WCBU Reports

The time to use funding from the American Rescue Plan is running out. It expires in 2026 and needs to be committed by the end of this calendar year. In 2023, a debt ceiling deal included the return of $27 billion in emergency COVID funding from federal entities. This move also opened the door to discussion of clawing back the unspent emergency funding distributed to smaller municipalities.

With all these ticking clocks in play, government entities in the Greater Peoria area are working to put a bow on their final plans for ARPA spending.

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A lawsuit from the family of a man who spent decades in prison before his murder conviction was vacated in 2017 has been dismissed by a federal judge.

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It’s been nearly three years since the Avanti’s Dome in Pekin deflated after sustaining wind damage in a storm. While the Event Center business is still open, the indoor recreation facility still hasn’t been rebuilt.

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Faced with a competitive job market, mounting student debt, and uncertainty about what comes next, college students can have a lot weighing on their mental health.

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Did you know Peoria has an active women's rugby team?

Established in 2018, the Peoria Bootleggers club organization continues to grow.

The team is getting ready for its upcoming spring season, and players say the sport gives them an opportunity to stay physically active while building camaraderie.

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Decades after a comeback from the brink of extinction, the iconic American bald eagle faces another threat: lead poisoning.

Nearly half the bald eagles tested in a 2022 study showed symptoms of chronic lead poisoning due to repeated lead exposures, and a third displayed signs of acute poisoning caused by high lead levels.

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Illinois had 22 million acres of prairie land in 1820, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Rolling plains bustling with big bluestem, compass plant and monarch butterflies aplenty. But by 1978, less than 2,300 acres of quality prairie remained in Illinois.

There are efforts to preserve what is left of the state's once omnipresent prairie and, if possible, restore some of it.

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For the first time in more than 20 years, members of the Peoria Fire Department are receiving the Firefighting Medal of Valor from the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office.

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The landscape of college sports is in the midst of a rapid transformation, brought on by a host of issues.

Student-athletes are taking advantage of new opportunities, while conference realignment is widening the gap between the bigger athletic programs and smaller universities.

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Carbon capture and sequestration has faced a lot of resistance in Illinois and across the Midwest. State lawmakers are now looking at ways to both expand CCUS and ease the concerns raised about the process.

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