On Deck

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, September 22, 2021. Our top story is about how Peoria County's proposed 2022 budget keeps the property tax rate steady, but some challenges may be on the horizon. You’ll also hear about how the "Climate and Equitable Jobs Act," that was passed last week could impact Peoria. WCBU’s Hannah Alani spoke with J.C. Kibbey of the National Resources Defense Council.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, September 21, 2021. Our top story is about how Governor JB Pritzker announced the investment of an additional $327 million in energy assistance funds for low-income families. You’ll also hear how after a large fight broke out at Peoria High School last Friday, students were back in class yesterday. WCBU’s Tim Shelley spoke with Peoria Public Schools superintendent Dr. Sharon Kherat about what the district is doing to avoid similar disruptions moving forward.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, September 20, 2021. Our top story is about how a couple of clean energy projects may be coming to Tazewell County in the next few years. You’ll also hear from Mary Jo Papich. She is the award-winning co-founder of the Jazz Education Network and a retired Peoria Public Schools music educator. Tim Shelley recently spoke with Papich about her teaching philosophy and how to keep a love of jazz alive with today's up-and-coming musicians.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, September 17, 2021. Our top story is about the ED Edwards coal plant in Bartonville is slated to become a battery energy storage site after its closure next year. You’ll also hear from Peoria’s alt-folk quintet, The Way Down Wanderers. Band members Collin Krause and Austin Thompson talk about their latest album “More Like Tomorrow.”

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, September 16, 2021. Our top story is about how Metamora’s Biscuits and Gravy Restaurant is expanding its business in a new direction. You’ll also hear from Jackie Newman, the director of the Springfield Housing Authority and the acting director of the Peoria Housing Authority since 2018. In an interview with WCBU's Hannah Alani, Newman responds to community concerns about the current situation at Taft Homes.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Our top story is about how as the Peoria Chiefs finish off this season with a "fan appreciation week," general manager Jason Mott is optimistic this year's lagging attendance won't extend into 2022. You’ll also hear about how a locally famous West Peoria steakhouse is becoming a cannabis consumption lounge. Tim Shelley speaks with High Harbor Cannabis Lounge and Event Center owner Ron DiGiacomo about the new business.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, September 14, 2021. Our top story is about how former Peoria Park District director Bonnie Noble has died at age 80. You’ll also hear about how Doctor Ken Fukuchi is among researchers hoping to find a treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. Fukuchi, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, was recently awarded a $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for a five-year study with a goal of developing preventive and therapeutic solutions. Fukuchi discusses the project with WCBU reporter Joe Deacon.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, September 13, 2021. Our top story is about how a quartet of Illinois River communities hope people make the 52-mile loop this weekend for the first "Bridge to Bridge" River Drive Festival. You’ll hear from the festival organizers. You’ll also hear about how when your business plan was all about brewing up a closer community, what do you do when that community has to stay outside? That was the situation many Peoria-area coffee shops found themselves in during the worst of the pandemic. Steve Tarter checks in with a few to see how they're doing now.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, September 10, 2021. Our top story is about how the Peoria area's first legal cannabis consumption event is happening this weekend. You’ll also hear from Marty Wombacher, who you may know from his popular blog, Meanwhile Back in Peoria. That blog celebrates his return to his hometown, but on September 11th, 2001, Wombacher was living in New York City, just blocks away from Ground Zero. He told WCBU correspondent Steve Tarter about his recollections from that day.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, September 9, 2021. Our top story is about how the new FarmFED food processing cooperative is well on its way to revving up its engines. But as Tim Shelley reports, while they've met their fundraising goal, they haven't sold enough ownership shares yet. You’ll also hear how since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of suicide attempts in children and teens has nearly doubled. That's according to Bernice Gordon-Young, a psychotherapist with OSF HealthCare. In this interview with WCBU’s Jody Holtz, Gordon-Young talks about the driving factors behind these attempts, as well as the important role parents have in fostering healthy environments and open communication.