reopening of Walt Disney World. Kristen Wolfe speaks to her experience at the Boardwalk and all about the parks. Craig William II lets us know about his stay at the Polynesian and his take on what Walt Disney World is like for travellers right now. Join along with us!

Featuring: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson

This week, rising COVID-19 positivity rates prompted Governor J.B. Pritzker to once again shut down indoor service for restaurants and bars in Will and Kankakee counties, and warned that the same might soon happen for the Metro East counties.  Local governments are becoming more worried about declining tax revenues due to the pandemic.  And energy company Exelon announced that it may have to close two of its nuclear plants.  

Jerry Nowicki of Capitol News Illinois and Kelsey Landis of the Belleville News-Democrat join the panel.

On this week’s episode of Out and About, internationally acclaimed storyteller Brian “Fox” Ellis joins Jenn Gordon to talk about his stories are reaching new audiences through a weekly podcast series, YouTube Channel, and a collaboration with WTVP’s Remote Channel. Brain’s stories include folklore, ecology, and history.  He also has books and lesson plans to accompany audio and video platforms to help teachers and parents with online/remote learning curriculum.

Bradley University is reporting a COVID-19 positivity rate of just over 2.5% as the first week of class wraps up.

Most Illinois school kids will start the school year with remote learning.  That’s according to an Illinois State Board of Education survey of administrators.

Remediation of a contaminated brownfield site will start soon in South Peoria.

Doctors are worried about falling vaccination rates among adults and children during the COVID-19 pandemic as flu season looms on the horizon.

On this week's Statewide, a Black police officer talks about his feelings of having to do his job amid recent protests over racial justice. 

Students are moving back to college campuses, but are facing a lot of new rules designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.   And we bring you a report from the portion of Chicago with the highest rate of coronavirus deaths.  

Those stories and more on this episode.

On this episode, Larry talks to nationally touring headliner, author, and extraordinary photographer, Reena Calm about comedy goals in The Before Times, how that’s changed in the current state of standup, shifting creative endeavors, family (yes, it’s a little serious), the bane that is hack comedy, and another discussion about the brilliance of Amy Sedaris!

Remediation of a contaminated brownfield site will start soon in South Peoria.

Remediation of a contaminated brownfield site will start soon in South Peoria.

Remediation of a contaminated brownfield site will start soon in South Peoria.