WCBU Reports

A state-wide grant program funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture aims to address food insecurity while also assisting historically under-represented farmers, and the Midwest Food Bank is part of the initiative.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the $28.8 million in funding Tuesday during a visit to the Midwest Food Bank’s facility in Morton, calling it a big step in providing nutrition to vulnerable communities.

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A surge of new residential units are planned for Peoria's downtown and Warehouse District over the next few years. 

But how much residential growth is truly needed in these areas? Who are the people that want to live there, and why?

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The Tremont Community Unit School District 702 is looking to raise funding for education, as bonds for a 2007 high school addition project expire.

The measure is included as a referendum on the ballot for the Mar. 19 primary.

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President Donald Trump will remain on the primary ballot in Illinois after a Cook County judge granted his request to hold her decision to remove him until a ruling comes from the United States Supreme Court.

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While Peoria may not have the glitz and glamour of the Southern California movie business, it does claim an active community of independent filmmakers with a passion for telling stories.

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A pair of Peoria-area high school girls basketball teams will make program history this weekend in Normal.

Peoria Notre Dame and Illini Bluffs are in the IHSA state semifinals for the first time and guaranteed to come home from CEFCU Arena with a trophy. The Irish and Tigers now hope that trophy is the championship variety.

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Governor JB Pritzker's proposed state budgetfor fiscal year 2025 includes a $40 million project to create a new Army National Guard "readiness center" in Peoria.

Lieutenant Colonel Brad Leighton is the Illinois National Guard Director of Public Affairs. He says a "readiness center" is essentially just an updated term for "armory."

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After weathering the advent of Amazon and the closures of the pandemic, it may seem like a difficult time for local bookstores. But the American Booksellers Association is reporting their highest membership in 20 years, with nearly 300 members added since 2019.

In Peoria, local used bookstores are not just surviving, but adapting and thriving.

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West Peoria voters have a pair of referendums to consider this March.

Mayor James Dillon says both of them are tax increases aimed at supporting the city’s primarily volunteer emergency services. The first referendum would create a new tax for ambulance service.

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The Peoria Women’s Club has been in their own clubhouse for over 130 years, and a government gift will help them upgrade it.

The National Park Service awarded the club a $750,000 grant on Wednesday to restore the historic building, part of $5 million the agency gave out as part of the Historic Preservation Fund’s History of Equal Rights grant program. The money will go toward the PWC’s $4 million restoration project.

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