Illinois

Illinois bars and restaurants can now serve mixed-drinks to go.   Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the measure into law Tuesday.  

More than a thousand demonstrators shouting ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘No Justice, No Peace’ took to the streets in Springfield again Monday, demanding an end to racial injustices.

A man suffered serious injuries Monday after he was shot at a Peoria liquor store.

Peoria city officials are recommending the public take extra safety precautions and look out for their neighbors in the wake of widespread violence and looting overnight, but stopped short of issuing a formal curfew order.

As outrage and protest against police brutality and racial injustice has spilled into the streets of cities across the country, several Black Illinois state lawmakers are offering their plans for how to fix those problems.

A 28-year-old Galesburg man faces federal charges of inciting riots in Chicago and Minneapolis - and handing out explosives to fellow rioters.

Businesses across Peoria began clearing clearing debris before dawn after a night of unrest.

Dozens were damaged.

WCBU captured a small portion of the aftermath.

This gallery may be updated.

Eleven arson fires. 23 ShotSpotter alerts. 87 rounds fired. Nearly 50 business burglaries. Two people shot. And a Peoria Police Officer seriously injured in a traffic accident. That's Peoria Police Chief Loren Marion III's tally of the chaos which took place in the overnight hours.

Black leaders in Peoria are condemning the violence that broke out overnight, arguing it detracts from the message protestors are trying to send.

Rioting, looting, and mayhem broke out on the streets of Peoria in the early Monday morning hours.

Thousands of cars circled downtown Springfield Sunday afternoon to protest recent police killings.

Springfield city officials called for residents to stay home Sunday night around 8:30 p.m.

Police Chief Kenny Winslow said they made the decision after receiving information of potential “civil disturbances." He declined to elaborate on specifics.

City officials emphasized it was not a curfew, but a request.

The call comes as protests against police brutality in cities around the country have erupted into violence. Sunday afternoon, Gov. J.B. Pritzker authorized National Guard troops to be deployed to Chicago, which has been under a curfew.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said he is worried the mass protests over police brutality happening across the country could spread the coronavirus. 

Little lasting damage is to be seen after protests grew heated on both sides of the river Saturday night.

Several hundred peaceful protestors filled downtown Peoria's streets on Saturday afternoon to demonstrate against racism and police brutality.

Heartland Health Services is permanently closing its South Peoria COVID-19 testing site.

After the pandemic throttled business this spring, things are starting to pick up at Fourwinds RV, 3104 N. Main St. in East Peoria.

More than two months after Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared testing would be key to Illinois’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, coronavirus testing is still limited in Sangamon County.

Meanwhile, state officials report more than 13,600 tests done in the county. Local officials, however, estimate that with repeat tests and people from outside the county limits screened here, only 5,600 individual Sangamon County residents have been tested.

A look at the numbers from one recent week provides a window into the complexities underlying the stats published by health authorities.

The Tri-County region reported its largest one-day spike of new positive COVID-19 cases to date on Friday.

Twenty-seven new cases were reported, for a total of 309. Peoria City/County Health Department Administrator Monica Hendrickson said most of 25 of the new cases from Peoria County were linked to University Rehab at Northmoor, which tested all residents and staff for the virus after two initial tests came back positive.

Hendrickson said a majority of the cases are asymptomatic.

Pride Month is usually a time of togetherness for the LGBTQ+ community. But with social distancing guidelines in place, organizers have had to get creative.

This week on Out and About, host Jenn Gordon talks with Shannon Cox, Director of the Peoria Art Guild about the 2020 Member Show, the incoming works of Morgan Elser, and their plans to welcome back the public into the gallery space. View the 2020 Member Show Virtual Gallery. 

As Illinois enters Phase Three of "Restore Illinois", Governor Pritzker is responding to  criticism and lawsuits surrounding his re-opening plan.  Meanwhile, the Illinois General Assembly wrapped up its short special legislative session last weekend after passing a state budget. The panel also discusses a controversy over whether or not lawmakers will see their pay go up.

Capitol News Illinois’ Rebecca Anzel joins the panel.

The Peoria area's unemployment rate is nearing 18 percent as the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant stay-at-home order continues to hammer the economy.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood is calling for a full investigation into the Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd's death.

Bob Meyer talks with Ken Lam, Music Director and Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and Trevor Orthmann, the ISO's Executive Director, about the new Sunday at Six Recital Series.  With live performances still on hold due to the pandemic, the ISO is taking the music online for the month of June.

The Sunday at Six Recital Series premieres this weekend - Sunday evening at six o'clock - on the Illinois Symphony Orchestra's YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/user/ilsymphonyorch

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced new guidance for places of worship. It comes as he has faced multiple lawsuits over his ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. Pritzker now says faith leaders should try to limit attendance to a quarter of a building’s capacity or 100 attendees, whichever is lower, along with social distancing.

While residents of Springfield wait for Gov. J.B. Pritzker to end his stay-at-home order, two members of the community have gathered their bagpipes to lift the city’s spirits and raise money during the pandemic. Reporter Mike Smith watched them perform and has this story.

The architects of the Restore Heart of Illinois regional reopening plan say that, for all intents and purposes, their plan is now the governor's plan.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker today (Thursday) announced new guidance for places of worship. It comes as he has faced multiple lawsuits over his ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. Pritzker now says faith leaders should try to limit attendance to a quarter of a building’s capacity or 100 attendees, whichever is lower, along with social distancing. 

As University of Illinois officials deliberate over how to reopen the Urbana campus this fall, a group of faculty members say they don’t believe the university can safely allow tens of thousands of students back into residence halls and classrooms this year.